December 25, 2022 • Pastor Marty Scales • 1 Corinthians 13
Christmas Day is a great time to end our series entitled "Love is [is Not]" from 1 Corinthians 13. Paul ends his teaching on Agape Love with a thought about children. He says, "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. He is trying to encourage the church to grow and mature in something that will never end: Agape Love.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 9 | Love Bears, Believes, Hopes
December 18, 2022 • Pastor Travis Marsh • 1 Corinthians 13:7
Love always persists. It does not fail. It never gives up. It is described as a roof over our heads. It is described as a firm belief and conviction that stands even in the greatest of storms. Love is built upon the foundation of hope that acknowledges God has been faithful to his promises in the past and will be faithful to his future promises. Love endures. Join us this Sunday as we continue to search out this unique type of love, Agape Love, the Love of God.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 8 | Love Rejoices With The Truth
December 11, 2022 • Pastor Marty Scales • Psalm 1
Truth (the content of Christianity is the ultimate truth) is contrasted with unrighteousness (evil). “Agape/Love” rejoices when truth wins out in life situations. In the Bible there seems to be two ways of living our lives: Psalm 1 tells us that there is a God-blessed way of living and a way that is opposed to God. This Sunday we will look at several characters in the Christmas Story to see why they are rejoicing (or not) with the truth of Immanuel's arrival. Let's rejoice with them.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 7 | Love Is Not Irritable Or Resentful
December 4, 2022 • Pastor Travis Marsh • 1 Corinthians 13:5
Love is not irritable nor resentful. Meaning love is not meant to store up anger nor keep a long account of anger. This is not an indictment against anger as much as an indictment against what makes us angry. Join us as we continue in this vital series working through how we are loved and how we love others.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 6 | Love Does Not Insist On Its Own Way
November 27, 2022 • Pastor Marty Scales • 1 Corinthians 6:1–11
When our intent is that most everything goes to our advantage, our pleasure, our profit or to our honor, we are not motivated or energized by “agape/love” but rather self-seeking love. “Agape/Love” does not insist on self-gain, self-justification, self-worth or self-exaltation to the detriment of others. To the contrary, we Christians come to love our neighbor in a similar way that we love ourselves.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 5 | Love Does Not Boast, It Is Not Arrogant or Rude
November 20, 2022 • Kevin Timmons • Isaiah 39
Arrogance, or pride, is considered by many to be the root of all sin. It was arrogance that led to the fall of mankind in the very beginning when Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God and ate from the fruit of the tree. It was pride that led King Hezekiah in Isaiah 39 to show off his treasure house to Babylonian diplomats, who eventually returned with their military to steal everything. Pride is the root of all sorts of sins, including boasting and being rude. But love does not boast. It gives thanks. Love is not rude. It covers shame. Love is not prideful. It is humble, like our Lord Jesus Christ.
Love Is [Is Not] - Part 4 | Love Does Not Envy
November 13, 2022 • Zakk Uhler • 1 Samuel 18:1–16
Envy: “Love Does Not Envy.” Envy comes from the root word, “to seethe”. A person filled with envy is one who sees the superior aspects of another’s success or achievement and feels pain rather than appreciation and goodwill. In 3:3 Paul tells the Corinthians that their “jealousy and quarreling/strife” is the cause of the divisions among them; this is a mark of the “flesh” not of those led by the love of God. The Corinthians (and we today) grew up in a status-seeking culture and this carried over into the church; but this attitude is incompatible with “agape/love” which does not begrudge the honor given to another but rather delights in the building up of another. This Sunday, Zakk will teach the ancient story of King Saul and a young David to see the insidious hooks of envy play out and where we can find redemption for our own envious hearts.
Love Is [Is Not] - Part 3 | Love is Kind
November 6, 2022 • Pastor Travis Marsh • 1 John 3:16–17, Luke 10:30–36
Kind: Kindness is a love of the mind and heart that we see in actions and attitudes of goodwill, mercy and affection. It is a charitable inclination to do good and benevolent deeds towards others, even when they are not showing goodwill in return. YAHWEH is often characterized as having enduring “loving-kindness” towards his people.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 2 | Love Is Patient
October 30, 2022 • Pastor Travis Marsh • James 5:7–12
Patient: Prolonged restraint of anger/agitation; to bear or endure pain or trouble without complaining or the loss of self-control. Patience is an attribute of God, He is patient and kind toward those who deserve divine judgment. This is how God wants us to be toward others - to remain tranquil while waiting - to bear up under provocation without complaint. To patiently wait while God transforms others.
Love Is [Is Not] Part 1 | Agape Is
October 23, 2022 • Pastor Travis Marsh • 1 Corinthians 13
Love is everywhere. We listen to it in our music. We watch it on our televisions. We see it in our theaters. We live it. We breathe it. We study it. We write about it. We talk about it. It is all-consuming. When we find it we go crazy and when we lose it we go even crazier. Love is an experience that sits at the very core of the human experience and sadly, because of sin, we know it is broken. Thankfully we know the God who created love and we can learn to express love as we were created to do if we learn to follow our Creator’s example. Join us as we begin this powerful relationally centered series on Love as expressed in 1 Corinthians 13.
