Transcript

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 13 CEB; Ch. 14 HCSB

Podcast Introduction

This is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read 1 Corinthians 13-14 . I’m calling this episode “This Is Love.”

Comments on 1 Corinthians 13

In the 13th chapter, which is often called the “Love Chapter”, Paul continues addressing the church in regards to division and gifts. What he tells them is that it doesn’t matter what gift you have, if you don’t have love. If there is love, you won’t have the problem fighting over who has what gift or which gift is better. And to make it clear, he delineates what love looks like. Love is not that mushy feeling of butterflies in your stomach you got with your first high school crush. Love is much more than that, and Paul is very specific about what it is. I hesitate to even begin to boil it down into just a few words, because his description is so dead on, but I’ll do it anyway. Love is not about what makes me feel good. Love is about what I can do for the benefit of the object of my love. Even when it’s difficult, or when that other person is unloveable. Love keeps going. 

Beloved, we don’t see much love in the world today, do we? We are living in turbulent times. What we do see a lot of is hate, I’m sorry to say. 

If we want peace, if we want love, we are not going to get it by arguing or confronting. We need to pray for changed hearts. How are hearts changed? Only by the Spirit of God. But He uses people to bring His message to people, planting seeds so that the Holy Spirit can cause them to grow and bear fruit. Paul said in Romans 10:17 “So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing (comes) through the Word of God.” 

Hearts are changed one at a time. I was saved as a teenager. I can point to a church service I was in when I publicly declared my faith, but I had really made the decision much earlier. It was from dozens and dozens of conversations with my friend Del Brixey, who invited me to that church. From listening to our pastor’s messages. From attending a Christian kindergarten. From seeing faith in Christ lived out in so many people, and on and on. My faith was built a little at a time from hearing the Word of God in many different ways.  

Beloved, we should be praying each and every day, asking God to show us how we can love our neighbor. How we can share the message of hope, love and Good News. Because until we do that, hearts will not be changed. The world needs God now, more than ever.

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Transcript

Download .txt file.

Transcript corrected by Sister Denise

1 Corinthians 13-14: This Is Love (LSFAB S13E099)

[TEASER – 0:00]
Hearts are changed one at a time.

[INTRO S13E099 – 0:10]
It’s a Sunday edition of the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California. Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is a daily podcast and we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Can you believe it? Well, you should. This is the 13th season. I’m glad to have you along. Since this is Sunday, we’ll read from the Epistles. And our specific reading today is 1 Corinthians 13 through 14. Also being Sunday we’ll have a time of prayer and praises.

But before we read, let’s pray.

Our loving gracious heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the chapters that we’re about to read, for the description of love you gave to the Apostle Paul to teach us what love is. Teach us as we pray, Lord. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

All right, let’s get to it.

[1 CORINTHIANS 13 (CEB) – 1:00]
1 Corinthians, chapter 13.

(1) If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. (2) If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. (3) If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.

(4) Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, (5) it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, (6) it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. (7) Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.

(8) Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. (9) We know in part and we prophesy in part; (10) but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. (11) When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. (12) Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. (13) Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.

[1 CORINTHIANS 14 (HCSB) – 2:45]
1 Corinthians, chapter 14.

(1) Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. (2) For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. (3) But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. (4) The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church. (5) I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

(6) But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? (7) Even inanimate things that produce sounds — whether flute or harp — if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? (8) In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? (9) In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. (10) There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning. (11) Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. (12) So also you — since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

(13) Therefore the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can interpret. (14) For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. (15) What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. (16) Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the uninformed person say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? (17) For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. (18) I thank God that I speak in other languages more than all of you; (19) yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.

(20) Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. (21) It is written in the law:

I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,

says the Lord. (22) It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. (23) Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (24) But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. (25) The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”

(26) What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. (27) If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. (28) But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. (29) Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. (30) But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. (31) For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. (32) And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, (33) since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, (34) the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. (35) And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. (36) Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?

(37) If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. (38) But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. (39) Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. (40) But everything must be done decently and in order.

[COMMENTARY – 7:36]
In the 13th chapter, which is often called the “Love Chapter,” Paul continues addressing the Corinthian church in regards to division and spiritual gifts. What he tells them is that it doesn’t matter what gift you have, if you don’t have love. If there is love, you won’t have the problem of fighting over who has what gift or which gift is better. And to make it clear, he delineates what love looks like. Love is not that mushy feeling of butterflies in your stomach you got with your first high school crush. Love is much more than that. And Paul is very specific about what it is. I hesitate to even begin to boil it down into just a few words because his description is so right on. But I’ll do it anyway. Love is not about what makes me feel good. Love is about what I can do for the benefit of the object of my love. Even when it’s difficult or when that other person is unlovable, love keeps going.

Now, Beloved, we don’t see much love in the world today, do we? We’re living in turbulent times. What we do see is a lot of hate, I’m sorry to say.

If we want peace, if we want love, we’re not going to get it by arguing or confronting. We need to pray for changed hearts. How are hearts changed? Only by the Spirit of God. But He uses people to bring His message to people planting seeds so that the Holy Spirit can cause them to grow and bear fruit. Paul said in Romans 10:17. “So then, love comes by hearing, and hearing (comes) through the Word of God.”

Hearts are changed one at a time. Now I was saved as a teenager. I can point to a church service I was in when I publicly declared my faith. But I’d really made the decision much earlier. It was from dozens and dozens and dozens of conversations with my friend Del Brixey, who invited me to that church, and from listening to our pastor’s message, and from attending a Christian kindergarten, and from seeing faith in Christ lived out in so many people and on and on. My faith was built a little at a time from hearing the Word of God in many different ways.

Beloved, we should be praying each and every day asking God to show us how we can love our neighbor, how we can share the message of hope, love, and good news. Because until we do that, hearts are not going to be changed. The world needs God now more than ever.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 10:03]
Each of us are called to share the message. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts. Call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 or comment at comment.lifespringmedia.com and you can email me at st***@*************ia.com.

Tomorrow is The Law Monday and we’ll read Exodus 5 through 8.

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[SUPPORT THE SHOW – 10:27]
Another boost from Lifespring Family Berean Brother Sean of San Pedro came in. It was 1-2-3-4, 1,234 sats, and Brother Sean uses the Fountain app. He sent it in while listening to the “Jeremiah 1-7: Reason to Boast” episode. Thank you very much, Brother Sean. God bless you. He and his wife Brittaney and their cute little baby, little Howie, went to visit Brittaney’s parents, Howie and Ann, in Arizona to celebrate Christmas and he sent a few photos to me. What a cute family. I love it when you send me things like that. And you know my email address to do that. Let me know what’s going on in your life, st***@*************ia.com.

And speaking of sending things to me, this is a value-for-value podcast which means that if this show is a blessing to you in any way, if reading the Bible every day is helping you draw closer to God, or if my comments each day help you to understand the scriptures a bit better or encourage you or challenge you, then perhaps you’d be willing to support the show in proportion to the blessings you’ve received from it. Pray about that, would you? Your support in the form of time, talent, or treasure will help enable me to keep ’em coming seven days a week. You’ll notice there are no advertisers on the show. And that’s a decision I made some time ago in the interest of maintaining independence from any influence that advertisers might try to have on what I talk about on the show. The only influencer I want to have for this show is what the Lord says. So supporting the show is up to you non-advertisers. If you’re receiving value from the show, please help support it. To do that, go here:

[SUPPORT THE SHOW JINGLE – 12:05]
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[SUPPORT THE SHOW (CONT’D) – 12:09]
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[PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 12:15]
Praises and prayer requests. Well, in terms of prayer requests and praises coming in from the Lifespring family, it’s been a quiet few days around here since this last Wednesday, the last time we shared prayer requests and praises but that’s okay. I think maybe everybody is recovering from Christmas and New Year’s.

I know that for me, December 1 through Christmas was really busy. You know, it’s really kind of an insane thing to publish two daily podcasts for 25 days straight. Or to put it another way from December 1 to December 25, I published 50 episodes making 56 episodes for the month. And I don’t know of any other independent podcaster who does that. It is insane. That doesn’t mean that nobody else is doing that, but I’m not aware of any. As a matter of fact, most podcasters don’t do 56 episodes in an entire year. So why am I telling you this? I’m just saying that if you have a hectic December, I completely understand wanting to take some time here in January to take a breath.

But I’m so thankful that our heavenly Father never says, “Come back later. I’m off the clock. I need some me time.” We can come to him any hour of the day or night, 365 days a year. And as a matter of fact, he welcomes us. He invites us to his throne of grace whenever we want to or need to. Jesus said in Matthew 28, “Come to me all you who are weary and carry burdens and I will give you rest.” James 4:8 tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” And 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” You know when something is important in the Bible, one of the ways God stresses its importance is by repetition. It’s like God is saying, “I said it once, and now I’m saying it again. Pay attention. Take note. Listen up.” So how’s this for repetition? Daily prayer is so important that there are over 250 mentions of it in Scripture. Do you think God wants to hear from us? You betcha.

So I have a couple of praises today. My sister-in-law who had a slip-and-fall accident on Christmas Eve and broke her wrist requiring surgery to put a plate and some screws in is recovering very well. Here’s a report from her husband, LeeAnn’s brother, from this past Friday. He said, “We saw the doctor today at the one-week point. They cut off the soft cast and removed the sutures. They evaluated the healing and mobility range and she’s progressing very well and her mobility is way ahead of schedule. They actually said she’s where most people with this kind of a break are at three weeks. So thanks for all the prayers and concern. She’s in a removable brace now with minimal restrictions on movement and activity. Next checkup will be in two weeks.” So praise the Lord for that report.

And then another praise is that Kathi has been feeling much better lately. And the tumors on her head have greatly diminished. She had another visit to City of Hope this past week. We talked about that. They did another cancer medication injection and they did more testing. And here’s a huge praise: the cancer markers have gone down 75 points. The numbers have been going in the wrong direction for a few months. And this is a definite turn in the right direction, so this truly is a cause for praise. We need to continue to pray for Kathi and Del.

And James Cooper, our Christmas expert, he needs our prayers. We were supposed to have had a video chat this past Thursday, but he had to cancel. You may have heard him mention on one of the Christmas answers that he’s basically housebound with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME. James told me that the busyness of December often causes a flare-up during January because he is the go-to guy for Christmas information. What with his website whychristmas.com which was launched in November of 2000, he gets inundated with requests for interviews and articles in December. So we need to pray for James. December just really kind of wiped him out. So let’s pray.

Our heavenly Father, there’s a song that says “What a mighty God we serve” and the Scriptures proclaim your mightiness over and over again. And yet you take notice of us. Oh god, how we thank you for that. We’re not alone. We don’t have to hope for the best. We have your assurance that you want us to rely on you for our every need. How good you are, Lord. Thank you for loving us. Father, I thank you for the healing that you’re working in Jane’s broken wrist and I pray that it’ll continue Lord. And for the declining cancer markers with Kathi, Lord, I thank you. Thank you for helping her to feel better. And I pray that the tumors on her head will continue to shrink and that she’ll continue to feel better and better. I ask you, Lord, to continue this healing process, and we will give you praise father.

And I pray Lord for James. For so long, he suffered with this difficult-to-treat disease and I ask you to give him strength. And we even Lord ask you to heal James. It’s not beyond your capability. You said that we have not because we ask not. So I’m asking you to heal James if it’s in your will, bring relief to Him Lord in Jesus’ name.

I thank you, Lord, for the Lifespring family and ask you to work in each of our lives to draw us closer to you each day. You’re aware of the needs in each life, Lord, and according to your will I ask you to meet them. Bless us, Lord, give us your grace, and help us to proclaim the good news of a risen Christ to those who have not heard it. Use us for your glory, Lord. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Beloved, our next time for sharing praises and prayer requests will be this coming Wednesday. Let me know what God is doing in your life or how the Lifespring family can pray for you. Go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

[OUTRO S13E099 – 18:14]
Comment on the show by calling the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 or by going to comment.lifespringmedia.com or send me an email at st***@*************ia.com. I’d like to hear what’s on your mind.

Thanks to the team Kirsty, Denise, Michael Haner, and Scott Snider. God bless you guys.

And until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thanks for inviting me into your day. My name is Steve Webb. Bye.

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