Because Christ Is Risen: A Call to Practical Love

Jun 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Jenga Foundations and Resurrection-Shaped Living

When life’s pressures pull at our stability, what anchors us? Like a Jenga tower needing its base, the resurrection isn’t just a doctrine—it’s the bedrock that shapes how we live. Without Christ’s victory over death, our efforts crumble into empty rituals. But because He lives, our daily choices carry eternal weight. Practical love becomes our building material, stacking intentional acts that reflect a hope stronger than death. This isn’t about checking boxes but letting resurrection power rewire our priorities. [24:15]

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."
(1 Corinthians 15:58, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your daily routine reveal a resurrection-shaped hope—or expose a foundation needing repair? How might small, faithful acts this week declare “Christ is risen” without words?

Day 2: Patterned, Personal, Proportional: The Rhythm of Generous Love

Giving isn’t a spiritual flex but a heartbeat. Paul’s instructions—patterned, personal, proportional—turn wallets into worship tools. Regular giving trains our hearts to depend less on wealth and more on the Giver. It’s not about percentages but posture: storing up treasures by releasing them. Like the Philippian church supporting distant believers, our generosity bridges divides, proving unity in Christ trumps cultural barriers. This love isn’t occasional charity but a lifestyle of open hands. [30:11]

"For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints."
(2 Corinthians 8:3–5, ESV)

Reflection: Does your giving feel more like a reflex or a ritual? What one step could make your generosity more intentional this month—not just transactional, but transformational?

Day 3: Honoring Little Timothys in a World of Pauls

The church often elevates platformed leaders while overlooking faithful servants. Timothy—young, timid, and temporary—embodied the work many might dismiss. Paul’s plea to honor him challenges our celebrity-driven instincts. True unity isn’t found in uniformity of gifting but in valuing every laborer. From youth leaders to greeters, Christ’s kingdom advances through “nobodies” who show up consistently. Their faithfulness, not their fame, makes them worthy of honor. [36:35]

"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work."
(1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, ESV)

Reflection: Who’s an unsung “Timothy” in your spiritual life? How could you intentionally encourage them this week, not for their status but their steadfastness?

Day 4: Standing Firm: Love’s Courage Against Compromise

Love grows limp without truth. Paul’s command to “stand firm” guards against a grace that winks at sin. The Corinthians tolerated sexual immorality and division, confusing kindness with cowardice. Yet harsh truth without compassion becomes a weapon. Resurrection love roots us in both conviction and tenderness—calling out sin while clinging to the sinner. Like a parent disciplining a child, it’s strength shaped by sacrifice. [47:29]

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love."
(1 Corinthians 16:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you tolerated what God calls harmful? Where might you’ve prioritized comfort over courage? How can you hold truth and grace together today?

Day 5: Maranatha: Love’s Anthem in a Waiting World

“Our Lord, come!”—Paul’s closing cry turns practical love into a protest against brokenness. Maranatha isn’t escapism but a declaration: the King who rose will return. This hope fuels our endurance. Every act of giving, honoring, and standing firm becomes a down payment on Christ’s renewal. We live not for quick fixes but for the day when love completes its work. Until then, we labor, knowing our small obediences echo eternity. [53:48]

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen."
(Revelation 22:20–21, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane act of love feels insignificant? How might doing it “as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23) shift your perspective from frustration to anticipation?

Sermon Summary

Paul drives chapter 16 straight out of chapter 15’s bedrock. The resurrection is that foundation. If it falls, everything falls. Because Christ is risen and coming again, conduct actually matters, and love must get practical. So the text calls the church into a love that gives, a love that honors, and a love that stands firm. The collection for the saints in Jerusalem is not mere fundraising. The gift is a visible sign that in Christ, Jewish and Gentile believers belong to one church. Paul wants the Corinthians to build God’s kingdom over their castles. So giving must be patterned, personal, and proportional. Not a percentage law, but a principle flowing from how the Lord has prospered each one. The delivery must be protected by accountability and integrity. Paul refuses last minute theatrics because he is not forming a generous gift, he is forming a generous people.

Paul’s travel plans model discernment. A wide door for effective work has opened in Ephesus, so he delays a visit in order to give Corinth real time later. In the meantime Timothy comes. Because the Corinthians have compared servants and weaponized preferences, Timothy will need help, not hype. “Let no one despise him.” The issue is not whether Timothy equals Paul or Apollos. The issue is that Timothy is doing the work of the Lord, and the work of the Lord should be honored regardless of the worker. So the household of Stephanas and every fellow worker receive recognition, and the church is called to be subject to such as these, not for perfect leadership but for faithful servanthood.

Then the spine of the chapter stiffens into five crisp charges. The church must be watchful because sin and disorder have been tolerated. The church must stand firm in the faith because the gospel has been challenged. The church must act with courage because culture has been discipling the church instead of the other way around. The church must be strong because opposition is normal. And the church must do everything in love because anything without love is nothing. Strength without love is cruelty, but love without strength becomes compromise. So grace and tolerance are not the same thing. Sin must be addressed, and in Christ sin can be forgiven. The greetings land warm and real. The holy kiss translates to culturally appropriate warmth. Paul’s hand signs the warning that lovelessness toward the Lord is a curse. Then the closing turns the face of the church toward Maranatha. The returning King anchors a resurrection-informed life, and the grace of the Lord Jesus keeps the church moving in that love.

Key Takeaways

1. Giving that forms generous people [32:44] Formed character matters more than a one-time gift. Patterned, personal, proportional generosity trains a heart to love God’s kingdom over private castles. Integrity in handling money guards both the gift and the givers. Unity across the body becomes visible when generosity becomes a habit, not a moment. [32:44]
2. Honor servants over preferences [40:52] The work of the Lord deserves honor regardless of the worker’s profile, age, or style. Comparison flattens ministries into fan clubs, but honor recognizes faithfulness where it is actually happening. Submitting to fellow workers is not fawning over perfection, it is receiving God’s gifts to the church. Preference bows to mission when love is mature. [40:52]
3. Strength and love held together [48:37] Real love does not cave, and real strength does not crush. Grace is not the same as tolerance, because the cross tells the truth about sin and the truth about mercy. Churches that address sin and practice forgiveness grow sturdy and tender at the same time. Compromise or cruelty shrink a soul, but courage shaped by love grows one. [48:37]
4. Live from resurrection toward Maranatha [52:55] The risen Christ is the foundation that keeps practical love from falling apart. Hope for the Lord’s return keeps generosity steady, honor sincere, and backbone strong. Grace starts the Christian life and grace keeps it going. Maranatha is not escapism, it is fuel for ordinary faithfulness. [52:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:24] - First Father’s Day and intro
[24:15] - Resurrection as the foundation
[25:22] - From hope to practical love
[26:01] - Roadmap: love gives, honors, stands firm
[26:48] - Collection for Jerusalem explained
[30:11] - Patterned, personal, proportional giving
[31:40] - Protected by accountability and integrity
[32:44] - Forming a generous people
[34:23] - Discerned plans and open door
[34:52] - Timothy sent, receive him
[40:52] - Honor the work, not the worker
[47:29] - Watchful, firm, courageous, strong, loving
[52:55] - Maranatha and grace to continue

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (ESV)
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Observation questions

What five charges does Paul give the church in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, and how do they reflect the themes of the entire letter?
According to the sermon, what are the three principles for giving (patterned, personal, proportional), and how do they shape character? [30:11]
How does Paul’s warning about “lovelessness toward the Lord” (1 Corinthians 16:22) contrast with his call to “do everything in love” (v. 14)?

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul emphasize forming a “generous people” rather than just collecting a one-time gift? What does this reveal about God’s priorities for discipleship? [32:44]
How does the tension between “strength without love” and “love without strength” challenge common cultural ideas about grace and truth? [48:37]
Why might the hope of Christ’s return (“Maranatha”) fuel practical acts of love and faithfulness in everyday life? [52:55]

Application questions

Patterned, personal, proportional giving: How does your current approach to generosity reflect (or fail to reflect) these principles? What small step could you take to grow in one area this month?
Honoring servants over preferences: Is there a leader or volunteer in your church community you’ve undervalued because they don’t match your “style”? How could you intentionally encourage them this week? [40:52]
Strength and love together: Where in your life are you tempted to compromise truth for false peace or assert truth harshly without love? What would it look like to hold both firmly in that situation?
Living toward Maranatha: What ordinary habit (e.g., forgiveness, generosity, serving) feels hardest to sustain? How might focusing on Christ’s return renew your perseverance in it? [52:55]
Confession and grace: Is there a sin you’ve tolerated as “harmless” that needs to be addressed through confession (1 John 1:9)? What step will you take to bring it into the light?

Sermon Clips

53s

#HonorGodsServants

“``And yet, God builds his church through ordinary, imperfect, faithful people who give and devote themselves to the work of the Lord. These are the ones that God has given this church. And so if our love is to honor, then we should ask ourselves, do I receive God's servants as gifts to the church or do I compare them to my preferences? Are we truly receiving and honoring the servants that God has given South Bay Community Church? Not for their perfection, but for their faithfulness in a community of grace. So love gives, love honors, and love stands firm.”

51s

#FirmLoveNotTolerant

“He is warning those that claim the name of Jesus but is rejecting and refusing the love and the lordship of Jesus. This is not an issue of mere weakness of the flesh, this is about a hardness of the heart and a lovelessness toward the Lord. Because the love that Christ gives the church is not a squishy cutesy type of love. It's not a soft love or a timid love or a tolerant love towards sin. It is a love that stands firm. Amen. Because strength without love is cruelty, but love without strength becomes compromise. So love stands firm.”

51s

#LoveDemandsLordship

“I was like, Corey, wait, you said that Paul was being warm and loving and hospitable. How is this idea of anyone being accursed warm and loving? Is that still loving? Absolutely. Paul is warning the believers in the church. He's saying, look, does anyone in the church claim to know the crucified, resurrected and risen savior but still operate without love? Does anyone of you claim to love the Lord but not submit to his lordship? Well let him be accursed. Paul is not talking about the the the struggling believer that is fighting sin and clinging to grace.”

58s

#CorrectionRootedInLove

“Before this was a letter of correction, it was a letter of love. His heart was to see the church know the resurrected Christ and live a God honoring love. So his rebukes, yes, they were strong, but they were also saturated in a love for the church, in a love that stood firm. Why? Because Christ is risen, and he is coming again. Maranatha. the church is called to become a people of practical love. What kind of love? A love that gives, a love that honors, and a love that stands firm. Amen. And with that we finish our study of first Corinthians. So”

48s

#GraceNotTolerance

“Love stands firm because yes, we are a community of grace. But Paul has been very clear in this letter that he is not afraid to address where this church has missed the mark of being the church that Christ has called them to be. So to be a community of grace is one thing but to be a community of tolerance is another and they are not the same thing. Earlier I skipped a few verses, let's go back to them. Verse 13, Be watchful and stand firm. Sorry, stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all you do be done in love.”

43s

#GenerosityFormsCharacter

“Because Paul doesn't want their giving to be based on his presence. He doesn't want a last minute collection to just be thrown together thrown together right when he arrives. Well, because Paul is not trying to form a generous gift, he is trying to form a generous people. He is less concerned about their collection, and he's more concerned about their character. Anyone can give one time for a one time collection, but I care more about your ongoing character. So he's saying, I I don't care if you can give once, I care that your giving is patterned, personal, and proportional.”

49s

#HonorEveryServant

“But I think it would actually be unloving not to point this out within our church family. The issue in this text is not that little timmy needs to be their favorite. It's not that he needs to be a better leader or preacher. It's not that timothy needs to be more like Paul or apollos or Greg Ma or Brandon Shay. The issue here is that Timothy is coming to do the work of the Lord and the work of the Lord should be honored regardless of the worker. Amen? And so what does this look like for South Bay Community Church?”

50s

#StrengthWithGrace

“So the church needs to learn to stand firm and to learn to love together. Why? Because strength without love is cruelty, but love without strength becomes compromise. Grace and tolerance are not the same thing. A community of tolerance thinks and operates like sin is harmless, but a community of grace understands that sin needs to be addressed but can also be forgiven in Christ Jesus. as we confess sin, Christ is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. First John one nine.”

53s

#ResurrectionInformsLiving

“But Paul in this chapter is not moving from very important topics into random information. He is moving from a resurrection hope into a resurrection informed living. And so first Corinthians 15 into 16 is gonna going to move from something that's very profound to something that is very practical for us. So I have one main idea to sort of tie our our entire conversation together and it's this, that because Christ is risen and because he's coming again, the church is called to become a people of practical love. And so what is this love supposed to look like? Well, this is gonna be our road map for today. It's going to be a love that gives, a love that honors, and a love that stands firm.”

40s

#ResurrectionIsTheFoundation

“The past two weeks, we've had Brad Toy here and we've been going through first Corinthians chapter 15 and I love one of the examples that he used. And I don't know where Brad got his picture from, so I pulled up my own. He used this example of a Jenga set. And he talked about in a Jenga set that everything in a Jenga set is reliant on the foundation. And so if you lose the foundation, then everything above it crumbles. And so for us as Christians, the resurrection is that foundation. So chapter 15, it's all about the resurrection, that's what Brad's been talking about. And if that resurrection is lost, then nothing else matters.”

54s

#EveryServiceMatters

“There is no action that is insignificant, no ministry that we are to minimize, and no service that is too small. Therefore, all those that labor among us are due honor. And so church, can we actually take a moment now just to honor those that labor among us? The mission of South Bay Community Church is to help people all over the world find and follow Jesus Christ. And these servants do that by pursuing the lost, discipling the found, and commissioning the discipled. Now that being said, will all of our leadership and our staff get things right a 100% of the time?”

50s

#HonorFaithfulLeaders

“And these leaders have chosen to sacrifice every Friday night or to sacrifice every Sunday night to love, serve, and disciple our youth. And Paul calls us to honor these people, to even be subject to them because they are fellow workers and laborers, and to give them recognition. And Paul wants to see the church submit themselves to servants, not because of their perfect leadership, but because of their faithful servanthood. And this applies, of course, not just to our youth leaders, but from kids crew volunteers to young adult ministry leaders, from life group leaders at home to short term mission teams that go abroad.”

44s

#LiveByMeansOfGrace

“Again, remember Paul is moving us from this resurrection hope to a resurrection informed living. And so then if we are to live in hope and in this love, then by what means are we to carry on? Well, by a means of grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we are to keep with us. Because it will not only be by means of grace that we are saved, it is not only by a means of grace that we are brought into salvation, but it is by a means of grace that we will continue to live and walk into Christian maturity.”

36s

#SelflessLeadership

“Paul is saying in the text, look, this is your guys' gift, I don't want to touch the money, I don't want the perception that I'm going to even want to to take the money. And so you guys are gonna send it by your own people to go take it to Jerusalem. And if we're going in the same direction, then it's wise for us to be able to travel together, then we can do that. But still, they are going be the ones to take the money. I don't want to make this about me. And he'll go so far as to say that he doesn't want to make it about him, where in verse two he says, there's going to be no collecting when I come.”

47s

#StopComparingServants

“And so if Paul himself was already getting bad mouthed, he was already getting backlash, then what was going to happen to poor Timothy when he arrives in Corinth? And so because Timothy is not Paul, because he doesn't carry the same weight, same notoriety, the same reputation that Paul does, And Timothy is young, he's insecure, he's inexperienced. Timothy is timid. And so now we have a timid Timothy, we have a timid bee. And now our timid bee is going to be sent to the Corinthians where they already have a tendency to compare their servants instead of honor them.”

46s

#KeepDoingGood

“Literally just this past week, was sitting outside of the well with with a younger brother in the church and there was an older brother in the church that came by and he actually asked me when my next weekend preaching was, and I told him this week. But what a timely word and opportunity for us, for us to be able to take advantage of being able to honor those that faithfully labor among us, and to be able to encourage the rest of our church body to be able to do the same. So while our church is great at encouraging, I want to echo Paul's words that he says later on in Galatians where he says, let us not grow weary in doing good. Amen, church?”

49s

#HeartMattersMoreThanWords

“Some of these things are direct quotes that our staff has heard from our church about our teachers. And I want to acknowledge something very carefully and respectfully, that some of us can say those things and that is our way of honoring those that labor among us. But some of us will articulate those things, and that is a way of idolizing those that labor among us. And the words can be the same, but the heart postures can be different. And so I don't say this with judgment or with condemnation, and don't worry I'm not saying this out of any insecurity either. Okay?”

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Because Christ Is Risen: A Call to Practical Love

Devotional

Day 1: Jenga Foundations and Resurrection-Shaped Living

Day 2: Patterned, Personal, Proportional: The Rhythm of Generous Love

Day 3: Honoring Little Timothys in a World of Pauls

Day 4: Standing Firm: Love’s Courage Against Compromise

Day 5: Maranatha: Love’s Anthem in a Waiting World

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Because Christ Is Risen: A Call to Practical Love

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