Love: The Prerequisite for Faithful Use of Gifts

Once again, communicating this idea that biblical love is defined by the giving of self for the benefit of others. How do we love God back? We give ourselves back to him for this is our reasonable act of worship. Right? How do we love each other? By giving ourselves to each other. If we are not giving ourselves to each other, then all you're doing is making a verbal confession of love that lacks any power and any action. [00:48:01] (28 seconds)  #LoveIsGiving

Therefore, love is the prerequisite to spiritual gifts because to love requires that we give of ourselves for the sake of others, and our gifts are for the sake of others. If you don't have a foundation of love on your spiritual gifts, then you'll never function the way you should function. Why? Because the found love is the give of ourselves to others, and our gifts are not about us. They're giving to us for the sake of giving them back for the sake of others. Appreciate you. [00:48:45] (31 seconds)  #GiftsBuiltOnLove

spiritual gifts operate from the foundation of love, then the gift is see their gift as something to give for others, not to hoard for self or selfish ambition. See, when a person lacks a foundation of love, they don't see their gift as belonging to the body for the body. They see their gift as belonging to themselves for the purpose of building up themselves. And that's what keeps the body malnourished and unhealthy. That's what keeps the body in causing division instead of unity and mutual edification. [00:49:23] (25 seconds)  #GiftsForTheBody

You know when we'd be having potlucks? How many people be signing up to come to the potluck event versus how many people will signing up to come to the fully paid event? It's always a difference. Why? Because the fully paid event is about me coming to eat. The potluck event is about me bringing something to the table for others to eat and then for me to eat in return. [00:53:29] (28 seconds)  #BringToTheTable

People love to eat, but they don't love to contribute. Using our spiritual gifts properly is us eating and contributing. And we also gotta be mindful if the only time we contribute to the local church is when we earn from the local church. It's also not serving the local church. It's still serving you. Because the only time you give to the local church is when you get something from the local church in the sense of monetary gain. [00:55:25] (32 seconds)  #ContributeNotConsume

my wife will tell you, I don't have an honorarium. I've never given a person a number to come speak anywhere. They ask, can you come speak? I simply pray. If I think god tell me to come speak and use my gifter, I use my gifter. I have no clue if they're give me $10, $0, or or or a Starbucks gift card. I don't know. But I don't go to use my gift for that purpose. Because the only time I use my gift is not when I can get something monetary for it. I use my gift when god is calling me to use my gift to edify his body. [00:56:25] (27 seconds)  #CalledToServe

Let's get sobering. The prerequisite to acceptable worship is love and not your hippie love. Biblical love. Okay? Love as defined in the bible. I've already defined where we're going with this. Right? This giving of self. Love that does not give itself, but then wants to come in and give all of themself to the lord in showmanship. God says, I don't want it. [01:03:25] (29 seconds)  #LoveBeforeShow

And that don't mean stay at home and be like, well, he rejected. I'm gonna stay at home. No. That mean get it together. That means check your heart. That means prune whatever is keeping you from loving people. Prune whatever has you coming into a place that is about mutual edification and making it all about yourself. It don't mean, well, I'm not loving, so I don't need church. No. It means get your heart right That's good. So that you can worship in a way that honors god and that is receptive to god. [01:06:26] (33 seconds)  #CheckYourHeart