LOVE THAT BUILDS THE CHURCH

LOVE THAT BUILDS THE CHURCH

By Rev. Samuel Arimoro

Main Text: 1 Corinthians 13:13

Key Verse: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)

Supporting Texts: 1 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:1-16; Colossians 3:12-14; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-18; 1 Peter 4:8-11

Description: The Church is strengthened when believers walk in genuine Christian love. Spiritual gifts, knowledge, leadership, programmes, and resources are valuable, but love must govern them all. Love creates unity, encourages service, heals divisions, strengthens weak believers, and enables the Church to reflect the character of Christ.

INTRODUCTION

The Church is not merely a building or an organisation; it is the Body of Christ, made up of believers who have been called to live and serve together. Because different people have different backgrounds, personalities, gifts, opinions, and levels of spiritual maturity, there is always the possibility of misunderstanding and division. Love is God's answer to these challenges.

Paul's teaching in First Corinthians 13 came in the middle of his discussion about spiritual gifts. The Corinthian believers were gifted, but they were struggling with pride, competition, disorder, and division. Paul therefore showed them that spiritual gifts without love cannot produce a healthy church. Gifts may impress people, but love builds people.

First Corinthians 13:13 declares that faith, hope, and love abide, but “the greatest of these is charity.” A church that walks in love becomes a place where people are strengthened, restored, discipled, and equipped for service. When love governs the Church, Christ is revealed through His people and the Gospel becomes attractive to the world.

1. LOVE BUILDS THE CHURCH THROUGH UNITY

Love brings different believers together as one body.

a) Love Promotes Unity (Ephesians 4:3)
Believers are called to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

b) Love Removes Division (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Love helps believers overcome unnecessary conflicts and factions.

c) Love Values Every Member (1 Corinthians 12:21-27)
Every believer has a significant place in the Body of Christ.

d) Love Binds Believers Together (Colossians 3:14)
Love acts as the bond that holds Christian virtues and relationships together.

Biblical Example: The early church demonstrated unity by sharing fellowship, resources, prayer, and worship (Acts 2:42-47).

2. LOVE BUILDS BY ENCOURAGING OTHERS

A loving church does not merely identify people's weaknesses; it strengthens them.

a) Love Builds Up (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Knowledge can produce pride, but love strengthens others.

b) Love Encourages (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Believers should continually encourage and build one another up.

c) Love Restores The Discouraged (Galatians 6:1)
Those who fall should be restored with gentleness.

d) Love Strengthens The Weak (Romans 15:1)
Spiritual maturity involves supporting those who are struggling.

Biblical Example: Barnabas was known as an encourager and strengthened the believers in Antioch (Acts 11:22-24).

3. LOVE BUILDS BY SERVING

Love turns spiritual gifts into instruments of blessing.

a) Serve One Another In Love (Galatians 5:13)
Christian freedom should produce service rather than selfishness.

b) Use Gifts For Others (1 Peter 4:10)
Every believer should use his or her gift to serve God's people.

c) Follow Christ's Example (Mark 10:45)
Jesus demonstrated greatness through sacrificial service.

d) Serve Without Seeking Recognition (Matthew 6:1-4)
True service is motivated by love for God rather than applause.

Biblical Example: Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and commanded them to follow His example (John 13:12-17).

4. LOVE BUILDS BY HONOURING EVERY MEMBER

The Church becomes stronger when every person is valued.

a) Every Member Has A Function (1 Corinthians 12:14-20)
Different gifts do not make one believer more important than another.

b) No Member Should Be Despised (1 Corinthians 12:21-24)
We need one another.

c) Honour One Another (Romans 12:10)
Believers should treat one another with genuine respect.

d) Avoid Partiality (James 2:1-4)
The Church must not measure people's worth by status, wealth, appearance, or position.

Biblical Example: The early church cared for widows and ensured that practical needs were addressed (Acts 6:1-7).

5. LOVE BUILDS BY FORGIVING

A church cannot grow in unity when offences are allowed to become permanent divisions.

a) Forgive As Christ Forgave (Colossians 3:13)
Christ's forgiveness is our pattern.

b) Bear With One Another (Ephesians 4:2)
Patience is necessary in Christian community.

c) Remove Bitterness (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Bitterness destroys relationships and spiritual fellowship.

d) Pursue Reconciliation (Matthew 5:23-24)
Jesus taught the importance of restoring broken relationships.

Biblical Example: Paul urged the church to forgive and comfort a repentant believer so that he would not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow (2 Corinthians 2:6-8).

6. LOVE BUILDS BY SPEAKING TRUTH WITH GRACE

Love does not mean avoiding necessary truth.

a) Speak The Truth In Love (Ephesians 4:15)
Truth and love must operate together.

b) Correct With Gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
Correction should seek restoration rather than humiliation.

c) Avoid Destructive Speech (Ephesians 4:29)
Words should build up those who hear them.

d) Speak Gracefully (Colossians 4:6)
Our speech should reflect Christ's character.

Biblical Example: Nathan confronted David concerning his sin and led him towards repentance (2 Samuel 12:1-13).

7. LOVE BUILDS BY PROTECTING THE WEAK

Christian liberty must never become an occasion for destroying another believer.

a) Love Considers The Conscience Of Others (1 Corinthians 8:9)
Our freedom must be exercised responsibly.

b) Avoid Stumbling Blocks (1 Corinthians 8:12-13)
Love refuses to use personal liberty in ways that harm others.

c) Bear With The Weak (Romans 15:1)
Spiritual strength should be used to support others.

d) Seek The Good Of Others (1 Corinthians 10:24)
Christian conduct should consider the welfare of fellow believers.

Biblical Example: Paul was willing to surrender legitimate rights rather than hinder another person's faith (1 Corinthians 8:13; 9:19-23).

8. LOVE BUILDS BY PROMOTING SPIRITUAL MATURITY

The goal of church ministry is to help believers become mature in Christ.

a) Equip The Saints (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Ministry gifts are given to prepare believers for service.

b) Grow Into Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15)
Christian maturity means becoming increasingly like Jesus.

c) Build One Another Up (Ephesians 4:16)
Every member contributes to the growth of the whole body.

d) Grow In Love (Ephesians 4:15)
Love is essential to genuine spiritual maturity.

9. LOVE BUILDS BY MAKING CHRIST VISIBLE

The Church becomes a witness when believers genuinely love one another.

a) Love Identifies Christ's Disciples (John 13:35)
Jesus said love would be evidence that we belong to Him.

b) Love Demonstrates God's Presence (1 John 4:12)
When believers love one another, God's love is made visible through them.

c) Love Strengthens Our Witness (Matthew 5:16)
Christlike conduct can point people towards God.

d) Love Makes The Gospel Attractive (Titus 2:10)
Godly conduct can adorn the doctrine of God.

Biblical Example: The unity and generosity of the early believers attracted people to the Christian community (Acts 2:46-47).

10. LOVE IS THE GREATEST FOUNDATION FOR CHURCH GROWTH

Programmes and gifts have their place, but love must remain central.

a) Faith Is Important (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Faith connects us to God and enables us to trust Him.

b) Hope Is Important (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Hope gives believers confidence in God's promises.

c) Love Is Greater (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Paul identifies love as the greatest of the three.

d) Love Never Fails (1 Corinthians 13:8)
What is built through genuine love possesses lasting spiritual value.

CONCLUSION

A strong church is not measured merely by the size of its congregation, the beauty of its building, the number of programmes it conducts, or the spiritual gifts displayed during its services. The true strength of the Church is revealed in the quality of relationships among its members. Where love is present, people are encouraged, the weak are supported, the fallen are restored, differences are handled with grace, and every member is given room to serve.

Therefore, let every believer become a builder rather than a destroyer. Use your spiritual gifts in love, speak words that strengthen, forgive quickly, honour others, protect the weak, pursue unity, and serve faithfully. When love governs the Church, the Body of Christ becomes stronger, the Gospel becomes more credible, and Christ becomes more visible to the world.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father, fill Your Church with genuine Christlike love and remove every spirit of division, in Jesus name.

2. Lord, help me to become a builder of the Church through my words, actions, service, and relationships, in Jesus name.

3. Father, give us grace to value and honour every member of the Body of Christ, in Jesus name.

4. Lord, remove envy, jealousy, competition, pride, and selfish ambition from Your Church, in Jesus name.

5. Father, help us to forgive one another and pursue reconciliation whenever offences arise, in Jesus name.

6. Lord, teach us to use our spiritual gifts responsibly for the edification and strengthening of Your Church, in Jesus name.

7. Father, give us wisdom to exercise Christian liberty without becoming stumbling blocks to weaker believers, in Jesus name.

8. Lord, raise encouragers, servants, disciplers, and spiritual builders throughout Your Church, in Jesus name.

9. Father, let the love among Your people become a powerful testimony that draws many people to Christ, in Jesus name.

10. Lord, make our church a strong, united, mature, loving, and Spirit-filled expression of the Body of Christ, in Jesus name.

PROPHETIC DECLARATIONS

1. The love of God shall fill your heart and make you a builder of His Church.

2. You shall not be an instrument of division but a vessel of unity, peace, and reconciliation.

3. Your words shall encourage the discouraged, strengthen the weak, and restore the fallen.

4. Every spirit of envy, competition, pride, and selfish ambition shall lose its influence in your life.

5. Your spiritual gifts shall be used faithfully for the strengthening and edification of the Body of Christ.

6. You shall receive grace to honour every member of the Church and recognise the value of every believer.

7. You shall exercise your Christian liberty with wisdom and never become a stumbling block to another believer.

8. Your ministry shall produce spiritual maturity, unity, growth, and lasting fruit.

9. The love demonstrated through your life shall make Christ visible and draw people towards Him.

10. Your church shall grow in love, unity, spiritual maturity, and kingdom influence, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, in Jesus name.