WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:07.320 Paul is very specific about what it is. What is it? This is the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind, 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:13.380 and coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004, I'm Steve Webb, your OG 00:00:13.600 --> 00:00:18.560 Godcaster. This is the podcast that comes to you every single day of the week, and we're reading 00:00:18.610 --> 00:00:23.740 the entire Bible together in a year. I'm so glad you're here. Welcome. The website is 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:31.580 lifespringmedia.com. And this is National Opposite Day, so I'm out of here. And this is, in reality, 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:37.460 Epistle Sunday. We'll read 1 Corinthians 13 and 14. After that, we'll have an On This Date in 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:42.520 Church History, and being Sunday, we'll have a time of prayer. Are you ready? Let's begin. 00:00:42.940 --> 00:00:46.880 Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your Word, and we thank you specifically for the 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:53.480 reading today. Pray, God, that we can make this a part of our hearts, our lives, our daily experience. 00:00:54.100 --> 00:00:57.840 Help us, Father, to do that. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:01:23.740 --> 00:01:29.140 everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I've done, but I don't 00:01:29.240 --> 00:01:37.020 have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever. Love is patient. Love is kind. It isn't jealous. It 00:01:37.220 --> 00:01:44.000 doesn't brag. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't seek its own advantage. It isn't irritable. 00:01:44.380 --> 00:01:50.400 It doesn't keep a record of complaints. It isn't happy with injustice, but it is happy with the 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:57.640 truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. 00:01:58.460 --> 00:02:03.920 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, 00:02:04.350 --> 00:02:09.820 they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. We know in part, 00:02:09.970 --> 00:02:15.460 and we prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 00:02:16.160 --> 00:02:21.780 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. 00:02:22.410 --> 00:02:25.860 But now that I have become a man, I put an end to childish things. 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:31.040 Now we see a reflection in a mirror, then we will see face to face. 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:36.480 Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been 00:02:36.700 --> 00:02:37.260 completely known. 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:44.360 Now faith, hope, and love remain, these three things, and the greatest of these is love. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:53.320 1 Corinthians 14. Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.360 For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, 00:02:58.880 --> 00:03:02.580 since no one understands him. However, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:08.420 But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:15.240 The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:19.940 I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. 00:03:20.640 --> 00:03:24.220 The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, 00:03:24.720 --> 00:03:27.600 unless he interprets so that the church may be built up. 00:03:28.040 --> 00:03:31.040 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:36.720 how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.760 Even inanimate things that produce sounds, whether flute or harp, 00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:43.160 if they don't make a distinction in the notes, 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:49.200 how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? In fact, if the trumpet makes an 00:03:49.540 --> 00:03:54.800 unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? In the same way, unless you use your tongue for 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:59.920 intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 00:04:00.600 --> 00:04:05.020 There are doubtless many kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning. Therefore, 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:09.539 if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker 00:04:09.560 --> 00:04:16.100 will be a foreigner to me. So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in 00:04:16.280 --> 00:04:21.640 building up the church. Therefore, the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can 00:04:21.940 --> 00:04:28.120 interpret. For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:32.920 What then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:39.019 I will sing with the Spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise, if you 00:04:39.040 --> 00:04:44.300 praise with the Spirit, how will the uninformed person say Amen at your giving of thanks, 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:49.100 since he does not know what you are saying? For you may very well be giving thanks, 00:04:49.150 --> 00:04:54.420 but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak another language more 00:04:54.640 --> 00:05:00.000 than all of you. Yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding in order 00:05:00.140 --> 00:05:06.779 to teach others also than ten thousand words in another language. Brothers, don't be childish in 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:12.220 your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. It is written in the 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:17.180 law, I will speak to these people by people of other languages and by the lips of foreigners, 00:05:17.400 --> 00:05:22.780 and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. It follows that speaking in other 00:05:22.960 --> 00:05:29.420 languages is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:35.439 unbelievers but for believers. Therefore, if the whole church assembles together, and all are 00:05:35.460 --> 00:05:40.940 speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:46.780 say that you are out of your minds? But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed 00:05:47.080 --> 00:05:52.660 person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. The secrets of his heart will be 00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:59.040 revealed, and as a result he will fall face down and worship God, proclaiming, God is really among 00:05:59.320 --> 00:06:05.080 you. What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:10.900 a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:16.740 edification. If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at most 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:24.300 three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. But if there is no interpreter, that person should 00:06:24.460 --> 00:06:31.060 keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:36.660 and the others should evaluate. But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, 00:06:37.080 --> 00:06:42.800 the first prophet should be silent, for you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:48.260 and everyone may be encouraged. And the prophet's spirits are under the control of the prophets, 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:54.540 since God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 00:06:54.730 --> 00:06:59.619 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be 00:06:59.640 --> 00:07:04.980 submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, they should ask their 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:09.840 own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:16.480 Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? If anyone thinks he is a prophet 00:07:16.700 --> 00:07:22.080 or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord's command. But if anyone 00:07:22.400 --> 00:07:28.359 ignores this, he will be ignored. Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid 00:07:28.380 --> 00:07:34.060 speaking in other languages, but everything must be done decently and in order. 00:07:36.260 --> 00:07:40.740 In the 13th chapter, which is often called the love chapter, Paul continues addressing 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:47.460 the Corinthian church in regards to division and spiritual gifts. What he tells them is that it 00:07:47.580 --> 00:07:52.779 doesn't matter what gift you have if you don't have love. If there is love, you won't have the 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:58.280 problem of fighting over who has what gift or which gift is better. And to make it clear, 00:07:58.340 --> 00:08:04.040 he delineates what love looks like. Love is not that mushy feeling of butterflies in your stomach 00:08:04.060 --> 00:08:09.780 you got with your first high school crush. Love is much more than that, and Paul is very specific 00:08:10.060 --> 00:08:15.200 about what it is. I hesitate to even begin to boil it down into just a few words because his 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:21.979 description is so right on, but I'll do it anyway. Love is not about what makes me feel good. Love is 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:27.400 about what I can do for the benefit of the object of my love. Even when it's difficult or when that 00:08:27.450 --> 00:08:32.800 other person is unlovable, love keeps going. Now, beloved, we don't see much love in the world today, 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:38.760 do we? We're living in turbulent times. What we do see is a lot of hate, I'm sorry to say. 00:08:39.130 --> 00:08:43.560 If we want peace, if we want love, we're not going to get it by arguing or confronting. 00:08:44.219 --> 00:08:49.860 We need to pray for changed hearts. How are hearts changed? Only by the Spirit of God. 00:08:50.420 --> 00:08:56.040 But He uses people to bring His message to people, planting seeds so that the Holy Spirit can cause 00:08:56.200 --> 00:09:03.920 them to grow and bear fruit. Paul said in Romans 10.17, So then, love comes by hearing, and hearing 00:09:04.180 --> 00:09:09.900 comes through the Word of God. Hearts are changed one at a time. Now, I was saved as a teenager. 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:15.300 I can point to a church service I was in when I publicly declared my faith, but I had really made 00:09:15.320 --> 00:09:21.600 the decision much earlier. It was from dozens and dozens and dozens of conversations with my friend 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:27.000 Del Brixey, who invited me to that church, and from listening to our pastor's message, 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:33.140 and from attending a Christian kindergarten, and from seeing faith in Christ lived out in so many 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:39.500 people, and on and on. My faith was built a little at a time from hearing the Word of God 00:09:39.520 --> 00:09:46.100 in many different ways. Beloved, we should be praying each and every day, asking God to show 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:52.660 us how we can love our neighbor, how we can share the message of hope, love, and good news. Because 00:09:52.850 --> 00:09:59.440 until we do that, hearts are not going to be changed. The world needs God now more than ever. 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.480 What do you think? Tomorrow we're going to read Exodus 5-8. 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:11.920 Today's verse of the day is 1 Corinthians 13.1. 00:10:12.610 --> 00:10:16.680 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels, but I don't have love, 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:19.580 I'm a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.240 On this date in church history, January 25th. 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.920 In 1841, the Oxford Movement reached its boiling point. 00:10:33.270 --> 00:10:38.900 While still an Anglican, John Henry Newman published the final and most controversial of his 00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:41.420 Tracts for the Time, known as Tract 90. 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:46.920 In it, he argued that the 39 Articles of the Church of England were actually compatible 00:10:47.380 --> 00:10:48.940 with ancient Catholic dogma. 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:53.780 It was a bold attempt to reconcile Anglicanism with its historical roots. 00:10:54.300 --> 00:10:59.640 But the backlash was so intense that it eventually set Newman on the path to leaving the Church 00:10:59.680 --> 00:11:00.560 of England altogether. 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:06.040 And also on this date, in 1915, we celebrate the birth of Gladys Aylward. 00:11:06.260 --> 00:11:11.360 She was a working-class British woman who was told she was unqualified for the mission field, 00:11:11.650 --> 00:11:13.380 but she wouldn't let that stop her. 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:20.240 Gladys spent her own life savings to travel to China by train across Siberia. 00:11:20.780 --> 00:11:23.840 Her courage became legendary during the Japanese invasion 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:28.900 when she led nearly a hundred orphans on a dangerous journey across the mountains to safety. 00:11:29.520 --> 00:11:35.520 Her life remains one of the most well-documented examples of evangelical missionary grit in the 20th century. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:43.520 Well, beloved, we have no new prayer requests or praises today, so let's just go to prayer. 00:11:44.060 --> 00:11:46.800 Our Heavenly Father, You show us what love is every day. 00:11:47.540 --> 00:11:49.960 It's about giving ourselves for the benefit of others. 00:11:50.740 --> 00:11:53.900 Help us, Lord, to make that a reality in our own lives. 00:11:54.660 --> 00:11:59.000 Help us to think less of what we want and more of how we can serve others. 00:12:00.260 --> 00:12:03.000 I pray, God, that You would bless the Lifespring family today. 00:12:03.660 --> 00:12:07.880 Where there are needs, I pray that they would reach out to you and that you will hear them. 00:12:08.980 --> 00:12:11.400 Jesus said that we have not because we ask not. 00:12:11.690 --> 00:12:17.560 So instead of trying to do it all on our own, help us to see that you are the answer to our needs. 00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:23.260 Remind us, Lord, that in those moments that you are there, it will just reach out to you. 00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:26.080 I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:12:27.520 --> 00:12:29.660 Well, if you have a prayer request or a praise report, 00:12:30.010 --> 00:12:32.540 our next time to come together like this in prayer will be Wednesday. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:37.560 If you'd like to share something with the Lifespring family, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. 00:12:37.780 --> 00:12:39.420 You'll find an easy to fill out form there. 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:43.760 Just takes as much time to fill out as you want to take, but it can be very quick. 00:12:44.280 --> 00:12:46.560 If you want to remain anonymous, just let me know. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:48.860 There's a place right there on the form to do that. 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:54.140 Or you can send all that stuff to my email at steveatlifespringmedia.com. 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:57.580 Or of course, you can text me or leave a voicemail right here. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:12:59.620 Lifespring family hotline. 00:13:00.959 --> 00:13:02.920 951-732-887. 00:13:04.199 --> 00:13:04.720 3511. 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:17.680 Beloved, in a world where we see so much hate, we're called to be different. 00:13:18.270 --> 00:13:22.880 Like my friend Del, who planted seeds of faith in my life through dozens of conversations, 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:28.140 you have the opportunity to show the world what Paul's description of love really looks like 00:13:28.250 --> 00:13:28.740 in action. 00:13:29.520 --> 00:13:33.060 Let's pray every day for God to show us how to love our neighbor. 00:13:33.720 --> 00:13:35.740 Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:38.400 Thank you so much for making me a part of your day today. 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:40.420 I'm Steve Webb. Bye. 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:48.240 All the programs in the Lifespring Media family are made possible by your value-for-value support. 00:13:48.980 --> 00:13:49.340 Thank you. 00:13:51.400 --> 00:13:54.820 The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.800 hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster since 2004.