What's Love Got to Do With It?

·35 min·3 clips

When a five-year-old wants to cook alone on a hot stove, saying no isn't hate—it's protective love.

The episode opens with Pastor Paul greeting listeners at the First Christian Church of Herrick and introducing the sermon title, clarifying it's not about the Tina Turner song but about Christian response in a divisive society. He states the sermon will explore 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Peter 3, and Ephesians 2. After a prayer, he describes a society where not accepting others' values leads to accusations of hate, citing examples like abortion, sexual preference, and gender identity. He uses the analogy of a five-year-old wanting to cook on a hot stove to explain that saying no can be an act of protective love, not hate. The pastor emphasizes that Christians have a responsibility to share the gospel but not to force conversion, sharing personal testimony instead. He references 1 Peter 3:13-17, urging readiness to give a defense for hope with gentleness and respect. He critiques confrontational approaches, suggesting living out faith invites questions naturally. The sermon then delves into 1 Corinthians 13, noting that spiritual gifts are worthless without love, and quotes verses on love being patient, kind, and not keeping records of wrongs. He advises applying this in heated conflicts. Paul discusses comparing oneself to Christ rather than others and acknowledges Christians don't have all answers about God's will. He closes with Ephesians 2:1-10, reminding listeners they were once dead in sins but saved by God's love and grace for a purpose. The final call is to choose love over hate, framing it as a battle where Satan promotes hate and God promotes love. The episode ends with a prayer and a request to share the podcast and support the church mission.

As heard by us

A church sermon weighs whether Christian witness can bear the gospel without absorbing the world’s hostility.

Love is the measure of Christian witness in this recorded sermon from First Christian Church of Herrick. Working through 1 Corinthians 13, with support from 1 Peter 3 and Ephesians 2, it presses a familiar church question into sharper focus: how should believers speak when the…

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You want 1 Corinthians 13 brought into how Christians respond when public life feels full of hate and division.

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