SEEK26 1 Corinthians 13

SEEK 2026 – Week 2: Love Gives

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

¹ If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

² If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

³ And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,

⁵ is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

⁶ Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.

⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

¹³ Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

Pray!

Intro: Love That Costs Something

• Everywhere you turn,
• People talk about love.
• It’s in every song,
• Every movie,
• Every caption
• But the love our world celebrates
• Rarely costs anything.
• It says, “I’ll love you as long as it’s easy.”
• But the love God shows us
• And the love He calls us to
• Costs something.
• That’s what SEEK 2026 is about.
• Since June of this year,
• Leaders from across our Church—
• Staff, elders, City Group leaders, volunteers—
• Have been praying,
• Listening,
• And asking God what He wants for 2026.
• (Hand out Booklets)
• What you hold in your hands today
• The 2026 Ministry Plan
• Is the fruit of that time.
• All that God is asking us to do for 2026
• And Now it’s our turn,
• As one family,
• To join what God is doing through
• Prayer,
• Serving, and
• Giving.
• Because love doesn’t just feel—love acts.
• Every dollar we give turns into a story of grace.
• It turns into meals shared,
• Prayers prayed,
• Children discipled,
• Families restored, and
• Neighbors reached.
• Through SEEK 2026,
• We’re not giving to a church;
• We’re giving through a church
• To the mission of Jesus.
• Our total goal is $36,500
• That’s what it will take
• To fully fund everything God is calling us to in 2026:
• Outreach in our city,
• Discipleship pathways,
• Next-generation ministry, and
• New mission opportunities.
• But here’s what’s powerful
• When each of us takes our part,
• This goal becomes possible.
• It what we call eating the Elephant
• (Show the picture)

Here’s what our collective step of love looks like:

• 1 person or 1 family giving $10,000 – launching new outreach and leadership development.
• 2 people or 2 families giving $5,000 each – fueling discipleship and care ministries.
• 2 people or 2 families giving $2,500 each – resourcing training and weekly ministry rhythms.
• 5 people or 5 families giving $1,000 each – supporting next-gen and community impact.
• 8 people or 8 families giving $500 each – investing in worship and City Groups.
• 10 people or 10 families giving $250 each – sustaining foundational ministries.
• There is even one with a ? because I don’t know what God may have done for your family this year
• That’s how we reach $36,500 together.
• Each number isn’t just a category—it’s a story.
• Each gift represents a soul reached,
• A disciple made,
• A family strengthened,
• A young person equipped.
• And when you look at it that way
• It’s not about money anymore.
• It’s about mission.
• We give
• Because we love Jesus,
• And love gives.
• My family is in it too.
• We’ve prayed and we’re making sacrifices—
• So that in just 3 week we can be our most generous
• One small area we have chosen is
• Not eating out the whole month of November—
• So that we can feel our giving and remember Who we’re doing it for.

Charles Spurgeon once said,

“If you want to give a gift to God, give Him your heart. But if you have already given Him your heart, you will not think it hard to give Him anything else.”

• That’s the heart behind SEEK.
• When God has our hearts,
• Generosity becomes joy, not burden.
• So today we open to 1 Corinthians 13,
• Because real love gives—even when it costs.
• Lets start by looking at

What Love Really Is (1 Corinthians 13:1–8a)

• The church in Corinth had talent and passion—
• But it lacked love.
• Paul writes,

1 Corinthians 13:1

“If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

– He’s saying,

• “You can have all the gifts,
• All the charisma,
• All the faith
• And still miss the heart.”
• Love is the motive
• That gives meaning to every action.
• Without love,
• Even good deeds become empty noise.
• Because

Love Starts with the Heart

1 Corinthians 13:2-3

² If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

³ And if I give away all my possessions, and if I give over my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

• When Paul says “love,”
• He uses the word ἀγάπη (agapē)
• Not the Greek words for romantic love (eros),
• Or friendship (philia),
• Or family affection (storgē).
• Agapē is the love that chooses to give.
• It’s not driven by emotion
• But by the will.
• It’s the love
• That acts for the good of another,
• Even when it costs something.
• That’s what Paul means when he says,

“If I give away all my possessions but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

• God doesn’t just see what we give;
• He sees why we give.
• He wants hearts, not just hands.
• That means SEEK isn’t about pressure
• It’s about participation.
• We give because we want to,
• Because love moves us.
• Love begins in the heart before it ever reaches the wallet.

Love Feels the Cost (vv. 4–7)

• Then Paul shows us what love does.
• Each word he uses paints a picture of love that acts and gives.

He begins:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant,

⁵ is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs.

⁶ Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.

⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

• When Paul says, “Love is patient,”
• It literally means “to be long-tempered.”
• Love doesn’t have a short fuse.
• It holds back anger and extends grace.
• It’s the picture of someone
• Who could strike back but chooses mercy.
• That’s what Jesus did for us
• Reminding us that we can’t show this kind of patient on our own
• He was patient when we rebelled.
• Then Paul says, “Love is kind.”
• The word is a rare word that only appears once in the entire New Testament.
• It means “to show oneself useful or gracious.”
• Kindness isn’t just niceness
• It’s active compassion.
• It’s love that moves toward people,
• Meets needs, and
• Helps when it could walk away.
• Later, Paul says love “keeps no record of wrongs.”
• Its an accounting term that means “to keep a ledger.”
• Paul is saying love doesn’t balance the books of bitterness.
• It tears up the record of wrongs.
• That’s what God did for us in Christ.

Romans 4:8 uses the same word:

“Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will not count (logizetai) against him.”

• Finally, Paul says love “endures all things.”
• It means “to stay under.”
• It’s the picture of carrying a heavy weight and
• Refusing to drop it.
• Love doesn’t run when it’s hard
• It stays, it carries, it endures.
• Love isn’t an emotion—it’s endurance.
• It’s giving what’s needed,
• Not what’s convenient.
• Love that never costs anything never changes anything.

A.W. Tozer said,

• “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
• That’s what Paul is showing us here
• Love always leads to action.
• Love gives patience instead of payback.
• Love gives kindness instead of criticism.
• Love forgives when resentment would be easier.
• Love feels the cost—and keeps giving anyway.

Love Lasts Forever (vv. 8–13)

1 Corinthians 13:8-13

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part,

¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.

¹³ Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.

• Then Paul says, “Love never ends.”
• Everything else fades
• Prophecies, tongues, knowledge—but love endures.
• He adds,

“Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face… Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”

• Love is eternal.
• It’s the one thing you’ll still be doing in heaven.
• When we give out of love,
• We are investing in what never dies.
• And here’s something beautiful:
• Every verb Paul uses for love in this passage is active.
• It’s not a list of feelings;
• It’s a list of actions.
• Love is patient—it chooses grace.
• Love is kind—it acts for others.
• Love keeps no record—it forgives.
• Love endures—it stays when it’s hard.
• Every word moves.
• Every word gives.
• Real love doesn’t sit still—love gives.

Love Goes Above and Beyond

• We’ve talked about what love is
• Patient, kind, enduring, selfless.
• But what does it look like
• When someone actually lives that kind of love?
• One of the most powerful examples comes from the life of
• Corrie ten Boom. (picture)
• During World War II,
• She and her family
• Hid Jewish men and women in their home,
• Knowing it could cost them everything.
• They were discovered,
• Arrested, and
• Sent to concentration camps.
• Corrie’s sister, Betsie, died there.
• Corrie survived
• And after the war,
• She began traveling and preaching the gospel.
• One night,
• While speaking in a church in Germany,
• Corrie looked out and saw a face she would never forget
• One of the guards from Ravensbrück,
• The very camp where her sister died.
• After her message,
• That man walked down the aisle and said,
• “Fraulein, how grateful I am for your message.
• To think, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”
  Then he extended his hand to her.

Corrie wrote later, “I who had preached so often about forgiveness could not take his hand. My blood seemed to freeze. But then I remembered Jesus’ words: ‘Love your enemies.’ I knew I had to obey. I prayed silently, ‘Jesus, help me.’ And as I reached out my hand, a current seemed to pass from me to him. Into my heart sprang a love that almost overwhelmed me. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

• That’s agapē.
• That’s the kind of love Paul is describing.
• A love that gives what we cannot give in our own strength.
• A love that goes beyond emotion
• Beyond reason—beyond self.
• It’s the love of Jesus,
• Working in us and through us.

Ephesians 3:20–21 says,

“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

• That’s what happens when we love like Jesus.
• He takes ordinary people and
• Does extraordinary things through them.
• He turns broken hearts into conduits of healing.
• He takes fearful hands and
• Makes them instruments of grace.
• He turns our limited love into His limitless love.
• Corrie couldn’t muster that kind of forgiveness on her own
• But Jesus could, through her.
• And that same power — that same love — works in us.
• That’s what we’re praying for in this season.
• Not a fundraising goal.
• A spiritual one.
• That God would fill our church
• With a love that goes above and beyond
• What we could ever do alone.
• A love that gives past logic.
• A love that gives until heaven moves.
• A love that reflects the One who gave it all.
• That’s what happens
• When we let the love of Christ lead
• He does above and beyond what we could ask or imagine.
• And now, it’s our turn to respond
• To put that kind of love into action.

How We Live This Out

So what do we do?

1. Pray. Before deciding an amount, ask: “Lord, what would love have me give?”
2. Listen. Let God guide you—He’ll stretch your faith in ways that draw you closer to Him.
3. Respond. Bring your gift on Commitment Sunday—not from pressure, but from passion.

• When we give, we’re saying, “Lord, make my life look like Yours.”
• And what does His life look like?
• It looks like a cross.
• It looks like arms open wide.
• It looks like love that gives everything.

Jesus, the Love That Never Ends

• Paul ends the chapter: “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—but the greatest of these is love.”
• Love is the greatest because God is love.
• Love isn’t an idea—it’s a Person.
• His name is Jesus.
• Jesus is patient with sinners like me.
• Jesus is kind to those who can’t repay Him.
• Jesus keeps no record of wrongs
• The record of ours was nailed to His cross.
• Jesus bears all things,
• Believes all things,
• Hopes all things,
• Endures all things.
• Jesus never fails.
• At the cross,
• Love was not just spoken—it was shown.
• Love didn’t just promise—it paid.
• Jesus loved us so much that He gave everything
• His comfort, His crown, His life
• So that we could be forgiven and free.
• When we give,
• We’re not earning that love;
• We’re responding to it.
  We’re saying,

“If You gave everything for me, Lord, how could I not give back to You?”

• That’s the heartbeat of SEEK 2026.
• We’re not building an organization;
• We’re joining Christ in His mission.
• Every gift is a reflection of Calvary.
• Every act of generosity preaches the gospel: Love gives.
• So as we step forward:
• Let’s love our city enough to give.
• Let’s love the lost enough to serve.
• Let’s love Jesus enough to sacrifice.
• Because when Jesus’ love gives through His people
• Heaven moves,
• Lives change, and
• God gets the glory.

“Love never ends.” – 1 Corinthians 13:8a

🙏 Scripture-Guided Prayer of Response – “Above and Beyond Love”

(Invite the church to the front.)

1. Love Above Performance — 1 Corinthians 13:1–3

“If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love…”
– Lord, forgive us when our serving has been about performance instead of love.
– Forgive us when giving was habit, not worship.
– Give us a love that makes every act meaningful and Spirit-led.

2. Love That Feels the Cost — 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

“Love is patient, love is kind…”
– Teach us patience when we’re tired,

– Kindness when we’re wronged,

– Generosity when we want to hold back.
– Let our love endure, even when it costs us something.

3. Love That Never Ends — 1 Corinthians 13:8

“Love never ends.”
Thank You, Jesus, that Your love never gives up on us.
Make our church a living reflection of that kind of love.

4. Above and Beyond Faith — Ephesians 3:20–21

“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond…”
Do more than we can imagine through this SEEK season.
Not for our name, but for Yours.
Let Your power work in us and through us.

5. Love That Responds — 1 John 4:19

“We love because He first loved us.”
Jesus, You gave first. You gave most. You gave all.
Our giving and our serving are simply our response to You.
Let Your love move through us today.

“Lord, what would love have me give?”
Speak now, Holy Spirit.
Make our lives, our church, and this SEEK season a reflection of Your love that never ends.
Amen.