I have written this week with the Lord’s help about “The Greatness Of Charity!” The scripture text for this article comes from the book of I Corinthians. This book was written by the Apostle Paul in the Spring of AD 57 at the close of his third-year residence in Ephesus during his third-year missionary journey. (Acts 19:1-2) (I Corinthians 16:5-8). This book is a reply to the letter written to Paul by the church in Corinth. This is a letter of correction of errors and confirmation of the truth. No letter in the New Testament deals greater with local church problems than I Corinthians. Paul’s purpose for writing this book ① to correct their disorders and ② to answer questions concerning marriage and eating meat sacrificed to animals. This church was highly gifted in spiritual things but could not move forward because of their lack of unity! (I Corinthians 1:10) says = Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. And they were contending with one another about who had the best and most important gift in the church. The Apostle Paul told them that it was God who had set or given these gifts to the church. Read: (I Corinthians 12:27-30). Then Paul wrote to the church about the more excellent way which is love, aka charity. (I Corinthians 12:31) says = But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. We want to focus our attention upon the scripture text for this article. It is (I Corinthians 13:8-10 13). It says = 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail whether there be tongues, they shall cease whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that of these is charity. In this passage of scripture, the Apostle Paul writes about some things that are necessary for the Apostolic church in the 21st century. One of them is faith: our walk of faith with our God which is in part shall be done away. (I Corinthians 13:13) says = And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three but the greatest must be steadfast and always going forward, and never drawing back. (Hebrews 10:38-39) says = 38Now the just shall live by faith: But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Faith is used in the Apostolic church to support, and maintain, and sustain our walk with God by faith, and expresses our attitude about our God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. (Hebrews 11:6) But one day faith will give way to sight, and we shall see Jesus face to face (I John 3:2). Another thing that is necessary for the Apostolic church in the 21st century is hope: the Apostolic church uses hope to support us and to become an anchor for our soul. (Hebrews 6:19) says = which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. But one day hope will turn into reality! (Romans 8:24) says = For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? The last thing Paul mentions in (I Corinthians 13:13) is charity. He said the greatest of these three is charity (agape love). The reason it is the greatest is because it is eternal. Charity never faileth! Nor does it cease it abideth forever! Our God is love. Zion Temple First Pentecostal Church, Read: (I John 4:16). Suffragan Bishop Charles L. Smith, D.D., Emeritus
