"Follow After Love" Kathryn Kuhlman 1 Corinthians 13 & 14

Today, you and I are going to have another one of those heart -to -heart talks. Oh, I see you've already gotten out your Bible. You're waiting for it. Oh, that's wonderful. I appreciate it, too. And we're talking about something that is vitally important to all of us. And we have been studying the... 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians, and I hope that before I would have left your house today, we will have gotten into that 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians, which of course is the basic chapter on tongues. But you and I cannot fully understand. No person will have a full understanding of the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians until after they have received an understanding of the 13th chapter. And oh, that 13th chapter is so important. It's important because of its relation to all of Christ's teaching. If you want to know the basis for all of Christ's teaching, you'll find it in that 13th chapter. chapter. It's thrilling. It's marvelous. It's one of the most remarkable chapters in the entire Bible. And yesterday, of course, we took that eighth verse. Love never faileth. And it never does. It cannot fail. But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. And then I paused yesterday to explain to you that there is coming a day when there will no longer be the speaking in an unknown tongue. There will no longer be those who will be filled with the Holy Spirit, but baptized with the Spirit, because all of these things are made possible to his church, the bride of Christ, members of the body of Christ. All of these things are for those who are living during the day of Pentecost. It's true, there's coming a day when tongues will cease, Till that day, it is in God's perfect plan for members of His church to speak in an unknown tongue. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift. The person of the Holy Spirit is a gift to His church. And His church is still in operation. And the scripture clearly teaches, when these things shall cease, continue to read the rest of that chapter. For now, it says, we know in part. We prophesy in part. But there's coming a day when, oh, that glorious day, when he shall come. When that which is perfect is come, and when the one who is perfect is come, not only will prophecy cease, not only will tongues cease, but there will no longer be the need for faith in my life. For faith will have become a reality. Do you realize that? Do you fully realize that there's coming a day when we'll no longer use that word faith? Oh, it's used so much now. It's a vitally important part of every Christian's life. This thing of faith. Think of the sermons that have been preached on faith. Think of the volumes that have been written on this thing of faith. That vital thing called faith. And yet, there's coming a day when I'll not be preaching a sermon on faith. I won't even be using the word faith. Because faith will have become A reality. That very second that the old heart takes its last beat, the very moment that we stand in his wonderful presence, there'll no longer be the need for faith. Faith will have become a reality. There'll no longer be the need for hope. Oh, when I think about hope. Hope that puts stars in darkened skies, blackened skies. Hope that puts doors in blank walls. Windows in blank walls. Hope that... brings out the sunshine. But it's so dark. It's so black. Hope. There's coming a day when we'll no longer need faith. We'll no longer need hope. But there's one... we're going to take with us. Tongues will have ceased. Prophecy will have ceased. We'll no longer need the gifts of the Spirit. Think about it. Do you know that the day is coming when we'll no longer need the gift of wisdom? We'll no longer need the gift of knowledge? We'll no longer need... The gift of faith or the gifts of healing? Think about it. The day is coming when we'll not need the gift of healing. Think of it. We'll no longer need the working of miracles or the gift of prophecy. The gift of tongues or the interpretation of tongues. We'll no longer have... need or use for the gifts of the Spirit. That's the reason that all of these things are for his church today during the day of Pentecost. Because the hour is coming when the old heart takes its last beat, staying in his glorious presence. This which is mortal will have put on immortality. There'll be no sickness. There'll be no sorrow. There'll be no heartbreak. We'll no longer need faith. We'll no longer need hope. But there's one thing that we will take with us, and that's... the reason it's the most important thing in the life of every human being. And it's the thing that's the basis of all of Christ's teaching. And that thing is love. We will have left all of these other things here. We will have dropped them. Just as one drops a coat or a piece of clothing. We drop them. But when we stand in his presence, then for the very first time, that love will have been perfected. My love for him will have been perfected. I'll no longer be seen through a glass darkly. But when I come in full view, then his love for me will have been made perfect. No glass between. No. In that day when I stand face to face, Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now, by now, this present hour, this present moment, I am still in the flesh. I am still in the body. And now, abideth faith. Oh, what would we do with our faith? And now, this hour, abideth hope. What would you do if you didn't have hope? These three, all three so vitally important. But the greatest of these is hope. Love. Mm -hmm. That's the thing that we'll take with us when we go home to glory. Continue now. There's a chapter marking. There's a 14th chapter. But it would be so nice if that chapter marking wasn't there. Keep right on going. Follow after love. Just stop right there. Sometimes, you know, I'm amazed what people seek. I mean that. I'm so amazed. Sometimes I think it's because it's the lack of teaching. Maybe I have not been as good a teacher along this line as I should be. If you are a minister listening to me, you too have been called to preach the gospel. And as one called, our responsibility is very great. It's very great to those to whom we are to minister. And we need old -fashioned teaching. Talk to any Christian, just a very few minutes. and you'll know almost immediately what they are seeking. I hear a man waiting another man, both the Christians, and they'll clasp the hand of the other and say, Well, thank God, brother. And I listen, and the next remark is, Have you spoken in tongues? I know immediately that the thing that is uppermost in the mind of the man who has asked the question is tongues. It's there. But here in the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians, and this is the basic chapter on tongues, before one word is said about tongues, The Holy Spirit to the pen of Paul says, follow after love. It doesn't say follow after tongues. It doesn't say follow after spiritual gifts. Follow after love. For me to live is Christ and Christ is love. And sometimes I think we get our minds on some of these things that... Now, I would not minimize tongues for anything in the world, but shall I say the lesser important things. For instance, sometimes I think... we have become so engrossed on the manifestations of the Spirit that we have forgotten Jesus entirely. Now, you cannot find anywhere in the Word of God where it says that the Holy Spirit will magnify tongues. You can't find it. I challenge you to find it. But we do have the word of Jesus when Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus spoke, remember, that was the highest authority in heaven and earth. It makes no difference what I might say. If I say one thing and the Bible says another, the Bible's right. If what you have been taught is contrary to what Jesus said, remember, Jesus is right. And in speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, He will glorify me. He will magnify me. And the Holy Spirit never magnifies or glorifies any manifestation. He will always magnify and glorify Jesus. And whenever Jesus is glorified, you will always find love. For me to live is Christ. God is love. Jesus is love. The Holy Spirit is love. and if I am a part of his body, and if I am immersed in the Holy Spirit, then, beloved, I too will be loved. And for me to live is Christ, and Christ is love. That's the reason he begins with these words, Follow after love. The next thing, desire spiritual gifts. Oh, and if you are really a born -again Christian, if you are a member of this glorious body, if you are counted among the spirituals, believe me, automatically there'll be something in you that every atom of your being will desire spiritual gifts. If there's no desire in your heart for spiritual gifts, if there is no desire for the spiritual, I don't care what your experiences may have been, there is something wrong with your spiritual life. If you're going on with the Lord, if there is a spiritual growth there, there will be a desire in that heart of yours for spiritual gifts. Desire spiritual gifts. And he continues, but rather that ye may prophesy. Therefore, we see that the... Greatest spiritual gift is the gift of prophecy. Oh, that one little verse is loaded. I don't know why it isn't preached on more. I don't know why. Men don't speak of it more. It's there. We take something and make such a big issue of it when it's such a small thing in the sight of God. And yet the vitally important things we just sort of push under the rug. We kind of sweep under the rug and I don't know whether we feel it's too hot to handle or maybe there isn't a spiritual understanding. I don't know. But this is so clear a child can understand. A child can understand when we say, follow after love. Desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. Therefore, we see here that the gift that is the most important of all gifts is the gift of prophecy. Oh, it's wonderful to have the gift of wisdom. It's glorious to have the gift of knowledge. It's wonderful to have the gift of faith, the gift of healing, the gift of tongues, the gift, the interpretation of tongues. But if you're going to seek a gift, if you're going to... covet a gift, if you're going to desire a gift. Covet and desire the gift of prophecy. But rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification and exhortation and comfort. Where did the time go? I shall continue with the fourteenth chapter. of First Corinthians at another time.