Sermon Title: Love Goes to Church

 

Pastor Ken Werlein opens 1 Corinthians 14 by naming the two extremes that can quietly hollow out a church’s worship: the passive consumer who shows up to grade the service like a movie, and the showoff who fills the room with noise that impresses no one and builds up nothing. Paul’s answer to both, repeated five times in the chapter, is the same word: build up. Ken draws out three things love does when it walks through the doors—it builds up the body, it welcomes the newcomer, and it protects the peace. The gifts of the Spirit were never meant to be spiritual one-upmanship; they’re tools for the common good. And you don’t need a pulpit to use them. Five words—“God loves you,” “I’m glad you’re here,” “Can I pray for you?”—may be exactly the word someone came hoping to hear. Because God wants the outsider to meet Him inside the church, and love is what makes that possible.