Love: The Essential Characteristics

Charles Swindoll outlines the key characteristics of love found in 1 Corinthians 13.

Introduction

• Focus on the issue of love within the context of ministry essentials
• Story of Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo's friendship

Historical Context and Illustration

• Background of Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo's friendship
• The significance of their interracial relationship in the 1960s

Personal Reflection and Challenge

• The speaker's reflection on love crossing color boundaries
• Application to ministry and personal relationships

Scriptural Foundation

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
• Paraphrasing the passage to relate to contemporary ministry contexts

Characteristics of Love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

• Love is patient
• Love is kind
• Love is not jealous
• Love does not brag and is not arrogant
• Love does not act unbecomingly
• Love does not seek its own
• Love is not provoked
• Love does not take into account a wrong suffered
• Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth
• Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things

Practical Implications

• The challenge of embodying these characteristics in ministry
• Reflection on personal and communal application

Conclusion

• C.S. Lewis' words on the risk of love
• A prayer for the application of these principles in life and ministry

*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.