Faith

PASTOR’S CORNER, Phillip Dow, New Beginnings Church, Liberal

There’s a deep peace that comes when you know what truly lasts. In 1 Corinthians 13:8–11, the apostle Paul cuts through the noise of human achievement and spiritual gifts to remind us: “Love never fails.” That statement isn’t sentimental—it’s rock-solid truth in a world that’s constantly shifting beneath our feet.

As Pastor in the Assemblies of God (a Pentecostal movement), I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. I’ve seen God heal bodies, deliver the bound, and give words of knowledge that only He could know. I treasure those gifts. But Paul reminds us in this passage that even the gifts of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge will one day come to an end. Why? Because they are temporary tools, given for a limited time, to help us live faithfully in an incomplete world.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Phillip Dow, New Beginnings Church, Liberal

Love isn’t always loud. Sometimes it doesn’t even look impressive. According to 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, love looks like staying power. It looks like patience when others lose their temper. It looks like kindness in a culture that rewards sharp comebacks. It looks like refusing to keep score, even when you’re right.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Phillip Dow, New Beginnings Church, Liberal

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

With the opening line of 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul slices through the static of every generation—including our own. We live in an era baptized in words: new podcasts launch daily, social feeds hum around the clock, and hot takes travel faster than the morning paper can hit your driveway. Yet the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, reminds us that eloquence without love may impress for a moment but will echo empty for eternity.

PASTOR’S CORNER, Rex Petty, Faith Tabernacle Church, Liberal

A pastor once had a member of his church tell him a good sermon needs a good beginning and an excellent ending, with the start and the finish being as close together as possible. Even the Sermon on the Mount given by Jesus, which is the greatest sermon ever preached, can be read in Matthew Chapters 5 through 7 in less than 15 minutes!

It is amazing how God can speak with such brevity. Psalm 23 is only six verses and contains only 118 words. The Ten Commandments have 300 words and were later condensed by Jesus into only two commandments with only 21 words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 22:37,39).  The Lord’s Prayer given in Luke 11:2-4 is also brief with only 58 words.