Faith

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

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

—1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

There are moments in life that leave us squinting for clarity—grief that won’t explain itself, prayers that seem to hang unanswered, or seasons that feel like shadows without a sun. If you've ever said, "I just don't understand what God is doing," you're in good company. The apostle Paul didn’t always understand either.

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.