This week, we near the end of our 6-week sermon series, “Embrace the Weirdness,” where we have been looking at the fact that sometimes God calls us to do things that are out of the ordinary. In truth, simple obedience to Scripture causes the world around us to take notice. Obedience to God in the world’s eyes is just plain weird! As expected, when we follow Christ, we are going to stick out.

This week, we move out of the book of Acts into 1 Corinthians, where Paul calls us to something really WEIRD! Starting in 12:12, we see that as believers in Christ we are called to unity. Though we may come from different backgrounds, different cultures, even given different spiritual gifts (though by the same Spirit!), we are all called to be unified in Christ. Unity in our culture right now isn’t just rare…it’s pretty weird.

Paul follows this up with perhaps the weirdest thing yet…in chapter 13, we are told to LOVE one another. If you spend any time watching or reading the news each day, I think you would agree that one of the weirdest things we are called to do is love each other. To truly, selflessly love one another is completely foreign to this world. In fact, it can’t be done in our own strength, but only through the working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who believe.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)