Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And I show you a still more excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:27-31
. This is right before the Bible chapter often called the "love chapter." It sets the context for the verses many of us are familiar with. The setting or context as you can read above is........ the church of Jesus Christ.
It says that we are individuals, but are part of a body. God gave us functions so that we could work together like body parts work together. We have to be individuals, different from each other. We are not all preachers, not all teachers, not all prayer warriors, we are gifted for specific tasks. We have these gifts, but we should also aspire to the greater gifts that God has given us. These are the things that join our body parts together and connect us in order to properly move and serve. What is the "more excellent way" that He will show us?
Lets keep reading ..
Here is my translation of 1 Corinthians 13
If I am gifted to be a great preacher, but do not have love, I am just a lot of noise. If I have the gift of great insight and knowledge; and if I have strong faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my money, sacrifice my time, and give my life over, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. The gifts I have, even if they are used, cannot help without love among the members of the body. How do I act in love so that all of God's gifted parts create a functioning body. Here are some rules about the love that connects us as a body. We are to aspire to live out this greatest of gifts.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not offended, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails;
Our knowledge and faith will eventually not be needed. Our gifts of preaching and teaching will eventually cease in the light of God's glory. For we know in part and we prophesy in part right now; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. They are gifts God has given us to help us learn the greater gifts. They are teaching tools like you would give to a child. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. Then we will realize what was most important and what was only temporary. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but even faith and hope will be fulfilled in the presence of God along with all of the ministry and gifts we worry over today, but the greatest will remain forever. The greatest of these is love.
. This is right before the Bible chapter often called the "love chapter." It sets the context for the verses many of us are familiar with. The setting or context as you can read above is........ the church of Jesus Christ.
It says that we are individuals, but are part of a body. God gave us functions so that we could work together like body parts work together. We have to be individuals, different from each other. We are not all preachers, not all teachers, not all prayer warriors, we are gifted for specific tasks. We have these gifts, but we should also aspire to the greater gifts that God has given us. These are the things that join our body parts together and connect us in order to properly move and serve. What is the "more excellent way" that He will show us?
Lets keep reading ..
Here is my translation of 1 Corinthians 13
If I am gifted to be a great preacher, but do not have love, I am just a lot of noise. If I have the gift of great insight and knowledge; and if I have strong faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my money, sacrifice my time, and give my life over, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. The gifts I have, even if they are used, cannot help without love among the members of the body. How do I act in love so that all of God's gifted parts create a functioning body. Here are some rules about the love that connects us as a body. We are to aspire to live out this greatest of gifts.
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not offended, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails;
Our knowledge and faith will eventually not be needed. Our gifts of preaching and teaching will eventually cease in the light of God's glory. For we know in part and we prophesy in part right now; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. They are gifts God has given us to help us learn the greater gifts. They are teaching tools like you would give to a child. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. Then we will realize what was most important and what was only temporary. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but even faith and hope will be fulfilled in the presence of God along with all of the ministry and gifts we worry over today, but the greatest will remain forever. The greatest of these is love.
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