When do the gifts end? Paul speaks of the end of the gifts, but can we tell the timing of this end from 1 Corinthians 13? Some streams of Christianity contend that gifts such as tongues, prophecy, and words of knowledge have already ceased. Other parts of Christianity say that these gifts continue to this …
Love is an action, and I believe Paul wanted the Corinthians to act in love. They boasted about their gifts and acted rudely toward each other. Love would humble them and allow them to promote others. If we love others, we are concerned about their needs and less preoccupied with our rights. They envied what …
Spiritual gifts without love are meaningless because love is the heart of all spiritual gifts. In our body, the heart makes everything work properly, like a motor in a machine. If our heart stops, the rest of the body will also cease to function. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 we learn spiritual gifts are the ability …
When I was picking scripture readings for our wedding, I found one entitled the Love Chapter. It said some fantastic things about love, and I could see that following what it said would benefit our marriage. 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings for this reason. At the time, I didn’t know about interpreting …
We desperately need each other. The Lord made me very aware of this during the recent events. During this same time, you may have had a similar experience. When people became isolated, they could not be in contact with many people. Living a more secluded life, you could not use your gifts as much or …
God gives gifts because He loves us and has a plan for our lives to use them to help others. In addition, the Lord is a master builder. He gives us unique skills and gifts to work with Him to accomplish His will. To think the Lord gives us gifts so we can help Him …
Being satisfied with your gifts is helpful for any person and is the Lord’s desire. As people, it is easy to become jealous because of someone who has a gift or talent you wish you had. Our enemy, satan, is always at work trying to tempt people to make them feel dissatisfied. Thus, he wants …
What does Paul mean by the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Different streams of Christianity hotly debate this issue. 1 Corinthians 12: 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same …
Unity in diversity is one of the greatest keys in the body of Christ moving forward to build God’s Kingdom. On my first mission trip to Mexico, our church worked with Youth With A Mission to bring together people’s talents and abilities to build a home for needy families. Different people had gifts of food …
Is church about the team or the individual? We live in a country that prizes rugged individualism. Herbert Hoover coined this term and referred to individuals as self-reliant and independent from control. This originally referred to politics, but this thought has infiltrated the church.[1] The church at Corinth had multiple divisions, competition, and jealousy. Paul …