HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1409
1 COR INTHIANS 12
page 1039
gives the ability to give wise advice*; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special
knowledge.* 9 The same Spirit gives great faith
to another, and to someone else the one Spirit
gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person
the power to perform miracles, and another the
ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the
ability to discern whether a message is from
the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still
another person is given the ability to speak in
unknown languages,* while another is given
the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is
the one and only Spirit who distributes all these
gifts. He alone decides which gift each person
should have.
One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the
many parts make up one whole body. So it is
with the body of Christ. 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
Spirit.*
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not
just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part
of the body because I am not a hand,” that does
not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if
the ear says, “I am not part of the body because
I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a
part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an
eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body
were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and
God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only
one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only
one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand,
“I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the
feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem
weakest and least important are actually the
most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as
less honorable are those we clothe with the
greatest care. So we carefully protect those
parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more
honorable parts do not require this special care.
So God has put the body together such that
extra honor and care are given to those parts
that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony
among the members, so that all the members
care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the
parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored,
all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and
each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the
parts God has appointed for the church:
12:8a Or gives a word of wisdom. 12:8b Or gives a word of
knowledge. 12:10 Or in various tongues; also in 12:28, 30.
12:13a Greek some are Greeks. 12:13b Greek we were all
given one Spirit to drink.
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
• Serving
1 C OR I N THI A N S 12:4-11
The church must be careful not to absorb
two common attitudes from the competitive business world. First, business puts
a marketability worth upon gifts and
services: The greater our abilities, the
greater our worth to the company, and
thus the greater our compensation and
status. Also in the business world, there
is a well-defined hierarchy: The CEO is
more important than the managers, who
are more important than the common
workers, who are more important than the
janitors, and so on. But in the church, all
the differing gifts and abilities come from
the same Spirit, and all lead to service
for the good of all. Whether we preach
the sermon, sing the solo, welcome
people at the door, or change diapers in
the nursery, all who offer their gifts for
service are indispensable to the church.
Have you recognized your gifts and put
them to worthy use?
• Unity &
Teamwork
1 C OR I N THI A N S 12:14-20
The idea of a football team built around
eleven quarterbacks, a symphony composed of only trombones, or a body
formed completely of ears is totally
ludicrous. Yet that is exactly what many
of us insist upon in the church: Dress
like me, think like me, worship like me,
and everything will be fine, and we can
have fellowship. But if you are different
from me, I will question your sincerity,
your orthodoxy, and maybe even your
salvation. Here Paul makes a powerful
statement about how necessary diversity
is to the body of Christ. Unity does not
mean uniformity, but rather a Spirit-led
quality of love and fellowship that bonds
believers despite, and even because of,
their diversity. How might you contribute
to the unity of Christ’s body by using your
individual gifts and abilities?