Concerning Spiritual Gifts

Concerning Spiritual Gifts...
1 Corinthians 12:1-31 NRSV
New Revised Standard Version ©1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

The Spirit Affirms Jesus

{1} Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters,
                    I do not want you to be uninformed.
{2}                         You know that when you were pagans,
                                            you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak.
{3}       Therefore I want you to understand
                        that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says
                                    "Let Jesus be cursed!"
                        and no one can say
                                    "Jesus is Lord"
                                                except by the Holy Spirit.

Diversity of Gifts - Unity found in the Giver

{4} Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; {5} and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; {6} and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
{7} To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
{8} To one is given through the Spirit and to another according to the same Spirit, {9} to another by the same Spirit, to another by the one Spirit, {10} to another to another to another to another to another	the utterance of wisdom, the utterance of knowledge faith gifts of healing the working of miracles, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, various kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues.
{11} All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

The Church compared to the Human Body

{12} For just as the body is one
                                               and has many members,
                                                    and all the members of the body,
                                                           though many, are one body,
                               so it is with Christ.
{13}         For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-
                                        -Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-
                                                        -and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

{14}                 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.
{15}                             If the foot would say,
                                                            "Because I am not a hand,
                                                                           I do not belong to the body,"
                                          that would not make it any less a part of the body.
{16}                      And if the ear would say,
                                                            "Because I am not an eye,
                                                                           I do not belong to the body,"
                                          that would not make it any less a part of the body.
{17}             If the whole body were an eye,
                                where would the hearing be?
                    If the whole body were hearing,
                                where would the sense of smell be?
{18} But as it is, God arranged the members in the body,
                                each one of them, as he chose.
{19}             If all were a single member, where would the body be?

{20} As it is, there are many members, yet one body.
{21}                                              The eye cannot say to the hand,
                                                                        "I have no need of you," nor again
                                                       the head to the feet,
                                                                        "I have no need of you."
{22}                     On the contrary,
                                        the members of the body that seem to be weaker
                                                                                                 are indispensable,
{23}                          and those members of the body that we think less honorable
                                                                                we clothe with greater honor,
                                                                                          and our less respectable members
                                                                              are treated with greater respect;
{24}                                         whereas our more respectable members
                                                            do not need this.
                     But God has so arranged the body,
                                giving the greater honor to the inferior member,
{25}                                     that there may be no dissension within the body,
                                                        but the members may have
                                                                    the same care for one another.
{26}                             If one member    suffers,
                                                        all    suffer        together with it;
                                     if one member is honored,
                                                        all   rejoice       together with it.

Function - from "Body" to "Church"

{27} Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. {28} And God has appointed in the church
first second third then then	apostles, prophets, teachers; deeds of power, gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
--------------------------------------------
{29} Are all Are all Are all Do all {30} Do all possess Do all Do all	apostles? prophets? teachers? work miracles? gifts of healing? speak in tongues? interpret?

{31} But strive for the greater gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.

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