Scripture:   1 Cor. 12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;  1 Cor. 12:5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 1 Cor. 12:6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Cor. 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Teaching : These verses are fairly clear, and should be taken plainly. Yet, that is not always the case. After asserting in verses 1-3 th

Scripture: 1 Cor. 12:2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 1 Cor. 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Teaching:  Picking up from last week, Paul is beginning to teach on spiritual gifts in the Church and these opening verses hold great importance. Last week, we understood that one o

Scripture: 1 Cor. 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 1 Cor. 12:2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 1 Cor. 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. Teaching: Paul begins a new topic in chapter 12 in his customary way, saying “Now concerni

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 1 Cor. 11:30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.  1 Cor. 11:31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Cor. 11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1 Cor. 11:33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 1 Cor. 11:28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Teaching:  Speaking on the topic of the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion, Paul gives a specific instruction here in these verses — to approach it rightly. Paul has just admonished the Corinthians for turning th

Scripture:   1 Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 1 Cor. 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11:25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11:26 For a

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 1 Cor. 11:18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 1 Cor. 11:19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 1 Cor. 11:20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supp

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 1 Cor. 11:14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 1 Cor. 11:15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 1 Cor. 11:16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God. Teaching : In teaching on how to live life both in

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 1 Cor. 11:12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.  Teaching:  Paul is still teaching under the theme of Christian liberty, and giving practical illustrations of how that liberty is lived with respect and honor to God. Continuing with the theme of men and women’s roles in God’s created order, Paul elucidates his previous illus

Scripture:  1 Cor. 11:4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 1 Cor. 11:5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 1 Cor. 11:6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 1 Cor. 11:7 For a man ought not to cover his he