Bible Challenge My grace is sufficient for you’ 1 Corinthians 12: In this Chapter of the New Testament Paul talks about spiritual gifts, and their inter-dependence. Read 1 Corinthians 12 online or look it up in your Bible. Going Deeper Before you start your daily reading, say a prayer asking God to guide your thinking as you read, and then read the Bible with the aim of learning something new. After the reading, consider how it may affect your life and relationship with your heavenly Father and allow your increased knowledge of the Scriptures to shape your character and strengthen your trust in God. Discussion notes on 1 Corinthians 12 • v8-10, I can count at least 9 separate gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Paul lists merely by way of example....can you spot them? How would you summarise the teaching of Paul from this chapter? More on 1 Corinthians 12 To some people the term Holy Spirit introduces a note of unreality. This is due partly to false ideas of the word holy, and partly to a misunderstanding of how the Holy Spirit works in man. He is not to be associated only with the ecstatic and extraordinary. Though these have been a feature of Christianity, they are not the only signs that a Christian has received the Spirit. Today’s passage shows that Paul believed that the Spirit operates in different ways – through the wise speech of some, the works of healing in others (doctors and other agents of the Church’s ministry of healing), as well as through ecstatic utterances. The man who honours Jesus as Lord is both impelled and empowered by the Spirit to do God’s work in the world. The reading makes it clear that no Christian should be over-concerned about what he might consider the smallness of the contribution he can make to the cause of Christ in the world. As part of the Body of Christ each believer has an important part to play, and the successful functioning of the whole body – the Church – depends on the faithfulness of each individual member. There is no reason for any of us to make unhelpful comparisons with our more talented fellow-Christians; this may so easily lead to resentment and discouragement. However small our gift, however restricted (humanly speaking) our sphere of influence, our own distinctive contribution counts. A commonplace truth? It is one of which we often need to be reminded. It is faithfulness with what we have been entrusted that really matters.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 04:39:34 +0000
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