Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / August 22 - 1 Corinthians 12

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August 22 - 1 Corinthians 12 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello, friends, It's Sean. Here it is, Thursday.
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  It's the 22nd of August and we are continuing to read through
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  the book of First Corinthians well, this month and then we'll
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  head into Second Corinthians. But boy, the emphasis is pretty
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  strong in this book, isn't it? Paul is really trying to tell
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  his friends and Corinth that it's not about them, it is about
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  the body of Christ. It's about them coming together
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  as a community to live this life of worship to their God through
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  Jesus. And this is a great reminder for
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  us today. And today is a wonderful
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  reading. Today talks all about spiritual
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  gifts that we are given and the way that we all take on
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  different roles in God's family. So friend, if you think I'm a
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  bit lost in my my spiritual community and I'm not quite sure
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  where I fit, this reading is for you.
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  This reading says God has made you just the way you are with
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  all your special giftings and abilities so that no matter what
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  you bring to the table, it is something of great value that is
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  unique to you that your community needs.
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  You are important in that community, and this reading
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  really does flesh that out. So let's hear it, shall we?
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  Let us dive in as we read together First Corinthians
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  chapter 12. Now, dear brothers and sisters,
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  regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit
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  gives us, I don't want you to misunderstand this.
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  You know that when you are still pagans, you were LED astray and
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  swept along in worshipping speechless idols.
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  So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of
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  God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by
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  the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of
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  spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them
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  all. There are different kinds of
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  service, but we serve the same Lord.
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  God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the
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  work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to
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  each of us so we can help each other.
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  To one person the spirit gives the ability to give wise advice.
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  To another. The same spirit gives a message
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  of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great
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  faith to another and to someone else.
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  The one spirit gives the gift of healing.
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  He gives one person the power to perform miracles and another the
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  ability to prophecy. He gives someone else the
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  ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of
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  God or from another spirit. Still another person is given
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  the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is
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  given the ability to interpret what is being said.
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  It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts.
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  He alone decides which gift each person should have.
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  The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one
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  whole body. So it is with the body of
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  Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are
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  Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free.
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  But we have all been baptised into one body by 1 Spirit, and
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  we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different
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  parts, not just one part. If the foot says I'm not a part
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  of the body because I'm not a hand, that does not make it any
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  less part of the body. And if the ear says I'm not part
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  of the body because I'm not an eye, would that make it any less
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  a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye,
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  how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an
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  ear, how would you smell anything?
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  But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just
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  where He wants it. How strange a body would be if
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  it had only one part. Yes, there are many parts, but
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  only one body. The eye can never say to the
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  hand, I don't need you. The head can't say to the feet I
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  don't need you. In fact, some parts of the body
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  that seem weakest and least important are actually the most
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  necessary, and the parts we regard as less honourable are
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  those we clothe with the greatest care.
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  So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
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  while the more honourable parts do not require the special care.
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  So God has put the body together such that extra honour and care
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  are given to those parts that have less dignity.
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  This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members
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  care for each other. If one part suffers, all the
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  parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts
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  are glad. All of you together are Christ's
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  body, and each of you is a part of it.
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  There are some of the parts God has appointed for the church.
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  First are apostles. Second are prophets.
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  Third are teachers. Then those who do miracles,
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  Those who have the gift of healing, Those who can help
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  others, Those who have the gift of leadership, Those who speak
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  in unknown languages. Are we all apostles?
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  Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers?
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  Do we all have the power to do miracles?
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  Do we all have the gift of healing?
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  Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages?
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  Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages?
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  Of course not. So you should earnestly desire
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  the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of
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  life that is best of all. Thank you, Jesus, that you place
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  us in your body, Your body of believers here around us, where
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  you give U.S. special giftings and abilities, and Your Spirit
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  enables us to do things in a way that no one else can and that
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  your body really needs. And Lord, as we hear this
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  reading, we hear Paul talk about those parts of your body who
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  require extra care and love. Holy Spirit of pray that you
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  would open our eyes and our hearts, that we would see those
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  corners within our communities where the people are that need
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  our special attention and our love and our care.
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  And that we would have hearts big enough to want to provide
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  that care and that love. Even though you know that some
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  people can be tricky to love sometimes.
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  But this is your way. This is your way that you
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  tantalisingly tease at the end of this chapter that we're going
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  to come back to next week to hear about your way of love, our
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  Transformers from the inside out, so that we can transform
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  your communities, so that these communities can transform our
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  world for you and your glory. Because you alone deserve our
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  worship, our praise and our efforts.
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  We love you, our mighty and wonderful God.
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  And it's in Jesus name that we pray.
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  Amen.