BEHAVIOUR IN MEETINGS
Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians chapter 12
Gentiles are led into idolatry by their mentors. Those who are saved by faith in Christ receive Him as their Lord by the Holy Spirit.
There are diversities of gifts, ministries and activities, but only one Spirit, one Lord (Jesus) and one God (the Father) who works all in all.
The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to every man for the profit of all: various gifts are mentioned in verses 8 to 10. The Holy Spirit is operating in all of them, and it is He who distributes these gifts as He wills.
All believers in Christ, no matter their origin, were baptized in the Holy Spirit to become part of the spiritual body of Christ, and symbolically drink of this Spirit.
As the physical body is composed of various organs and members acting differently, some more noble, others that seem to be weaker, or less worthy of the body, or less decorous, complementing each other so that the body can function as a living organism, so the church (the assembly of believers) is the body of Christ and each individual believer is a member of that body.
God established first in the church the apostles (personally chosen by Christ: the eleven and Paul), secondly the prophets (the apostles and prophets are the foundation of Christian doctrine, Ephesians 2:20), and in third place the teachers (scholars of Scripture, of the Christian doctrine that is in them, and teachers of the others). After these come all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. Each believer does not have all the gifts in himself, but it is up to the church to desire and look earnestly the best gifts.
R David Jones
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And 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 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
1 Corinthians chapter 12