The Holy_Spirit gives different gifts to believers
1My friends, I want you to understand what the Holy_Spirit has given us. 2Remember that when you were Gentiles, you believed in gods who could not speak but you thought that those gods could help you. 3That is why I tell you: If the Spirit of God is in someone's heart, that person can not curse Jesus. And when someone believes that Jesus is the Lord, he can say that only because the Holy_Spirit is in his heart.
4There are different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them. 5And there are different ways to serve the Lord in the congregation, but it is the same Lord who says what everyone must do. 6And there are different kinds of ways that God works in the congregation, but it is the same God who helps people do all these things.
7The Spirit shows everyone what he must do, because the Spirit knows what is best for the congregation. 8The Spirit gives one person the gift of wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the gift of explaining what God wants. 9The Spirit gives one person the gift of believing strongly in God and the same Spirit gives another person the gift of healing people. 10The Spirit gives one person the gift of doing miracles and He gives another person the gift of preaching the message of God. He gives one person the gift of telling if a message comes from God or from an evil_spirit. He gives one person the gift of speaking_in_tongues and He gives another person the gift of interpreting the things he says. 11It is the same Spirit who gives these different gifts to each person. He gives every believer his own gift and He decides what gift He wants to give to everyone.
The congregation is like a body with many parts
12Every person has a body, but his body has many parts. Yes, there are many parts, but the many parts are one body. It is the same with the body_of_Christ. It has many parts. 13When we were baptised, the Holy_Spirit made us all part of one body. We are Jews, Greeks, slaves and free people but the same Spirit is in all of us.
14Our bodies do not have only one part. They have many parts. 15If the foot says: ‘I am not part of the body because I am not the hand,’ is the foot then not part of the body? No, it is still part of the body. 16If the ear says: ‘I am not part of the body because I am not the eye,’ is the ear then not part of the body? No, it is still part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, then the body would not have been able to hear. And if the whole body were an ear, then the body would not have been able to smell.
18But now God has given different parts to the body. He gave every part as He wanted. 19If the whole body were just one part, then it would not have been a body. 20But now there are many parts, and there is only one body. 21The eye can not say to the hand: ‘I do not need you.’ The head can not say to the feet: ‘I do not need you.’
22We think there are parts of the body that are weaker than other parts, but the body needs them. 23We do not want people to see some parts of the body that we are ashamed of, so we cover them with beautiful clothes. 24But there are parts of the body that we are not ashamed of, and we do not cover them with clothes. There are parts of the body that we think are not important, but God made the body so that those parts are more important. 25That is why the body does not fight against itself, because the different parts of the body care for each other. 26When one part of the body suffers, then all the other parts also suffer. And when the people praise one part of the body, then all the other parts are also happy.
27All of you together are the body_of_Christ. You all are a part of this body. 28God gives each one of us a place in the congregation. First there are the apostles, 2nd are the prophets, 3rd are those who teach other people, then the people who do miracles, then those who have the gift of healing people and then those who help other people. There are people who can be leaders in the congregation and those who speak_in_tongues. 29Not all of them are apostles, not all are prophets, not everyone can teach other people and not everyone can do miracles. 30Not all have the gift of healing other people, not everyone speaks_in_tongues, and not everyone can interpret what people say when they speak_in_tongues. 31You must pray and work hard to get those gifts that can help the congregation the most.
And now I want to show you the best way to help the congregation.
