Matthew 3:7-12

It seems that Jesus and John the Baptist shared a common distrust of the religious right...hmmmm. Things are not always as they appear on the surface. Beware of the little foxes of pride and envy for those are the very things that kill true Christianity. We are to be united, as one Body, by the power of the Holy Spirit not by the traditions of men. Without Him we are like wandering sheep without a Shepherd with Him we are gathered in His name to accomplish His will.

As roads were repaired, smoothed, straightened, and leveled before a king came, so John was preparing a spiritual road for the Messiah before His arrival. John likened his ministry to God’s ax, clearing His orchard of dead wood—especially that which did not bear the fruit of repentance. John identified people with himself and his message of repentance by water baptism; the One coming after him was so much greater that He would unite people to Himself by means of the Holy Spirit. John knew that the kingdom to come would be characterized by a great display of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people.

It would be the work of the Messiah to accomplish this, to baptize His people in the Spirit. But those who rejected Him the Messiah would baptize with fire, which is probably a figure for God’s judgment. In His first advent, Christ baptized in the Spirit. When He comes again, He will baptize with fire.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were two prominent groups in Judaism during the time of Christ. Both groups claimed to be true followers of Judaism, but their beliefs were considerably different. The Pharisees were primarily associated with the laymen of Israel. In doctrine, they held not only to the Law of Moses and Scriptures, but also to a whole body of oral tradition. Their activities were centered in the synagogue. On the other hand, the Sadducees were associated with the priestly caste, for whom worship was centered in the temple. Extremely conservative, they based their beliefs essentially on the Pentateuch—the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy.

Matthew 3:7-12

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ 

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹² His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 

Jeremiah 22:15-17

We, as a Christian nation, do well when we are fair, taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves for whatever reason.....and trust in the salvation of the only righteous  one, Jesus Christ.....period. There is no excuse for holding others down to benefit ourselves.

Israel perished because of its lack of knowledge of God.. Knowledge of God here is related to concern for the poor and needy. 

Jeremiah 22:15-17

¹⁵ “Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? 
Did not your father eat and drink, 
And do justice and righteousness? 
Then it was well with him. 

¹⁶ He judged the cause of the poor and needy; 
Then it was well. 
Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord. 

¹⁷ “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, 
For shedding innocent blood, 
And practicing oppression and violence.” 

Harmony.....2013

How fitting that my first Spirit led Bible study, on the first day of this new year, is the Harmony of the Gospels, the prelude to the New Testament.  I will start my year meditating on the perfect harmony of the Almighty in His glorious plan of redemption. From the beginning to the end of creation, all things, will be done according to plan.....trust in Him to get you from here to there :) 

"To make peace, establish harmony" this will be my mantra for this new year:)

Harmony of the Gospels

Beginning with the immaculate conception of God’s only begotten Son, the Light of the World, continuing with The Ascension and the finale, the second coming of the Christ, the  beginning of eternity with the Trinity,......praise be to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Enhance Strong’s Lexicon...

1514:  1 to make peace. 2 to cultivate or keep peace, harmony. 3 to be at peace, live in peace.

1515:   1 a state of national tranquillity. 1a exemption from the rage and havoc of war. 2 peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord. 3 security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous). 4 of the Messiah’s peace. 4a the way that leads to peace (salvation). 5 of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is. 6 the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.

1517:  1 to make peace, establish harmony.

4861:  1 of one mind, of one accord. This word is made up of two words “sun” (together with) and psuchos (soul, self, inner life, or the seat of the feelings, desires, affections). So the word refers to being united in spirit or harmonious. 

Luke 6:20-26

Some would call this karma, I call it the way of the Lord! Help us Father to care for others in the way that You care for them and be doers not just hearers of Your Word. What do You require of believers? 

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O man, what is good; 
And what does the Lord require of you 
But to do justly, 
To love mercy, 
And to walk humbly with your God? 

In general, the disciples of Jesus were not wealthy. They were poor men who had come humbly to trust in God. All of the promises of God’s rule both now and in the future belong to such disciples. Identification with Jesus usually leads to rejection and hardship, but the disciple who has left all to follow Jesus understands what placing Jesus first means. He or she also recognizes that God is aware of all suffering. 

Jesus began His sermon with an attention-grabbing, irony-filled series of blessings that have intrigued and puzzled Bible scholars and laymen for centuries. Often referred to as the Beatitudes, these statements contrast worldly goods and values with a heavenly estimation of people’s affairs. The Beatitudes provide us with a heavenly perspective, evaluating the present in the light of eternity. They remind us that things are not always what they seem, and certainly not what they will one day be.

In this view, the poor are seen as God’s chosen people. Though they suffer in this world, and perhaps because they suffer now, they can expect glorious blessing in the world to come. And the adherents of this view believe that while in this world the people of God should do everything possible to alleviate the suffering of the poor. In this way the kingdom of God is extended.

Many interpret the word poor as referring to the “poverty of spirit” that Jesus talks about in a very similar sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. In other words, Jesus was offering hope and joy to those who freely recognize their spiritual poverty before God. These individuals are blessed because they come to God with nothing to offer Him except their great need.  When a person rejects worldly values and embraces the godly teachings of Jesus, then that individual begins to experience the reign of Christ in his or her life. 

All that the rich receive without Christ is what they acquire on earth. Luke records many of Jesus’ critical remarks about the wealthy. Their wealth typically blinds them to their spiritual poverty and their need for salvation. 

Luke 6:20-26

²⁰ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 
“Blessed are you poor, 
For yours is the kingdom of God. 
²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, 
For you shall be filled. 
Blessed are you who weep now, 
For you shall laugh. 
²² Blessed are you when men hate you, 
And when they exclude you, 
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, 
For the Son of Man’s sake. 
²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! 
For indeed your reward is great in heaven, 
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 
²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich, 
For you have received your consolation. 
²⁵ Woe to you who are full, 
For you shall hunger. 
Woe to you who laugh now, 
For you shall mourn and weep. 
²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, 
For so did their fathers to the false prophets. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

When we are allowed to suffer through tragedy or affliction it makes us better equipped to comfort others as we were comforted by God. The very trials that we go through gives us empathy (not sympathy) enabling us to deeply understand another’s pain.

Paul called God the God and Father of Christ. Even though Jesus is God, as the incarnate Son He was dependent on God the Father. Thus God the Father was His God.

God comforts us not only to make us comfortable but also to make us comforters. The comfort that God gives to us becomes a gift we can give to others. Our willingness to share it reflects the sincerity of our faith.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. ⁶ Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. ⁷ And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. 

Acts 13:26-33

In our blind judgements of situations we can unwittingly condemn the innocent.....calling what is good, evil and what is evil, good. May the Holy Spirit give us discernment in these most troubling of times.  If we Love God above all and love our neighbor as much as we do ourself we will fulfill both the Old and the New commands of our Father and remain safe in the Glad Tidings of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Sent out from the church at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas went to Cyprus, then to the cities of Galatia in Asia Minor. The Jewish synagogues in these cities provided Paul a platform for preaching the gospel. However, at times he encountered opposition from the synagogues.

When the Jewish leaders saw the crowds following Paul, they changed their minds about Paul and became filled with jealousy, especially since many of the people who had gathered were Jews.

Acts 13:26-33

²⁶ “Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. ²⁷ For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. ²⁸ And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. ²⁹ Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised Him from the dead. ³¹ He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. ³² And we declare to you glad tidings— that promise which was made to the fathers. ³³ God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. 

Acts 12:20-24

God does not need people and their weapons to get His point across! We need to trust in Him...period! He is more than capable of protecting His own. The battles that we do fight are not physical but spiritual and our prayers and good works accomplish more than any gun would. 

The important point was that the cities did not want the angry king to set an economic embargo against them. Through the royal official Blastus, the people of Tyre and Sidon received an appointment to present their case to the king. 

The Jewish historian Josephus also provides an account of this display, informing us that in an attempted appeasement of the king the people confessed that he was “more than a mortal.” Herod, instead of rebuking the address of deity, enjoyed the adulation—until he discovered the consequence of such blasphemy.

Acts 12:20-24

²⁰ Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. 

²¹ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 

²³ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 

²⁴ But the word of God grew and multiplied. 

Luke 12:1-3

The Holy Spirit let me know over 40 years ago that the very heart of our existence is LOVE. Of what Godly use is it to love only those who love you..... don’t even the unbelievers do that? But to love those who believe and behave differently than you do isn’t that the way that God loves us? We need to reevaluate the command to love God above anyone or anything and then to love others as much as we do ourselves. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to live, die and be raised again to save them.....shouldn’t we be doing the same? If we say we love God and hate others we are hypocrites! Faith, hope and love are the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the greatest of these is love :)

The corruption in view here is hypocrisy. Practicing hypocrisy is senseless because eventually all deeds—both good and evil—will be exposed. 

Luke 12:1-3
In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 
² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

Malachi 1:11-13

God wants the whole of us, not just the broken parts, but the talents that He has given us. The best of our money, our time, and our heart are God’s and He wants to use them to show others the love and caring that He has for all of His creation. We need to be doers not hearers of His word. I am as guilty of this as everyone else but I am vowing to make a change and make a difference in the coming years.

The imperfect sacrifices of the priests and people demonstrated the content of their hearts. The people were not sincere. To sacrifice a perfect, healthy animal looked to them like a waste, and they considered the work of preparing their gifts properly to be a foolish use of time and energy. Malachi confronted this attitude with the Law of God, which clearly demanded unblemished sacrifices and sincere hearts. Malachi also confronted the people with God’s judgment of their actions. God was perfectly aware of what they were doing and the condition of their hearts. No sacrifices at all would have been better than second-rate and insincere ones. The people were not giving “sacrifices”; they were merely doing what was convenient, just enough to appear to obey God. Then they would turn around and pat themselves on the back for being righteous.

Malachi 1:11-13

¹¹ For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, 
My name shall be great among the Gentiles; 
In every place incense shall be offered to My name, 
And a pure offering; 
For My name shall be great among the nations,” 
Says the Lord of hosts. 

¹² “But you profane it, 
In that you say, 
‘The table of the Lord is defiled; 
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’ 

¹³ You also say, 
‘Oh, what a weariness!’ 
And you sneer at it,” 
Says the Lord of hosts. 
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; 
Thus you bring an offering! 
Should I accept this from your hand?” 
Says the Lord. 

Mark 9:23-24

Just believe!!! If that is beyond your concept of life........just ask Jesus to help you. In the measure that you believe, you can receive from the very heart of God.

Even those who believe can be nagged by doubt and hopelessness. This man took the correct course by appealing to Jesus for help.

Mark 9:23-24

²³ Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 
²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 

Isaiah 66:22-23

ALL flesh will worship the Lord! What a beautiful world it will be. Come and inhabit Your creation Lord!

A prediction of the coming of the new heavens and the new earth. Through all time and from all the earth, true worship will be offered to God.

Isaiah 66:22-23

²² “For as the new heavens and the new earth 
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, 
“So shall your descendants and your name remain. 
²³ And it shall come to pass 
That from one New Moon to another, 
And from one Sabbath to another, 
All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord. 

~Max Lucado

When the doctor handed Max Lucado to Jack Lucado, my dad had no exit option. He couldn’t give me back to the doctor and ask for a better looking or smarter son. The hospital made him take me home!

If you were adopted, however, your parents chose you.  Surprise pregnancies happen.  But surprise adoptions?  I’ve never heard of one.  Your parents wanted you in their family. You object.  “Oh, but if they could have seen the rest of my life, they might have changed their minds.” My point exactly!

God saw our entire lives from beginning to end, birth to hearse, and in spite of what he saw, he was still convinced to adopt us into his own family, bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. To accept God’s grace is to accept God’s offer to be adopted into his family. It really is this simple!

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.   I Peter 2:9″

Matthew 2:1-13

God heralded the birth of Jesus Christ with signs in the heavens. The astrologers celebrated His birth with gifts and the angels sang Peace to men of good will. God with us, the gift of life, was given to fallen mankind. We must learn to listen to that still small voice in us that opens our eyes to God’s truth and also warns of hidden dangers.

Luke 2:13-14
¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, 
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 

The events probably took place some months after Jesus’ birth. Several reasons may be offered to support this conclusion: (1) Joseph and Mary were living in a house; (2) Jesus is referred to as a child, not an infant; (3) Herod murdered all the male children two years old and under; and (4) it would have been strange for Joseph and Mary to offer the sacrifice of the poor, a pair of turtledoves or pigeons , if the wise men had just given them gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Herod the king is Herod the Great, who reigned over Palestine from 37 b.c. until his death in 4 b.c. A crafty ruler and lavish builder, Herod had a reign marked by cruelty and bloodshed. The word translated wise men can refer either to fraudulent sorcerers or, as here, to a more honorable class of astrologers. The wise men identified the star with the arrival of the King of the Jews. The Jewish leaders were alerted early to the coming of the Messiah. Their quick recital of Mic. 5:2 showed their prophetic astuteness concerning the messianic prophecies. Five dreams of divine guidance emphasize God’s orchestration of these perilous events.

Matthew 2:1-13

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 

³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 

⁵ So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 
⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, 
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; 
For out of you shall come a Ruler 
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” 

⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” 

⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. 

Daniel 9:24-25

There will come an end to the world as we know it. The end of the old system will usher in the Prince of Peace. Lord have mercy on us for we are small.

There are many different interpretations of how these years account for the eras of world history before the Second Coming of the Messiah. Some interpreters have suggested that the use of the number seven in this verse is symbolic representing completeness—that is, the completion of all of human history.

Daniel 9:24-26

²⁴ “Seventy weeks are determined 

For your people and for your holy city, 

To finish the transgression, 

To make an end of sins, 

To make reconciliation for iniquity, 

To bring in everlasting righteousness, 

To seal up vision and prophecy, 

And to anoint the Most Holy. 

²⁵ “Know therefore and understand, 

That from the going forth of the command 

To restore and build Jerusalem 

Until Messiah the Prince, 

There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; 

The street shall be built again, and the wall, 

Even in troublesome times. 

Daniel 5:22-23

Pride and self righteousness go before a fall! We need to love God above any person, place or monetary gain and give Him the honor and praise that are due Him as our Creator and Maker of all of our gifts and talents. Everything comes from God..everything!

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good; 
And what does the Lord require of you 
But to do justly, 
To love mercy, 
And to walk humbly with your God? 

Daniel 5:22-23

²² “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³ And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

Daniel 9:16-19

Pray for our Nation. Forgive us Father for the choices we have made in our lives that go against Your word. Help us to gauge our Christianity on the love that we show to others and the way that we care for the poor and hurting remembering the mercy that You have given to us. Help us to be examples of You in our society.

We must live in peace with others as long as it is within our power to do. We need to accomplish this in a world that in most ways is removed from God’s values. Not the wealthy and few but the needs of the many should determine the distribution of  our resources, not for our power and might, but for Your glory alone and our support should reflect this.

Titans 3:1-2

Paul had already instructed the Cretans regarding submission and obedience to the authorities in their communities. Titus was to remind them of their duty to be good citizens, a virtue which the Cretans notoriously lacked. Here it refers to civil leaders and institutions. Disobedience permeated the Cretans’ lifestyle, both in the church and in government. Titus must advise them to get along with civil authorities and to live peacefully with their neighbors. This type of life would reflect positively on the Christian faith and thus glorify God.

James said that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). Daniel’s prayer seems to be a case in point. Not long after Daniel prayed, Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple. Was there a connection between Daniel’s prayer, Cyrus’s decree, and Jeremiah’s prophecies? Gabriel indicates that there was.

Daniel 9:16-19

¹⁶ “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. ¹⁷ Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. ¹⁸ O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.” 

Nahum 3:3-4

Dear Father, please guide us into your will and protect us from using the seductiveness of money and power as the basis of our choices for our lives and the life of our nation.

Horses and chariots were instruments of war. Verse 3 describes the horrors of the nation’s war machine, which resulted in countless corpses. Harlotries refers to paganism. Any worship of gods other than the God of Scripture is an act of spiritual prostitution. Nineveh was so adept at pagan practices that the city earned the descriptive title, the mistress of sorceries.

Nahum 3:3-4

³ Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear. 
There is a multitude of slain, 
A great number of bodies, 
Countless corpses— 
They stumble over the corpses— 
⁴ Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, 
The mistress of sorceries, 
Who sells nations through her harlotries, 
And families through her sorceries. 

1 Corinthians

If we know the truth, the truth will set us free! The Holy Spirit works within each believer so that we may be knitted together in love to serve each other and bring the light of the love of the Father in Jesus Christ to the world. Everything that we do must be tempered and refined in LOVE!

In this letter Paul proclaims the relevance of Christ Jesus to every area of the believer’s life. In the writer’s words, Jesus “became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption”. Paul goes on to assert  that Jesus is living out His life in the world through the church. According to Paul, we are the body of Christ with individual gifts. As we discover our gifts and invest them in mutual ministry, Jesus continues to touch the world for which He died.

1 Corinthians

13:1-7

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 
⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 

1:30-31

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— ³¹ that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 

12:1-30

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.