Gifts, the Body, Love and a few pictures from London....
First off here is a link to Court's first few pictures from London...Big Ben is GREAT!
Court's first round of pictures for your viewing pleasure.
And here is the text from this week fo the discussion!
1 Corinthians 12:1 - 13:13 NLT 1 Corinthians 12:1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don't want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you." 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. 29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. NLT 1 Corinthians 13:1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever-- faith, hope, and love-- and the greatest of these is love.
yeah I know it is very smal but I just could not justify putting two chapters up there and having the longest post in the world up there, heh....
OK, so has anyone thought about how the Body filled with the Spirit of God doing everything in love would look like? What about in Th3 Waters? How can we be better about living out this text in our OG? Any other thoughts or points of discussion about this text now that you have read it again? John (Latin John) tell everyone about how when you read the text you see common Greek Philosophy in Paul's writting...that should spark up some talk, heh. Thanks again eveyone for your thoughts and prayers!
And remember to be looking in your email this week for directions and info. on where we will meet and when for this coming Friday OG when we do a little more living out loud in the world.
KUTPs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by DGH @ 11:36 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Sylvia and I actually had an interesting conversation this morning about getting out of our comfort zone...Seems like the best way for each one to use her/his gift is to get out of what's comfortable, take some risks...
Totally agree! And i realy believe that the modivation for pushing past the comfort zone is this passion of love for God and love for others! That is the reason that we live! and the reason that God is calling us to live for Him! Thanks John.
Happy Memorial Day everybody!
Ditto!
.....It's the....
Eye of the tiger that's the cream of the crop...
Wow John we sure had an amazing continued discussion on here, heh!
okay, no more eye of the tiger...although I might break out in another 80's song any minute now.
Big reason i love this passage is because it's a great illustration of how to read. The whole deal in Ch.12 about gifts and the unity of the church isn't complete unless it's read with the exhortation to lvoe in Ch. 13. At the same time, the character/nature of love that Paul had in mind here has to be viewed within the concept of unity in the church and the use of gifts.
I have been to so many churches that unity was not ever a part of it...sure on the outside it looked like it...but just one layer down from the surface...it was far from unified. I love this OG, because our unity is in relationship and in Christ...and the difference is what make us unique and unified in our differences! And even in the differences we can use our gifts to build each other up, love each other, and love this world! Thanks John!
"John (Latin John) tell everyone about how when you read the text you see common Greek Philosophy in Paul's writting..."
Hey everybody. I'm sure an essay or two could be written on this topic, but instead of doing that I'll just give a few examples of how Paul's reasoning closely mirrors the logical progressions in the pagan philosophy of classical Greece, particularly in Plato's "Republic." (About 400 years before Paul lived.)
12:3 "...no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit."
Republic Bk. 1 "It is clear that those who do evil deeds are without justice while, on the other hand, those who do good deeds only do so inasmuch as they possess justice." Here "evil deeds" is parallel with "cursing Jesus," while "doing good deeds" and "justice" are parallel with "saying Jesus is Lord" and "the Holy Spirit" respectively.
12:8-11 "To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts."
Republic Bk. 5 The passage is too long to quote, but a periphrasis will do: Each occupation (e.g. shoemaking, fishing, carpentry, running organic gatherings, etc.) has its own skill (techne) by which it is carried out or accomplished; the skill of making shoes, of catching fish, of fashioning furniture, or of babysitting maniacs. The common denominator of all these things is having a share in the concept or divine form of "techne," without which no occupation could be practiced or achieved. Here "techne" takes the place of the "Spirit," but the reasoning is the same.
So what do you all think of these comparisons? Am I full of it? If not, how does similarity with pagan writing affect one's interpretation of Paul as an author? As a Christian?
Apologies for the unduly long post, blame DG. =P
Wow Latin John that is a little deep,but I can kind of see a few similarities between the two....but in reality i can really see Paul address these misconceptions in the Greek/Roman thought and giving the reality of the situation for everyone who reads his words. I know that this is a wonderful insight into the world around (or just before) Paul's time...and gives us insights into the thoughts and world view of his time. It would not surprise me at all if Paul and several other authors of the time were speaking to the thoughts of the day! paul witht he help of God and the Holy Spirit was helping people see the truth behind the thought of the day....
This is the kind of God we find in the Bible! He takes the things of man and truns them around to bring ultimate reality for his people/creaton...for example...he took the idea of covenant in the Herew scriptures and gave it new meaning and helped his peple understand his desires to be in relationship with them. he took the cross (a horrific torture device) and made it the very means that he fixed the problem of discord in relationship between him and his creaton!
He took me...and you...and with all of our brokenness, pain, and selfishness, and transformed me into a work in progress that is each day becoming more and more selfless and hopefuly Christ like in al that I do.
Can anyone else see what I am talking abot here? Thanks John.
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