Study Desk

The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present.

I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who serves the church at Cenchreae.

Greetings also to the church that meets in their house. Greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first in the province of Asia to believe in Christ.

My host Gaius, in whose house the church meets, sends you his greetings; Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.

To the church of God which is in Corinth, to all who are called to be God's holy people, who belong to him in union with Christ Jesus, together with all people everywhere who worship our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

If such matters come up, are you going to take them to be settled by people who have no standing in the church?

Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the church of God.

Don't you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or would you rather despise the church of God and put to shame the people who are in need? What do you expect me to say to you about this? Shall I praise you? Of course I don't!

In the church God has put all in place: in the first place apostles, in the second place prophets, and in the third place teachers; then those who perform miracles, followed by those who are given the power to heal or to help others or to direct them or to speak in strange tongues.

Those who speak in strange tongues help only themselves, but those who proclaim God's message help the whole church.

I would like for all of you to speak in strange tongues; but I would rather that you had the gift of proclaiming God's message. For the person who proclaims God's message is of greater value than the one who speaks in strange tongues—unless there is someone present who can explain what is said, so that the whole church may be helped.

Since you are eager to have the gifts of the Spirit, you must try above everything else to make greater use of those which help to build up the church.

But in church worship I would rather speak five words that can be understood, in order to teach others, than speak thousands of words in strange tongues.

If, then, the whole church meets together and everyone starts speaking in strange tongues—and if some ordinary people or unbelievers come in, won't they say that you are all crazy?

This is what I mean, my friends. When you meet for worship, one person has a hymn, another a teaching, another a revelation from God, another a message in strange tongues, and still another the explanation of what is said. Everything must be of help to the church.

If they want to find out about something, they should ask their husbands at home. It is a disgraceful thing for a woman to speak in a church meeting.

For I am the least of all the apostles—I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God's church.

The churches in the province of Asia send you their greetings; Aquila and Priscilla and the church that meets in their house send warm Christian greetings.

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and from our brother Timothy— To the church of God in Corinth, and to all God's people throughout Achaia:

You have been told how I used to live when I was devoted to the Jewish religion, how I persecuted without mercy the church of God and did my best to destroy it.