Study Desk

Be careful for yourselves and for all the people the Holy Spirit has given to you to oversee. You must be like shepherds to the church of God, which he bought with the death of his own son.

I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a helper in the church in Cenchrea.

Also, greet for me the church that meets at their house. Greetings to my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first person in Asia to follow Christ.

Gaius is letting me and the whole church here use his home. He also sends greetings to you, as do Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus.

To the church of God in Corinth, to you who have been made holy in Christ Jesus. You were called to be God's holy people with all people everywhere who pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

It is not my business to judge those who are not part of the church. God will judge them. But you must judge the people who are part of the church. The Scripture says, "You must get rid of the evil person among you."

If you have ordinary cases that must be judged, are you going to appoint people as judges who mean nothing to the church?

Never do anything that might hurt others—Jews, Greeks, or God's church—

First, I hear that when you meet together as a church you are divided, and I believe some of this.

You can eat and drink in your own homes! You seem to think God's church is not important, and you embarrass those who are poor. What should I tell you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for doing this.

In the church God has given a place first to apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers. Then God has given a place to those who do miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are able to govern, and those who can speak in different languages.

The ones who speak in different languages are helping only themselves, but those who prophesy are helping the whole church.

I wish all of you had the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, but more, I wish you would prophesy. Those who prophesy are greater than those who can only speak in different languages—unless someone is there who can explain what is said so that the whole church can be helped.

It is the same with you. Since you want spiritual gifts very much, seek most of all to have the gifts that help the church grow stronger.

But in the church meetings I would rather speak five words I understand in order to teach others than thousands of words in a different language.

Suppose the whole church meets together and everyone speaks in different languages. If some people come in who do not understand or do not believe, they will say you are crazy.

So, brothers and sisters, what should you do? When you meet together, one person has a song, and another has a teaching. Another has a new truth from God. Another speaks in a different language, and another person interprets that language. The purpose of all these things should be to help the church grow strong.

But if there is no interpreter, then those who speak in a different language should be quiet in the church meeting. They should speak only to themselves and to God.

women should keep quiet in the church meetings. They are not allowed to speak, but they must yield to this rule as the law says.

If they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home. It is shameful for a woman to speak in the church meeting.