Study Desk

You have your own homes to eat and drink in. Or do you hate the church of God and shame those who are poor? What am I to say to you? Am I to say you are right? No! I cannot say you are right in this.

God has chosen different ones in the church to do His work. First, there are missionaries. Second, there are preachers or those who speak for God. And third, there are teachers. He has also chosen those who do powerful works and those who have the gifts of healing. And He has chosen those who help others who are in need and those who are able to lead others in work and those who speak in special sounds.

The man who speaks in special sounds receives strength. The man who speaks God's Word gives strength to the church.

I wish all of you spoke in special sounds. But more than that, I wish all of you spoke God's Word. The one who speaks God's Word has a more important gift than the one who speaks in special sounds. But if he can tell what he is speaking, the church will be helped.

Since you want gifts from the Holy Spirit, ask for those that will build up the whole church.

But in a meeting of the church, it is better if I say five words that others can understand and be helped by than 10,000 words in special sounds.

If some people who are not Christians come to your church meeting while all the people are speaking in special sounds, they will think you are crazy.

But if a man who is not a Christian comes to your church meeting while you are all speaking God's Word, he will understand that he is a sinner by what he hears. He will know he is guilty.

If no one is there who can tell the meaning of the special sounds, he should not speak in the church. He should speak only to himself and to God.

God does not want everyone speaking at the same time in church meetings. He wants peace. All the churches of God's people worship this way.

Women should not be allowed to speak in church meetings. They are to obey this teaching. The Law says this also.

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

For I am the least important of all the missionaries. I should not be called a missionary because I made it so hard for God's church.

I will stay in the city of Ephesus until the special day to remember how the Holy Spirit came on the church.

This letter is from Paul. I have been chosen by God to be a missionary for Jesus Christ. Timothy is here with me and is writing to you also. We are writing to God's church in the city of Corinth and to all of God's people in the country of Greece.

You have heard of my old life when I followed the Jewish religion. I made it as hard as I could for the Christians and did everything I could to destroy the Christian church.

The only thing they heard was, "The one who tried to destroy the Christian church is now preaching the Good News!"

God showed me in a special way I should go. I spoke to them about the Good News that I preach among the people who are not Jews. First of all, I talked alone to the important church leaders. I wanted them to know what I was preaching. I did not want that which I was doing or would be doing to be wasted.

Those who seemed to be important church leaders did not help me. They did not teach me anything new. What they were, I do not care. God looks on us all as being the same.

James and Peter and John were thought of as being the head church leaders. They could see that God's loving-favor had been given to me. Barnabas and I were joined together with them by shaking hands. Then we were sent off to work with the people who are not Jews. They were to work with the Jews.