Celebrate Recovery is a safe place with kind people who are working together to deal with hurts, habits, and hangups. Have questions? Contact our CR Leader - Tim Hughey

SUMMER KIDZ is our Wed night Summer program full of fun, friends, and learning God's Scriptures. Have questions? Contact our Children's Coordinator - Shannon Curtis

Check our website for upcoming events and over 530 past teachings on many different topics.

The Church of Jesus is supposed to be a spiritual symphony, MANY INSTRUMENTS playing ONE SONG, pointing others to the graciousness of our Great God.

Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to remain ignorant about the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, but since many of them had been led astray by pagan practices and demonic influences in the past, Paul reminds Christians how to discern what is truly a work by the Holy Spirit of God and what is not.

Those led by the Spirit of God won’t curse Jesus. People led by the Holy Spirit will proclaim that Jesus is Lord. Those who proclaimed that Jesus is Lord (sovereign ruler over all) were also proclaiming that Caesar was NOT lord over all. A person had to choose sides. Some proclaimed Jesus is Lord while others declared Jesus is cursed.

Before Paul’s radical conversion to follow Jesus, he persecuted those who claimed that Jesus was Lord because Paul actually believed that calling Jesus “Lord” was actually blasphemy. From his Jewish perspective, only Yahweh was Lord and Jesus was a false messiah. In fact, there was even a biblical reason why unbelieving Jews believed that Jesus was cursed by God.

  Paul later understood why Jesus was hung on a tree in crucifixion.

Christ redeemed us - bought us and forgave us! And He sent His Spirit to live IN us and EMPOWER us to further His Kingdom.

Notice the 3 PERSONS of our Triune God: God the Spirit, God the Son (Lord), and the Father (God).

Notice the PURPOSE of the different gifts/ministries/activities - for the common good = for the benefit of all [NET]. These are gifts are given to bless others, not benefit ourselves. 

• MESSAGE OF WISDOM: Do you know a believer who speaks with the wisdom of God? 
• MESSAGE OF KNOWLEDGE: Have you ever known a Christian who is given insight into a situation that only God could give? 
• FAITH: Have you ever met someone who just trusts God, in a way that you wish you could?
• HEALING & MIRACLES: Have you ever met someone who prays and God heals OR who is enabled to cast out a demon?
• DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SPIRITS is the God-given ability to discern what is truth from what is false, able to discern true teaching from false teaching, what is from God and what is counterfeit.
• TONGUES and the ability to INTERPRET are two of the most misunderstood giftings in our day. More about that next week and 1 Cor 14 (go read it yourself!).
• Two more gifts are mentioned in v 28 - helping & leading. Know some folks like that?

• The Spirit of God lives in follower of Jesus, and they have been GIFTED with the spiritual ability that the Spirit decided to give.
• Some people think that their gifting is either more important or less important than the gifting of others. But it is the Spirit who is distributing to each person as He wills.

The language Paul chooses could be because of the influence of the Corinthian temple complex of Asclepius, the god of healing.

The human body has many parts, and the Church is made up of many who are one body - the Body of Christ. 

Baptism isn’t supposed to be optional for the follower of Jesus. Baptism is the first step of obedience, the moment when the new believer announces, “Jesus is Lord!” over their lives. Physical baptism is an expression of the spiritual reality that we have been baptized by one Spirit - we have died to sin and been made alive in Christ. Because of that, regardless of race (Jews or Greeks), or social status (slaves or free), we are ONE BODY - one family in Christ.

We are many, but we are a ONE BODY - MANY INSTRUMENTS, but only ONE SONG - the song of the redeemed from every tribe, nation, and language. And all believers, regardless of their function, are important to the BODY of Christ. 

God has arranged each of the parts in the human body just as He wanted. So too, God has also arranged each one of the parts in the body just as He wanted within His Church. 

MANY INSTRUMENTS that work together to play…ONE SONG. The brass can’t tell the woodwinds they don’t matter and aren’t needed, any more than the many parts of the human body can reject each other.

We are to treat everyone in this Church with VALUE - the youngest to the oldest. 

• When one person in our Church body hurts, we hurt with them…because we’re attached to each other. And we desire to serve and comfort our brothers & sisters.
• When one person in our Church body rejoices, we rejoice with them too…because we’re attached to each other!

1. What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? Explain your answer.
2. Read 1 Cor 12:4-11, 28-30. Which one of the spiritual gifts interests you the most? Explain your answer. (More info on this next Sunday.)
3. Read 1 Cor 12:11. Who determines the different gifts that different Christians have and why should we not covet the gift another person has been given?
4. Read 1 Cor 12:12-13. Why should we make sure not to separate the Church based on race or social class? We might have some differences, but we should focus on what unites us - WHAT IS THAT?
5. How should we respond when people within our Church are mistreating one another - acting as if others don’t matter? 
6. Read 1 Cor 12:14-25. Why are different parts on the human body a good illustration for different gifts within the Church Body?
7. Read 1 Cor 12:25-26. How have you seen the Church body hurt with other Christians who hurt and rejoice with those who rejoice? How can we better care for one another during difficult times? How can we better celebrate the accomplishments of our brothers and sisters?
8. What other questions has this teaching or discussion prompted for us to talk about?
9. Share prayer needs and pray for one another.