Slices
Prepare
Pray: ‘May the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be on me today. Amen.’
Bible passage
Concerning spiritual gifts
12 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to dumb idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Explore
In those days it took great courage to say, ‘Jesus is Lord’. It could be fatal to insist on it, or to refuse to say ‘Caesar is Lord’ at an emperor worship ceremony, for instance. This brave testimony, ‘Jesus is Lord’, came from the Holy Spirit (v 3), and it still does today across the world.
Some of the spiritual or supernatural activity in Corinth was pagan (v 2). But the Holy Spirit was active there in an amazing variety of ways, as he still is in a fellowship of believers today. Through the Spirit, the Lord gives each believer some gift for the good of all (vs 7,11). Opinions may vary as to what precisely Paul was referring to in the gifts he mentions at Corinth (vs 8–10). I always associate the popular author, CS Lewis, with having a gift of imparting ‘knowledge’, a gift which has greatly strengthened many Christians in the English-speaking world. James Hudson Taylor’s gift of pioneering ‘faith’ established a great enduring church work in South East Asia.
In your local church the same Holy Spirit is working through people he has gifted: perhaps, as in verses 8–10, someone can bring words of wisdom, someone else can speak from God, and others bring healing or discernment, or work wonders in all they do!
Respond
Do you know what gift(s) the Holy Spirit has chosen to give you? Have you asked other Christians what they think your gift(s) might be?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 20–22; Proverbs 29,30
Pray for Scripture Union
Prayer for Mission Partner BSYW and their ministry in and around Blackpool, visiting primary schools with assemblies and workshops in line with the RE curriculum for each year group. Schools appreciate what they offer and there are opportunities to do more. Pray for more volunteers and the finances to enable this.
Staying connected with Connecting You
Thank you for praying for us, we are so thankful that you bring the work of Scripture Union, our partners, and the children and young people that we reach before God in your personal prayers.
If you’d like to be more involved in prayer, make sure you are signed up to receive a copy of Connecting You our supporter prayer magazine.
