Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

 1 Corinthians 14:20-40

Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.

For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.[

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Paul's instructions for how things should be done, provides a fascinating glimpse into an early-church service. Again Paul stresses the need for order. He forbids the women to disturb the service by talking. (From verse 35 it seems that some were calling out questions and comments.) Their new liberty is not to be abused. Paul is not discussing whether and how qualified women may minister but how women should learn. He is certainly not denying them a vocal part in worship (from 11:5 it is clear that women prayed and prophesied and Paul makes no adverse comment on this.)

Why?

Paul gives a conclusion that everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Women should remain silent in the churches, for man is the head of the woman, so she should ask his own husbands.

The tongue is good, but it should not whole church speaks tongue, prophesy is better than speaking tongue, for it is good to the unbelievers.

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方言的恩賜不如先知講道的恩賜。

方言的原則是要有次序，不可混亂。當時大家強著說，想要出風頭！恩賜的功能是造就人，所以方言要講就必須翻出來，如果沒有人翻譯，就不必說，只是造就自己。

講道也是要造就人，用私意解經不造就人，所以不可說。先知的靈原是順服先知，如果不是如此，就是意識不清，不知自己在做什麼。先知完全清楚自己在做什麼，施洗約翰、司提反被聖靈充滿都知道自己在做什麼！不該像民間信仰起占，自己不知道自己在做什麼，失去自己的意識。婦女可以講道，要蒙頭，要順服權柄。愛的原則，不求自己的益處，多求造就教會的恩賜。

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How?

The church is the Holy place, it is a place for prayer and is the place to worship the Lord.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy

1 Corinthians 14:1-19

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.

Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 

So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Spiritual gifts are not the essence o the Christian life. Had it not been for their misuse at Corinth we should have heard little about them in the letters of the New Testament, though of course, they are very evident in Acts. Prophecy: High valued in the early church, this was the gift of speaking directly from God into a situation. It might be predictive or encouraging. Prophecy differs from scripture, though both come from God Prophecy is for a particular situation, whereas scripture has universal validity.

Why?

All of our gifts of Spirit should be good to build up the church, if it is good for personal, we should not do it to others.

Paul suggested speak prophecy is better than speaking in a tongue. Unless there is an interpreter then you may say in a tongue.

Be humble, if I have any Spiritual Gifts if it is not good to build the church, but actually I didn't have such gifts so I don't worry about it. But God gives us different gifts, it is our capability, that we should humble ourselves to build the church and other's life.

How?

May my life could be better than yesterday and closer to the Lord and could be good to others.

This is your due 耶利米 10

 耶利米 10

高敏智牧師   2022/9/3 禱告會

Who should not revere you, King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise leaders of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you.

This is your due: 配得

due date到期   due to 由於   due deligence 盡職調查

due(none) :fee  due(adjective): appropriate, 

認真是以我的方式努力

神要的是以神為唯一的主，除你以外沒有依賴別的。

憂傷是必要的。這個世代憂傷

憂愁是必要的，沒有用的。

神揀選、驗中，不表示神立即使用我們，神要先修剪我們。

代下19：2先見哈拿尼的兒子耶戶出來迎接約沙法王，對他說：你豈當幫助惡人，愛那恨惡耶和華的人呢？因此耶和華的忿怒臨到你。

幫助人，愛人豈不是神要我們去行的嗎？真正的愛是只喜歡真理，不喜歡不義。只有愛，沒有不愛，這不是真愛。

he is due back soon

she was due for a raise

he attracts more criticism than is his due

he was only taking back what was due to him

the May installment was due

 the baby's due in August

 talks are due to adjourn tomorrow

we'll head due south again on the same road

driving without due care and attention

you must pay any income tax due

you're more than due a vacation

Three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 12:31 -13:13

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. Yet there are things more important still. Three qualities of life- faith, hope, and love - will outlive all the gifts. And these are for everyone. Without them no one is anything. And Christian love outshines all. This is the best way of all: this is what Christians should really set their hearts on. Paul bursts into a great hymn on them. one of the most glorious passages in the whole Bible. 

Why?

All of the gift of Spirit with love there is nothing worthy. 

Only love never fails, although love, faith, and hope both are important in our life. Most important is Love.

How?

Based on Love and wisdom is the core value of every Christian.

There should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other

1 Corinthians 12:12-30

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Christian unity does not imply uniformity. The gifts come from a single Source and are given for the good of the whole church. Every individual has an indispensable part to play in the life of the one body. This should prevent a universal scramble for the same gifts, The important thing is not which gifts are most impressive, but which best serve to build up the church. This means that prophecy - a message from God which everyone can understand - is of more value than tongues.

Why?

We are part of the church like a body has many parts, every part has its functionality, then this church could be healthy and has power, and every part is equal, for the leader of the church is Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is given by the Lord, it is the authority of the Lord to give to anyone God thinks is good. We can't ask the Lord to give us what kind of gifts, but we may humble ourselves and uniformly serve the Lord.

How?

May my heart, my mind, and my life could be used for the Lord to honor his great name. Give thanks to the Lord.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

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.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

In contemporary religions, trances or strange, ecstatic speech showed a person's spiritual status. It was therefore not surprising that the Christian church at Corinth, to whom God gave a variety of gifts by his Holy Spirit.

Why?

No one can boast of his gifts, No one can praise his capability, all of these are gifts from God, the Holy Spirit, the Christ.

We are a family of Jesus and the Lord. So we have to love each other and respect each other.

It is like and body and our hands, feet, eyes, and mouth...all have their function.

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講屬靈的恩賜

寧可求恩賜來造就教會，聖靈還是隔著聖靈的主權、計劃賞賜各樣恩賜給各人。和人的條件能力都沒有關係。

恩賜各有不同，先知最重要工作是勸人悔改，責備人的工作，反而主要不是預言！愈有恩賜愈要小心，很容易驕傲。

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How?

Be humble and love others from the heart, for the Lord loves me and everyone. What I can do is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

In the early days, the Lord's Supper took place in the course of a communal meal. It was 'bring-and share', with everyone bringing what food they could. But in Corinth, the loving, sharing principle has broken down. Some begin to eat before others have arrived. And some get drunk while others go hungry. It is a disgrace - a serious offense. Paul has to remind them of the circumstances in which the first Lord's Supper took place.

Why?

God's Supper is holy, it shows we are one body and on the cup with Jesus Christ. It is not the restaurant, but to remember the grace of Jesus for us.

When people drunk and eat what they like is a disgrace and a serious offense.

Paul gave us a very good reminder of the principle of God's Supper.

How?

Eat at home but come to church with fear and respect to the Lord in the Lord's Supper.