How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

This was about the conduct of the Corinthian Christians when they would come together for worship, fellowship, and God’s word. Those gatherings of the church were to be a time when people came to participate and to give to one another, not merely to passively receive.

Out of necessity, the Corinthian Christians met in small groups in different homes. There were many “house churches” scattered over Corinth. In these small groups, there was freedom and responsibility to receive and give. One might give by reading or singing a psalm. Another might offer a word of teaching. Someone might pray in a tongue, along with an interpretation. Someone else might have a revelation, a word from God’s heart and mind to the gathered church. In a small, home-fellowship type setting, this is how the church should work together.

When more people are gathered, this “everybody shares something with everyone else” is more difficult. Among ten people, ten can share something with all the other ten. But among thirty, or sixty, or a hundred people, there isn’t time to allow everyone to share something with everyone else. Plus, in a larger group, the “I want to feel important by talking to everybody” factor is much more present. It may be present among ten people, but how much more among a hundred! This is why some are blessed and find great spiritual growth through a home group; it provides a better context for the “everyone shares something with everyone else” idea.

At the same time, the heart of “everyone shares something with everyone else” can happen in a larger church, but it is more expressed in “everyone shares something with someone else.” It says, “I am coming to church, but not only to receive a blessing. I come to give a blessing to someone, and I will ask God for an opportunity to bless someone today.” This way of thinking can make the fifteen minutes before a church meeting and the thirty minutes after the best and most exciting time of the gathering. It is a big mistake to think, “If I’m not up on the platform, I can’t minister to someone else today.” Instead, believers should be on the lookout for opportunities to pray with people, encourage, help, meet, bless, counsel, admonish, and love one another every time they come to church.

Big church or little church, house church or “regular” church, God calls us to come to the gatherings of His people not only to receive, but to give. We give our attention, our worship, and our listening ear to the Lord. But we also give to one another in just the way Paul described. This can revolutionize your church-going experience – so let that revolution, a very Biblical revolution, begin.

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

1 Corinthians 12 is about spiritual gifts, something Paul did not want believers to be ignorant of (1 Corinthians 12:1). Here, Paul explained something relevant to the working of spiritual gifts but applies beyond that topic: the principle of diversity and unity in God’s family.

Paul described three areas of diversity in God’s family: gifts, ministries, and activities. The gifts are diverse, the ministries are different, and the activities are varied. But it is all the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God doing the work through the gifts, the ministries, and the activities.

First, there are diversities of gifts. Paul will later list some nine spiritual gifts in the following verses, and more in other places, demonstrating this broad diversity. Yet there is only one Giver, who works through the diverse gifts.

The word ministries probably has in mind the different “gifted offices” in the church, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers (Ephesians 4:11-14). Paul’s point is clear: though there are different offices, it is the same Lord granting the offices and directing the service.

The original word for activities is energemata, where we get our words energy, energetic, and energize from. It is a word of active and sometimes miraculous power. Differences of activities means that God displays and pours out His miraculous power in different ways, but it is always the same God doing the work.

What are the differences between gifts, ministries, and activities? The word gifts is used broadly. Some gifts are ministries – standing offices or positions in the church. Some gifts are activities – miraculous events or outpourings at a particular time and place, such as the manifestation of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7.

Just as in first-century Corinth, it is easy for believers today to focus on their own gifts, ministries, or activities and believe those who are different are not really walking or working with God. Yet the one God has a glorious diversity in the way He does things. We should never expect it to be all according to our own emphasis and taste.

One of the ministries mentioned in the New Testament is evangelist (Ephesians 4:11). If I am an evangelist, it’s easy for me to focus on my gift, my ministry, and think that everyone in God’s family should be an evangelist just as I am. I can try to make others feel guilty that they don’t have my gifts and ministry.

Two things are true and important: the diversity and the unity. By God’s Spirit we are different, but we are all one. Don’t focus so much on the diversity that you miss the unity.

Today, appreciate the powerful diversity and unity God has made among His people, and find a way to thank God for someone else’s gifts and ministry!

We’re all tempted, and none of our temptations are truly unique; what we go through is common to man. Others before you have found strength in Jesus Christ to overcome the same temptation you experience, or even worse. Therefore, you can be victorious, but in the strength of Jesus, not in your own strength. We fight temptation with Jesus’ power, like the girl who explained what she did when Satan came at the door of her heart with temptation: “I send Jesus to answer the door. When Satan sees Jesus, he says, ‘Oops, sorry, I must have the wrong house.’”

The truth is God is faithful and has promised to supervise all temptation, whether it comes at us through the world, the flesh, or the devil. God promises to limit temptation according to our capability to endure it, or at least according to our capability as we rely on Him, not our capability as we rely only on ourselves.

Satan would destroy us in a moment if God would allow him, even as he wanted to destroy Job (Job 1:6-12) and Peter (Luke 22:31), but God will not let him. God faithfully supervises what comes to His children and though we may face grievous hardship, in Him we have the power to endure.

God has promised to not only limit our temptation, but also to provide a way of escape in tempting times. He will never force His children to use the way of escape, but He will make the way of escape available. It’s up to us to take God’s way of escape.

One commentator noted that in the original language, the word for a way of escape has the idea of a mountain pass, with the idea of an army being surrounded by the enemy, and then suddenly seeing an escape route to safety. Like a mountain pass, the way of escape isn’t necessarily an easy way—but it is available.

At a market, a little boy stood by a candy display, looking as if he was going to take some without paying. A clerk watched the boy, and finally said, “Looks like you’re trying to take some candy.” The boy answer, “Mister. I’m trying to not take any.”

For the time, that boy was able to bear it. In Christ, you can also bear temptation.

In this case, it was meat that was offered to idols. In the Roman world, the meat offered on pagan altars was usually divided into three portions. One portion was burnt in honor of the god, one portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat, and the third portion went to the priest. At a busy temple, a lot of meat came to the priests. They often sold the meat they didn’t eat, either at a restaurant at the temple or a take-away meat market at the temple. In addition, the meat served and sold at the temple was generally cheaper. Then, as well as now, people loved a bargain (including Christians).

The whole issue of buying, eating, and serving meat that was offered to idols raised many questions for the Corinthian Christians.

– As I Christian, can I eat at the restaurant at a pagan temple?
– As I Christian, can I purchase and eat meat purchased at the temple meat market?
– As I Christian, if I am served meat as a guest at someone’s home, should I ask if it came from the pagan temple before I eat it?

These were sometimes complicated and controversial subjects among the Christians in Corinth. While most of us don’t deal directly with the issue meat offered to idols, there are many places where the practices and thinking of the world around us are a challenge for believers.

Pay attention to how Paul first addressed these issues. Instead of talking about food, Paul first spoke of the principles of knowledge and love. Christian behavior is founded on love, not knowledge; and the goal of the Christian life is not knowledge, but love.

Both knowledge and love make something grow. In the way Paul meant it here, knowledge often leads to swelling pride. Love often leads to growing in grace and the likeness of Jesus. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow, others just swell.

Here is a great starting point for controversial subjects, those that relate to Christian holiness: recognize that when it comes to getting along in God’s family, love is more important than knowledge. The “love-them-all” honors God more than the “know-it-all,” especially when we mean real love, not mere unoffensive niceness.

Don’t be afraid of controversy, but make sure to lead with love – real love, not superficial niceness.

In explaining how wrong it was for them to act this way, Paul pointed out that Christians were – or should be – fully capable to judge these matters on their own. After all, Paul noted, the saints will judge the world. Believers shall even judge angels. Christians should be fully able to judge their own matters because of our destiny. As we reign with Jesus Christ, we will (in some sense or another) judge the world, and even judge angels.

The idea of Christians judging angels is fascinating. It does not mean we will sit in judgment of faithful angels, as if we could penalize them for letting us down or not being there for us in a critical time. However, we will have a part in judging evil angels. We can’t exactly say when or how this will happen, but it does remind believers of their glorious future.

The destiny of redeemed men and women – to one day be higher than the angels and to even sit in judgment of them – must greatly annoy a certain high angelic being. He did not want to serve an inferior creature in the present age and did not want that inferior creature to be raised up higher than he in the coming age. So, this high-ranking angel rebelled against God, and remains determined to keep as much of humanity as possible from sitting in judgment of himself. We can imagine the perverse, proud pleasure Satan takes over every soul that goes to hell: “They won’t sit in judgment over me!”

Knowing this leads to a few practical applications. First, Christians should take to heart the importance of solving issues among themselves, without taking things to secular courts. Of course, this doesn’t mean criminal matters, but disputes among believers should be kept out of law courts. There is wisdom among God’s people to decide such things.

Second, take to heart the amazing destiny God has appointed for His people. Redeemed men and women will be so glorified in the age to come that they will judge angels. This is one of the ways God gives His people more in Jesus than they ever lost in Adam’s fall: in some sense raising them above angelic beings. God’s salvation is great in where it lifts His people from, and where it lifts them to. Let your heart rest in that today!