Dana Hagstrom – Be Still…

1 Corinthians 14:26-40 – What Worship!

I’m not sure I’ve ever attended a worship service like Paul describes. Can you imagine seeing the Holy Spirit as the worship leader like this? In most of the churches I go to, we see a preacher and some musical offering. Speaking in tongues and prophesying doesn’t happen “when you meet together,” as Paul suggests.

With all that going on, it might seem hard to follow. But as Paul says, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.” When we meet together as believers in a church setting, we are praising God with our focus on him while receiving his response, his blessing, a message from his Word. I don’t know about you, but I usually walk out of a time of worship with a fresh, peaceful feeling. And then reality steps back into view. Continue reading “1 Corinthians 14:26-40 – What Worship!”

1 Corinthians 14:1-25 – Which is Best – Tongues or Prophecy?

Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

Speaking in tongues and prophesying are just two of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, and Paul chooses to showcase them here for us. I wonder why Paul chose these two to speak about. It seems Paul thinks they are both desirable gifts.

Paul does differentiate between the two gifts. He explains that speaking in tongues is more for personal use and blessing (unless an interpreter is available in a group). As for the gift of prophecy, Paul says this one should be highly desired because it can help the group of believers the most. Continue reading “1 Corinthians 14:1-25 – Which is Best – Tongues or Prophecy?”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – The Love Chapter

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Love. It’s a word that gets overused and trivialized in our modern culture. A word of affection or affirmation, signaling approval, as in “I love chocolate!” That’s not Paul’s take on love. Before you read these verses, did you think of love differently than you do now? How about that we are “nothing” without love? Loving others is what we are called to do, what sets us apart from those who don’t know Jesus, and without it we’re just loud and obnoxious.

Of course, people who don’t know Jesus can love and show love, but is it the same love that Paul describes here? The world has its own interpretation of love. Too often we see selfish love or love that has an unhealthy motivation. The Biblical love Paul talks about is pure, holy, and committed. Continue reading “1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – The Love Chapter”

1 Corinthians 12:1-31 – What’s Your Spiritual Gift?

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

What is your special ability? I like how Paul starts off this section of his letter, recognizing that the Corinthians had questions about the spiritual gifts they had been given by the Holy Spirit. Maybe you have the same question! Paul wanted to avoid any misunderstanding so that the gifts would be used as the Spirit intended. One key thing to remember is why we’re given these gifts in the first place. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

Did you recognize your gift from those Paul describes? This is not an exhaustive list of all the abilities God gives us to help each other. Paul gives examples of other Spirit-given abilities in Romans 12:6–8, Ephesians 4:11-13, and 1 Peter 4:10–11, to name a few. All the gifts are important. Isn’t it cool that only the Holy Spirit decides what gift is right for each of us? Continue reading “1 Corinthians 12:1-31 – What’s Your Spiritual Gift?”

1 Corinthians 11:2-34 – In Remembrance

Read 1 Corinthians 11:2-34

Paul covers two very important issues facing the church. One is the practice of worship and how we present ourselves to God. The other is about Holy Communion and how that special meal should be treasured and shared seriously and reverently. One focus seems familiar to Christians today, while the other does not.

All the talk about hair for men and women seems awkward, especially in our day when men wear long hair and women wear short hair. And it’s accepted. I’ve never seen a woman, for example, asked not to pray because of her hairstyle or lack of head covering. However, just because I haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Especially in churches where the words of Scripture are sacred and unchangeable. Continue reading “1 Corinthians 11:2-34 – In Remembrance”