On any given Sunday, churches across the globe are gathering with the people of God to worship. And while the style of music, clothes we wear, languages we speak, and order of service may look different, there are often more similarities than we give credit to. In this final passage in the “How we gather” section, Paul reminds us of what matters when we come together and how we are to do so.

When it comes to conversations in church about prophecy and speaking in tongues, it can get weird fast. But Paul, in writing to the Corinthian church, reminds us of the beauty and importance of these gifts as well as the proper use of them. This Sunday, we will seek to better pursue the gifts of prophecy and tongues, and remember that the aim of all gifts is God’s glory.

Love is a word that is overused, abused, misunderstood, underutilized, and thrown around casually in our day. Paul, in writing to the Corinthian church, seeks to show them the most excellent way. The way of love. So what does this most excellent way look like, and how do we begin to live in such a way? Join us this Sunday as we seek to live the most excellent way.

Paul reminds us that it is good to desire spiritual gifts and it is good to use the gifts we have been given. This Sunday, we will ask ourselves how we best discover our spiritual gifts and what it looks like to eagerly desire them.

Have you ever been given a gift that was best shared with others? Paul continues to talk about Spiritual gifts and, in particular, the gifts we have been given are not meant to glorify the gifted, but the giver. And the gifts we have been given are meant to be used for the glory of God and the good of others. The question before us is what gifts have we been given, and what is our part in the body of believers?

We are often quick to see the giftedness of others, while missing the gifts we have been given. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church in chapter 12, he reminds them that all who follow Jesus are empowered by the same Spirit. And that means if you are a follower of Jesus, you are empowered by the Spirit. On Sunday, we looked at what that means and what that can look like.

A meal meant to unify was causing division. Symbols of humility and sacrifice were being used to separate. As Paul walks us through the beauty of the why we take communion, he invites us to examine our own posture, heart, and humility.

As we move into the fourth major section of 1 Corinthians, Paul will address how we gather as the church. This conversation begins with a commendation, followed by a conversation on the cultural implications of head coverings that has much more to do with the posture of our hearts than the state of our heads.

G.K. Beale states, “What people revere they resemble either to their ruin or restoration.” What we love shapes our lives, our priorities, and patterns. So what happens when we are chasing the wrong things? This morning, we will look together to recognize and remove the idols of our lives, replacing them with the One we were made to revere.