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Hard Fought Hallelujah: A 7-Day Study to Finding Faith in the Fight

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The Wonder of Grace | Devotional for Adults

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Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ&#8212;their Lord and ours:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="s1">Thanksgiving</div><div class="p"> 4I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5For in him you have been enriched in every way&#8212;with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge&#8212; 6God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.</div><div class="s1">A Church Divided Over Leaders</div><div class="p"> 10I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,#1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family; also in verses 11 and 26; and in 2:1; 3:1; 4:6; 6:8; 7:24, 29; 10:1; 11:33; 12:1; 14:6, 20, 26, 39; 15:1, 6, 50, 58; 16:15, 20. in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe&#8217;s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, &#8220;I follow Paul&#8221;; another, &#8220;I follow Apollos&#8221;; another, &#8220;I follow Cephas#1:12 That is, Peter&#8221;; still another, &#8220;I follow Christ.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don&#8217;t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel&#8212;not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.</div><div class="s1">Christ Crucified Is God&#8217;s Power and Wisdom</div><div class="p"> 18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;</div><div class="q2">the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.&#8221;#1:19 Isaiah 29:14</div><div class="p"> 20Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.</div><div class="p"> 26Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things&#8212;and the things that are not&#8212;to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God&#8212;that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: &#8220;Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.&#8221;#1:31 Jer. 9:24</div>
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 <div class="label">2</div><div class="p"> 1And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.#2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God&#8217;s mystery 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit&#8217;s power, 5so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God&#8217;s power.</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit</div><div class="p"> 6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we declare God&#8217;s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;What no eye has seen,</div><div class="q2">what no ear has heard,</div><div class="q1">and what no human mind has conceived&#8221;#2:9 Isaiah 64:4&#8212;</div><div class="q2">the things God has prepared for those who love him&#8212;</div><div class="m"> 10these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.</div><div class="p">The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who knows a person&#8217;s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.#2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual 14The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16for,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Who has known the mind of the Lord</div><div class="q2">so as to instruct him?&#8221;#2:16 Isaiah 40:13</div><div class="m">But we have the mind of Christ.</div>
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 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">The Church and Its Leaders</div><div class="p"> 1Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly&#8212;mere infants in Christ. 2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4For when one says, &#8220;I follow Paul,&#8221; and another, &#8220;I follow Apollos,&#8221; are you not mere human beings?</div><div class="p"> 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe&#8212;as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God&#8217;s service; you are God&#8217;s field, God&#8217;s building.</div><div class="p"> 10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person&#8217;s work. 14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved&#8212;even though only as one escaping through the flames.</div><div class="p"> 16Don&#8217;t you know that you yourselves are God&#8217;s temple and that God&#8217;s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17If anyone destroys God&#8217;s temple, God will destroy that person; for God&#8217;s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.</div><div class="p"> 18Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become &#8220;fools&#8221; so that you may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God&#8217;s sight. As it is written: &#8220;He catches the wise in their craftiness&#8221;#3:19 Job 5:13; 20and again, &#8220;The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.&#8221;#3:20 Psalm 94:11 21So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas#3:22 That is, Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future&#8212;all are yours, 23and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="1CO.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="nb"> 1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.</div><div class="s1">On Covering the Head in Worship</div><div class="p"> 2I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,#11:3 Or of the wife is her husband and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head&#8212;it is the same as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.</div><div class="p"> 7A man ought not to cover his head,#11:4-7 Or 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with long hair dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with no covering of hair dishonors her head&#8212;she is just like one of the &#8220;shorn women.&#8221; 6 If a woman has no covering, let her be for now with short hair; but since it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair shorn or shaved, she should grow it again. 7 A man ought not to have long hair since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own#11:10 Or have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.</div><div class="p"> 13Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice&#8212;nor do the churches of God.</div><div class="s1">Correcting an Abuse of the Lord&#8217;s Supper</div><div class="p"> 17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God&#8217;s approval. 20So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord&#8217;s Supper you eat, 21for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22Don&#8217;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!</div><div class="p"> 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, &#8220;This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.&#8221; 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, &#8220;This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.&#8221; 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord&#8217;s death until he comes.</div><div class="p"> 27So 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. 28Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.</div><div class="p"> 33So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.</div><div class="p">And when I come I will give further directions.</div>
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 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Concerning Spiritual Gifts</div><div class="p"> 1Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, &#8220;Jesus be cursed,&#8221; and no one can say, &#8220;Jesus is Lord,&#8221; except by the Holy Spirit.</div><div class="p"> 4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.</div><div class="p"> 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,#12:10 Or languages; also in verse 28 and to still another the interpretation of tongues.#12:10 Or languages; also in verse 28 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.</div><div class="s1">Unity and Diversity in the Body</div><div class="p"> 12Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by#12:13 Or with; or in one Spirit so as to form one body&#8212;whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free&#8212;and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.</div><div class="p"> 15Now if the foot should say, &#8220;Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,&#8221; it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, &#8220;Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,&#8221; it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.</div><div class="p"> 21The eye cannot say to the hand, &#8220;I don&#8217;t need you!&#8221; And the head cannot say to the feet, &#8220;I don&#8217;t need you!&#8221; 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.</div><div class="p"> 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And 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. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues#12:30 Or other languages? Do all interpret? 31Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.</div><div class="s1">Love Is Indispensable</div><div class="p">And yet I will show you the most excellent way.</div>
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 <div class="label">13</div><div class="p"> 1If I speak in the tongues#13:1 Or languages of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If 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. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,#13:3 Some manuscripts body to the flames but do not have love, I gain nothing.</div><div class="p"> 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.</div><div class="p"> 8Love 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. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.</div><div class="p"> 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">14</div><div class="s1">Intelligibility in Worship</div><div class="p"> 1Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2For anyone who speaks in a tongue#14:2 Or in another language; also in verses 4, 13, 14, 19, 26 and 27 does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 5I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,#14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39 but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues,#14:5 Or in other languages; also in verses 6, 18, 22, 23 and 39 unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.</div><div class="p"> 6Now, 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? 7Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.</div><div class="p"> 13For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,#14:16 The Greek word for inquirer is a technical term for someone not fully initiated into a religion; also in verses 23 and 24. say &#8220;Amen&#8221; to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.</div><div class="p"> 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.</div><div class="p"> 20Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. 21In the Law it is written:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;With other tongues</div><div class="q2">and through the lips of foreigners</div><div class="q1">I will speak to this people,</div><div class="q2">but even then they will not listen to me,</div><div class="q4">says the Lord.&#8221;#14:21 Isaiah 28:11,12</div><div class="p"> 22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, &#8220;God is really among you!&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Good Order in Worship</div><div class="p"> 26What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27If anyone speaks in a tongue, two&#8212;or at the most three&#8212;should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.</div><div class="p"> 29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace&#8212;as in all the congregations of the Lord&#8217;s people.</div><div class="p"> 34Women#14:33,34 Or peace. As in all the congregations of the Lord&#8217;s people, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35If 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.#14:34,35 In a few manuscripts these verses come after verse 40.</div><div class="p"> 36Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord&#8217;s command. 38But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.#14:38 Some manuscripts But anyone who is ignorant of this will be ignorant</div><div class="p"> 39Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.</div>
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