There are those who think that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only for the early church and those at the other extreme who think everyone should speak in tongues.  Paul’s illustrations point out that the gifts are given to individuals to work together to build up the church.  If one person had all the giftings or if everyone had one of the gifts, Paul’s analogy would break down.  I do not believe that everyone is to speak in tongues just as I do not believe that everyone in the church is a prophet.  I do believe that God can gift his people as he wishes.  Each person’s unique gift comes together like a piece of a jigsaw to form a whole.

1 Corinthians 12: 14 – 20

¹⁴Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be 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 arranged 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.

Questions

1. Which body parts does Paul reference as examples?
2. What does each body part say?
3. Who arranges the body?
4. What is your view on whether there is a gift, like tongues, that is for everyone?
5. Do people have various gifts depending on the needs of the body, or do they have one gift forever?  How would that affect your involvement with the church?