For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the good news -- but not by means of wisdom and rhetoric, so that the cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power.

For the message of the cross is nonsense to those who are in the process of being destroyed, but it is the power of God to those who are in the process of being saved.

but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks alike, the Christ who is God's power and God's wisdom.

and my language and the message I preached were not adorned with pleasing words of worldly wisdom, but they were attended with proof and power given by the Spirit,

so that your faith might not be in men's wisdom, but in God's power.

We have worked hard with our own hands for a living. When abused by people, we bless them. When persecuted, we patiently bear it.

for when you met I too met with you in spirit by the power of our Lord Jesus --

And as God by His power raised the Lord to life, so He will raise us too.

Yes, indeed, though I am free from any human power, I have made myself a slave to everybody, to win as many as possible.

No temptation has taken hold of you but what is common to human nature. And God is to be trusted not to let you be tempted beyond your strength, but when temptation comes, to make a way out of it, so that you can bear up under it.

You must judge for yourselves in this matter. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with nothing on her head?

So I want to inform you that no one speaking under the power of the Spirit of God can say, "Jesus is accursed!" and no one except one under the power of the Holy Spirit can really say, "Jesus is Lord!"

to another, through union with the same Spirit, faith; to another, by one and the same Spirit, power to cure the sick;

to another, power for working wonders; to another, prophetic insight; to another, the power to discriminate between the true Spirit and false spirits; to another, various ecstatic utterances; and to another, the power to explain them.

But the one and same Spirit accomplishes all these achievements, and apportions power to each of us as He chooses.

And God has placed people in the church, first as apostles, second as prophets, third as teachers, then wonder-workers; then people with power to cure the sick, helpers, managers, ecstatic speakers.

Not all are people with power to cure the sick, are they? Not all are ecstatic speakers, are they? Not all can explain ecstatic speaking, can they?

It bears up under anything; it exercises faith in everything; it keeps up hope in everything; it gives us power to endure in anything.

Therefore, the man who speaks in ecstasy must pray for power to explain what he says.

For if I pray in ecstasy, my spirit is praying, but my mind produces no results for anyone.

What is my conclusion then? I will certainly pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind in action too. I will certainly sing with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind in action too. For if you give thanks with your spirit only,

the secrets of his heart are laid bare, he falls upon his face and worships God, declaring, "God is really among you."

For I belong to the lowest rank of the apostles, and am not fit to bear the title apostle, because I once persecuted the church of God.

After that comes the end, when He will turn the kingdom over to God His Father, when He will put an end to all other government, authority, and power;

Now sin gives death its sting, and the law gives sin its power.