Order in Church Meetings

26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, rhas a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. sLet all things be done for 8edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and tlet the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, ulet the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And vthe spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of 9confusion but of peace, was in all the churches of the saints.

34 xLet 1your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the ylaw also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.

36 Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? 37 zIf anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But 2if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.

39 Therefore, brethren, adesire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. 40 bLet all things be done decently and in order.

The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality

15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel awhich I preached to you, which also you received and bin which you stand, 2 cby which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless dyou believed in vain.

3 For eI delivered to you first of all that fwhich I also received: that Christ died for our sins gaccording to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day haccording to the Scriptures, 5 iand that He was seen by 1Cephas, then jby the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have 2fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then kby all the apostles. 8 lThen last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am mthe least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because nI persecuted the church of God. 10 But oby the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, pyet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Risen Christ, Our Hope

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, qthen Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because rwe have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; syou are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have 3fallen tasleep in Christ have perished. 19 uIf in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.