The church in Corinth was not lacking in spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 1:7). What they were lacking in was clear teaching on how the Spirit of God works in and through the church as He equips the Body with spiritual gifts. The Christians in Corinth were being shaped by the culture around them and brought baggage from their past (12:1-3) into their gatherings. Too often the result was division and confusion. The primary purpose of this section (1 Cor. 12-14) does not seem to be to give us some sort of operator’s manual on the gifts of the Spirit but to bring correction to a church that, though gifted, were prone to using the gifts in ways that did not build up the church. Chapter 12 gives us some general teaching on spiritual gifts, chapter 13 provides us with the proper context for the use of the gifts and chapter 14 deals with particular gifts that were and still are controversial in the church. It is important as a church that we are not ignorant of the ways the Spirit manifests Himself through the Gifts. Amazing things can happen when a church is led by the Spirit and understands how to use the Gifts of the Spirit. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:16 “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”