Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,

It is the same with you. Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, ¹  seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.

I fed you milk, ¹  not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready,

For I do not want to see you now in passing, since I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord allows.

Nevertheless, ¹  as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each person, so must he live. I give this sort of direction in all the churches.

God chose ¹  what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something,

So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.

If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, ¹  but do not have love, I receive no benefit.

Some of you once lived this way. ¹  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ ²  and by the Spirit of our God.

For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” ¹  God is not concerned here about oxen, is he?

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

Now, brothers and sisters, ¹  if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I help you unless I speak to you with a revelation or with knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching.

Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple ¹  eat food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings?

What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may offer the gospel free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights in the gospel.

just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit ¹  of many, so that they may be saved.

And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” ¹