The saints in Corinth came from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds. They were all followers of Jesus Christ now—and that was the most important thing—but they had different skills, attitudes, talents, weaknesses, and life experiences.
Paul wanted the saints to understand that this diversity was a good thing. If they were united as disciples of Jesus Christ, they could use their different backgrounds and strengths to build up the Church.
Paul said: “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Corinthians 12:29–30).
Those were rhetorical questions; the answer is no, of course. And that’s fine! Today there are nearly 17 million members of the Church. The Lord doesn’t need 17 million Apostles. Your ward doesn’t need 200 bishops or Relief Society presidents, either. It only needs each one of us to do our part, whatever role that is—ministering in our own spheres of influence.
God gives us all gifts of various kinds. Some talents may be more visible than others, but that doesn’t make them any less important. The Lord needs all of our different skills and perspectives to build His kingdom.
My Ward or Branch Family
This is part of a weekly series about the “Come, Follow Me” scripture reading. You can find this week’s lesson here.