Scripture: 1 Cor. 14:1-25
I am going to do something a little different today. As you can see, this is a rather long passage. And it really pretty straightforward and easy to understand. So, instead of reading it all and then going back through it, I have decided to break up the reading into the smaller paragraphs and sections, making comments and giving illustrations along the way to clarify and highlight the message I believe God wants us to hear today.
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” That sentence is Paul’s transition from a teaching about the greatest gift of all, the gift of love, to his teaching about how to use that gift as the foundation from which to speak to one another. We have heard this maxim many times, speak the truth in love. As Paul said early in chapter 13, if Godly Christian love is not the obvious motivation for what you think you have to say then if you do speak, you’re just a wind bag of empty noise. God’s primary Spiritual Gift to the Church is telling the truth out of a heart of love. As Jesus Christ himself is the living word, so the words we use when we speak to each other can bring sustain and build up the life of Christ if we love one another.
There is a great song on the radio lately that has this to say, “They've made me feel like a prisoner. They've made me feel set free. They've made me feel like a criminal. Made me feel like a king. They've lifted my heart to places I'd never been. And they've dragged me down back to where I began. Words can build you up. Words can break you down. Start a fire in your heart or put it out. Let my words be life. Let my words be truth. I don't wanna say a word. Unless it points the world back to You.”
Words are powerful but only if the one hearing them can understand them. That is why Paul goes on to compare the gift of prophecy, which is the speaking of intelligent words, to the gift of tongues, which is an ecstatic utterance that no one can understand but God. Prophecy in the Bible means telling the truth. Some of God’s prophets told the truth about future events so that everybody would know they were telling the truth about everything God was saying through them. It’s good to study those prophetic saying in the Bible. But the gift of prophecy that Paul is talking about here is the ability to tell the truth, using the Word of God meaningfully and insightfully to help the church fulfill its mission.
Reading in from verse 2. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.”
Hear this clearly, speaking in tongues is a way of praying. It is a valid gift of the Spirit. Many great Christians, including Paul the Apostle speak in tongues. There is nothing wrong with asking God to give you this gift. I have asked for it myself. I occasionally try to practice it in private. But for the most part God seems to say to me, “You do good enough in English.” And just as Paul recommended in this paragraph, I would much rather be able to preach a good sermon than to hear myself praying in another tongue in my personal prayer time.
I must pray in order to preach well. It be col if I could pray in tongues. But when I am speaking in public, I want you to hear and understand the Word of God through a good message. The gift of prophecy is better than the gift of tongues because when praying in tongues I get the benefit. But if I prophecy, others get the benefit. The gift of prophecy is otherish and it is useful for strengthening, encouraging and comforting the brothers and sisters in the family of God.
So says, Paul, in verse 6, “Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.”
Paul’s illustrations are good enough right? I mean, I can pick up this guitar here and I might have a lot fun making noise but there are very few people in the world who could stand around and listen to it for very long, including me. And what good would it be to you if I were preaching this sermon in fluent French. I can’t do that either but it wouldn’t help you if I could. Next Paul has some instructions about the relationship between tongues speaking and prophecying.
Verse 13, “For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.”
Use tongues to pray if you have that gift. But pray that when you speak to the body of Christ you have something good and valuable and intelligent and edifying to say. But if you pray in tongues during our worship service, out loud so all can hear you, no one will be praying with you. No one will say Amen to your prayer if they don’t know what you prayed about.
In verse 18 Paul says, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” Didn’t I already say that? So did Paul. He is emphasizing that praying in tongues is fine. It is a good spiritual gift. But prophecy is better because it is otherish and a tool of God’s love.
But the Church in Corinth had things turned around backwards. They thought, “Anybody can speak in the common language of the people. But the truly spiritual people speak in other tongues.” That becomes a prideful display of one upmanship and results in a room full of resounding gongs or clanging cymbals. Just a bunch of useless noise! So Paul helps them get straightened out. He himself speaks the truth in love when he says, in verse 20, “Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” That’s a quote from Isaiah 28:11,12.
In that prophetic word God had Isaiah tell the people that since they would not listen to his intelligent words of warning and repent of their wickedness, they would soon hear the foreign tongues of the Assyrians shouting in their ears. It will mean judgment has come. The unintelligible foreign languages heard by the Israelites will be a sign to them that they are going into exile and being punished for their rebellion.
Paul explains it in verse 22. “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers.” Let’s top right there and see how this works out. For the lost we are trying to reach, even if we speak their native tongue, without the Spirit giving understanding, unenlightened unbelievers won’t understand everything you say to them. They might call you insane babblers. You may as well be speaking in tongues and because they don’t understand it is a sign to them that judgment has come. They are still in their sins. Paul goes on, “Prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.” Believers, or those who soon will be believers are enabled by the Spirit to understand the meaning of the gospel message so that they take it to heart.
A sign is different from an instruction. All sign and no word will make people think you’re crazy. But words of prophecy can convince and judge as the Spirit uses your words for their benefit. I heard about one story where this worked out in a really wonderful way. A missionary was visiting an Asian temple shrine and began to feel heartbroken for the people he was trying to reach, and how they were living under the deception of this idol worship. He thought he was alone and he quietly began to pray for the people in that land.
But soon he found out he wasn’t alone. A person stopped him and appeared to be asking him a question in a dialect he had not yet learned and couldn’t understand. The missionary led this person to the interpreter who was nearby and asked for help. The interpreter listen and reported. “This person wants to know more about this Jesus he heard you talking about. He approached you because he heard you were speaking in his mother tongue!” That’s a case where the one praying in tongues turned out to be employing a God given gift of prophesy without even knowing it!
In verse 23 Paul finishes up this teaching, “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” That is in the case of tongues not being understood or interpreted by anyone present. Verse 24 says, “But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Wouldn’t that be amazing! The gift of prophecy can be used of God to reveal secrets hidden in the hearts of sinners. This reminds me of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, or of Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, or of Peter talking to Ananias and Saphira when they held back part of the money and yet deceitfully claimed they had given it all. Let us pray that we might receive such a gift to speak the truth in love. Not to show off or impress anyone with our great faith, but to love and serve them in the name of God.
God knows what the church should be. He is the one who will let us in on what we need to know so that we can carry on the mission he has assigned to us. The only way we will know God is really among us is if we are listening and responding to his loving voice. Amen.
I am going to do something a little different today. As you can see, this is a rather long passage. And it really pretty straightforward and easy to understand. So, instead of reading it all and then going back through it, I have decided to break up the reading into the smaller paragraphs and sections, making comments and giving illustrations along the way to clarify and highlight the message I believe God wants us to hear today.
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” That sentence is Paul’s transition from a teaching about the greatest gift of all, the gift of love, to his teaching about how to use that gift as the foundation from which to speak to one another. We have heard this maxim many times, speak the truth in love. As Paul said early in chapter 13, if Godly Christian love is not the obvious motivation for what you think you have to say then if you do speak, you’re just a wind bag of empty noise. God’s primary Spiritual Gift to the Church is telling the truth out of a heart of love. As Jesus Christ himself is the living word, so the words we use when we speak to each other can bring sustain and build up the life of Christ if we love one another.
There is a great song on the radio lately that has this to say, “They've made me feel like a prisoner. They've made me feel set free. They've made me feel like a criminal. Made me feel like a king. They've lifted my heart to places I'd never been. And they've dragged me down back to where I began. Words can build you up. Words can break you down. Start a fire in your heart or put it out. Let my words be life. Let my words be truth. I don't wanna say a word. Unless it points the world back to You.”
Words are powerful but only if the one hearing them can understand them. That is why Paul goes on to compare the gift of prophecy, which is the speaking of intelligent words, to the gift of tongues, which is an ecstatic utterance that no one can understand but God. Prophecy in the Bible means telling the truth. Some of God’s prophets told the truth about future events so that everybody would know they were telling the truth about everything God was saying through them. It’s good to study those prophetic saying in the Bible. But the gift of prophecy that Paul is talking about here is the ability to tell the truth, using the Word of God meaningfully and insightfully to help the church fulfill its mission.
Reading in from verse 2. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.”
Hear this clearly, speaking in tongues is a way of praying. It is a valid gift of the Spirit. Many great Christians, including Paul the Apostle speak in tongues. There is nothing wrong with asking God to give you this gift. I have asked for it myself. I occasionally try to practice it in private. But for the most part God seems to say to me, “You do good enough in English.” And just as Paul recommended in this paragraph, I would much rather be able to preach a good sermon than to hear myself praying in another tongue in my personal prayer time.
I must pray in order to preach well. It be col if I could pray in tongues. But when I am speaking in public, I want you to hear and understand the Word of God through a good message. The gift of prophecy is better than the gift of tongues because when praying in tongues I get the benefit. But if I prophecy, others get the benefit. The gift of prophecy is otherish and it is useful for strengthening, encouraging and comforting the brothers and sisters in the family of God.
So says, Paul, in verse 6, “Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.”
Paul’s illustrations are good enough right? I mean, I can pick up this guitar here and I might have a lot fun making noise but there are very few people in the world who could stand around and listen to it for very long, including me. And what good would it be to you if I were preaching this sermon in fluent French. I can’t do that either but it wouldn’t help you if I could. Next Paul has some instructions about the relationship between tongues speaking and prophecying.
Verse 13, “For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.”
Use tongues to pray if you have that gift. But pray that when you speak to the body of Christ you have something good and valuable and intelligent and edifying to say. But if you pray in tongues during our worship service, out loud so all can hear you, no one will be praying with you. No one will say Amen to your prayer if they don’t know what you prayed about.
In verse 18 Paul says, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” Didn’t I already say that? So did Paul. He is emphasizing that praying in tongues is fine. It is a good spiritual gift. But prophecy is better because it is otherish and a tool of God’s love.
But the Church in Corinth had things turned around backwards. They thought, “Anybody can speak in the common language of the people. But the truly spiritual people speak in other tongues.” That becomes a prideful display of one upmanship and results in a room full of resounding gongs or clanging cymbals. Just a bunch of useless noise! So Paul helps them get straightened out. He himself speaks the truth in love when he says, in verse 20, “Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” That’s a quote from Isaiah 28:11,12.
In that prophetic word God had Isaiah tell the people that since they would not listen to his intelligent words of warning and repent of their wickedness, they would soon hear the foreign tongues of the Assyrians shouting in their ears. It will mean judgment has come. The unintelligible foreign languages heard by the Israelites will be a sign to them that they are going into exile and being punished for their rebellion.
Paul explains it in verse 22. “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers.” Let’s top right there and see how this works out. For the lost we are trying to reach, even if we speak their native tongue, without the Spirit giving understanding, unenlightened unbelievers won’t understand everything you say to them. They might call you insane babblers. You may as well be speaking in tongues and because they don’t understand it is a sign to them that judgment has come. They are still in their sins. Paul goes on, “Prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.” Believers, or those who soon will be believers are enabled by the Spirit to understand the meaning of the gospel message so that they take it to heart.
A sign is different from an instruction. All sign and no word will make people think you’re crazy. But words of prophecy can convince and judge as the Spirit uses your words for their benefit. I heard about one story where this worked out in a really wonderful way. A missionary was visiting an Asian temple shrine and began to feel heartbroken for the people he was trying to reach, and how they were living under the deception of this idol worship. He thought he was alone and he quietly began to pray for the people in that land.
But soon he found out he wasn’t alone. A person stopped him and appeared to be asking him a question in a dialect he had not yet learned and couldn’t understand. The missionary led this person to the interpreter who was nearby and asked for help. The interpreter listen and reported. “This person wants to know more about this Jesus he heard you talking about. He approached you because he heard you were speaking in his mother tongue!” That’s a case where the one praying in tongues turned out to be employing a God given gift of prophesy without even knowing it!
In verse 23 Paul finishes up this teaching, “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?” That is in the case of tongues not being understood or interpreted by anyone present. Verse 24 says, “But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Wouldn’t that be amazing! The gift of prophecy can be used of God to reveal secrets hidden in the hearts of sinners. This reminds me of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, or of Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, or of Peter talking to Ananias and Saphira when they held back part of the money and yet deceitfully claimed they had given it all. Let us pray that we might receive such a gift to speak the truth in love. Not to show off or impress anyone with our great faith, but to love and serve them in the name of God.
God knows what the church should be. He is the one who will let us in on what we need to know so that we can carry on the mission he has assigned to us. The only way we will know God is really among us is if we are listening and responding to his loving voice. Amen.
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