1 Corinthians 14

Greetings once again,

It's been a few weeks away from the routine, but we'll try to get back on track now. 1 Corinthians 14 is full of very challenging passages for the life of the church.

The memory passage is:
1 Corinthians 14:1-3, 15, 30-40 (ESV)
¹ Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. ² For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
15What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
³⁹ So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But all things should be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians 14 concerns itself with the gifts of prophesy and tongues. The very first verse reminds us of the most excellent way (love) and prioritizes the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues. The over-riding theme throughout the chapter is that in their meetings they should focus on the gifts that build up the body of believers, not just the individuals using the gifts. Verse 4 sums it up well; 'The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church'.

Paul constantly balances his desire for 'everyone to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy' (5). He argues the priority, the benefits, the implications for the church, and the application in prayer and worship (5-17).

Verses 18 and 19 are Paul's personal testimony concerning the gifts. "I speak in tongues, and am thankful to God for it. But in church I would always rather speak words of instruction than words in a tongue". (paraphrase)

Verse 20 could be one of the main theme verses for the whole book; 'do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature'. Paul follows with a quote from Isaiah 28 about how God uses foreigners to accomplish His purposes. Then he states that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, and prophesy is a sign for believers. Again we see that Paul must be addressing specific abuses by the Corinthian church. Verses 23 through 25 then gives an illustration of what can happen when the gifts are used correctly; repentance, not repulsion.

Then in 26-33a Paul gives some guidelines for order in the service. While various people might bring various things to the service, it all should be done orderly and for the building up of the whole church. Let the gifts of tongues and prophecy be used in order, for God is not 'a God of confusion but of peace' (33).

The next two verses spark incredible controversy in this age. Again, Paul is addressing specific issues that he knows about and heard about concerning the dysfunction in the Corinthian church. Even though some people will restrict this charge to married women, the application of these verses is cloudy. Without further study I am unwilling to offer a conclusion on these verses.

Thankfully, Paul follows a very difficult passage with a tremendous confirmation of his apostleship. He leaves himself open to the scrutiny of other true Christ-followers because he is confident in what the Lord has directed him to write. And his summary is clear; 'desire to prophecy, do not forbid speaking in tongues, do all things decently and in order'.

How does this affect my worship?
If this issue were ever to come up in a worship service, we have the manual as to how to address it. Someone who speaks out in a tongue should pray for the interpretation (v13). If there is no interpretation, that person should not be rebuked, but encouraged to seek to use gifts in the gathering that build up the body of Christ. One thing that seems to be lacking overall in worship and private is the earnest desire for the spiritual gifts that edify the body. The question of 'what is my gift' is not the end; what is my gift and how can God use it in the body of Christ.

How does this affect my discipleship?
I'm struck at the repentance Paul portrays as the Lord speaks through believers in prophecy. An unbeliever is convicted of sin, his secrets are disclosed, he falls in reverence and worships God, and declares, or confirms, that God is really among you. So then what? What do we do with people in the church who come to this, or similar conclusions through an encounter with God? The answer is clear; get that guy discipled. I see personal, intentional discipleship as key to the overall upbuilding of the church. It's what He trained His disciples to go and do. It's what He commanded us to go and do. It's what He promised to empower in us, to the end of the age, as we go and do it.

May you earnestly desire Him above all else,

Ethan