"But all things must be done be done properly and in an orderly manner!" (I Corinthians 14:40)
In last week's lesson, on I Corinthians 14:13-25, the apostle Paul wrote with a bit of sarcasm, and even a hint of frustration, to the Corinthian believers about their "hang-up with speaking in tongues" in the church, as a "badge of their spirituality," rather than desiring, and practicing, the more profitable "gift of prophecy" (preaching and teaching the Word of God, to "build up" the saints)! And so he wrote that the one who speaks (or attempts to speak in tongues) should "pray" that he might actually be able to interpret for himself what in the world he's saying! How ccould anyone else know what he was talking about if he himself didn't have a clue! And so he goes on to urge that when someone prays or sings in the church he (or she!) should do it with both their spirit (or their emotions!) and their mind (or their thinking and intellect), so that those coming to church, including those "unversed in tongues," might not only be able to understand what is being said, but to say "amen," and be edified in the process! As for himself, personally, he said that he'd "rather speak five words with his mind (with words people could uinderstand!) than ten thousand words in a tongue, which few, if any, could understand"! Makes sense! (Rod Turk noted last week, you'll remember, how Christianity is always rational!)
"Brethren, don't be like exciteable children but use your intellect," Paul goes on to admonish them! "By all means be as innocent as babes as far as evil is concerned, but where your minds are concerned be full-grown men!" Constable adds that "thinking that tongue-speaking somehow demonstrates one's spirituality only evidences immaturity"!
Paul goes on to say (in verse 22) that tongues (here speaking of "speaking in other languages") are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers," as it was so miraculoously demonstrated (and recorded in Acts 2) for those gathered together on the Day of Pentecost who heard the message of the gospel spoken in their own languages, with many responding in belief and thus leading to the founding of the church! And we noted how this same gift of tongues (i.e., speakiing in other languages) was later given again, in Acts 10:44-46. when Gentiles heard the gospel as well in thieir own tongues and believed, thus adding more to the church of Jesus Christ!
But the gift of prophecy is clearly the favored gift for believers, and unbelievers alike, according to the apostle Paul! And our passage last week ended by highlighting what "good things" happen in the church "when all prophesy"! And we ended with a quote from MacArthur who sums up well the entire compendium of lessons we've had over the past several of weeks concerning "speaking in tongues" in the church of Corinth! And this is what he said: "When tongues are misused, there was only confusion, frustration, and bewilderment! Unbelievers were repelled and believers were not edified! But prophecy edifies believers and unbelievers! And God is honored and men are blessed when His Word is clearly declared! Our desire should be that every service, every activity, everything we say or do in the Lord's name will cause people to say that 'God is certainly among us!" ("May it be said of us that...!" Sing it! Nobody's listening!)
And we were challenged by Rod "never to lose the sense of the wornder of it all"! (You may want to sing that one too!)
And that sets the tone for our lesson last night on I Corinthians 14:26-40 where the apostle Paul has yet more to say, would you believe, about speaking in tongues, but this time in context with the overall purpose and ministry of the church!
And he began by citing thiis bottom-line Biblical principle for what goes on in the church! "When you assemble together," he wrote, "let all things (everything connected with the church) be done for edification! And that includes everything, whether someone has a psalm, something to teach, a revelation, even a tongue (there he goes again!), or an interpretation of a tongue)!! This was Paul's way of "calling a halt" to any more chaos and confusion in the church from someone speaking in a tongue! But that's not necessarily forbidding someone from speaking in a tongue (presumably a reference to someone with the gift of speaking in another language), he noted! But even where it's a legitimate tongue (or other language)--which is unlikely to occur in this age--Paul stresses the importance of doing it in a proper way, with an interpreter! And with proper controls applied for whoever's involved in doing it! Two or at the most three doing it in sequence, woth no one speaking at the same time! Also, the one speaking with the gift of the foreign time must be told if there is an unbelievieng person present who speaks in another language; and an interpreter should also be assigned in such a case so the rest of the congsregation would be able to understand what he was saying as well. And so it would be done with order and dignity! And if there was no interpreter present, the person with the gift of tongues was to remain silent so as not to disrupt the worship! And so, limited to a special time and carried out in a special way so that everyone involved would benefit!
And Paul goes on to say that "if prophets are present (as was still the case apparently at the time the book of I Corinthians was written), two or three of them ought to be allowed to speak, but again, one at a time. And if while one was speaking God gave "a revelation" to one of the others, the one speaking should defer to the one hearing from God! Paul added that all those with the gift of prophecy should be allowed to speak, "so that all may learn and all may be exhorted"! Stressing again the orderliness of the process, "because God is not a God of confusion but of peace"!
And, finally, Paul makes it clear that "women are to keep silent in the church (referring specifically to the worship service!) and, if they have a question, rather than interrupting the service, they should wait until they're back home where they can ask their husbands"! This, Paul writes, is "as it is in all the churches"! And it's again to apply the principle of maintaining order in the church!
The apostle Paul apparently knew that he would receive "some flack" and a negative reaction from the Corinthians--and particularly from "the prophets, and the tongue-speakers, and from some of the women--concerning these "rules for maintaining order in the church," notes MacArthur--the same reaction we see coming from the world, even from some believers in many churches, today! And so Paul says that those who have a problem with this should realize that "the things that I write are the Lord's commandment"! And MacArthur adds that "if anyone was a genuine prophet, or had the true spiritual gift of tongues, he (or she!) would submit to the principles God revealed though the apostle"!
I Corinthians 14 closes with Paul repeating his wish that the Corinthian believers would "desire earnestly to prophesy, and not forbid someone from speaking in tongues" (presumably of speaking in "other languages") But, in every situation with the bottom-line understanding, and acceptance, that "all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner"!
As MacArthur notes, "God is a God of beauty and harmony, of propriety and order, and all things that His children do should reflect those divine characteristics"!
Go with God, men!
Lowell
In last week's lesson, on I Corinthians 14:13-25, the apostle Paul wrote with a bit of sarcasm, and even a hint of frustration, to the Corinthian believers about their "hang-up with speaking in tongues" in the church, as a "badge of their spirituality," rather than desiring, and practicing, the more profitable "gift of prophecy" (preaching and teaching the Word of God, to "build up" the saints)! And so he wrote that the one who speaks (or attempts to speak in tongues) should "pray" that he might actually be able to interpret for himself what in the world he's saying! How ccould anyone else know what he was talking about if he himself didn't have a clue! And so he goes on to urge that when someone prays or sings in the church he (or she!) should do it with both their spirit (or their emotions!) and their mind (or their thinking and intellect), so that those coming to church, including those "unversed in tongues," might not only be able to understand what is being said, but to say "amen," and be edified in the process! As for himself, personally, he said that he'd "rather speak five words with his mind (with words people could uinderstand!) than ten thousand words in a tongue, which few, if any, could understand"! Makes sense! (Rod Turk noted last week, you'll remember, how Christianity is always rational!)
"Brethren, don't be like exciteable children but use your intellect," Paul goes on to admonish them! "By all means be as innocent as babes as far as evil is concerned, but where your minds are concerned be full-grown men!" Constable adds that "thinking that tongue-speaking somehow demonstrates one's spirituality only evidences immaturity"!
Paul goes on to say (in verse 22) that tongues (here speaking of "speaking in other languages") are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers," as it was so miraculoously demonstrated (and recorded in Acts 2) for those gathered together on the Day of Pentecost who heard the message of the gospel spoken in their own languages, with many responding in belief and thus leading to the founding of the church! And we noted how this same gift of tongues (i.e., speakiing in other languages) was later given again, in Acts 10:44-46. when Gentiles heard the gospel as well in thieir own tongues and believed, thus adding more to the church of Jesus Christ!
But the gift of prophecy is clearly the favored gift for believers, and unbelievers alike, according to the apostle Paul! And our passage last week ended by highlighting what "good things" happen in the church "when all prophesy"! And we ended with a quote from MacArthur who sums up well the entire compendium of lessons we've had over the past several of weeks concerning "speaking in tongues" in the church of Corinth! And this is what he said: "When tongues are misused, there was only confusion, frustration, and bewilderment! Unbelievers were repelled and believers were not edified! But prophecy edifies believers and unbelievers! And God is honored and men are blessed when His Word is clearly declared! Our desire should be that every service, every activity, everything we say or do in the Lord's name will cause people to say that 'God is certainly among us!" ("May it be said of us that...!" Sing it! Nobody's listening!)
And we were challenged by Rod "never to lose the sense of the wornder of it all"! (You may want to sing that one too!)
And that sets the tone for our lesson last night on I Corinthians 14:26-40 where the apostle Paul has yet more to say, would you believe, about speaking in tongues, but this time in context with the overall purpose and ministry of the church!
And he began by citing thiis bottom-line Biblical principle for what goes on in the church! "When you assemble together," he wrote, "let all things (everything connected with the church) be done for edification! And that includes everything, whether someone has a psalm, something to teach, a revelation, even a tongue (there he goes again!), or an interpretation of a tongue)!! This was Paul's way of "calling a halt" to any more chaos and confusion in the church from someone speaking in a tongue! But that's not necessarily forbidding someone from speaking in a tongue (presumably a reference to someone with the gift of speaking in another language), he noted! But even where it's a legitimate tongue (or other language)--which is unlikely to occur in this age--Paul stresses the importance of doing it in a proper way, with an interpreter! And with proper controls applied for whoever's involved in doing it! Two or at the most three doing it in sequence, woth no one speaking at the same time! Also, the one speaking with the gift of the foreign time must be told if there is an unbelievieng person present who speaks in another language; and an interpreter should also be assigned in such a case so the rest of the congsregation would be able to understand what he was saying as well. And so it would be done with order and dignity! And if there was no interpreter present, the person with the gift of tongues was to remain silent so as not to disrupt the worship! And so, limited to a special time and carried out in a special way so that everyone involved would benefit!
And Paul goes on to say that "if prophets are present (as was still the case apparently at the time the book of I Corinthians was written), two or three of them ought to be allowed to speak, but again, one at a time. And if while one was speaking God gave "a revelation" to one of the others, the one speaking should defer to the one hearing from God! Paul added that all those with the gift of prophecy should be allowed to speak, "so that all may learn and all may be exhorted"! Stressing again the orderliness of the process, "because God is not a God of confusion but of peace"!
And, finally, Paul makes it clear that "women are to keep silent in the church (referring specifically to the worship service!) and, if they have a question, rather than interrupting the service, they should wait until they're back home where they can ask their husbands"! This, Paul writes, is "as it is in all the churches"! And it's again to apply the principle of maintaining order in the church!
The apostle Paul apparently knew that he would receive "some flack" and a negative reaction from the Corinthians--and particularly from "the prophets, and the tongue-speakers, and from some of the women--concerning these "rules for maintaining order in the church," notes MacArthur--the same reaction we see coming from the world, even from some believers in many churches, today! And so Paul says that those who have a problem with this should realize that "the things that I write are the Lord's commandment"! And MacArthur adds that "if anyone was a genuine prophet, or had the true spiritual gift of tongues, he (or she!) would submit to the principles God revealed though the apostle"!
I Corinthians 14 closes with Paul repeating his wish that the Corinthian believers would "desire earnestly to prophesy, and not forbid someone from speaking in tongues" (presumably of speaking in "other languages") But, in every situation with the bottom-line understanding, and acceptance, that "all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner"!
As MacArthur notes, "God is a God of beauty and harmony, of propriety and order, and all things that His children do should reflect those divine characteristics"!
Go with God, men!
Lowell
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