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.”
I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for
believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for
believers. 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? 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!”
What then shall we say, brothers and
sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of
instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be
done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at
the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If
there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak
to himself and to God.
Two or three prophets should speak,
and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes
to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all
prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits
of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of
disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. I Corinthians 14:20-33
The church was born on the Day of
Pentecost when 3000 people were saved after hearing the disciples speak in
other tongues (Acts 2). Pilgrims from all over the Roman world heard the
praises of the disciples in their own language, even though those who were
speaking were all from Galilee.
Tongues are a sign for the
unbeliever that God is at work. In addition, prophecy also is beneficial for
unbelievers as it reveals the secrets of their heart. But neither of these are
signs if they are practiced in an atmosphere of chaos. How can an unbeliever
hear something in their own language if everyone is talking all at the same
time? How can a prophecy cut to their heart if they can't discern the one meant
for them amidst the noise? When gifts are practiced in an orderly manner, it
becomes a situation where an unbeliever can find God more readily.
Some would say that controlling
the way gifts are exercised is dampening the flow of the Spirit. Paul refutes
this by saying that God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace. It is
for the purpose of bringing peace to the hearts of men that the Holy Spirit is
at work in the world. Let us not hinder His work with our pride and quest for
attention for ourselves.
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