Using the Gifts to Communicate Truth

Introduction

Good morning & welcome

I read recently that the well known San Antonio pastor, Max Lucado, now claims to speak in tongues during his personal prayer time with God.

“When I was 64 on a July morning, as I was praying, I began praying in tongues,” Lucado shared [saying]... “I had not done anything different, except I came across the passage where the Apostle Paul said, ‘Eagerly desire the spiritual gifts’…I prayed that every morning for two or three weeks. And then one morning, early in the morning, I began praying in a heavenly language.” [https://churchleaders.com/news/433857-speaking-in-tongues-max-lucado-prayer-time.html]

...

I read elsewhere that Billy Graham, as a young preacher, went into period of time that he prayed fervently for the power of the Holy Spirit to empower him as he preached the word, that people would come to know Christ and be saved. The story continued saying that Billy Graham did receive that anointing and gifting of the Holy Spirit and began to lead many people to Christ during his lifetime and remains today one of the most respected preachers in the world.

We have seen selective outpouring of the Holy Spirit in times of great revival, such as is taking place in Kentucky at Asbury University, where hundreds of people have fallen to their knees, broken in repentance and given the Holy Spirit the power to work in them and through them.

We’ve spoken at great length about the Holy Spirit, explaining that the Holy Spirit is part of the Triune God: Father, Spirit, Son. We explained how and why we received the Holy Spirit as a gift from God to help us in our spiritual walk, growing to be more like Christ and to have more of his character within us.

We’ve talked about the Fruit of the Spirit, which are these characteristics. I’ve given you an overview of the spiritual gifts, explaining their purpose and how they come to play a role in our lives and in the way that we interact with each other in the church.

Finally, we’ve talked about the supremacy of love and unity in the local church and how our spiritual gifts should be used to that end.

Today we are going to focus on a section of scripture that addresses some often misunderstood gifts, primarily those that are connected to communication—namely tongues and prophecy.

Let’s read the initial passage from 1 Corinthians 14 as we begin our Bible Study today...

1 Corinthians 14:1–5 CSB

1 Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. 2 For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. 4 The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

[pray]

The truth is that many of us do not understand these gifts very well because we have never experienced tongues or interpretation or prophecy. At least not in the ways that we have expected or in ways that we have been told to expect.

I know people who say that they speak in tongues and I have heard people pray in what I would call a “prayer language.” But I have never personally experienced this. I cannot speak to this from personal experience other than having heard that rapid, whispering language that sounds like a stream of repetitive sussuration. I have never been able to understand or interpret those prayers. In these times of prayer with my, so called “Spirit-filled” friends, I have seen some unexplained things take place and have felt the hand of the Spirit on me and seen the effects on others.

However, I still come into these times with a bit of suspicion. It might be easy for me to dismiss their experience, having not shared in that experience myself. But I have seen enough to know that there are usually things going on that I cannot explain away.

Yet again, I turn to the words of Paul, who says things like “I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied” (14:5). I see these statements and it makes me think that there could be something there if only I could believe it to be true.

There are these miraculous gifts, such as tongues and interpretations, prophesy and the word of knowledge gifts. There are fantastical sign gifts, like performing miracles and raising people from the dead. You might be wondering why we don’t see those gifts being used in our church today. All I can say is this—while our church is blessed and gifted—we are not gifted in that way.

And then, there are the more mundane gifts. Those gifts that we see commonly in our churches, like service and hospitality. And we spoke about the great gifts of faith, hope, and—the greatest gift—love.

It would be easy to draw the conclusion that these gifts have ceased and all my spirit-filled friends are experiencing some form of hysteria or they are deceived into thinking these things are taking place.

However, I think that would be taking the easy way out. Paul dedicates a lot of words to this and gives some very clear rules. Why did Paul spend so much time talking about speaking in tongues and prophesy?

Paul is not speaking about some unknown language here, some heavenly prayer language, but about earthly languages, as we read about in Acts 2, when the Spirit began to use languages and interpretation to spread the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to the multilingual gathering.

I. The Gifts are for the Edification of the Church

Paul writes this passage about the spiritual gifts and we sometimes get so caught up in the gifts themselves that we miss the point of his message. Paul tells us this. He says that we get so caught up in the fantastical gifts that we lose the purpose, which is to edify the church.

1 Corinthians 14:5 CSB

5 I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

I have said this before that I believe the speaking and interpretation of known languages was a tool used by the Holy Spirit to propagate the Gospel message throughout the world.

The whole purpose of these miraculous sign gifts, such as tongues, interpretation, and prophecy is that the church might spread and flourish.

II. The Gifts are about Communicating a Message

Furthermore, these gifts have a purpose of communicating a message and they should be used in distinct ways...

1 Corinthians 14:6–12 CSB

6 So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8 In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning. 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 12 So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

Paul uses these examples of instruments that are poorly played.

[guitar example]

When we try to...

Acting outside of our gifting and trying to force the issue

Or we don’t prepare properly and we sell our gift short

If I try to play on my guitar the song that we sang today and I sing it out of tune, the beauty of the message will be lost on you.

However, if Joe comes up here and plays and sings, especially along with our worship band, it will communicate a very different message.

Paul does not promote the use of gifts that do not communicate properly. He says if you are speaking in a language that nobody understands, it is just pure noise and it should be avoided. If you are babbling out a repetitive sound that nobody understands, why waste everybody’s time? Likewise, if you are speaking a foreign language that nobody can interpret, it is no better than the one who speaks the unknown language.

There is a reason that we don’t practice tongues in our tradition. Where there is no understanding, there can only be confusion.

III. Communication Is All About Understanding

I studied communication in college. At the beginning of every communication class that I ever took, in my undergraduate studies and in my graduate level studies, the definition of communication was given:

Communication is the act of giving, receiving, and sharing information in such a way that it can be understood by the listener.

Think about that as we read the next section...

1 Corinthians 14:13–19 CSB

13 Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

If the gift of the tongue is about communication and understanding does not take place, “What then?” Paul asks.

Paul says that we must have our priorities straight in the church...

1 Corinthians 14:19 CSB

19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

The gift of tongues was for communicating the Gospel message and the spread of that message to those who came into the assembly without understanding.

However, the gift of tongues, as it is used in many churches today is not for this purpose at all. It is wholly misused and misappropriated in the church today.

For this reason, we don’t make a habit of practicing the use of speaking unknown tongues in our church today. It simply does not fit within our context and it does not aid us in our communication.

IV. We Have An Immature Understanding of the Spiritual Gifts

Paul goes on to tell the believers at Corinth not to be immature in their way of thinking...

1 Corinthians 14:20–21 CSB

20 Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. 21 It is written in the law, I will speak to this people by people of other tongues and by the lips of foreigners, and even then, they will not listen to me, says the Lord.

Paul told the believers not to be childish in their thinking. He went on to talk about speaking in tongues, quoting Isaiah 28:11. His point here, which he will continue in the following verses, is that the speaking of tongues can interrupt good communication and cause people not to listen. Let’s continue from verse 22...

1 Corinthians 14:22–23 CSB

22 Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

He was telling them that tongues do actually exist, but to serve God’s purposes they exist for a reason. They are used for a sign for unbelievers to reveal the truths of God’s word to them in a way that they cannot avoid. The speaking of tongues breaks through the natural order of things in a surprising and attention getting way.

However, Paul also gave a warning that speaking in tongues provides for a confusing and alarming experience. He was warning the believers to use this fantastical gift in a cautious manner.

Paul then went onto to compare prophecy.

1 Corinthians 14:24–25 CSB

24 But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted by all and is called to account by all. 25 The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”

I’ve already told you that I believe that some form of prophecy does continue in our church setting. Prophecy is not necessarily understood to be the practice of speaking some mystical magical words over people that will reveal some unknown truth to them, that might be considered the so-called “word gifts.”

It is not preaching a message of hellfire and brimstone. Paul says that prophecy convicts and brings the hearer into account. The one who is speaking God’s words and expounding on them can sometimes attain the level of prophetic speech, by bringing people into an encounter with God.

Prophecy is boldly and fearlessly proclaiming God’s truth. I believe this shows up at times in the Sunday School lesson and in the preaching.

I do my best to prepare a message that will expose the truth of Scripture to you every Sunday when I come to preach. But there are times that the words I speak are a bit more than what I have prepared. Sometimes this is something that I have written, but on occasion I feel compelled by the Spirit to press in a little harder on some certain point. I believe that this is God’s work to bring exhortation, correction, and instruction to this body of believers.

I believe that this is how prophecy works for us in this day. it is a way that God guides us. And scripture tells us that we should always weigh these kinds of message against scripture, so that we are not led astray.

V. Order is the Better Way

Finally, Paul goes on to give some rules in the way that we should practice these gifts...

1 Corinthians 14:26–32 CSB

26 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets’ spirits are subject to the prophets,

What Paul is saying here is that any of these communication gifts should be practiced very carefully, not to confuse the assembly, but to be held accountable and held to an orderly way of sharing.

And finally, it should be no surprise to you that Paul believes the purpose of these gifts is so that people might learn and might be encouraged. This is very different from many of the freestyle worship experiences that my brother pastor, Matt Chandler, calls charismania.

Conclusion

We have covered many aspects of the Holy Spirit over the last months and in the last few weeks, we have been focusing on the gifts of the Spirit. We do this… we go into depth on topics like this for one reason… Is the Holy Spirit active in your life? Are the spiritual gifts evident in your life? If they are, great, but what are you doing with them?

If they are not evident, why not?

Do you really desire the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit to be active in your life? Do you fervently beg God for that evidence? Or are you okay with the status quo… just going along to get along?

We see outpourings of the Holy Spirit and new awakenings taking place in far away places, but what is happening right here? How is God working in Pharr, Texas? How is he working at FBC Pharr? How is he working in your life?

I’m going to kneel down here at the front and pray. Brothers and sisters, I am going to pray for the Holy Spirit to be powerful and evident in the lives of the believers who are here with us today. That lives will be changed and that this church will be transformed by the power of the Spirit. Not so that we can jump and dance in some emotion inspired charismania, but that we can be equipped and enabled to do all these good works that Scripture tells us about. I hope that you will join me in that prayer. You are invited to come here at the front and pray with me as you feel led by the Spirit.