Speaking of Tongues

Introduction:

· How do we experience the Holy Spirit in Worship?

THIS IS A LENGTHY PASSAGE THAT NOT ONLY ANSWERS PRACTICAL QUESTIONS – IT ALSO LAYS OUT TWO KEY PRINCIPLES FOR WORSHIP.

I) Spirit-Filled Worship Edifies the Whole Church

A. Spirit-Filled Worship is rooted in Christ-centered Love (vs. 1)

i. Worship is tied to love (see ch. 13)

1. All members having varied – but equally important gifts (ch. 12)

2. Context reminds us that Paul sees love as the greatest gift (ch. 13)

ii. Worship is patterned on Christ’s love for us (vs. 1)

1. SO: Worship is a response to Christ’s love for us

2. SO: Worship imitates God’s love in Christ

B. Spirit-Filled Worship edify the whole church (vv. 2-5)

i. Understanding the gift of tongues

1. Some skeptics; some uncertain; some in favor. What does scripture say?

2. A caution against forbidding (but we’d better understand!) (vs. 39)

3. Tongues: a “spirit-language” to communicate with God (vv. 2, 15-16)

4. Tongues are meant for personal edification (vs. 4)

ii. The gift of tongues risked alienating rather than edifying

1. Corinth was speaking in tongues with no Interpretation

2. tongues without interpretation is speaking to the air (vs. 9)

3. EXAMPLE: musicians playing their own song (vs. 7)

4. Therefore: The worship at Corinth was not loving, but self-centered

iii. Understanding the gift of prophecy

1. Prophecy is not necessarily predicting the future…

2. But applying God’s word to a given situation (vs. 3, 19, 24-25, 31)

iv. The gift of prophecy edified the whole church

1. Prophecy is greater than tongues because the whole body benefits

2. Prophecy is loving because it aims at building up the whole body

NOW, HOW SHOULD WE APPLY THIS?

II) Practicing Spirit-Filled Worship that edifies Whole Church

A. Spirit-filled Worship is done to Edify All

i. Spirit-filled Worship it should edify all (vs. 12)

1. A truly spiritual experience isn’t emotionalism but edification

2. EXAMPLE: A grieving person hears Ps. 34

ii. Spirt-centered Worship should seek interpretation of tongues (vv. 27-28)

1. Paul encourages believers to speak in tongues BUT for the good of all

2. This guards against sensationalism, manipulation

3. EXAMPLE: back at that campfire

iii. Spirit-filled worship weighs prophecies (vv. 29-32)

1. Even prophecy could be misused, as a Delphic” experience

2. Therefore believers should always weigh prophecies against the prophets

3. EXAMPLE:

B. Spirit-Filled Worship is done in an orderly Way (vv. 33-40)

i. Worship services could become chaotic

1. Paul has already allowed for women to prophecy, pray in public

2. Worship had become disrupted by women speaking out of turn

ii. God values order in worship

1. Women were permitted to prophecy, and to pray publicly

2. BUT must not disrupt worship, instead seeking instruction nat home

Transition:

Conclusion

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