Prophecy, Tonges, and Orderly Worship

Intro

Its great to be back this week and in the pulpit no less. I want to say thank you all so much for allowing my bride and I to get away and celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. It is always a gift to have a church that allows you to prioritize your family and we thank you so much.

But now I’m back and I’m ready to get kicking.

Today we have 40 verses in chapter 14, to get into and they are deep and wide so I want to pray and then dive right in.

Prayer

Exposition

1 Corinthians 14 (ESV)

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

In keeping with brother Gary and Matt’s messages the past couple of weeks, Paul starts chapter 14 by reminding us that love is something we must keep in our cross hairs to go after. Motivated by this love we are encouraged to desire to know and use our spiritual gifts. Then the word “mallon” in Greek here is conveying that we should add more and more desire that our gifts would lead us to opportunities to prophesy, or forthtelling, the gospel

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.

Verse 2 brings the subject of tongues into light and Paul further draws these teachings into a point. However, in order to hear his point we need to clarify terms and bring this controversial subject into focus. “Tongue” or “glossa” in the Greek is used between chapter 12-14 a total of 21 times and only 3 other times in all of his other letters. All 3 of Paul’s other 3 uses were out of OT (Psalm 5:9; Rom 3:13; Isa 45:23; Rom 14:11). These 3 uses where all used as a figure of speech for the statement or confession that was made. Whether good or bad, the statement was clear and intelligible.

Knowing this, The same may be said of the meaning of the word glōssa elsewhere in the New Testament. Whether it was used literally of the physical organ (e.g., Mark 7:33; James 3:5; Rev. 16:10) or figuratively of human languages (e.g., Acts 2:11; Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15), it nowhere is referred to ecstatic speech. If it is reasonable to interpret the unknown with the help of the known, the obscure by the clear, then the burden of proof rests with those who find in this term a meaning other than human language.

David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 537–538.

Some charismatic movements have made “gloss-o-la-lia” meaning literally “tongues language” or speaking in tongues, out to be an ecstatic speech of particular Holy significance, even going as far as to say that those believers who have not and cannot speak in tongues are actually not saved. Such activity is a litmus test of true conversion in such circles. You may have heard this as well. This practice and theological position came on the scene, they will say, at Pentecost but in all reality the first person to frame it in these terms was Charles Parham. Author Les Bridgeman explains...

The first to identify speaking in tongues as the initial biblical evidence of being baptized with the Spirit was American evangelist Charles Parham (1873-1929). This is incredible in itself: in 1900 years of Christianity no one had made this explicit connection. Parham’s student William J. Seymour (1870-1922) took this unique teaching to Los Angeles, where Seymour became the leader of the Asuza Street Revival (1906-1915), which was characterized by intense spiritual experiences.

Surprisingly, when Parham visited the Mission in October 1906, he reacted with disgust at “animal noises, trances, shaking, jabbering,” and so forth. In fact, Seymour himself disowned some of these phenomena, preferring to emphasize the fruit of love. Tragically, there began a series of power struggles and splits, which marred claims to the unity of the Spirit among Pentecostals from the earliest days of the movement. Parham founded a rival community only five blocks away from Seymour . . . (185)

Parham also denounced Seymour’s meetings because the ecstatic speech he heard was not human languages. According to Parham, speaking in tongues should correspond to what happened in Acts 2—believers miraculously speaking known human languages for the purpose of evangelization. He called what he was happening at Azusa Street “ spiritual power prosititued”

https://www.bible-bridge.com/speaking-in-tongues/

Despite the claims of the Pentecostal movement and other charismatic teachings, the context is just not there to provide evidence for such bold claims. In fact the rest of these passages are better explained by the reality of tongues being given supernaturally in origin, as a means to communicate gospel truths to those who spoke another known human intelligible language. The goal of the spirit in giving out such miraculous gifts seems to always accompany a goal to have the word of God and the gospel message conveyed to those that had obstacles of language standing between them and the message bringer. In essence, this gift is given to undo what was done at babble. Babble confused the languages of men when the sought to enshrine their own glory instead of God’s. In the same way now, this enfeeblement is taken away so that men can again see and hear what God has done in and through Christ.

I have many friends in ministry and in Christ who believe the gift of tongues to be an ecstatic unknown language. I respectfully disagree and we are still friends. Some of you in the room might well disagree with me and we too can still be friends. I personally have found this to be the best explanation but reserve the right to be wrong and for God to reveal his truth to me to the contrary if I were wrong.

The context then, for verse 2 reads thus, 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; Here a man is speaking in a foreign, intelligible language when no person around speaks this language. I preach in Portuguese and no one in the congregation does. for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. Meaning, what he is saying is a mystery to all there except for himself and the Spirit which gave him the gift in the first place.

3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

Verse 3 offsets the goal of verse 2. One man speaks in languages for his own spiritual enlightenment while another preaches to people in a way that they can understand and benefit from. In this way they are built up by the truth they hear and are encouraged by the word of God. This is said bluntly in verse 4.

4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

In verse 5 Paul reiterates that while the gifts are all good and should be used, but in the church gathering, one benefited all and the other only benefited the church if an interpreter was present. He compounds this further, explaining on in verses 6-9

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?

8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?

9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.

Notice again, the main goal here is communication of the Word of God. Even Paul, an apostle of God would be serving them in vain if he was speaking to them in words they didn’t understand. Imagine if I came in here week after week preaching in Siswati language. What benefit would any of you receive. Even if i was the most gifted speaker, teacher, or preacher you’d ever heard, it wouldn’t matter if you couldn’t understand me. A flute can sound good if its in the hands of someone who can play melodies and tunes and notes but in my hands all I could do is play meaningless noises that didn’t sound good together. Any of you parents remember the recorder days? Those first couple weeks when Mrs. Jane turned your house into a house of horror. Skill comes with understanding and practice. But can you imagine if your kids couldn’t even understand Mrs. Jane’s instructions because her words were in Russian?

10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,

Verse 10 might be the most compelling evidence for the tongues being known human languages. He references the quantities of human languages and further emphasizes that they all have purpose and understanding. They all have meaning.

11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.

12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

We see in verses 10-12 that Paul seeks to encourage their interest in spiritual gifts but did encourage them to pursue those gifts so that the whole church would be benefited.

13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.

15 What 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.

16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?

17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

verses 13-17 further carry the theme that speaking in any language that is not understood can’t build the church up. It might even make sense to the one who does it but only builds awe around that person, not understanding, not encouragement, not growth.

In college a young man on my hall had accepted Christ and was getting Baptized in a local charismatic church and invited all of his dormates to come and support him. We rallied the troops and 42 guys from Maupin hall came that day, filling up our own section. We saw Aaron baptized, erupted in thunderous applause and celebration. The sermon time came, Aaron came and sat with us and during the Pastor’s Sermon a woman stood with her hands the the sky speaking in tongues for a solid 3 minutes straight. Silence filled the sanctuary and the woman remained standing, hands aloft, obviously waiting on someone to interpret her words. The pastor himself had stopped preaching, also waiting on someone to interpret. After the longest 2 minutes in history a woman next to her stood and said, “Lord we want to thank you for the beautiful day, the great day in church, and for our pastor as he preaches your word this morning. Amen.” All the congregation said amen and the pastor when right back to preaching as if nothing had happened. I will admit, the experience was all the guys talked about over lunch and one of my friends said something that always stuck with me, “I felt the same way about that as I did about WWE wrestling.” Come again? What do you mean about that? “Well is it real or is it fake?”

I don’t mean to use one story or my own personal experience to be the final word or discussion on the matter. I will tell you I walked out of that service feeling that I had witnessed a farce, but that is not to use one situation to color the entire breath of worship experiences. I had a friend who was charismatic through and through and she explained that she throughly had experienced a Holy Language that God had given her but she wouldn’t dare to speak it to anyone but God in prayer because she took these passages so seriously. I’ve had other friends who left charismatic churches, who told me they’d been coached, taught, and sometimes scolded into learning how to speak in tongues by parents and grandparents, for proof of salvation.

John Piper comically said “you can practice saying banana backwards and I was even able to sing in my car in tongues, but I knew that I wasn’t really doing it.”

I say all of this simply to put into focus what Paul is chomping at here: the goal of worship gatherings is the proclaim God’s word and his truth, to worship him in spirit and truth, and to build one another up. If a cloud of spiritual controversy or missed communication overwhelms the whole enterprise then all we’ve managed to do is further confuse those who can’t understand. We miss the mark and lose our purpose. Paul would have us miss this entirely and seek instead to build each other up in the Lord.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”

22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

Here again, another hint as to the meaning of these words. They are meant to communicate truth to those who need to hear it. The goal is to take away the barrier of language so the Gospel can move between peoples and tribes and borders. God was making a way where there was only a roadblock. He ads that 5 words spoken with understanding would be better than 10000 in tongues.

We’ve not yet stated it but many scholars think that perhaps the Corinthian church was becoming so preoccupied with tongues because of the supposed mystical nature of it all. After all many pagan religions of the time had features of it in their worship: The sibylla or female prophetesses in Cumaen was one of the most famous. Pythia the oracle at Delphi, the maenads of Donysius. As such, the idea of such spiritual giftedness would have gone as a nice side-dish with their favorite meal of hidden knowledge and secret wisdom given by powerful orators.

So Paul here says if you could just speak 5 words from God’s truth they’d weigh more than 10000 that made people look at you with awe and wonder. Why?

23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,

25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

If people see this stuff going on in tongues that they don’t understand they will think you are crazy. However, if you preach the word, the Spirit will grab it, give insight, conviction, understanding, and repentance can take hold.

Paul then finishes with some instruction for how services should be ran so that we can get the most out of them.

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.

28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.

29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.

30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.

31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,

32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

So when we come together for corporate worship Paul would have us do the following things for our growth and proper worship:

1. Hymns, songs, music. 2. Lessons and testimonies. 3. Translations for those who need it so that all can understand. 4. Teaching and exposition with discussions aimed at helping us interpret and understand the Word better.

34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

Welp, thanks for coming today, glad you came we will go ahead and wrap up there....

Again, as brother Kasper reminded us last week, context is important if not essential when interpreting the Bible. What is the context here in this discussion?

Well, firstly, Paul is talking about conveying the truth of the Word of God in worship and not sowing seeds of confussion and doubt.

Secondly, this all fits in a larger conversation he’s been having with the church about pursuing their own Christian liberties and freedoms as they see fit no matter who it harms or whose faith is weakened because of it. As David Lowery points out

The word translated women (gynaikes) was used to refer to women generally (as in all 11 occurrences in 11:3–15), or to unmarried women (e.g., 7:34), or to married women (e.g., 5:1; 9:5; and all 14 occurrences in chap. 7 except once in 7:34). The context alone aided the readers in distinguishing between the alternative meanings.

Two indications strongly suggest that married women were in view in this passage. The first is the word submission (hypotassesthōsan, v. 34). When it occurs elsewhere in the New Testament with specific reference to a woman, it always refers to a married woman who was to be subject to her husband (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1, 5).

The second indication is the phrase their own husbands (1 Cor. 14:35), whom the inquisitive women were to consult if they had questions. This would obviously be a difficult assignment for single women (e.g., 7:34) or those with unbelieving husbands (e.g., 7:13).

David K. Lowery, “1 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 541.

This passage has also been frequented with 2 Timothy 2:11-15 which also speaks to women being quiet in worship. Again, its most liekly that married women were the subject in verse 15. Paul then adds that the Adam Even relationship was one where Eve was suposed to be submissive or respectful of her husband Adam’s leadership. Here, the noun “Hesychia” means yes, “quietness” but it also means “absence of disorder”. However, in our passage here in verse 28 and 34 the verb is “sigao” meaning to remain silent.

So sticking all these thoughts together the picture comes into focus. Given the problems that Corinth was having with personal freedoms vs. caring for new beleivers, and how disfunctional worship had become, how far the lines and roles of women and men had been blurred, how the people had twisted spiritual giftedness and used it for their own glory rather than the building up of the body, Paul now says that to continue to elevate proper worship in the church and move away from confussion that the married women of the church should ask their questions, not in the public assembly but later at home where their husbands would help. Younger women, not yet married or widows, would be allowed in worship provided they were adorned in a way that didn’t distract from worship. Tongues and interpretations would be placed aside unless they were needed and appropriate for the same reason. Order, unity, and goals of worship being paramount.

36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?

37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.

38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

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.

The ending of verse 40 brings to my mind John 12:21. Some Greeks approach the disciples with a simple request that has much to teach us today.

John 12:21 (ESV)

21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Landing

It is so important for us to remember that what we have to offer the world is that we can show them Jesus. They don’t need our thoughts, our opinions, our agendas. They don’t need to see anyone on a platform using their talents, skills, gifts, or otherwise glorifying themselves. They don’t need secret, hidden, wisdom, spoken by elegant or lofty orators. They don’t need front row seats to a show with lights, fog, or miraculous happenings that must be from God.

An old adage plays often in my head each week. “Whatever you win them with, is what you win them too.” If I can talk you into following Jesus, someone can talk you out of it. If you can only hear God speak at a youth camp with a 20 piece band and laser shows then you’ll always feel like something is missing in your local church. Instead the message is clear. What they need, what we need, what God expects and what honors him the most, is that we would elevate Jesus Christ in our worship. He is put center stage. His word is preached, taught, discussed, prayed through, and its work is brought to bear in our lives. This is our goal each Sunday and throughout the week as the church. We are about making much of him, not ourselves.

Amen and Amen.