2 Essentials - Don't give it up - tongues & prophecy
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· 108 viewsPaul encourages the Corinthian believers to prophecy and speak in tongues. How does this help us or benefit the church?
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last week we saw on the aspect of love that never fails.
no matter in what situation, even in the unpleasant time, love will never loose its power. even if life throws a dung at you, you can still blossom.
we saw from the scriptures that when the perfect comes, the partial will disappear.
the perfect is not the bible but rather the perfect one the lamb without blemish - Jesus returns.
or when we atain the perfection, that is at the rapture with our perfect bodies.
its is them the impartial or rather the divisions that is among us will disappear.
until then, prophecy and speak in tongues with love as the main factor in them.
like in some cooking dish in some countries or regions, there is a basic ingrident in all their dishes.
if you go to Japan, every dish will have soya sause in it.
go to italy, every dish will use olive oil in it
come to kerala, we have coconut in all our dishes. coconut grated, coconut milk, coconut oil… we eat it , we sleep on it, we work with it...
in the same way, in all that you do have love in it.
so today we are going to see what and why is paul saying that prophecy and tongues are important.
1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
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.
39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
today we will focus on the main benefit of these two gifts
that is found in the below verse.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
Builds up?
one is to build u up
another to build the church or the gathering of believers
have you seen how these beauty pageants train before the grand finale
they go through rigorous training to maintain or build up their bodies to be that perfect shape.
how does the army train their cadets, through tough physical exercise to gain muscle mass and strength.
they need it to perform well in their duties.
this is how they train and build up the team
the football players or the basketball players, the IPL team member, they all have to train and exercise and build up and maintain their bodies physically that they can perform well.
special focus is given to the leg movements for foot ball and basket ball. more focus is given to the hand for cricket and baseball.
so when it come to the spiritual world and the spiritual life, do you need to have exercise? or to build any spiritual muscles?
yes we do
before a battle, the army trains, before a match the teams train.
before the enemy attacks us, what do we do?
nothing?
all of our excuse is that God will take care of it.
there a things that we have to do. we are not puppets in Gods hands. we all have a role to play and that's how God works - through us.
God has given you the authority and has made you his hands and legs to establish his purpose in the kingdom of God.
so what exercise have you done?
oh yeah i read the bible for half hour and i prayed.
that is to sustain you. not to build u up.
builds up
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeō)
Construct, make more able, edify, strengthen
to construct a building, build
to help improve ability to function in living responsibly and effectively
to increase the potential of someone or something, with focus upon the process involved—‘to strengthen, to make more able, to build up.’
to make nearer to fullness or completion (as of moral strength or someone’s conscience); conceived of as constructing something further.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
what is Prophecy?
προφητεύω ‘to prophesy’
to be inspired to preach
the gift of proclaiming / speaking God’s message
does not mean preaching a carefully prepared sermon but expressing a message directly inspired by God.
Prophecy includes preaching and teaching.
what is tongues?
‘various kinds’
γλῶσσα ‘tongue’
1. It is a spiritual language .
It is a form of speech that is inspired by the Holy Spirit and unintelligible without translation, and it is addressed to God. This is mystical utterance different from all forms of known language. Paul compares it to the language of angels 13:1
2. It is an ecstatic language.
It is a form of speech that is not an intelligible language but consists of strange sounds springing from an emotional and spiritual experience.
3. It is an actual foreign language.
The meaning of this word is seen in Acts 2 where the apostles were enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak the foreign languages of those various peoples who had come to Jerusalem without having learned them
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.
speak - talk - the one who express in tongues
you need to express in another language
do you know have you encourage children to talk?
some kids talk gibberish. i personally thing that is tongues.
then we ask them, who is this? mama, and you keep repeating this mama in all you sentence so that the kid will say mama.
and then one day the kid will say dada.
and you are so excited that the kid spoke one word.
there are some kids, they will speak something and them the mama or elder sister will translate that for others
so start speaking in tongues.
tongues is not something that flows from heaven or up somewhere.
it flows from inside to outside. its within you.
out of your mouths will flow rivers of living water.
3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
so start speaking. it will begin to flow. you will look stupid and childlike. but thats how it is.
when i go before meetings i speak in tongues
i remember a time when i was working as part of a contractor, i had promised our furniture item to be delivered on a particular day. it is embarrassing to be in a meeting and they blame you and you are in the spot light and even can get fired. i spoke in tongues all the way while driving to the meeting. because i have no answer and i dint keep to my word or commitment.
so the meeting started and before all eyes came to me, the people who were supposed to deliver the carpets, they were delayed.
so there it was. if the carpet is not installed, why do you bother about the furniture?
so in the atmosphere, there was a shift. it was not to put someone else down, but you were build up.
now a days, when i go to site, i speak in tongues, things that might be a mistake later, the holy spirit will bring up.
sometime, i am given a big file of documents that i need to review and recommend in a few hours. because you are already built up in the spiritual realm, your spirit picks up on issues that might be a problem and you can highlight that.
many times the contractors get upset of how you found out those details. its the holy spirit and speaking in the spirit. contractors hate me for that. my boss and management likes me for that.
the point i am trying to make is, its a tool for us to live victorious in this world till the perfect one comes.
after the return of jesus, we will not need this or use this anymore.
Prophecy in t he OT
5 After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.
10 When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
Tongues in the OT
10 For it is blah-blah upon blah-blah, blah-blah upon blah-blah, gah-gah upon gah-gah, gah-gah upon gah-gah, a little here, a little there.
11 For he will speak with stammering and another tongue to this people,
In this context, the Hebrew expressions tsaw-tsaw and qaw-qaw are likely meant to sound like baby talk, but they could mean “command upon command” and “rule upon rule”
that is how the holy spirit worked in the OT. it was at a particular time at the sovereign will of God, it was by the empowering for a moment.
today in the NT, the holy dwells in us. not outside of us.
today i am not waiting for that empowering to come from above
its inside of me
i need to let it out
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
this portion of scripture, paul gives you a comparison between the speaking in tongues and prophecy.
Tongues
v 2 speaks not to men but to God; utters mysteries in the Spirit.
v 4 builds up himself.
v 14 my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.
v 15 Pray with my spirit; Sing with me spirit.
v 16 People cant say Amen to thanksgiving.
v 17 other person is not being built up.
v 18 Paul speak in tongues more than all of you.
v 22 tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers
v 23 if all in church speak in tongues - out of our minds
Prophecy
v 1 especially desire to prophesy.
v 3 speaks to people their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation
v 4 builds up the church
v 5 but even more to prophesy prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
v 15 Pray with my mind Sing with my mind.
v 19 in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
v 22 prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.
v 24 if all prophecy - unbeliever will be held accounted for.
v 25 Revelation of God is among us
22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.
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.
is Paul contradicting himself?
one verse it says for unbelievers
then he says that prophecy help unbelievers
to understand this some theologian / scholars has categorized the
tongues in 3 categories - 3 P’s
Proof Tongues - Acts 2
Prophetic Tongues - 1 Cor 12 & 14
Personal Tongues - 1 Cor 14 & 14
39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
you don't need a gym at home
all you need is 2 dumbbells - tongues & Prophecy
it might look and sound dumb and look silly, but that's all you need till christ returns.