subordination and learning

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (22)

1 Corinthians 14:29-32

1Co 14:29 Two or three prophets must speak, and the others should critique them carefully.
1Co 14:30 If a mystery is revealed to another who is sitting, the first should stop talking.
1Co 14:31 Because you can all prophesy one at a time, so that you can all learn and you can all be encouraged,
1Co 14:32 as long as the prophets allow their spirits to be subordinated to the other prophets.

subordination and learning

Here Paul is talking about mutual subordination among prophets in a congregation. There is no hint of a hierarchy here: these are all prophets of equal standing. He encourages them to have respect for one another, and allow mutual learning and encouragement to happen. This is what Paul means when he tells the Ephesians that they should submit to one another out of respect for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Christ is working through all of us, and when we willfully subordinate ourselves to each other, the Holy Spirit within us all is able to teach and encourage us all.

LORD, give us all the respect for Christ as he reveals himself to — and through us all.

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freedom and order

Posted on May 22, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (23)

1 Corinthians 14:26-28

1Co 14:26 What is it to be, then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one of you has a psalm to sing, has a lesson to teach, has a mystery to reveal, has a message in another language, has an translation. All these things must be done for building up.
1Co 14:27 If someone speaks in another language, limit it to only two or at most three, and each in turn, and one must translate.
1Co 14:28 But if there is no translator, he must be silent within the assembly, but he must speak to himself and to God.

freedom and order

What Paul is describing is the perfect combination in a worship service. There is freedom for the Holy Spirit to inspire anyone and for anyone to share what the Spirit has given. But there is order, limits, maturity. It is a service designed to eliminate confusion and prevent disharmony and control of the service by the louder or more dominant group. In Corinth there was not one preacher per pulpit. There was freedom there, and the freedom was a good thing — as long as it did not get out of control.

LORD, grant us freedom in our worship, and the wisdom to follow Paul’s advice and keep it ortderly.

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what if everybody…

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (21)

1 Corinthians 14:23-25

1Co 14:23 For this reason, if the whole assembly comes together, and all of you are speaking in other languages, and newcomers or unbelievers come in, would they not say that you are all maniacs?
1Co 14:24 But if you all are prophesying, and some unbeliever or newcomer comes in, he is going to be convicted by you all, his resolve will be challenged by you all.
1Co 14:25 The things hidden in his heart will become exposed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, announcing, “God is really among you.”

what if everybody…

Paul has been addressing a problem that had developed in Corinth. Some of the members of some of the fellowships had started bursting out in praise and prayer in other languages. The worshipper himself knew what he was saying, but nobody else did. It was causing confusion. At this point in his argument, Paul stops and asks “What if everybody was doing what you are doing?” If everybody was prophesying, it would lead to conviction and conversion. But if everybody was babbling in unknown tongues, it would turn newcomers and unbelievers off to the gospel, and turn them off to the church. They would think it was a church full of maniacs. It matters what you do in church.

LORD, give us the wisdom to display your wisdom when we worship.

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baby talk revisited

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (20)

1 Corinthians 14:20-22

1Co 14:20 Brothers, stop being children in your way of thinking, instead, be minors when it comes to evil, but in your way of thinking, start being mature.
1Co 14:21 Scripture says (in the Law) “By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet they will not even listen to me in this way,” says the Lord.
1Co 14:22 So then, foreign languages are a sign indicating not believers but unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is not a sign indicating unbelievers but believers.

baby talk revisited

Isaiah had difficulty getting God’s word to the nobility because they claimed that his message was too simplistic. In fact, Isaiah tried every means possible to get God’s word to them, but they were not willing to hear it. It was too easy for them to use confusion as an excuse to ignore the messenger.

Paul referred back to that passage in Isaiah 28 when he wrote to the Corinthians about their abuse of the languages. He told them that they were doing something in their services that was not edifying for believers. It would only be used by unbelievers as an excuse to ignore the gospel.

For the Corinthians, immaturity said “I have this gift, I will use it, and nobody is going to stop me.” Maturity would have said, “I have this gift (the ability to speak a foreign language) but I will only use it when it actually furthers the gospel.”

LORD, make us mature in the way we utilise your gifts.

see https://marmsky.com/2015/04/17/baby-talk/

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the focus of worship

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (19)

1 Corinthians 14:16-19

1Co 14:16 If this does not happen — if you are only praising in the spirit — how can a person filling the place beside you who is not skilled in the language say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
1Co 14:17 Because you are giving thanks appropriately, but the other person is not being built up.
1Co 14:18 I thank God that I speak in other languages more than all of you;
1Co 14:19 but within an assembly I want to speak five words with my mind, in order to teach others also, rather than 10,000 words in another language.

the focus of worship

We know from Paul’s writings that he was conversant in at least five languages, so his boast was quite accurate that he knew languages more than all the Corinthians. The linguists who made a point of praying or singing in foreign languages in the Corinthian fellowships had nothing on Paul. But Paul had decided to never do that. To him, worship was not about proving that you were smarter than others. When Paul prayed, he wanted others around him to join in, saying “Amen.” Public worship is public ministry. It is not intended to draw attention to the worshipper. It is supposed to focus on God.

LORD, help us to get out of the way so you can be worshipped. May our worship teach others about you.

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fruitful worship

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (18)

1 Corinthians 14:13-15

1Co 14:13 That is why the one speaking in another language should pray that he translates it.
1Co 14:14 If I am praying in another language, my spirit is praying, but my mind is not producing fruit.
1Co 14:15 What should be happening? I will pray in the spirit, but I will also pray with the mind. I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise also with the mind.

fruitful worship

Paul is now addressing the difference between worshipping in a foreign language, and translating that worship so that others can be blessed by it. It is possible for a worshipper to pray or sing in a foreign language, and be blessed by the experience, so long as he or she understands what is being prayed or sung. Paul calls this activity praying or singing “with the spirit.”

But Paul has been discouraging this activity because it has lead to confusion and lack of edification in the Corinthian churches. Instead, he encourages praying and singing “with the mind” as well. That — in this context, is adding a translation to the prayer or song so as to edify those who could not understand the original utterance.

The fruitful mind is not one which merely understands, but one which explains what it understands, leading to the fruit of ministry to others.

LORD, make us fruitful worshippers, who seek to bless others by sharing our prayers and songs with them.

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edification is spiritual, confusion is not

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (17)

1 Corinthians 14:10-12

1Co 14:10 There are probably a great many families of languages in the world, and nothing spoken is unintelligible.
1Co 14:11 This means that if I do not have the ability to understand the language, I will be a barbarian to the speaker, and the speaker will be a barbarian to me.
1Co 14:12 For this reason, you also, since you are seeking spiritual things, you should seek to get better at building up the church.

edification is spiritual, confusion is not

The languages Paul speaks about here are “in the world” languages, and each has meaning that can be understood by the right human audience. But outside of that context, those languages create barbarians (babblers), and lead to confusion.

Paul’s point to the Corinthians is that those showing off their linguistic abilities in the congregations are just creating confusion, and confusion is not spiritual. Edification is spiritual, and edification requires understanding.

If we really want to create an atmosphere of spirituality, we need to abandon practices which lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

LORD, give us the courage to stop doing things that syfle edification.

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speaking into the air

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (16)

1 Corinthians 14:7-9

1Co 14:7 Even soulless objects that are used to give off a sound — whether a wind or a stringed instrument — if it does not play the tunes clearly, how will anyone recognise what is blown or strummed?
1Co 14:8 Because, if a bugle gives off an unclear sound, who will get ready for battle?
1Co 14:9 In the same way, if you use your tongue for unclear speech, how will what is spoken be known? Because you will just be speaking into the air.

speaking into the air

In yesterday’s post, I argued against the popular idea that the gift of “tongues” is some kind of supernatural utterance that God zaps the giver with, resulting in a noise that comes out of his or her mouth which cannot be understood either by the giver of anyone else. I used to believe and teach that idea, and it still has a lot of support in many churches. But today’s text directly refutes that kind of teaching. Paul called that kind of “ministry” speaking into the air, and he strongly discouraged it.

The real spiritual gift he describes is the ability to preach the gospel in a language different than the one you were born into. His advice to those with this ministry is that they not try to flaunt it in their congregations, because that would just be producing indistinct noise.

LORD, may we be considerate in our ministries, not doing them just for show for those would not benefit from them.

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tongues are for understanding

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (15)

1 Corinthians 14:4-6

1Co 14:4 The one speaking in another language builds himself us, but the one prophesying builds up the church.
1Co 14:5 I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but I wish even more that you prophesied. The one prophesying is greater than the one speaking in other languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.
1Co 14:6 But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I make you gain from that, unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

tongues are for understanding

The linguists within the Corinthian fellowships had a viable ministry, so Paul wanted them to continue. But the ministry in other languages was not directly edifying to those members of their congregations who could not speak those languages. So, Paul encouraged prophesying instead. The exception would be in there was an interpretor present. Then, the message — whether it be an unveiling of a mystery, or exposition of scripture (knowledge), or a prophetic word of warning or encouragement, or a systematic teaching — could be understood by all the listeners.

The popular idea that Paulo refers to some kind of exstatic utterance is clearly a misconception. Why would the Holy Spirit give someone a supernatural gift of speaking in a language no one could understand? It goes against the whole point that Paul is making. He encourages excercising gifts that your listeners can underrstand.

LORD, give us the wisdom to minister to others in such a way as to lead them to understand you.

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chasing love while giving gifts

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

May 2016 (14)

1 Corinthians 14:1-3

1Co 14:1 You should chase love relentlessly, while still seeking to offer the gifts, especially so that you can prophesy.
1Co 14:2 Because the one speaking in a different language cannot communicate with his colleague, but to God, because no one of his colleagues understands him, but he speaks mysteries by the Spirit.
1Co 14:3 But the person prophesying speaks to his colleagues for their edification and encouragement and consolation.

chasing love while giving gifts

The Corinthian fellowships had a number of linguists who could speak a variety of languages. They prided themselves on that fact. But the church members who were not so gifted did not really benefit from those special skills. When a linguist used his skill to reach an unbeliever who spoke one of the unfamiliar languages, he was giving that gift back to God as an offering. But to the other believers, his words were mysteries spoken by the Holy Spirit. But when a prophet spoke to the assembly, his words were understood, so they could edify, encourage and console the believers. Chasing love relentlessly while still seeking to offer the gifts meant using the right gift in the right context. It meant using the gifts to further the gospel, not to gain bragging rights.

LORD, show us how to give you our gifts, while not offending each other.

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