What Do We Do?

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT DO WE DO

1 Cor 14:13-17

13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? 17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.

NIV

Again, there must have been a real problem going on with those believers in Corinth as far as getting a little carried away with the gift of tongues. It would seem a little odd that it was the people and not the Spirit. If it is God who determines who gets gifted with what gift and when and how, then why were they being instructed about this matter? We can say one thing for sure that we know about this gift of tongues that the purpose is for a person to be able to give thanks to God by praying in a language they have not learned. We also know that if one prays in this unknown language no one else knows what he is saying unless he interprets in a known language what he just prayed in an unknown one. Now of course this is all a moot point and this section of scripture has nothing to do with any believers today, in fact, it should just be taken out of the Bible because so many believers pay absolutely no attention to it, saying it does not apply to today, because it was just for the New Testament church. But are we not the New Testament church too? It is difficult to understand why so many are not willing to understand this gift of tongues and interpretation, for that matter, most of the gifts. But let us refrain from that discussion, and confine ourselves to this matter. Is it possible to humanly manufacture the gifts? Is it possible these Corinthian people were doing that? Is that why Paul was so emphatic? Yet if we remember all the gifts are given for the common good, then what good is praying in tongues if no one understands. How is that doing anyone any good? That is why it must be accompanied by the interpretation so that all who hear both can be built up. That sure seems simply enough, so why so much confusion in the church today? It seems pretty clear that when a person speaks in a language that they have not learned it is a gift of the Spirit at work and that person is giving thanks to God and so the interpretation is of what that person said to God. How we deal with this in today’s church is the question. What do we do?