Sunday, June 4, 2023

Building up the Church

 DEVOTION

THE 1ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

BUILDING UP THE CHURCH

1 Cor 14:6-12

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9 So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

NIV

We are going to get more clarity regarding the gift of tongues and prophecy in the following instructions from Paul to this church in Corinth. From what we see here this church had gone wild with the idea of tongues and what appears is they were simply babbling away, all speaking in tongues with no purpose even from the inspiration of the Spirit. As we determined before, they were just speaking into the air. When the disciples were filled with the Spirit on that day of Pentecost and spilled out into the streets of Jerusalem, they were all speaking in some foreign language they had not learned. Still, there were men from all over the world, so to speak, whose native tongue was one of those the disciples were speaking. That is, someone understood their tongues, and men from all over heard the disciples praising God. This is what Paul is talking about in that tongues are certainly a gift of the Spirit, however, correct instruction for the church should be in the form of intelligible words. We must speak in a language that is understandable in order to build up the church. This is a call for all believers to speak in a manner that builds each other up. The fact is that we should not be foreigners to each other, speaking words that have no meaning, but rather have the singular purpose of edifying the church. Certainly, the gift of prophecy is to build up, whereas the gift of tongues, as we will see later, lifts up the glory of God with praise and thanksgiving, no one will know what is being said unless someone interprets. However, all this should be done in order and not in chaos, which it seems was what was going on in the Corinthian church. Since we have pretty much set aside the gifts of tongues, interpretation, and even prophecy, we are left with our own words that should be based on scriptural truth. We are called to give spiritual instructions to each other in order to build each other up. These instructions, these intelligible words are to be for the edification of the church. Certainly, we know that although gossip can be understood, it does not build up others, but rather tears them down. Let us look to the Spirit to give us a revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or a word of instruction so the church will be edified. 

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