Tongues and Prophecy at Church

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.559 First Corinthians chapter fourteen. Please remain well, go ahead and be seated. 2 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:10.720 It's a little bit longer. First Corinthians Chapter Fourteen, and we'll give our 3 00:00:10.759 --> 00:00:19.000 attention to God's word as we continue hearing it from this wonderful letter by the 4 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:38.679 Apostle Paul. Now I'm going to I'm going to be reading through verse Twenty 5 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:48.039 Five this morning. Let's hear God's word. Pursue love and earnestly desire the 6 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:54.880 spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a 7 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:59.600 tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him, 8 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:03.040 but he asked utters mysteries in the spirit. On the other hand, the 9 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:10.079 one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The 10 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:14.239 one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies 11 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:18.640 builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, 12 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.000 but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one 13 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:29.159 who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets so that the church may be built 14 00:01:29.239 --> 00:01:32.760 up. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, 15 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:37.879 how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy 16 00:01:37.959 --> 00:01:42.439 or teaching? If even lifeless instruments such as a flute or the harp do 17 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:47.879 not give distinct notes, how will any one know what is played? And 18 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:51.560 if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 19 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:56.280 So with yourselves. If, with your tongue you utter speech that is not 20 00:01:56.319 --> 00:02:00.319 intelligible, how will any one know what is said, for you will be 21 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:05.640 speaking into the air? There are doubtless many different languages in the world, 22 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:08.719 and none is without meaning. But if I do not know the meaning of 23 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:13.599 the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the Speaker of 24 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:17.319 foreigner to me. So with yourselves. Since you are eager for the manifestations 25 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:23.400 of the spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. Therefore, 26 00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.479 one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if 27 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:30.319 I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 28 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:35.360 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I 29 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:38.240 will pray with my mind also. I will sing praise with my spirit, 30 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:43.240 but I will sing, pray, sing with my mind also. Otherwise, 31 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:46.240 if you give thanks with your spirit, how can any one in the position 32 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:50.800 of an outsider say amend to your Thanksgiving when he does not know what you 33 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:54.280 are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other 34 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:59.479 person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues 35 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:04.240 more than all of you. Nevertheless, in Church, I would rather speak 36 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:09.599 five words with my mind in order to instruct others then tenzo words in a 37 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:15.680 tongue. Brothers, do not be children. In your thinking, be infants 38 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:20.560 and evil, but in your thinking be mature. And the laws it is 39 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.680 written by people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners. Will I 40 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:27.919 speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, 41 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:34.639 says the Lord. Thus, tongues are assign not for believers but for unbelievers, 42 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:38.919 while prophecy is a sign, not for unbelievers but for believers. If, 43 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:44.520 therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues and outsiders 44 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:47.639 or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are all out of your 45 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:53.479 minds? But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is 46 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:58.080 convicted by all, he's called to account by all, the secrets of his 47 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:00.520 heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship 48 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:08.439 God and declare that God is really among you. Praise God for his intelligible 49 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:17.759 word to us. So in chapter thirteen that we considered last week, Paul 50 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:24.839 was almost singing to us about love, a very lyrical and beautiful passage in 51 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:32.319 which he impresses upon us love, it's importance, its lastingness, its loveliness. 52 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:36.000 As I mentioned, there's many ways in which first corinthians thirteen helps us 53 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.920 to fall in love with love maybe fall in love with it again. It's 54 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:46.560 a beautiful thing and it's something we are all called to well. Today, 55 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:49.680 in Chapter Fourteen, Paul wants to talk more about that, in particular how 56 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:56.240 it applies in our worship services, how love makes a difference for what we 57 00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:02.240 do and what we don't do when we come together each Sunday. The first 58 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:09.120 thing we want to notice as we begin to look at this passage is our 59 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:14.160 attitude or our approach toward love. What is the way that we ought to 60 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:19.120 approach love in our worship services and at all times? What does Paul say 61 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:26.160 he says at the beginning of Chapter Fourteen, pursue love, and then he 62 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:31.399 says earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. So how should we approach love? While 63 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:34.519 he wants us to pursue it? And you know what it means to pursue 64 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:40.360 something right? When a Predator up, for example, pursues its prey, 65 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:46.199 it moves forward with a burst of energy. It flies, it zooms, 66 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:50.600 it dives, it strives, its strategizes, it doesn't give up, it 67 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.480 persists. It runs, it runs, it runs. This is what Paul 68 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:00.800 calls us to do with love. He doesn't tell us to wait around and 69 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:05.759 look for a convenient opportunity, he says to pursue it. It's love when 70 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:12.720 you take the first few awkward steps of friendship, the first hello, the 71 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:16.639 first text, the first you want to hang out. Pursuing love happens when 72 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.360 you show up before everyone else to make sure that the coffee and the water 73 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:26.360 are ready. Pursuing love is sending a card after a tragedy, even when 74 00:06:26.399 --> 00:06:30.279 you feel like it's not enough. Pursuing love is having a Crock Pot of 75 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:34.600 food ready for lunch after church to share, or listening to someone formulate their 76 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:41.560 thoughts when they're not formulated yet, listening to someone or helping someone when they 77 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:45.839 need a break, filling in when somebody needs a rest. These are the 78 00:06:45.879 --> 00:06:49.560 ways that we pursue love. We look for the opportunities, we hunt them 79 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:56.639 down, we find them and we zealously go after them. We might be 80 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.800 doing these things from time to time, but Paul is asking a little more 81 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:03.560 of us, isn't he? Maybe a lot more in some cases. He 82 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:08.399 doesn't just tell us to do loving things or to be loving, he tells 83 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:13.680 us to pursue it, and that some question worth asking ourselves. Are we 84 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:18.480 pursuing love? Always waiting until you feel like it is not pursuing it. 85 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:26.079 Always waiting until it's convenient or cheap or easy is not pursuing love, and 86 00:07:26.199 --> 00:07:30.319 neither is pushing people into love either, or demanding that they accept your loving 87 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:35.000 actions. In our zeal to be loving towards one another, we never want 88 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:42.240 to take away someone's right to say no thanks. You may not understand why 89 00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:45.360 they don't want a hug or why they don't want to meet up with you 90 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:50.959 right now, but you don't have to understand that in order to love them. 91 00:07:51.800 --> 00:07:57.959 That's because, as we read in First Corinthians Thirteen. Love that we 92 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:01.720 pursue, the kind of love that Paul wants us to pursue, is a 93 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.399 love that is patient, a love that is kind, a love that isn't 94 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:11.079 irritable or demanding that you accept everything that I give to you. It's not 95 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:16.079 a pushy love, even as it is a pursuing love. This is the 96 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:22.000 approach that he wants us to take, and it's a good one. It's 97 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.399 a wonderful one to experience and it's a wonderful one to give. It is, 98 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:31.080 of course, the one that God does for us. God didn't just 99 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:37.759 wait around until it was easy and convenient to love us. We read in 100 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:41.360 the scriptures that, in the fullness of time, according to all of his 101 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:46.120 strategies, we might say, and all of his providences, that the exact 102 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:50.799 Roment and the right time, according to his perfect will, Jesus Christ came 103 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:56.120 into the world and he gave his own blood, his own life, in 104 00:08:56.240 --> 00:09:01.120 order to love us. What's in this kind of love and having already been 105 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:05.600 pursued by God in this way that Paul now calls us to exercize, that 106 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:11.080 in accord with our spiritual gifts. So, having considered the zealous way in 107 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:16.000 which we ought to approach love. He now applies that to spiritual gifts in 108 00:09:16.039 --> 00:09:18.919 the church. And Remember, he's picking up where he's left off, because 109 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:24.200 in Chapter Twelve Paul was teaching us about this. And Chapter Twelve he talked 110 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:26.960 to us about how we are like a body, right, a body with 111 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:33.360 ears and eyes and feet and all of these parts, different and distinct and 112 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:37.919 yet held together in this amazing way, each member of the body working together 113 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:43.559 to build up the rest of the body, as he said, as he 114 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.399 said in our passage this morning, in verse twelve, he says, so 115 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:52.000 with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the spirit, strive to 116 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:58.080 excel in building up the church. This is how we're supposed to use our 117 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:03.279 gifts. We are to strive to excel, we are to improve, get 118 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:09.919 better and practice and grow. And now, having talked about this way of 119 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:13.799 love, he returns to that again in chapter fourteen and zeroes in on two 120 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:22.039 spiritual gifts in particular, prophecy and tongues, and speaking in tongues. Prophecy 121 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:28.200 and speaking in tongues. Prophecy refers to the proclamation of God's word. Speaking 122 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:33.480 God's word and he talks about some of the ways it's used for for building, 123 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:39.679 for edifying, for encouragement, for consolation, teaching these kinds of things. 124 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:45.360 That's prophecy, the proclamation of God's word to people. He also speaks 125 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:48.759 of speaking in tongues, and this refers to speaking in languages, known, 126 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:54.320 languages that are understand understood by other people. Now, both of these gifts, 127 00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:01.320 prophecy and speaking of tongues have extraordinary and ordinary forms. Extraordinary forms of 128 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:07.639 prophecy are predicting the future, telling the future, like agabus did when he 129 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.440 foretold the famine, or they like Paul did when an angel spoke to him 130 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:16.679 that the men on the ship that he was with would all be saved, 131 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:22.840 and they were. But it also includes the ordinary gifts of prophecy, which 132 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:28.360 are like preaching, teaching, encouragement. From the Scriptures we see this gift, 133 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:31.720 for example, an Aquila and Priscilla when they met with a police in 134 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:39.759 his early days and taught him more accurately the way of God. As far 135 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:43.360 as speaking tongues goes, it's in the same way. We have extraordinary forms 136 00:11:43.399 --> 00:11:46.120 of this, like we see in acts to or the spirit of God descends 137 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:50.720 on the disciples, these followers of Christ, and they begin speaking in the 138 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:54.519 languages of all these people who are in Jerusalem, and all these people are 139 00:11:54.559 --> 00:12:01.000 amazed to hear the word of God in their own languages. An extraordinary moment. 140 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:05.879 But we also have the ordinary speaking of languages on the ability to then 141 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:11.600 which many people, I do, strive and excel. The these people are 142 00:12:11.639 --> 00:12:16.919 still useful to the witness of the Gospel and the building of the of the 143 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:22.440 church as they translate the Bible, as they translate sermons and worship services, 144 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.960 as they go out into different parts of our community and reach people with the 145 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:33.559 word of God, which means that everything here in chapter fourteen applies to us 146 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:39.320 today. These two gifts in their ordinary forms, and prophecy and speaking in 147 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:45.240 tongues, speaking languages, definitely still applies today and we ought to think about 148 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:50.159 it very carefully and how it applies to our worship services. It's true that 149 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:54.120 those extraordinary gifts have passed with the laying of the foundation that the apostles and 150 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:58.720 prophets did. So we read last time in Ephesians to twenty. The cannon 151 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:05.440 has been closed and those authenticating extraordinary gifts have largely ceased. But we still 152 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:09.240 proclaim God's word, don't we? And we still do it with languages. 153 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:15.559 So these issues are still very much relevant and worth our paying attention to. 154 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:20.279 So what does Paul say? What are how are we supposed to think about 155 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:26.720 these things? Well, Paul's Point, overall point, is pretty straightforward. 156 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:31.639 He says it's better to prophesy than to speak and hungs. Now, why 157 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.639 is that? His answer is because it builds up the body more, especially 158 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:43.559 when there's no one to interpret the language that is spoken. Now that connects 159 00:13:43.600 --> 00:13:48.200 to love in this way, because the spiritual gifts aren't for showing off. 160 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:54.080 The spiritual gifts aren't just to have a private time with the Lord. The 161 00:13:54.120 --> 00:14:00.000 spiritual gifts are for the public upbuilding in love of the people of God. 162 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:05.360 That's what he's saying over and over and over again. There were some very 163 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:09.960 talented people in Corinth. It was a very cosmopolitan city, likely with lots 164 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:16.200 of people who spoke languages, perhaps some extraordinary, perhaps many, many in 165 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:22.480 ordinary ways. The ability to speak in languages, even today is still often 166 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:24.919 an impressive thing. When somebody tells us that they speak another language, we 167 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:28.639 all wow, that's really cool. And if they tell us they speak three 168 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:33.720 or four or five or six. We right and we honor and we're amazed 169 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:39.840 at that sort of thing. But what Paul says is don't be overly impressed 170 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:43.120 with just the gift if it's not used for the building up of the body. 171 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:48.600 Imagine if I came to you this morning and every single thing that I've 172 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:52.840 said up to this point has been in a language you didn't know. How 173 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:58.919 would you be feeling right now? How would you feel if not a single 174 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.279 whole thing that has happened, it's been understood and we're already, you know, 175 00:15:03.759 --> 00:15:07.440 forty five, forty minutes in? It would be frustrating. You might 176 00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:11.039 feel a little bit like an outsider, like a foreigner, like somebody who 177 00:15:11.039 --> 00:15:16.519 doesn't belong. With the word of God, even if it was preached very 178 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:22.279 articulately and intelligently in the language that I was speaking, benefit you at all? 179 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:28.080 It wouldn't. And so Paul says it doesn't matter if we speak lots 180 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:31.720 and lots of languages or lots and lots of words if they're not being used 181 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:37.519 for the building up of the people of God. Paul, in other words, 182 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:43.720 asks us to reevaluate our priorities here speaking in another language is impressive indeed, 183 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:46.360 not to mention many languages, but it's not the better gift in the 184 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:52.840 church, because the point of the gifts is for building up. Now does 185 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:56.840 that mean that speaking in tongues is not important? The Paul doesn't care about 186 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:58.480 it, that he doesn't want to know. He says I wish that all 187 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:04.559 of you would speak in tongues. Paul doesn't undervalue it. He doesn't or 188 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:08.159 say it's a sinful thing in any way. It's a great thing, but 189 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:11.480 only when it's used for the building up of the church, and it seems 190 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:18.480 that the Corinthians were having difficulty with this point. Speaking God's Word is good 191 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:23.480 and he says even if you speak it to yourself, that's fine, but 192 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:27.600 if it's not fruitful in the mind and the minds of other people, it 193 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:33.960 is of no it vantage. It must be understood. Paul gives an analogy 194 00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:37.200 to this, a couple of them that are I find a little bit funny, 195 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:41.759 just to imagine the images that he gives. First he talks about a 196 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:47.919 flute and a harp, these lifeless instruments. So I just imagine a flute 197 00:16:47.639 --> 00:16:51.960 like sitting on a chair or something. It's not doing anything. It's just 198 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:56.200 there and if you go over and you clack some keys or you blow into 199 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:00.799 it and it makes us sound, you made a sound, but you haven't 200 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:04.599 made music right. Nothing distinct has happened. The notes haven't been ordered in 201 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:10.920 a such a way that communicates something that brings joy or sorrow, that lifts 202 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:15.680 up or whatever the intention is. It's just a sound. Same with the 203 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:21.640 harp. He speaks of a trumpet. Next he says these notes that are 204 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:25.680 given, these particular notes, they're meant to communicate. Here he gives this 205 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:30.559 wonderful example of getting ready for battle. Right, sometimes musical instruments are used 206 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:36.359 to communicate very specific messages, and with trumpets, right in military context, 207 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:38.839 it's time to wake up, it's time to go to war. Well, 208 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:44.240 if the trumpeter gets up and he just and then puts his trumpet down, 209 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:51.200 right as the message been communicated? No, if it's not understandable, what's 210 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:56.519 the point? This Paul's point here. Likewise, with speaking in tongues, 211 00:17:56.640 --> 00:18:03.279 the message must be distinct, it must be understandable and even if the language 212 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:07.119 you're speaking and is known to you and God knows it, you know you 213 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:14.079 can understand each other that's fine, but it's not for the public edification of 214 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:21.039 the church, and that's what these gifts are for. We must speak in 215 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:29.839 intelligible ways. When we don't, we shut people out, we make them 216 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:33.759 feel like they don't belong and even worse than just making them feel like they 217 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:40.559 don't belong, we literally do not give them the message that we are commanded 218 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:45.880 to give. Think about the Great Commission. What did Jesus say? Did 219 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:51.039 he say go and shut the nations out, or did he say, go 220 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:55.559 and speak to them and teach them to obey everything that I commanded you? 221 00:18:55.599 --> 00:19:00.000 We are to be people of the word who not just know it, who 222 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:04.000 not just know it and speak to God about it, but who know it 223 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:07.400 and share it, who know it and teach it, who know it and 224 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:14.240 encourage and bring consolation, who tell people about Jesus and the hope that he 225 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:21.960 offers. Even as we have been told, sometimes this is difficult imposes challenging 226 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:26.000 situations, but it's also in those situations that we have the opportunity to reflect 227 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:30.839 on situation, on on this word and apply it and ways that are very 228 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:36.599 beautiful. For a while, when I was growing up, I belong to 229 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:42.400 a bilingual church where most of the people spoke English but many spoke only Chinese, 230 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:48.440 and the church, Abiding Ball Paul's instructions here in First Corinthians Fourteen, 231 00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:52.440 had to think very carefully about how to make all this work, how to 232 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:57.440 join together as the body of Christ, and they made several practical choices. 233 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:03.519 One choice they made was to have to worship services and English service and a 234 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:07.400 Chinese service, so that the word of God everybody could hear it. There 235 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:12.240 was opportunities to hear it in a language that you could understand. A second 236 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.839 thing they did that I always thought was impressive as they worked with both the 237 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:22.839 English speakers and the Chinese speakers to help them learn each other's language. Now, 238 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:26.720 not everybody was capable of doing that, but it was encouraged and there 239 00:20:26.720 --> 00:20:30.640 were opportunities for that and instruction for that, so that over time, in 240 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:36.680 striving to excel in these gifts, the people would be built up and there 241 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:41.359 would be more encouragement and mutuality. No, not likes I said. Not 242 00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:45.160 everyone was could do this, but all were encouraged to do so as they 243 00:20:45.160 --> 00:20:51.119 were able, and sometimes we'd have joint worship services together in which both languages 244 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:56.279 were offered and sometimes even we would sing the same songs in both languages. 245 00:20:56.519 --> 00:21:00.440 Now this white seemed to be a little contrary to what Paul was saying, 246 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:03.640 because you have this cacophony of sound. But in this particular instance I don't 247 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:10.440 think it was for a couple reasons. One is that as both length as 248 00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:14.599 both languages were being spoken at the same time, it was with the same 249 00:21:14.599 --> 00:21:19.039 song that everybody knew there was would be an overhead projector over here with English 250 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:23.440 and overhead projector over here in Chinese, and so you can see see the 251 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:27.039 words and it was all being translated as all happening the same time. It 252 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:32.240 was a little bit of a mess, but it was also a beautiful one 253 00:21:32.279 --> 00:21:37.960 and one that everyone could understand an expression of Christian unity. Of course there 254 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:41.240 was this normal translation of the sermons and other things going on as well. 255 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:48.319 Different churches have to decide these things differently, depending on their context the places 256 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:53.359 they're in, but they here's something we must be thoughtful about. According to 257 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:57.319 some two thousand and fifteen data and Pema county they're about fifty to a hundred 258 00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:03.480 thou people who speak a language other than English at home and don't speak English 259 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:08.240 very well. From time to time. This is why I will ask some 260 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:14.599 of you who know other languages to be on the lookout for newcomers who might 261 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.640 benefit from these things, to be able and to be ready to sit beside 262 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:25.640 someone and translate and to help as we are age able. Why? Why 263 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:32.759 do we do these things? Because intelligibility matter, ers being unable to understand 264 00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:38.559 what is going on matters. It's a loving thing to do, to pursue, 265 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:44.680 to strive for, even when it's hard and difficult, to earnestly desire 266 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:51.160 and to work toward. It's why, in and it's why the reformation was 267 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:57.960 right to emphasize the translation of Scriptures into languages that people understand. It's why 268 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:07.039 the reformers were right to to encourage and even demand that sermons happen, that 269 00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:12.480 services happen in languages that people know, not just Latin or whatever else. 270 00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:22.640 And it's why we also rightly reject some pentecostal practices of just everybody making noise. 271 00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:29.640 These things are not intelligible and they're not right, they're not loving and 272 00:23:29.680 --> 00:23:33.559 they shut people out and they deny people the word of God that we are 273 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:41.680 called to give. And so the application all of this Paul says we ought 274 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:48.880 to grow up. He says, do not be children, and you're thinking, 275 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:52.079 sure, be infants and evil. That's a good way to be like 276 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:57.440 kids, but not in your thinking. Understand what God is doing. And 277 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:02.279 then, this is at the end of the passage, he quotes this section 278 00:24:02.359 --> 00:24:06.759 from Isaiah. He says by people of Strange Tongues, this is verse Twenty 279 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:08.599 One, and by lips of foreigners. Will I speak to this people? 280 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:14.079 And even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. This 281 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:18.440 is an interesting reference. Here Paul speaks to the people of Israel in judgment 282 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:22.559 and he says, because you didn't listen to me, you're basically going to 283 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:29.000 be overwhelmed by these people that speak foreign tongues. You're going to hear all 284 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:33.440 of these things and the word of God will you won't be able to to 285 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:37.960 understand it. It won't be able to know it. And in this way 286 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:42.640 it's a signed for unbelievers, the unbelievers being, of course, unbelieving Israel. 287 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:47.359 Here he takes that and he trains changes it in just a little bit 288 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:49.640 of a way and he says, yes, it's still for unbelievers, but 289 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:53.359 it's but the unbelievers. It's not you, core church and Corinth, but 290 00:24:53.400 --> 00:25:00.720 it's these outsiders. They need to hear the word. We are reminded that 291 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:11.160 God uses the God reveals himself in ways that we can understand. God does 292 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:15.440 not speak to us as he speaks to himself. We do not know God 293 00:25:15.480 --> 00:25:21.319 as he knows himself, who is infinite and unfathomable, and his wisdom and 294 00:25:21.400 --> 00:25:26.200 his ways. Instead, God condescends to us and speaks to us in ways 295 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:30.440 that we can understand, and he gives it's not one word or a few 296 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:36.359 words, but many words. The Bible, the word of God, is 297 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:40.759 a prized possession. It's precious to us. We study it, we learn 298 00:25:40.839 --> 00:25:47.119 it, we know it because God has spoken. God has chosen to bless 299 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:53.200 us with it, to make himself known. If we take that word and 300 00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:57.160 we stopped speaking in a way that is known, we in a way begin 301 00:25:57.279 --> 00:26:03.039 to undo what God has done, to shut people out who have a right 302 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:08.799 to hear no, Paul says. Instead, when you speak in tongue, 303 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:18.079 speak in a way that is understandable and intelligible. As we close, one 304 00:26:18.079 --> 00:26:22.119 of their application to consider in this passage, as it a lot of times, 305 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:30.119 and I noticed that people today thinking very individualistic terms regarding church. I'm 306 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:33.400 here to get fed and if I don't, that's bad, and if it's 307 00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:37.400 good, it's good, and that, of course, is a part of 308 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:41.000 it. God feeds us with his word, he helps us, he encourages 309 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:45.759 us, all the things that are mentioned here in this passage and others. 310 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:52.599 But I don't just come here to get fed or to to be fed. 311 00:26:52.440 --> 00:26:56.400 I don't come here just to eat, but I come here, we all 312 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:02.519 come here to be part of a group me and that's a different thing. 313 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.279 What you actually have in a worship service is not just a time for you 314 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:11.039 to be with God, but a time for you to be with the church. 315 00:27:11.039 --> 00:27:15.599 With God. It is a group meal. It's about eating together. 316 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:22.799 We celebrate a sacrament that we call communion, and that communion is not just 317 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:25.559 with the Lord, is with one another as a part of what Paul has 318 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:30.559 been calling the body of Christ and that applies to all aspects of our worship 319 00:27:30.640 --> 00:27:33.839 service, from the preaching of the word of God, which needs to be 320 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:41.039 understandable and intelligible, to every part. When you sing, in other words, 321 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:44.519 it's not just because you've been called to sing, but that we have 322 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:49.400 been called to sing. We need to hear your voice. It's not and 323 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:52.440 when we call it, when we confess our sins, it's not just because 324 00:27:52.839 --> 00:27:56.440 you need to confess your sins, but we need to hear you confess your 325 00:27:56.480 --> 00:28:03.559 sins. We need to confess our sins to one another. Going back to 326 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:07.079 the analogy of a meal, it's a totally different thing right to grab a 327 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:11.400 sandwich out of the fridge and sit by yourself in front of the TV then 328 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:15.200 it is to sit down with your family, to sit down with your relatives, 329 00:28:15.240 --> 00:28:18.160 to sit down with your brothers and your sisters and your friends, and 330 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:22.400 to pass food and to wait for food and to share the food and to 331 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:27.279 talk about the food and to rejoice with each other. Totally different experiences. 332 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:32.839 When we come together and worship and the as a church, God calls us 333 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:36.640 as a church, as a body, and that's why we must exercise these 334 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:41.720 gifts in love. It's being who he's called us to be, it's doing 335 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:47.039 what he's called us to do and it's living in light of the promises that 336 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:51.160 he's already made. Of course, we fail at this in all kinds of 337 00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:53.559 ways all the time. We don't pursue love as we ought to do. 338 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:59.119 We don't strive for excellence as we ought to. Sometimes we struggle because we're 339 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:03.880 just stubborn and lazy. Sometimes we're struggle because we don't know what the right 340 00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:07.039 thing is to do and we can't quite figure it out. There's all kinds 341 00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:11.440 of reasons, but our hope of it is that we are bound up in 342 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:17.240 this love that ultimately comes from the Lord himself. As I said before, 343 00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:21.400 it's the Lord who pursues us, it's the Lord who unites us, it's 344 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:26.480 the Lord who then blesses us. We are here as a family of God, 345 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:32.680 to experience and to receive his blessings. So let's do that when we 346 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:37.119 come to church, let's come expectantly and hopefully and waiting on the blessings of 347 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.160 the Lord, knowing that we will hear his word and we will hear it 348 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:45.319 intelligently and that, as we have opportunity to do so, we will share 349 00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:52.960 it with others and little conversations, in our confessions, in our singing and 350 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:56.000 all these different ways, and as we do these things, may God be 351 00:29:56.079 --> 00:30:00.759 glorified, may the spirit be made more manifest. Best I mean the outsiders 352 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:07.440 and the strangers and foreigners come in here, say Amen and give glory to 353 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:11.319 God. Let's pray