MPC
15th June 2008.June 15 - 1 Corinthians 12-14 - "Encouraging Words"
MPC
15th June 2008.
Phil Campbell
"Dear Pastor, The word of the Lord has told me that if you contribute to our funds you will have many blessings on you and your church for years to come."
It was a message on my computer screen. And it was signed Pastor Jing Su. Who I'd never heard of. I mean, how did this guy even get my email address? And he was asking for donations to help rebuilding his church. Which had apparently been affected by the earthquakes.
Now I don't know about you, but I get fake emails asking me to send money almost every week. And so even though I'm happy to support Christians in China affected by the earthquake, without even thinking about it, I hit the delete key. Even though Pastor Su was telling me that apparently he'd had a direct word from the Lord... to say he'd bring special blessings to MPC for years to come.
I guess maybe one rule of thumb I was using was that if God wanted me to send money to Pastor Su, God could tell me about it direcly rather than telling Pastor Su to send me an email.
But at the same time it's confronting, isn't it, when people claim they've got a direct line to God.
I remember when I visited the CLC Church in Terrigal once on holidays; and the Pastor told the congregation before the collection plate went around that the Holy Spirit had told him that morning that the church had to buy a grand piano. That the piano they had wasn't good enough. And so they had to take out their cheque books. The Holy Spirit said so. A direct line to God. Or so he said.
Which is still the way some people claim or act as if they're more spiritual than everyone else. It happens with this thing people call tongues. It happens with what people say are words of knowledge or of prophecy. And it's still the case that stuff like this is still the place where some Christians want to try to mark themselves out as being more spiritual than others.
Which is exactly what's happening in Corinth. In the original Greek, Chapter 12 literally starts with the words, now about the spirituals. Now about the pneumatikown. Without actually specifying the subject of the adjective. About the spiritual what? The English translators take a stab and add the word gifts which isn't in the original, because that's kind of what Paul goes on to talk about. But the bigger subject, the wider subject that he's talking about is really the group in the church who call themselves the spiritual ones.
Because right from the start, right back in chapter 3, this has been a letter talking about a church with factions. And some who wanted to call themselves spiritual. As opposed to the other members who really weren't. Or so they said. And you get the same term again in chapter 14 verse 37, if anyone considers himself a prophet or literally a spiritual, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command.
The spirituals needed to pull their heads in. And take notice first and foremost of their apostle. And the authority of his letter. Which is the letter we're reading this morning.
Fascinating then that so many charismatic or pentecostal churches seem to prooftext what they're doing from 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 and hold the church in Corinth up as an example. When if you listen to the tone of voice Paul's using, Corinth is a church where things have gone terribly wrong.
In Corinth, there's no shortage of people jumping up with spiritual sounding messages. In Corinth, there's no shortage of people speaking in tongues that no-one can understand.
But at the same time it seems in Corinth there's a huge shortage of love. In Corinth, it seems, there are people who call themselves spiritual and yet are caught up in competition and one upmanship and putting themselves ahead of everybody else. In short, the Corinthian Christians need to be reminded in chapter 12 that the Holy Spirit as been given for the sake of unity. And for the common good.
The Corinthians seem to think it's a play off. That the gameplan was to get rated as the most spiritual player on the field.
But look at Paul's words in verse 7 of chapter 12. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit has been given for... the common good. Whether it's wisdom, whether it's knowledge, whether it's gifts of healing or miracles or anything else. All from the same Spirit, says Paul. All for the common good. And all dished out in verse 11 just as the Spirit determines.
So if the Spirit has given you the gift of wisdom and knowledge, what's it for? Dave Burge said to me on Friday, Dave's doing a PhD in New Testament before he goes back to the mission field, and he said, I'm not doing it for my sake. I'm excited that people are supporting me to study for the sake of the kingdom. So I can go back and help build up the church in Mongolia.
Paul says a church is built like a body. Every part different. Every part there for the good of the other. Ever part interdependent. Like the eye and the hand and the foot.
Pick up in verse 27. And remember, he's talking to the church where it's every man for himself. He's talking to the church that wants to use their gifts and abilities as the yardstick for who's the most spiritual. But Paul says in verse 27, Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And each one of you, he goes on to say, is different. Whether you're an apostle like Paul is, verse 28, or a prophet, or a miracle worker or a tongues speaker or even those able to help others or those with gifts of administration... you're all different. And you're all there for the rest of the body.
Which is something I think is sometimes forgotten. And we still have the same sort of divisions Paul's talking about. And the same sort of spiritual pecking orders being set up of some Christians who think they're more Christian than other Christians. Of some Christians who think for instance that doing what they'll call speaking in tongues makes them closer to God than other Christians who don't.
Verse 31 in chapter 12 Paul says we should eagerly desire the greater gifts. And there'll be Christians who say, that means the kind of gifts the pentecostal churches are so into. They're the great gifts.
But I want you to notice with a brief look at chapter 13 what the greater gifts really are. And maybe reconsider.
Because if you're convinced the greater gifts are the gifts that you haven't got then I guess you'll feel you're a second rate Christian, won't you?
So look carefully at what he goes on to say.
The problem when you come to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 is that it's the passage people always have preached on at weddings. It's the famous passage all about love that makes everyone go misty eyed. Love is patient, love is kind, verse 4, it does not envy, it does not boast.
Has it dawned on you yet, he's not talking about the love in a marriage... so much as he's talking about the love in a church. It is not proud, or rude, or self seeking. It's not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
This is what a church should look like. Specifically the church in Corinth. Which you can see even more clearly at the start of chapter 13.
See, I'll show you the most excellent way. I'll show you the most excellent gifts. I'll show you the spiritual gifts to aspire to. They'll be the most loving gifts. The most serving gifts. They'll be the gifts that build everyone up.
Because if I speak in the tongues of men and angels, verse 1, but have not love I'm only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. This is the band with no conductor.
It's interesting, he uses the musical metaphor again in chapter 14; flutes and harps and trumpets, verse 6, how will anyone know what tune's being played if there's no distinction in the notes.
But stay at the start of chapter 13. Verse 2. If I have the gift of prophecy and I'm incredibly impressive and can fathom mysteries and knowledge that nobody else can understand and even if I have a faith that can move mountains... and have not love... I'm nothing. If I give everything away and burn myself up in the flames to prove how spiritual I am... and I have not love, verse 3, I gain nothing.
Can you see what he's saying? To these people who want to call themselves the spirituals because they say that they speak in tongues that nobody else understands? This is spiritual one upmanship of the worst possible kind. Because no matter what else they've got... they have not love. Which means they've got nothing.
Which is the scenario you find in chapter 14; it's like everyone is competing for airtime. With nobody caring about the impact their words have on anyone else. In 1 Corinthians 14, you've got people caught up in what they're calling their own enjoyment of God. Without realizing that if they're not caring for one another, if they're not encouraging one another, then even if they think they're enjoying God, God is not enjoying them.
You get a glimpse down in verse 26. Which isn't so much a pat on the back, as stating the problem. What then shall we say, brothers? What can I say? When you come together everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everybody wants to have a say. Not for the good of the church. But for their own sake.
And so the essence of it is, here's a chapter where time after time he has to tell them when it's time to stop. When it's time to be quiet. When it's time to take a seat and listen. And as he does that, Paul puts things like speaking in tongues and prophesying into perspective.
We're covering a lot of ground today. With lots of ideas to get your head around. But if there's only one verse you take home, make sure it's verse 12. Here it is in a nutshell. The second sentence in the verse, that sums up everything Paul's been saying in chapter 12 and 13 and 14. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. They're the more excellent gifts. It's the point he's making over and over again. Since you're so eager to have Spiritual gifts. Go for the big ones. Go for the gifts that are loving. Go for the gifts that give the most to your brothers and sisters. The gifts that build up the church.
Which is why the situation in Corinth needs to be brought under the control of love. Under the control of the question, how is what I'm doing going be helpful to my brothers and sisters? Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.
So on the outline we've got two key subheadings. Helpful Words, and Helpful Silence. Paul says when you gather as a church, do what's helpful for other people. And that's what he's going to spell out. In a church where it's every man for himself.
And under the heading helpful words in the outline there are the two subheadings: Tongues. And Prophecy.
Now you'll remember if you've ever read Acts chapter 2, this speaking in tongues thing is something with a background that goes back to the day of Pentecost. Where the Holy Spirit gave the Jewish apostles the ability to speak other languages so they can be clearly understood by a crowd of pilgrims whose native tongues were Egyptian and Greek and Cypriot and Italian. And a whole bunch of others. And the crowd says in Acts 2 verse 11, this is amazing, because each of us can hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!
And the point was, every word made perfect sense. For the outsider, for preaching to unbelievers of a diffent language, speaking in tongues was the ultimate spiritual gift. Which Paul and the other apostles were given I suspect to speed up the process of getting out the news about Jesus.
Keep in mind, the tongues, the languages they spoke in on the day of Pentecost, made sense. At least to somebody. And the problem here in Corinth is that none of it makes any sense at all. Which is kind of oddly different, isn't it? And if everyone is making noises that nobody understands, Paul says, how is it helpful?
So here's the test. Paul says the real test of the gift of tongues like the Apostles had, the real test of its usefulness in the church, is that at least somebody has got to be able to understand it. Otherwise, what use is it?
I mean, the sort of thing the Corinthians are doing seems like it's just switching off your mind and babbling syllables without connected meaning. Which might be fine to do on your own. But Paul says if you're doing it in the church and nobody else understands it, it's just alienating people, in the technical sense of the word. It's making people foreigners to one another. Because they can't be understood.
Pick up in chapter 14 verse 2. And we'll scan through what he's saying. And keep in mind, we'll come to the question of prophecy in a moment.
Paul says if you want to aspire to the greater gifts, here's a hint. Prophecy is better than tongues. And it's better for one very simple reason. Because at least you can understand it. For anyone who speaks in a tongue, we're in chapter 14 verse 2, doesn't speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him. And as he's going to go on to say, that's the problem. He utters mysteries with his Spirit.
Now you might be thinking uttering mysteries with your spirit to God is a good thing. The funny thing is, when it comes to what you do in church, Paul says it's not a good thing at all.
Keep reading. Because he says If you speak in a tongue, verse 4, you're just edifying yourself. At least if you prophecy, if you say something understandable, so you edify the church. You build up everyone else. He says, sure I'd like you all to speak in tongues. The apostles did it in Acts chapter 2 so they made sense to Scythians and Egyptians and Italians without even learning the language. But he says, here's what I'd rather have: instead of you all competing there in Corinth to speak in tongues, I'd much rather have you say stuff that makes sense. I'd much rather have you prophesy. Verse 5. Which is why he who prophecies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues. Unless he interprets, so it makes sense and the church can be edified by it.
See, making sense to each other is incredibly important. Which the Corinthians seem to have forgotten. And generations of Presbyterians seem to have forgotten as well. We've got our State Assembly next week where they talk about pro re nata meetings and in hunc effectum[1] and that's just the beginning. Wait til they start talking about theology. And so often Christians and Churches talk in jargon and buzzwords that they maybe think make them sound impressive. When Paul says the biggest value lies in being understood. Which is one of our core commitments here at MPC. That even if someone walks in off the street, which he talks about in the next few verses, what they hear will make sense to them.
Because what good is it if the musical instruments are not playing a tune, verse 7? Who'll get ready for battle if the trumpet doesn't sound a clear call?
Now can you see his point? He's making it over and over again. He's being as clear as he can about the importance of being as clear as we can.
Pick up in verse 10. Undoubtedly, says Paul, there are all sorts of languages in the world. Yet none of them is without meaning. If then I don't grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. You're making foreigners of one another by insisting on speaking in words that can't be understood. Which is crazy. He says, since you're so eager to have spiritual gifts, at least go for the ones that build up the church. So if you speak in a tongue, verse 13, pray you can interpret what you're saying. Because there's no point just having your spirit pray while your mind remains unfruitful. You want to do both. Verse 15. Spirit and mind. "So what will I do? I will pray with my Spirit, but I will also pray with my mind." I'll sing with my Spirit with my mind on the job as well. Otherwise, verse 16, how can someone who's with you and who doesn't understand join you in saying amen to your prayer? Which, by the way, simply means I agree.
Do you get the point? You're coming to church not just to say your own prayers with your spirit; not just to sing your own worship songs; you're here to build up others. Even in the way you pray. The way you're understood. See, that's the problem with speaking in tongues, the way they're doing it in Corinth. It's self edifying. Not other-person edifying. Which is why five words that make sense... are better than ten thousand words of babble that nobody understands.
And so in verse 23. What about if a stranger comes in? What if someone walks in off the street, while you're all speaking in tongues? If the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues and some who don't understand, or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you're out of your mind? They'll say you're crazy. Because it just won't be making any sense.
And so, he says, in verse 27. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two or three at the most. One at a time, and someone must interpret. So it makes sense to everyone. And if there's no interpreter, if there's no one who speaks the language, the speaker should keep quiet in the church, and speak to himself and God.
Because whatever you say in church needs to make sense. So it can be encouraging. Because that's what meeting as a church is all about.
Which is why, time after time, he's saying if you want to say anything, then prophecy is best.
Now when it comes to being helpful with what we say, we need to come back to the idea of prophecy. But the question is, what exactly is it that he's talking about? You'll notice Paul says at the start of the chapter, chapter 14 verse 1. Follow the way of love, and eagerly desire spiritual gifts. especially the gift of prophecy. And all through the chapter. You Corinthians like tongues. But prophecy is better.
I mean, are we meant to have a church full of people like Pastor Su who sent me the email? Or Prophets demanding pianos because the Spirit told them to?
Now Paul doesn't give us an exact definition of prophecy. But verse 3 is the next best thing. Because it talks about prophecy's effects. And you can work backwards from that.
Now clearly, he's talking about words that are moved by the Spirit. But verse 3 narrows it down. They're words with an intended effect. Everyone who prophesies does what? "Everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort."
What you're doing if you're prophesying is speaking a God-given word to a particular situation. A word that strengthens. A word that encourages. A word that brings comfort.
An insight, somehow. That the Spirit gives. To give the right encouragement or the right comfort at exactly the right time.
And what church wouldn't want that? Because the whole goal is to build one another up. To encourage one another to persevere in Godliness. If you've got a word from the Spirit that's going to do that, then the church is going to be strengthened by it.
And the good thing is, anyone can do it. As we saw in chapter 11, as long as they've got their heads covered to acknowledge their husbands, women can prophecy, and so can men.
Except the problem is in Corinth everyone is doing it. And it seems it's all at once. As if it's a competition. Where anyone who thinks they've got a prophecy wants to talk over the top of everybody else. Where the pursuit of a word of prophecy isn't to build people up, but to make yourself seem important. Which is always the danger. Whatever your gift.
Which brings us to the next point on the outline, helpful silence. There's that old Ronan Keating song with the line "Sometimes you say it best when you say nothing at all." And that's what Paul wants to say in two circumstances to the Corinthians.
It's funny how even such a good gift as prophecy that's meant to build up and encourage the church gets so easily abused. Paul says, make sure you keep control of the prophets. Words of prophecy can be helpful to people. But they aren't what the church is to steer by. Whether it's about grand pianos or anything else.
And at this point Paul goes on to spell out some useful guidelines. And here's the first place where he says silence can be more useful than speaking. He says don't all speak at once. If somebody else starts talking, you stop. Kind of basic manners. Because sometimes the best thing you can do is just sit down and bite your tongue.
As well as which he says in verse 29, when someone prophecies, don't just blindly accept it. He says the gathered church has got to weigh it up. Verse 29, weigh carefully what is said.
Which, I take it from the context, is the point where Paul says the wives shouldn't publicly take part in critiquing the prophecies of their husbands.
Now verse 34 is a political correctness hot potato verse. But as usual, before you get too negative about it, do the normal thing of reading the context. Paul's already said women can prophecy. Now he's talking about the church questioning the prophets. Not just taking their words for granted. Publicly testing them.
But here's the second point where silence is more helpful. And that's if a wife wants to publicly question and critique her husband. Paul says bite your tongue. Remain silent. Rather than bringing the disgrace of questioning her husband in public. Because again, we need to use our words carefully. And appropriately. And in a way that respects the man and wife relationship. Paul's very clear, and he doesn't want the responsibility of spiritual headship of the husband publicly diminished. A wife can prophesy in church. But if it's her husband who's spoken, it seems from the context when everyone else weighs up the prophecy, she should be silent. And grill him at home later.
Now that's touching quickly on a contentious issue. If you want to follow it up there's an excellent article by Wayne Grudem that lays out the argument in detail. But will you notice again, it's in the context of keeping prophecy in the right perspective. And not letting it take over the church. Being encouraged by it. But not being driven by it. The church sits in authority, the church decides if a word of prophecy is helpful or not. The church weighs it up. So the pastor says the spirit says we have to buy a grand piano, and the church has to weigh that up. And see if it's encouraging. And see if it's comforting. And most of all, see if it's in accord with the teaching of scriptures. Delivered through the apostles like Paul. Which is why he says in verse 37,
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or a spiritual, or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.
Friends, can you get hold of this? A Christian is a person who is guided by the scriptures. A person who lives under the authority of the words of the apostles who were appointed by Jesus. And if you have a helpful word from God, it's got to be subject to that. And helpful to the church.
And the same applies to every other gift. Your abilities aren't meant to be expressed for your satisfaction. Or your reputation. But to build up the body.
So sometimes, like with me and song leading, it's far better if I'm as far from the microphone as possible. Sometimes it's actually better for everyone else if you opt out. Sometimes you say it best when you say nothing at all.
So where are we up to? It's The bottom line is very simple. Whatever gifts you've got, remember the reason you've got them is to edify the church. Which is just the old fashioned word for building and strengthening. What ever gifts you've got, use them for building and strengthening other people. Which makes all the other issues sort of evaporate, doesn't it?
Whatever you say, make sure you're being understood. Whatever you say, make sure it's bringing the church together. Rather than leaving some people out.
And it's certainly not a matter of spiritual pecking order. Or of marking some people out as more spiritual. As if some gifts give people a higher spiritual status. The most valuable gifts, the greater gifts, the gifts we're to eagerly desire... are the gifts that build other people up the most.
Verse 39, Paul wraps it all up. By saying again, be eager to prophecy. Because it's such a great gift for building people up. For encouraging. Don't forbid speaking in tongues. It's no big deal. If you like speaking in tongues that nobody can make sense of, you're not doing anything wrong. It's just that it's a bit like mixing up golf with hockey. I mean, they've both got people chasing a ball with a stick. But golf's a sport you play on your own. Hockey's a team thing. When you come together for church, it's team time. Keep tongues between you and God. Unless there's someone else who can understand the language.
And if God gives you a word of prophecy, use it... in the right ways... not to prove that you're spiritual. Because we're all spiritual. Use if to strengthen and encourage and comfort the church. And be happy to have it weighed by the church. Pray that you'll have lots of words of encouragement like that. To encourage and comfort and build up our church family. Pray that when your preachers preach from week to week, there'll be prophecy involved. That the right words will be said in the right ways to give the right encouragement. A while ago on a Monday morning I got an email from someone who said, "Dear Phil, Thanks for your sermon yesterday. It was one of those sermons that you go away thinking 'Was that sermon especially for me?'"
Which I guess means my words that day were used by the Spirit exactly the way prophecy is meant to work. You want to be praying that happens lots. In my words and in your words. Why wouldn't you want that in your church?