In
strange tongues and from the mouths of strangers I will preach to this people, but
they’ll neither listen nor believe.
So
where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues no one understands? It
doesn’t help believers, and it only gives unbelievers something to gawk at.
Plain truth-speaking, on the other hand, goes straight to the heart of
believers and doesn’t get in the way of unbelievers. If you come together as a
congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as you’re all
praying in tongues, unintelligible to each other and to them, won’t they assume
you’ve taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as they can? But
if some unbelieving outsiders walk in on a service where people are speaking
out God’s truth, the plain words will bring them up against the truth and probe
their hearts. Before you know it, they’re going to be on their faces before
God, recognizing that God is among you.
So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather
for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for
all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an
insight. If prayers are offered in tongues, two or three’s the limit, and then
only if someone is present who can interpret what you’re saying. Otherwise,
keep it between God and yourself. And no more than two or three speakers at a
meeting, with the rest of you listening and taking it to heart. Take your turn,
no one person taking over. Then each speaker gets a chance to say something
special from God, and you all learn from each other. If you choose to speak, you’re
also responsible for how and when you speak. When we worship the right way, God
doesn’t stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. This goes for all
the churches—no exceptions.
Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they
should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of
their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs
here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted
speaking. Do you—both women and
men—imagine that you’re a sacred oracle determining what’s right and wrong? Do
you think everything revolves around you?
If any one of you thinks God has something for
you to say or has inspired you to do something, pay close attention to what I
have written. This is the way the Master wants it. If you won’t play by these
rules, God can’t use you. Sorry. – The Message -
* * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * *“If you are not in the process of becoming the person you want to be, you are automatically engaged in becoming the person you don't want to be.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People,
Paul said the same thing… to be perfectly frank; I’m getting exasperated with your
infantile thinking. How long before you grow up and use your head—your adult head? Only mature and
well-exercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullibility.
We can count on humans to take a perfectly good gift from
God and mess it up. Like, LEFSE…a Divine gift if there ever was one. When we
were kids we loved lefse. My brother Marc loved it more than most. He thought “if one piece is good…2 pieces is better”.
Then, in Breckenridge 1963… 54 pieces. Lefse was far less appealing to him when
he was through. Plus…I didn’t get any.
Or tongues…So where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues no
one understands? It doesn’t help believers, and it only gives unbelievers
something to gawk at. Plain truth-speaking, on the other hand, goes straight to
the heart of believers and doesn’t get in the way of unbelievers. If you come
together as a congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as
you’re all praying in tongues, unintelligible to each other and to them, won’t
they assume you’ve taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as
they can?
This is abuse. God’s gifts are not indiscriminate. They are
focused, precise and intentional. If we don’t grow up and use them properlyly
they become destructive.
So Paul says here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship,
each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all…do you
think everything revolves around you? Corinthian believers were self-centered.
It revealed itself in everybody believing they had something to say. Men
interrupted the speaker. Women…who were positioned behind a partition…found
themselves privileged to chat with each other during the service. I’m inclined
to say “who could blame them?” They
were probably bored but…it was disruptive.
I’ve met a few Corinthians in my ministry…and they weren’t
all women.
Today this hubris exhibits itself with Starbucks lattes in
worship…with cargo shorts and t-shirts. I know we want to think these things
aren’t meaningful but they belie everything we claim to believe about God. My
friends don’t show up to my house that way. They usually call ahead and ask if
they can bring something. They dress “smart casual”. It’s respectful.
When John Lennon said “the
Beatles are bigger than God” he was on to something. All he had to do was
observe how people treated the Beatles…in contrast to how they treated God.
You may think I’ve lost my train of thought here. I don’t
think so. This isn’t just about tongues and prophesy. It’s about how we serve
God. Paul says God’s
Book of the law guides our manners and customs here…not Eddie Bauer.
We’ve become so disoriented as a church that we no longer think in terms of
manners and customs. We think in terms of personal preferences. I, for one,
want to be courteous
and considerate in everything. If standing on manners and customs
helps…I’m all for it.
Who are you becoming?
Live
boldly out there today…
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