1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.
The above spiritual gifts are for those who are alive in Jesus Christ, made new creatures by his resurrection power. Before being made new creatures, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Jesus said, “Follow me now! Let those who are spiritually DEAD care for their own dead.” (Matthew 8:22) Paul writes: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:1-2) Dead is dead. Without the quickening of the Spirit within us, making us alive to him, we cannot be used to do kingdom work for the glory of God. To be used for his glory, we need to be alive IN HIM through faith in his works and not our own works. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, MADE US ALIVE with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. In this same passage Paul explains further: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:4-5 & 8-10) Without being alive IN HIM with faith in his power, we cannot be instruments of the Holy Spirit. We will not speak with God's gifts of tongues or prophecy. To be used by him, we must be alive to him and exercise the faith He has given us. What makes us alive? Faith in Christ Jesus makes us alive to God and his Spirit. Faith opens the gate to our inner beings. The Holy Spirit enters us though that gate. Our faith in Jesus Christ makes us holy, a place where the Holy Spirit, who is without sin, can abide. Because of the work of Christ, we are an acceptable work to God. John wrote, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) God will use us if we are willing to be used in this world. He will make us his ambassadors, expressing his goodness and love to the world. Tongues and prophecies exalt his name. Tongues edify the spiritual self; prophecies edify the church as a whole. Both are possible because we are no longer dead, but new creatures, made by the hands of God through Jesus Christ.
Because the Holy Spirit has breathed a new creature's life in us, we can commune with God in a known tongue or an unknown tongue. Paul tells us that if a person speaks in an unknown tongue, maybe in a heavenly language, (If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,) the community of believers will receive little or no benefit from the tongues spoken. Even though the individual might be speaking wonderful words, beautiful phraseology to God, a message that even the angels understand and glory in, he or she is not edifying other members in the body. Since we are temporal beings, we need the conventions of a known language to understand what is spoken. To understand language, humans need a comprehensible linguistic order to words, a sensible structure of sounds that convey meaning to us. If the sounds in sequence are meaningful to us, we will internalize them in a useful way. On the other hand, if a person speaks in an unknown tongue, even though it is pleasing to God, initiated by the Holy Spirit, the results to those who are nearby might seem as nothing more than gibberish, useless to their understanding. However, if a person prophesies in a known language, the people nearby will understand what is said. Consequently, tongues, unless interpreted, is a gift for the individual. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. However, anyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. Both are gifts from God, and both edify the new creature in Christ. One should be used often in prayer for the edification and strengthening of the individual; the other should be used for the benefit of the church, to strengthen the church as a spiritual body. This does not mean we should ignore tongues in our prayers to God. But Paul is clear about tongues in the church. As he continues his teaching later in this chapter, he says, I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:18-19)
In today's verses, Paul continues to address the needs of the church. In chapter 12, he describes the many parts of the church: giftings, positions, responsibilities. He also emphasizes the Holy Spirit's work over every part of the body. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4) In chapter 13, he shows that sacrificial, enduring love brings cohesiveness to the church, providing the glue that holds the parts together. Without love, the church does not function effectively. Now in chapter 14, Paul talks about the church operating in the Spirit, beginning with the gifts of tongues and prophecy. Both are needed in abundance within the church. Tongues are a gift to believers for personal strengthening and edification. However, to speak in an unknown language, one must believe that he or she has that resource within them. If they choose not to believe or lack faith to exercise the gift, tongues remain silent. Tongues, as with every function in the Holy Spirit, is activated by faith. A person may believe or not believe God has provided this gift for him or her as a new creature in Christ. Prophecy functions similarly. If you do not believe you are gifted, saying what God wants you to say to a person or to the church, you will hold your peace. For the Bible says the Spirit is subject to your authority and will not override your will. Therefore, exercising prophecy takes faith. Father Bennett, author of Nine O'clock in the Morning, said, when you prophesy you should think, I was just talking to God, and He told me to tell you this. If you believe the opposite, that God has not given you anything to say, you will remain silent, even though God desires you to speak his truth. All of us come from different life experiences, as unique as our fingerprints. Each of us has insights to pass on to others. God always speaks to us and will use our uniqueness to speak to others. Perhaps what He says to you today should be said to others. Are you willing to prophesy, to pass on the Good News to others? In the church context, prophecy is sometimes instantaneous. God prompts you to get up from the pew, at an opportune moment, to speak a word that will edify the church. Other times, his words to you come slowly, developed over time. You prophesy to the church out of a wealth of interactions with God. Both situations take faith, believing God is in the message and desires you to express his words to his people. Dear friends, open yourselves up to tongues, to prophecy. We all need to function better with these gifts. As the world darkens, light is needed to show the way to truth, to God. Allow the Holy Spirit to exercise these gifts in your life.
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