1 Corinthians 14:13-25 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 14:13-25. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 14:13-25 (NIV)
13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?
17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
On verses 13-18: “For this reason”, Paul says in verse 13. What reason is this? Keep in mind the context: in verses 1-12, as well as in the rest of 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is talking about how to lead people in public worship. Paul is saying that if you intend to lead people in prayer by praying in tongues, you should also make sure there is someone to interpret what you pray. Otherwise, as verse 16 says, how will anyone understand and say “Amen” to what you are saying? How can the people listening to you be helped or edified by what you are saying (v17).
Also in verse 14, we learn something about the nature of praying in tongues: Paul says that when you pray in tongues, you’re praying with your spirit but your mind is unfruitful. This is actually one reason I find praying in tongues so helpful. I don’t know about you, but I find that every day I’m using my mind to solve problems, make plans, have conversations and serve others, such that at the end of a day or a week I can be mentally fatigued. The great thing about praying in tongues is that I can be mentally fatigued, but I can still draw close to God and pray with my spirit without having to use my mind so much. Perhaps that’s a reason why Paul also thanks God that he speaks in tongues (v18). Still when it comes to leading others in prayer where people are supposed to be listening and saying “Amen” to what you pray, refrain from using tongues unless there is someone to interpret that tongue and that someone’s character is reliable and trustworthy.
19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
On verse 19: From the perspective of leading people in prayer, isn’t it better, Paul says, to speak 5 words that the people can understand than 10,000 words that people cannot understand? So true.
20 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.
On verse 20: As Paul tells the Corinthians Christians, in regard to evil we want to “be infants”, that is, innocent. But in our thinking we want to be mature, not immature children. The immature (“children”) think only about serving themselves. Mature people think about serving the needs of others. That includes how we lead others in prayer.
21 In the Law it is written: “Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me,” says the Lord.
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
24 But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all,
25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
On verses 21-25: In verse 22, why does Paul say that “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.” Does he have it mixed up? Doesn’t Paul really mean the opposite: that tongues are a sign for believers but prophecy is a sign for unbelievers? Is this a typo? No. Most likely what Paul means is that speaking in tongues is a sign that causes unbelievers to remain in a state of unbelief, whereas prophecy helps unbelievers to move from unbelief to faith. To use a traffic sign analogy, speaking in tongues publicly on stage is like a stop sign that keeps unbelievers from moving forward in faith, whereas speaking prophetically is like a green light that encourages the unbeliever to move forward in faith. It’s in this context that Paul in verse 21 quotes Isaiah 28:11, 12, which paints the picture of people not being able to listen to God’s Word or come to faith because they are hearing the message in a language that they cannot understand.
Paul’s big concern is that if people are allowed to address the rest of the church in tongues without interpretation, unbelievers who attend the meeting will be turned off, thinking, “These people are nuts.” It’s a valid point. For this reason Paul would rather that the people in the church speak prophetically (that is, use a language that everyone in the meeting understands to communicate how God sees the people and how God feels about them). At least by prophesying, there is a much higher chance that people will be convicted of their sin, be touched by the Spirit of God, and be brought to faith in Christ saying, “God is really among you!”. (v24).
What can we learn from all this? Here’s a very important lesson: Whenever we gather as a church (whether in a large service or in small groups) we want to speak in a language that unbelievers can understand. That of course includes not going crazy with speaking in tongues. But it also includes other things like:
– speak in a way that unchurched people can relate to
– go out of our way to let people who are new feel welcome, loved, and included (That’s why at THRIVE I urge you that at the end of each meeting, before you do anything else spend the first chunk of time reaching out to those who are new. You always have time to talk with old friends later or to meet with teammates after. Don’t be a reason why an unchurched person thinks, “This church is not that friendly or welcoming.” Be a great host every time.)
– use language that unchurched people can understand. Avoid speaking too much “Christian”-ese that might confuse an unbeliever. Also, if there are people from different ethnicities and cultural backgrounds in your midst, speak a language that everyone can understand, lest you exclude people with your speaking.
– when you share about God’s Word, try to communicate the Word of God in a way where unchurched people can experience its power. We want unchurched people who hear every message at Thrive to say, “Wow! I can relate to what that person is talking about. And what he or she is saying is actually really helpful.” We want unchurched people who meet with us to eventually get to the point where they say “God is really among you, and He’s speaking to me through you.”
Of course we can’t do any of this without the help of the Holy Spirit, but it’s about doing our best with what is in our control and trusting the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
Is this watering down the gospel, or dumbing down church? No. It’s all about removing any unnecessary barriers in our church service that would otherwise keep unchurched people from coming to Jesus Christ.
After all, the church is not a cruise ship built for our own comfort and entertainment. It’s not a submarine where we’re supposed to disengage from the world and be our own secret, exclusive club. It’s not a military warship where we’re all about attacking things that we think God is against. No. The church is a fishing boat and we want to bring as many people as possible into Christ’s kingdom. Let’s be a great fishing boat for Jesus Christ together!
Heavenly Father, may I be sensitive to others with the language I use, whether I’m praying, speaking publicly, or just having information conversations with people. Instead of excluding people with the language I use, may I speak in a way that will lead the maximum number of people that I can to You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
