{"id":17146,"date":"2021-08-25T22:00:38","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T05:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1corinthians-14_1-12-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-08-20T23:09:31","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T06:09:31","slug":"1corinthians-14_13-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1corinthians-14_13-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Speak A Language That The Unchurched Can Understand"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Corinthians 14:13-25\u00a0\u00a0 Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a01 Corinthians 14:13-25. Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 14:13-25 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So 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.
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0If 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?
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-18:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor this reason\u201d, Paul says in verse 13.\u00a0\u00a0What reason is this?\u00a0\u00a0Keep 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.\u00a0\u00a0Paul 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 \u201cAmen\u201d to what you are saying?\u00a0\u00a0How can the people listening to you be helped or edified by what you are saying (v17).<\/p>\n

Also in verse 14, we learn something about the nature of praying in tongues: Paul says that when you pray in tongues, you\u2019re praying with your spirit but your mind is unfruitful.\u00a0\u00a0This is actually one reason I find praying in tongues so helpful.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t know about you, but I find that every day I\u2019m 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.\u00a0\u00a0The 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\u2019s a reason why Paul also thanks God that he speaks in tongues (v18).\u00a0\u00a0Still when it comes to leading others in prayer where people are supposed to be listening and saying \u201cAmen\u201d to what you pray, refrain from using tongues unless there is someone to interpret that tongue and that someone\u2019s character is reliable and trustworthy.<\/p>\n

19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 19:\u00a0\u00a0From the perspective of leading people in prayer, isn\u2019t it better, Paul says, to speak 5 words that the people can understand than 10,000 words that people cannot understand?\u00a0\u00a0So true.<\/p>\n

20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 20:\u00a0\u00a0As Paul tells the Corinthians Christians, in regard to evil we want to \u201cbe infants\u201d, that is, innocent.\u00a0\u00a0But in our thinking we want to be mature, not immature children.\u00a0\u00a0The immature (\u201cchildren\u201d) think only about serving themselves.\u00a0\u00a0Mature people think about serving the needs of others.\u00a0\u00a0That includes how we lead others in prayer.<\/p>\n

21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In 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.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So 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?
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But 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,
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 21-25:\u00a0\u00a0In verse 22, why does Paul say that \u201cTongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Does 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?\u00a0 Is this a typo?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s 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\u2019s Word or come to faith because they are hearing the message in a language that they cannot understand.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s 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.” \u00a0It’s a valid point.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 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).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from all this?\u00a0 Here’s a very important lesson: \u00a0Whenever 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<\/strong>.\u00a0 That of course includes not going crazy with speaking in tongues.\u00a0 But it also includes other things like:<\/p>\n

– speak in a way that unchurched people can relate to<\/p>\n

– 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.\u00a0 You always have time to talk with old friends\u00a0later or to meet with teammates after.\u00a0 Don’t be a reason why an unchurched person thinks, “This church is not that friendly or welcoming.” \u00a0Be a great host every time.)<\/p>\n

– use language that unchurched people can understand.\u00a0 Avoid speaking too much “Christian”-ese that might confuse an unbeliever.\u00a0\u00a0Also, 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.<\/p>\n

– when you share about God’s Word, try to communicate the Word of God in a way where unchurched people can experience its power.\u00a0 We want unchurched people who hear every message at Thrive to say, “Wow!\u00a0 I can relate to what that person is talking about.\u00a0 And what he or she is saying is actually really helpful.” \u00a0We 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.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Is this watering down the gospel, or dumbing down church? No.\u00a0 It’s all about removing any unnecessary barriers in our church service that would otherwise keep unchurched people from coming to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

After all, the church is not a cruise ship built for our own comfort and entertainment.\u00a0 It’s not a submarine where we’re supposed to disengage from the world and be our own secret, exclusive club.\u00a0 It’s not a military warship where we’re all about attacking things that we think God is against.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 The church is a fishing boat and we want to bring as many people as possible into Christ’s kingdom.\u00a0 Let’s be a great fishing boat for Jesus Christ together!<\/p>\n

Heavenly Father, may I be sensitive to others with the language I use, whether I\u2019m praying, speaking publicly, or just having information conversations with people.\u00a0\u00a0Instead 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.\u00a0\u00a0In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is\u00a01 Corinthians 14:13-25. Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 14:13-25 (NIV)
\n13\u00a0\u00a0For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.
\n14\u00a0\u00a0For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
\n15\u00a0\u00a0So 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.
\n16\u00a0\u00a0If 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?
\n17\u00a0\u00a0You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.
\n18\u00a0\u00a0I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.<\/p>\n

On verses 13-18:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor this reason\u201d, Paul says in verse 13.\u00a0\u00a0What reason is this?\u00a0\u00a0Keep 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.\u00a0\u00a0Paul 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 \u201cAmen\u201d to what you are saying?\u00a0\u00a0How can the people listening to you be helped or edified by what you are saying (v17).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17146"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17147,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17146\/revisions\/17147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}