Guard Your Faith
Grace, Peace, and Mercy be yours this day in our Lord Jesus Christ!
Well, are we tired of this topic yet? We are once again addressing the topic of “tongues” or “speaking in tongues” in the church. This has been Paul’s focus in our text for the past few weeks. What is the issue? Why does he spend so much time on this one issue? The reason is that God the Holy Spirit as He was inspiring Paul’s writing of this text knew the future, and that this one topic would remain a point of contention and division in the church from Paul’s day to the end of the Church age. Paul is seeking to give very specific direction for the life of the Church, so let us take his words to heart.
Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
1 Corinthians 14:13-19
Need we clarify anymore? But for the sake of so many who are confused, please seek to grasp what Paul is saying. Is there a Spiritual Gift of speaking in tongues? The answer is yes! Of what does this gift consist? Paul has made it clear that this gift is the God given ability to speak in languages which are foreign to a person but which the person is gifted to speak for the purpose of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone of another culture. Is this gift still needed in the world today? Absolutely!
The challenge comes when the understanding of this gift is believed to be something else, which is where many people are today. No longer is it a known or recognized language, but some unintelligible ecstatic utterance which in no way resembles a human language but rather an angelic or heavenly language. Nowhere in the Bible is any such language identified or even declared to exist. Yet, what we see in so many churches today is a babbling which is not understandable to anyone. Paul’s declaration is clear, Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. The meaning is obvious, if no interpretation is available, the speaking is useless.
Paul goes on to say, I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Think about Paul’s life as a missionary. He was personally responsible for establishing a minimum of 14 churches and it is very likely there were more. Given that he remained at each location from 18 months to two years, this alone adds up to 21 to 28 years of working in fledgling congregations. As a missionary he would have encountered many different people groups who spoke various languages. Paul was very familiar with the gift of speaking in tongues, because he states he possessed this gift. But what does he declare is needed in the church? The Church needs clear understandable speech!
One clear understanding of the spiritual gifts given by God is that they were never for the edification of oneself! Each and every gift was given to be used to bless others, not the possessor of the gift. Speaking in tongues is a gift given by which many others will be blessed to hear of Jesus as Savior. Those who know Jesus need clear teaching to give them a foundation for their faith and guidance for their spiritual maturity. Speaking in tongues will not accomplish this! This is why Paul is adamant about speaking with “understanding.”
While there are still churches which elevate “tongues” over every other gift and believe this gift is evidence of true faith, there are other issues facing Christendom today. Every believer in Jesus must be vigilant to ensure what is being taught in the church they attend is the truth of God which is clearly revealed in the Word of God. The devil has been hard at work to convince many church attenders that what the Bible says is not true. Human wisdom rules the day, and the Word of God is being set aside for lies and deceptions. Without the truth we are no better off than simply listening to babbling and understanding nothing! If it makes since and is understandable, but it is a lie, then it provides no foundation for your faith at all.
Guard the truth of God in your heart and protect what you believe. Never accept or compromise the truth for the sake of convenience or to get along with others. It is better to part ways with a heretic than to be deceived by him. Hold onto Jesus and live believing He will hold onto you.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
Well, are we tired of this topic yet? We are once again addressing the topic of “tongues” or “speaking in tongues” in the church. This has been Paul’s focus in our text for the past few weeks. What is the issue? Why does he spend so much time on this one issue? The reason is that God the Holy Spirit as He was inspiring Paul’s writing of this text knew the future, and that this one topic would remain a point of contention and division in the church from Paul’s day to the end of the Church age. Paul is seeking to give very specific direction for the life of the Church, so let us take his words to heart.
Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
1 Corinthians 14:13-19
Need we clarify anymore? But for the sake of so many who are confused, please seek to grasp what Paul is saying. Is there a Spiritual Gift of speaking in tongues? The answer is yes! Of what does this gift consist? Paul has made it clear that this gift is the God given ability to speak in languages which are foreign to a person but which the person is gifted to speak for the purpose of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone of another culture. Is this gift still needed in the world today? Absolutely!
The challenge comes when the understanding of this gift is believed to be something else, which is where many people are today. No longer is it a known or recognized language, but some unintelligible ecstatic utterance which in no way resembles a human language but rather an angelic or heavenly language. Nowhere in the Bible is any such language identified or even declared to exist. Yet, what we see in so many churches today is a babbling which is not understandable to anyone. Paul’s declaration is clear, Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. The meaning is obvious, if no interpretation is available, the speaking is useless.
Paul goes on to say, I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Think about Paul’s life as a missionary. He was personally responsible for establishing a minimum of 14 churches and it is very likely there were more. Given that he remained at each location from 18 months to two years, this alone adds up to 21 to 28 years of working in fledgling congregations. As a missionary he would have encountered many different people groups who spoke various languages. Paul was very familiar with the gift of speaking in tongues, because he states he possessed this gift. But what does he declare is needed in the church? The Church needs clear understandable speech!
One clear understanding of the spiritual gifts given by God is that they were never for the edification of oneself! Each and every gift was given to be used to bless others, not the possessor of the gift. Speaking in tongues is a gift given by which many others will be blessed to hear of Jesus as Savior. Those who know Jesus need clear teaching to give them a foundation for their faith and guidance for their spiritual maturity. Speaking in tongues will not accomplish this! This is why Paul is adamant about speaking with “understanding.”
While there are still churches which elevate “tongues” over every other gift and believe this gift is evidence of true faith, there are other issues facing Christendom today. Every believer in Jesus must be vigilant to ensure what is being taught in the church they attend is the truth of God which is clearly revealed in the Word of God. The devil has been hard at work to convince many church attenders that what the Bible says is not true. Human wisdom rules the day, and the Word of God is being set aside for lies and deceptions. Without the truth we are no better off than simply listening to babbling and understanding nothing! If it makes since and is understandable, but it is a lie, then it provides no foundation for your faith at all.
Guard the truth of God in your heart and protect what you believe. Never accept or compromise the truth for the sake of convenience or to get along with others. It is better to part ways with a heretic than to be deceived by him. Hold onto Jesus and live believing He will hold onto you.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Russ
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