1 Corinthians TONGUES & PROPHECY: 1 Corinthians 14

I. The Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy. (v. 1-25) A. (v. 1) 1. “Follow after charity,…” a. “follow” - Gr. “pursue; aggressively chase; hunt down” 1) Gr. present imperative active - a command to keep on pursuing after love! a) Illust. - Like those nature shows where the cheetah is chasing the gazelle, we are to “chase after love”!

b. “charity” - Gr. agape - “divine love”

2. “…and desire spiritual gifts,…” a. “desire” - Gr. “earnestly desire; deeply desire; be completely intent upon” 1) Gr. present imperative active - a command to “keep on earnestly desiring spiritual gifts”!

3. “…but rather that ye may prophesy.” a. “prophesy” - Gr. prophéteuó - “speak forth; tell before” 1) From Greek words pro (“before; in the presence of; in front of”) and phēmí (“declare; say; speak”), thus “to declare before” someone, or “speak forth” to someone from God. 2) Definition: The gift of prophecy is speaking forth the word of God with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.1

3) The author of Hebrews wrote, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,” (Hebrews 1:1) a) All throughout the O.T., God spoke through the prophets, and they excercised the gift of prophecy. i. NOTE: There is the gift of “prophet” (Eph. 4:11), but there is also just the gift of “prophecy” which all believers can have (v. 31).

4) Sometimes this gift has a predictive element. a) Cf. Acts 11:27-28 - sometimes foretelling the future

1 Chuck Smith. Living Water, p. 151 1 1 Corinthians TONGUES & PROPHECY: 1 Corinthians 14

i. Illust. - Last month at the pastor’s conference, Bryant Stevens and I were talking, and he said, “Hey bro, I don’t know how the gifts of the spirit work and all that, but the Lord is really gonna bless Moriah Chapel. He’s gonna do a great work,” and it was something impressed on his heart to say prophetically. ii. Illust. - Years ago, right before I went to Bible College (1/8/2000), I was with some friends watching a football playoff game, Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans. The Titans took a 15–13 lead with 1:48 to go in the game. The next drive, the Bills drove for 37 yards and kicked a field goal with only 16 seconds left on the clock, and took the lead 16-15… Right before the kickoff, I told my friends, “Watch, the Titans will receive the ball and run right, then the guy will throw it across the field to the left, and the guy will run it all the way back.” Sure enough, Titans tight end Frank Wycheck got the ball, ran right, and then threw a lateral pass across the field to Kevin Dyson, who then ran 75 yards to score the winning touchdown, winning 22–16!!! That became known as the “Music City Miracle.” They looked at me like I was crazy for calling it. I said, “I told you so!”

5) Most of the time, prophecy is a word that God will give to someone to speak into their life or situation. a) Cf. Acts 13:2; 15:32; 21:10-11; Romans 12:6 i. Illust. - When TJ and I were meeting with pastor Jimmy Orate to pray about our situation with the kids while meeting at the library, after we were done praying, TJ very naturally said something like, “If we take care of the kids, God will take care of the church.” I really felt like that was the Lord speaking prophetically to us. It was a word of encouragement to step out in faith and trust Him, so we did and He is working. ii. Q = Have you ever had those moments during the message where it’s as if God is speaking directly to you? Or you’ll be talking to someone about some scriptures, and the pastor will quote some of those same passages?…

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b) Cf. 1 Timothy 4:14 - Timothy received a spiritual gift when the elders laid hands on him and prophesied over him. i. Illust. - When I was ordained and the elders of Calvary Chapel Hot Springs were praying over me, pastor Mark Schwartz prayed Acts 20:28 over me and said prophetically, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

B. (v. 2) 1. “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue…” a. “tongue” - Gr. glóssa - “language” 1) Definition: Tongues is a gift whereby the Holy Spirit gives you a supernatural ability to pray in a language that you do not know or understand. a) “unknown” - in italics, thus added by translated to help clarify meaning.

2) Cf. Mark 16:15-17 - Jesus prophesied that one of the signs that would follow a believer was that “they shall speak with new tongues.” a) NOTE: There are are those that say Mark 16:9-20 really isn’t there because they’re not in the Codex Siniaticus or Codex Vaticanus, but these verses were quoted by Iranius and Hipolatus about 200 years before these manuscripts were even written. So, these early church fathers must have had earlier manuscripts that included them. 3) Cf. Acts 2:1-11 - When the Holy Spirit filled them while they were sitting (v. 2) and waiting on the Lord, and one of the signs that they Holy Spirit came upon them was that they “began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (v. 4) a) (v. 3, 11) “tongues” - Gr. glossa - “languages” b) (v. 6, 8) “language” - Gr. dialektos - “dialect”

4) Cf. Acts 10:44-46 - The Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his house and they spoke in languages (tongues).

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5) Cf. Acts 19:1-6 - When the Holy Spirit came upon the 12 men in Ephesus, it says, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (v. 6) 6) Cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, 28-31 - Not everybody has the gift of tongues. 7) Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1 a) “tongues of men” = Earthly languages b) “tongues of angels” = Heavenly languages i. Just because a language is unidentifiable here on earth does not mean it is not a legitimate use of the gift. 8) Cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-12 - The gift of tongues will cease at end of the Tribulation period at the 2nd Coming. (cf. Acts 2:16-21; Romans 1:11; 1 Cor. 1:7) a) “that which is perfect” - Jesus Christ (v. 12)

2. “…speaketh not unto men, but unto God:…” a. One of the purposes of tongues is to assist the believer in his/her prayer life and worship of God. 1) The gift of tongues allows us, by the Spirit, to express ourselves to God without funneling our feelings through our intellect. When words cannot express what we feel, we use a spiritual language that is beyond the limits of our understanding, so our prayer life is more satisfying.2

b. So much of the Christian life is beyond human understanding. It’s hard to describe to a person that doesn’t have spiritual understanding (1 Cor. 2:14 - “the natural man”) 1) Examples: a) Try to explain to a deaf man the beauty of a symphony. You can’t! b) Try to describe the beauty of the sunset to a blind person. Explain the different colors it shines forth on a cloudy day. You can’t!

2) 2 Samuel 7:20 - David came to that place of his vocabulary being inadequate.

2 Chuck Smith. Holy Spirit Study Guide. 4 1 Corinthians TONGUES & PROPHECY: 1 Corinthians 14

a) A man that is so articulate with his praise and worship came to the place where he didn’t know what to say. David was a man so articulate, but he was so overwhelmed by the Grace of God, he said, “What more can David say unto you?” 3) 2 Corinthians 12:4 - Paul was caught up to paradise and “heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” 4) Ephesians 3:19 - “to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge” 5) Philippians 4:7 - “peace that passes understanding” 6) 1 Peter 1:8 - “joy unspeakable (indescribable)” a) Illust - Liesl and I saw a video clip where these guys down in South America were harvesting the coco plants, which we use for chocolate, and this guy brought them a chocolate bar to try for the first time. They were asking him, “What does it taste like?” and he couldn’t describe it to them. They just had to taste it. “WOW!!!” i. It is difficult to describe your experiences as a Christian to someone who doesn’t know them! The same is true in our relationship to God! c. When you’re talking about experiencing the indescribable in your relationship to God, we are often hindered with the barrier of language. 1) NOTE: The gift of tongues is an insult to our intellect! Our intellects rebel against uttering sounds that we do not understand! a) I believe this a reason why many people have not received the gift of tongues. They have intellectual difficulty in releasing their faith. d. NOTE: Language is an agreement between people that certain sounds express certain ideas. 1) Illust. - If you go to a foreign land, and you stand on the street corner, you can hear people communicating with each other in their native dialects. To me, their sounds are unintelligible. I’m amazed that they can communicate with those strange sounds! I have to conclude that they are communicating intelligently to each other, yet it is totally foreign to my own ear and my intellect. 2) In English, we have certain sounds, and we have agreed that these certain sounds are conveying particular ideas, and some are quite funny...

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a) “Milk” - white liquid from a cow b) “Cow” - big animal c) “Noodle” 3) If we wanted to, we could invent a language if we agreed that certain sounds are conveying certain ideas. a) “Ugh” = “Let’s go to Souplantation after church.” b) “Nug” = “Who’s buying?” c) “Tug” = “I’ll treat.” d) “Lug” = “Let’s do it!” i. So, after church, someone walks in to the library and hears us talking, and I say to you, “Ugh,” and then you say, “Nug.” Then I say, “Tug,” and you say, “Lug.” Then we’re off to Souplantation! e) Illust. - When the Seal Team 6 went in to kill Osama Bin Laden, they had a code word for him: “Geronimo”.

4) I see the gift of tongues as a covenant between you and God. a) By faith, I’m going to utter certain sounds that I do not understand, but I’m going to trust the Holy Spirit to prompt those sounds so that they are a language of praise and worship from my spirit unto God.

e. NOTE: The purpose of tongues was never as a teaching tool. You are not speaking to men, but to God. 1) Some churches allow what they call “messages in tongues” to be delivered during public services, but actually these utterances are not “messages” at all because tongues are directed to God. a) Many times, the “interpretation” that follows a “message in tongues” is really a prophecy, because it is spoken from God to the church. An interpretation of tongues will always be directed towards God, and not directed towards man. (Acts 2:11; 10:46)

3. “…for no man understandeth him;…” a. This probably just refers to those in the congregation, not in the whole earth. (cf. Acts 2:5-11)

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4. “…howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” a. “mysteries” - Gr. “divine secrets”

C. (v. 3) 1. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” a. “edification” - Gr. “building up; architecture” 1) Prophecy will never tear somebody down, but will always build up. a) Illust. - One of my friend’s dad told us about how the night before one of his high school football games, that a girl came up to him and said, “The Lord told me that you are not to play in the game tomorrow night because if you do, you will break your neck and be paralyzed.” Well, he said he read this verse, said, “Thank you Lord that wasn’t from you,” and he played in the game, and they WON!!!… He never broke his neck in the game.

b. “exhortation” - Gr. paraklésis - “encouragement; call alongside; urge close beside; consolation; comfort” 1) Prophecy will always bring encouragement.

c. “comfort” - Gr. paramuthia - “consolation; speaking closely; calming” 1) This word has a greater degree of tenderness than the previous word paraklésis.

D. (v. 12) 1. “…seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.” a. In our church meetings, the goal must be a mutual benefit of the whole church, not just for individuals.

E. (v. 13) 1. “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.” a. “interpret” - Gr. “explain; expound; unfold the meaning of what was said”

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1) Definition: The gift of interpretation is a gift given by the Holy Spirit to supernaturally enable a person to explain and unfold the meaning of a tongue. a) NOTE: There is a difference between a translation and an interpretation. i. Translation = word for word transfer from one language to another ii. Interpretation = Explains the meaning of an expression regardless of the words used in the original language. The words aren’t as central as the concepts. b) Cf. Daniel 5:1-28 - Daniel gave an interpretation to the writing on the wall. i. NOTE: Daniel’s interpretation was longer than the actual translation. The words “mene, mene, tekel, upharsin” literally meant, “numbered, numbered, weighed, divided”. Then Daniel gave his interpretation of it. (v. 5:26-28) c) There are no recorded cases of the exercise of this gift in the N.T., except for Paul’s teaching on the subject in 1 Corinthians 12-14. i. KEY: An interpretation of tongues will always be directed towards God, and not directed towards man. (v. 2; Acts 2:11; 10:46) a. NOTE: The events in Acts 2 cannot be considered a record of the interpretation of tongues, for at least 2 reasons: i. Those who heard the disciples speak in tongues were not believers, and the gifts of the Spirit are given only to believers. ii. As far as the record tells us, then men who understood the disciples’ utterances in tongues never declared their interpretation to anyone else.

b. NOTE: I do not believe that there needs to be an interpretation every time you speak in tongues in your personal prayer time (v. 14-15). However, during a public service, it must be used if there is to be the exercise of the gift of tongues (v. 28).

F. (v. 14) 8 1 Corinthians TONGUES & PROPHECY: 1 Corinthians 14

1. “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” a. “my spirit prayeth” - The gift of tongues can help us when we don’t know what or how to pray. 1) It is important that we pray according to the will of God. (cf. 1 John 5:14-15) 2) Paul, in writing to the church at Rome, said that “the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered...according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)

G. (v. 19) 1. “Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” a. Paul puts a higher priority on teaching than speaking in tongues.

H. (v. 22) 1. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” a. This is probably the most difficult verse in the Bible to deal with… Different Views: 1) Some scholars believe that the gift of tongues is a sign that brings hostility from unbelievers (v. 23), like the unintelligible tongues of the Assyrians to the Jews aroused hostility (v. 21; Isaiah 28:11-12). On the other hand, they would say that the gift of prophecy would be a sign of blessing to those that believe, because we are not receiving judgment like the Jews got from Assyria. 2) Other scholars believe that there was a scribal error early on in the copying of Scripture. a) Respected translator J.B. Phillips thinks an ancient scribe mixed up Paul's word order in 1 Corinthians 14:22, and the verse should read: “That means that tongues are a sign of God’s power, not for those who are unbelievers, but to those who already believe. Preaching the word of God, on the other hand, is a sign of God’s power to those who do not believe rather than to believers.” b) NOTE: It is important to note that Phillips does not believe the Holy Spirit made an error in the original

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autograph, but a copier of what the Holy Spirit inspired did. 3) Other scholars believe that these statements are actually questions that Paul is asking to make his point in verse 23-25. a) Could be translated: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not? but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe?” b) NOTE: From what Paul is saying in the context, it seems that the Corinthians thought that if they just demonstrated their spirituality by speaking in tongues, that would be a sign to unbelievers that Jesus is real.

II.How the Gifts Are To Operate In A Congregational Setting. (v. 26-40) A. (v. 34-35) 1. “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” a. “churches” - Gr. ekklésia (plural) - “assemblies; gatherings” 1) We would call them “worship services” today.

b. “speak” - Gr. “speak out; question; argue; profess; chatter” 1) Paul has already assumed the right of women to pray or prophecy in public (1 Cor. 11:1-16), thus this cannot be a complete gag order against women. 2) Q = Then what does Paul mean?… a) Could be referring to 2 things: i. It could be that they were just speaking out disruptively in the meetings and Paul is correcting them in this. a. NOTE: In the ancient world, just as in some modern cultures, women and men sit in different groups at church. Among the Corinthian Christians, there seems to have been the problem of women chattering or disrupting the meetings with questions. Paul is saying, "Don't disrupt the meeting. Ask your questions at home.” 10 1 Corinthians TONGUES & PROPHECY: 1 Corinthians 14

b. In the Jewish synagogues, men and women would sit apart. But if a woman chattered or called out to her husband sitting far off, she would be dealt with severely. The Corinthian church may have adopted the same kind of seating arrangement, but with many women from Gentile backgrounds, they did not know how to conduct themselves at a church meeting. Paul is teaching them how. ii. In the context (v. 29-33), Paul is talking about the prophets using the gift of prophecy within the church meeting, and that another would judge the prophecies. Thus, he is probably saying that the women are not to be judging the prophecies, but that they are to leave that to the male leadership of the church (cf. 1 Timothy 2:11-12).

B. (v. 40) 1. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” a. Within the Church today, you generally have 2 camps: 1) The “let all things be done” camp. a) They let anything supernatural fly. 2) The “decently and in order” camp. a) They are afraid of the “all things”, so they usually keep things very structured and tight. b. KEY: We want to be in the both/and camp instead of the either/or camp!!!

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