HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1411
1 COR INTHIANS 14
page 1041
17 You
will be giving thanks very well, but it
won’t strengthen the people who hear you.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more
than any of you. 19 But in a church meeting I
would rather speak five understandable words
to help others than ten thousand words in an
unknown language.
20 Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be
innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be
mature in understanding matters of this kind.
21 It is written in the Scriptures*:
“I will speak to my own people
through strange languages
and through the lips of foreigners.
But even then, they will not listen to me,”*
says the Lord.
22 So you see that speaking in tongues is a
sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers.
Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers. 23 Even so, if unbelievers
or people who don’t understand these things
come into your church meeting and hear everyone speaking in an unknown language, they
will think you are crazy. 24 But if all of you are
prophesying, and unbelievers or people who
don’t understand these things come into your
meeting, they will be convicted of sin and
judged by what you say. 25 As they listen, their
secret thoughts will be exposed, and they will
fall to their knees and worship God, declaring,
“God is truly here among you.”
A Call to Orderly Worship
26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing,
another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in
tongues, and another will interpret what is said.
But everything that is done must strengthen all
of you.
27 No more than two or three should speak in
tongues. They must speak one at a time, and
someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if
no one is present who can interpret, they must
be silent in your church meeting and speak in
tongues to God privately.
29 Let two or three people prophesy, and
let the others evaluate what is said. 30 But if
someone is prophesying and another person
receives a revelation from the Lord, the one
who is speaking must stop. 31 In this way, all
who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one
after the other, so that everyone will learn and
be encouraged. 32 Remember that people who
prophesy are in control of their spirit and can
14:21a Greek in the law. 14:21b Isa 28:11-12. 14:33 The
phrase as in all the meetings of God’s holy people could instead
be joined to the beginning of 14:34. 14:35 Some manuscripts
place verses 34-35 after 14:40. 14:38 Some manuscripts read If
you are ignorant of this, stay in your ignorance.
take turns. 33 For God is not a God of disorder
but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s
holy people.*
34 Women should be silent during the church
meetings. It is not proper for them to speak.
They should be submissive, just as the law says.
35 If they have any questions, they should ask
their husbands at home, for it is improper for
women to speak in church meetings.*
36 Or do you think God’s word originated with
you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom
it was given? 37 If you claim to be a prophet or
think you are spiritual, you should recognize
that what I am saying is a command from the
Lord himself. 38 But if you do not recognize this,
you yourself will not be recognized.*
• Love
1 C OR I N THI A N S 13:1-13
Nine times out of ten when people say
“love,” they mean something else. They
might be expressing the highly emotional
state of “falling in love,” which sees love
simply as an overwhelming feeling. They
might be confusing love with the selfish
physical desire of lust. But they seldom
have in mind the kind of selfless, courageous, and forgiving love Paul describes
in these timeless words. A good way to
check your own understanding of love is
to substitute your own name for the word
love and reread the chapter. How does
reading it in this way show you how your
understanding and practice of love need
to grow?
• Worship
1 C OR I N THI A N S 14:26-33
To grasp the central point of this chapter,
we must understand something of the
situation about which Paul was writing.
The Corinthian church included many
new believers who had been converted
from the rampant paganism of the region.
They had experienced the power of
the Holy Spirit, but the disciplines and
purposes of Christian worship were
new to them. Paul’s main concern was
that the worship be clear in focus and
understanding, not given to chaos or
practices reminiscent of frenetic pagan
rituals. Our worship contains elements
of great celebration but must also be
respectful of the nature and person
of God.