Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Benefit is a great word, isn’t it? When someone is looking into a new job often an important part of the consideration is the ‘benefit package’. When someone is considering relocation to another place often they think through the ‘benefits’ of moving. When you think about your job, your church, your extended family, your friends, one of the important questions we need to consider is this: how do each of these groups of people benefit my life and how do I benefit these groups?
Join me again today with the apostle Paul almost 2000 years ago as he is writing an important letter to the new Christians in the great city of Corinth. His letter is so powerful it has been included into the Bible and translated into almost every language in the world because what the Holy Spirit led Paul to write is important instruction for Christians of every generation in every society of the world!
Paul is challenging his Christian friends in Corinth to evaluate how their lifestyle choices, their speech, their behavior, their relationships, even the use of their gifting by the Holy Spirit is affecting the city and the church in Corinth! Paul’s challenge might be phrased like this: ‘How is your life benefiting your church and your city? Is anything in your life restraining or impeding or complicating what God is trying to accomplish in your church and in your city?’ Wow, those are very strong questions, aren’t they, my friends? Can we look honestly at the churches we are part of and the cities in which we live, and can we let Paul ask us those questions?
Paul personalizes the challenge with these words: “Now brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues [unknown language] what good will I be unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? And if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So, it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air!” (1 Cor.14:6-9)
We understand what Paul is saying, don’t we, my friends? Clarity is so important. If your words and mine are going to have any benefit to those who hear our words, two things must happen: First the person who is hearing our words must understand them and second, they must be beneficial or helpful to them, not harmful, not confusing, not malicious but helpful! That applies to all words spoken, right?
Now as we saw yesterday in 1 Cor. 14:1-5 Paul was confronting a problem in Corinth that is probably a problem in your city, maybe even among the Christians who are your friends or other Christians in your city. It’s the problem of words being spoken by Christians, claiming they are speaking under the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God, yet the words are not understood or not helpful! Some in Corinth were making sounds with their mouths and claiming that in their great spirituality God was anointing them with a special language known only to God. Yet as they did this it was causing great confusion and discord among the Christians. Several fundamental questions arose, and I wonder how you would answer them?
1. If God is holy and does all things with divine purpose for His glory, why would Holy God anoint one of His people with a special gifting of the Holy Spirit which would evidence itself in that person spewing out words that make no sense to anyone?
2. If God had a message for His people, would not God communicate that to His people in a way they clearly understood and were able to take action on that word from God? That has been God’s practice since the beginning of time, right?
And so, Paul continued: “Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So, it is with you. Since you are eager for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:10-12) Do we see Paul’s appeal that we can expect that God will work, through His Holy Spirit in the lives of His people, to lead us to say and do those things which build up, bring benefit to the Church and the city in which we live? So, in all this Paul is cautioning those who claim to have a Holy Spirit anointing for tongues or languages to make sure that this gift is always used in a manner which benefits the listeners and that means clarity and clarity requires interpretation.
You’ve seen pictures, I’m sure, of the United Nations and almost everyone sitting at their desks with headphones over their ears while someone is addressing the Assembly. Why? Because no matter which language the speaker is using, there will be many in the Assembly who do not know that language and thus they need interpretation so they can understand and benefit from the words being spoken. Now that makes perfectly good sense, doesn’t it my friends? The Gospel of Jesus Christ, or any spiritual words of instruction from God, are naturally confusing to those people who have no regard or appreciation or respect for God.
Perhaps you recall that Paul wrote these words about this in his second chapter in this letter: “The person without the Spirit of God does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 2:14) So my friends, if is is normally difficult for a non-Christian to understand spiritual truth without the help of the Holy Spirit of God, we can conclude it would be even more difficult to gain any benefit from what is being said if the words spoken are totally unintelligible.
And that is why Paul gives this very clear admonition: “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two or at the most three should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet…” (1 Cor. 14:27,28) Now that’s very clear and is common sense isn’t it my friends? Interpretation is needed so the hearers can understand what is being said if they do not understand the words being spoken. Without interpretation no language, no matter how eloquent and no message, no matter how powerful, is of any benefit to the hearers and thus the speaker should remain silent!
While that is important in the United Nations or at any international airport in the world, it is especially important when it comes to God communicating to our world! Now watch this my friends: no matter the setting, anywhere in the world, if a person claims to be a Christian and is speaking unintelligible words and there is no one who can give clear, understandable interpretation for the listeners, the most God honoring thing the speaker can do is STOP speaking and be silent.
And may offer this advice? If you find yourself in such a situation and the speaker insists on continuing to speak, claiming they are under the strong influence of the Holy Spirit, and no one in spiritual authority in that place insists that the speaker be silent, then I urge you to leave that place immediately for what is taking place is NOT God honoring. Now that’s strong and I suggest we pause and ponder what Paul’s words are teaching us today, and here’s a song to help us, my friends:
Today’s Scripture is 1 Cor.14:6-12, 27,28.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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