What Is Happening?
Zephyr United Methodist Church
Early First United Methodist Church
May 21, 2006
Rev. Eddie Smart
1 Cor. 14:1-19 (NRSV)
Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. 2For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. 3On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. 5Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
6Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you in some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7It is the same way with lifeless instruments that produce sound, such as the flute or the harp. If they do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is being played? 8And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9So with yourselves; if in a tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10There are doubtless many different kinds of sounds in the world, and nothing is without sound. 11If then I do not know the meaning of a sound, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12So with yourselves; since you are eager for spiritual gifts, strive to excel in them for building up the church.
13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive. 15What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. 16Otherwise, if you say a blessing with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since the outsider does not know what you are saying? 17For you may give thanks well enough, but the other person is not built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; 19nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
It was about 1979 or 80 that the Tyler Street United Methodist Church in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas was having their annual “Holy Ghost” conference. One of the preachers and teachers was Dr. Steven Harper, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. Steve and I grew up in the First Methodist Church in Haskell. He was preaching one of the evening worship services so Diana, Tonya, Cheryl and I went to hear Steve preach.
Somewhere in the middle of the service, a woman up front stood where she was and began talking out loud. I could not understand a word she said. All of a sudden our two girls, about 7 and 9 years old, began to say, “What is she saying?” It seemed like they were getting louder and louder each time. “What is she saying?” “What is happening?”
When the woman stopped, a man stood in the choir loft and came to the pulpit. He began interpreting what the woman said. I was in such shock, I could not tell you a thing he said. When he finished, he sat back down, and the service continued as if nothing unusual had just happened..
In this 14th chapter, Paul continues to work on straightening out
the attitudes and actions of the Corinthians. The problem with the
church in Corinth was not the lack of spiritual gifts. It was the way
they were using those gifts and their attitude about those gifts. Paul
makes it clear that gifts that come from the Holy Spirit are to be
used for the common good. They are for building up the church. The
use of these gifts should enrich the communal life in faith.
William Barclay in his commentary writes about preaching in the church, but I think it is much more general than that. I think Paul wants us to know that when we use language in the church–when we verbally communicate it should result in at least one of the three things mentioned by Barclay.
Our use of language should aim to build up not tear down people. It should result in an increase in one’s knowledge about the Christian journey. It should help us to better live the Christian life.
According to verse 3, the spoken word should be one of encouragement. This world, including the church, is filled with depressed people. I received a call this week from a man who had been on a three day drinking binge. He said he was depressed, and I have no doubt. He was looking for words of encouragement and hoped to find them in the church.
When we talk with one another, our words should be words of
comfort.
There are always people who have been hurt by what
others and life have thrown at them. I have attended 5 funerals in 4
weeks, preaching 3 of them in 3 weeks. We are surrounded by those
who are grieving the loss of those they love. I have talked with one
person after another in recent weeks who have been hurt by the
words of others. You know people who are hurting because
someone they have loved deeply has used words and more to create
incredible pain. Paul speaks of words that bring comfort and
healing.
Paul makes the argument that we cannot use language to “build up” if the hearer does not understand our language. If one speaks in sounds that make no sense, he cannot offer encouragement. If one’s language is foreign, she cannot bring comfort. Over and over Paul stresses the idea of communication that builds up.
Now prophecy–that is the gift to have. Prophecy can console and encourage. Prophecy builds up. Prophecy comes in words that can be understood. Prophecy leads to transformation. Prophecy leads to edification. The word that comes to the Corinthians is prophecy is better than tongues. Paul is hearing how speaking in tongues is creating division and divisiveness in the Corinthian church. He believes that the gift of prophecy is the gift that builds up not tear down.
Prophecy? How can fortune telling be that beneficial? Oh,
prophecy is not about telling the future? Prophecy is not about
telling the future. Paul uses the word prophecy as roughly the
equivalent of instruction or sharing some communication. He sees
prophecy as a way of engaging in someone else’s suffering or loss.
Paul is not so concerned about the differences in the gifts as he is in the results from exercising those gifts. Paul was the early day Dr. Phil. He asked the question, “Does it work?” “Then stop doing it,” he wrote.
Does speaking in tongues lead to “building up,” edification, consolation, and encouragement. Does speaking in tongues bring comfort and enrich the community? Paul shouts, “NO!” He claims that the gift of prophecy can do all those things.
Paul writes to this broken church, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
Catherine Marshall in her classic book, The Helper, shares the story of Fern Perkins.
It was hot and the people were suffering, so the church’s double doors were wide open to allow a cooling breeze to flow. Then two things happened at the same time...
Inside the church Fern heard an inner Voice telling her to stand up and pray in her heavenly language. ( Paul speaks of this prayer language which builds up the one praying but no one else.) That just wasn’t Fern’s nature, but how could she say, “No,” to God.
As she prayed inside the church building, an elderly, Greek coal miner passed by outside. The man was deeply discouraged. He worked in that dark mine by day never seeing the sun, but it was the only job he could find. The pay was low and the work hard. He was lonely and discouraged. No one he knew spoke Greek and his English was not all that good.
As he passed by the Rosedale Church in Attica, Indiana that day, all of a sudden he could hear a woman speaking perfect Greek. At last, someone to talk to.
Without giving it a thought he rushed into the church and began talking to Fern in Greek. Well, she couldn’t understand a word he said. The church was in an uproar, but the two finally figured out the truth of it all. “It was a miracle straight out of the Book of the Acts because the miner himself was able to translate the message that was manna to his spirit.” Her words were something like:
God loves you. God has a purpose for your life and for your family. He has the power to forgive sins, to bring you joy and hope and loving purpose. He will give you a path to travel that will bring joy and peace to you and to those you love so dearly.
When the elderly man realized that Fern did not know a word of
Greek and that God had spoken through her, he hit his knees
praising God as tears flowed down his cheeks. Right on the spot, the
miner gave his life to Jesus.
Paul said that the church could be built up when one speaks in tongues IF someone interprets. The gift of tongues can build up, comfort, encourage, convict, convert and even save. You see Paul was not as interested in any specific gift of the Spirit as he was interested in the results of its use.
The Holy Spirit has given us gifts. Are we using them in a way that builds up the kingdom or tears it down?