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Sunday 08/04/24
Title: The Spirit brings Edification & Order – Pt. 1
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The Spirit brings Edification & Order – Pt. 1
Last week we finally covered a good chunk of what Paul by the Holy Spirit taught the church regarding the difference between the Gift of Tongues in its role of spiritual edification for the church and Praying in Tongues which is for the edification of the one praying.
One glaringly obvious difference was who the language was being spoken TO.
ALL gifts are spoken TO the believer FROM God THROUGH another believer.
Praying in Tongues is our own spirit speaking TO God the Father BY the help of the Holy Spirit.
Then Paul summed up the clarification between tongues – the prayer language and tongues – the gift of by saying,
“If in tongues you pray, giving thanks over your food among others, you surely give thanks well, but the others at the table with you are not edified.”
From this we observed a blessed truth. Since it is our spirit praying, by the Holy Spirit, WHEN we pray in tongues, we are addressing before God the very thing we are thinking about.
So that if you were to sit down to a meal in private, and wish to thank God in tongues for His provision before eating – then that is precisely what you would be doing. Even though you do not understand your own words, HE DOES!
This opens us up to look at another passage real quick before moving on to the rest of this chapter.
Turn with me to Romans 8:23
“(23) Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
(24) For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
(26) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. FOR we do not know what we should pray for nor how to offer that prayer in a worthy manner as we MUST, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) Now He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
What he means by “LIKEWISE” is the groaning of our inward man at the pervasive and ongoing weakness of our bodies as we wait in favorable expectation of our glorified bodies. In the same manner, we groan inwardly over our weakness of understanding at knowing what to pray, when to pray, how to pray and even how to offer the prayer in a manner worthy of our Father and God.
In both cases we have our Helper from Heaven – the precious and powerful Holy Spirit of God Who intercedes on our behalf, lending His expert aid as needed in order to accomplish in and through us what we as branches cannot produce apart from Him.
I like the way Kenneth Wuest translated these verses. He has it like this…
“And in like manner also the Spirit lends us a helping hand with reference to our weakness, for the particular thing that we should pray for according to what is necessary in the nature of the case, we do not know with an absolute knowledge; but the Spirit Himself comes to our rescue by interceding with unutterable groanings. Moreover, He Who is constantly searching our hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because, according to God, He continually makes intercession on behalf of the saints.” – Rom. 8:26,27
So praying in Tongues is our own spirit speaking TO God the Father by the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness of not knowing what to pray nor how to offer that prayer in a worthy manner as we Must. In the same way as the Spirit works the image of Jesus in us even though our flesh is so weak.
Now returning to 1 Corinthians 14:18, Paul says,
“(18) I thank my God I pray with tongues more than you all; (19) yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
Concluding this segment of clarification between tongues as a Gift to the church and Tongues and a provision for the believer to pray God’s will beyond their understanding with a summary statement touching back on what I pointed out to you was his initial & primary purpose and plan in addressing all of this in the first place which was their maturity…
He says…
“(20) Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.”
Finally, last week we ended with a quick explanation of a notoriously difficult passage for people in 1 Cor. 14:21-25.
In brief we discovered that Paul was pointing out that though many (and especially the Jews) had been taught line upon line and precept upon precept – little by little as it must be – they still did not – WOULD not hear. This was true in Paul’s day but was true of the Jews of Isaiah’s day as well which is where Paul quoted from in this challenging set of verses.
Paul pointed out that God had come to the Jews with the sign of “stammering lips and another tongue” – yet they would STILL not hear Him due to their wicked and blinded hearts.
While this was largely fulfilled on the Day of Peracost Paul was saying that if someone who is hard of heart comes in among the church and hears tongues – it will have the same effect on them. It will be a sign AGAINST them and result in the same scorn as it did on the Day of Pentecost – they will say you’re drunk or mad…but will not turn and believe.
Paul says that if one who will not believe or is simply unlearned were to be in the church when prophecy is coming forth, the Holy Spirit may choose to use Prophecy to reveal their heart before all.
In so doing it will result in their being convicted (shamed or disgraced) by the way the Spirit causes all the church to discern this unbeliever’s heart …notice the words in verse 25 “and thus the secrets of his heart will be revealed” and upon hearing this they will be moved from unbelief to belief.
Notice though what Paul was NOT saying here – he is NOT saying that prophecy is FOR the unbeliever or his edification – it is for revealing the secrets of his heart towards conviction and shame leading to faith and salvation.
On the contrary, prophecy for a believer is for edification, exhortation and comfort!
Now on to new material!
Right now we get to witness Paul getting a little sarcastic…
“(26) How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, EACH OF YOU has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation?
LET ALL THINGS BE DONE FOR EDIFICATION.”
Now how do I know Paul is being a little snarky here? Because WHAT Paul goes on to say clearly proves that even though everyone thought they had something legitimate to say by the Spirit, such was impossible!
They needed to be reminded here again that EVERYTHING in the church is for the edification of all believers.
Up until now Paul has addressed immaturity expressed through factions, through misusing expressions of the Holy Spirit like substituting a Prayer language for the Gift of Tongues in the church, and now by how many people speak in any one gathering and who is qualified to speak.
Paul is about to explain that there are protocols and limits in order to maintain order for without order, there can be no real edification!
“(27) If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be TWO or AT THE MOST THREE,
EACH IN TURN,
and let ONE interpret.
(28) But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.”
Notice Paul is NOT saying the Gift to the church is the same as the Prayer language, but rather if there is no interpretation then you have learned a valuable lesson which will help you discern in the future if what you are doing is actually and expression of the Spirit of God through a Gift TO THE BODY of if you are simply using your prayer language in the assembly as if it were a gift.
Learn from the experience and from that point on keep them separate!
“(29) Let two or three PROPHETS speak, and let the others judge. (30) But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, LET THE FIRST KEEP SILENT.
(31) For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. (32) And THE SPIRITS OF THE PROPHETS ARE SUBJECT TO THE PROPHETS.
(33) For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
Paul here is expanding on his teaching by including those who ARE gifts. While all may be used in prophecy one by one, not all are PROPHETS as Paul pointed out at the end of chapter 12.
Prophecy is subject to the prophets.
One of the meanings of this is that if someone feels they have a prophetic word to speak to the assembly, one of the means of discerning if their word is from God is by any Prophet who may be present.
Now we have to be careful here. This does NOT imply judicial or ecclesiastical authority in prophets for this is NOT true and never has been. Even under the Old Covenant, the prophet was the informer, not the enforcer! In fact many times, if the people did not like what the prophet said they’d just kill them!
This statement is more like saying “sure anyone can install a sink in their home, but if a plumber is present you would be wise to submit your work to them for inspection.”
We know that prophets do not carry authority because the authority to declare doctrinal truths as real or false, binding or not, was given only to the 12 Apostles of the Lamb. Not even Paul had that authority. However, when major decisions of doctrine had to be made, ONLY THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS WERE CALLED UPON – never once were prophets, teachers or evangelists considered.
This also is driven home by the next division of delegated authority within the assemblies of the body of Christ which we will cover next week.
Blessings!
