City Life Starter

1 Corinthians 14:6-12 (NIV)

6 Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7 Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8 Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
9 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. 10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
11 If then 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. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

By Stefan Johnsson

You could almost say that the Corinthian church was “high” on the Spirit. As someone trying something new for the first time and wanting more of it without a care for anyone around them. There was no discipline, no direct understanding of the gift of tongues and how it affects others. Paul wanted to explain to the Corinthians that speaking in tongues in a congregation is like playing an instrument without any sort of musical guide or tune to play too. As a person, you may be edified by the tune, but to those around you, it won’t make any sense. Even to your fellow brothers and sisters, much less for new people coming to visit the church. They would feel uncomfortable around someone speaking in an angelic language that makes no sense to the listener.

In essence, Paul drives the point home in verse 12. The believers were only seeking after the gifts that edified themselves. There was no understanding of how it looked like around others. They were being selfish, and in doing so, caused uneasiness amongst everyone who stood around them. Paul wanted the church to look for gifts that put others before themselves, to build others up and they were failing to do so.

Speaking in tongues should be through prayer between you and God or through a prayer group where the Spirit groans inside of you, giving you the words to speak when you do not know what to pray for.  Rarely should this be done in a congregation, and definitely not without an interpreter. Instead, we should be praying for gifts such as prophecy where it builds up others, to look to increase others in faith while at church, not to make those around us uncomfortable and uneasy, not understanding what you’re saying.

No one wants to go into a church and the worship makes no sense, where the music is not in synch and the lyrics sung in a weird language. So let us be mature in how we use the spiritual gifts God has given us. Do pray for the ability to speak in tongues and also what may build up others, though, we have to worship the gift-giver, not the gifts we receive.