Prioritizing Love and Edification in Spiritual Gifts

Paul here at the end of 1 Corinthians 13 let us know know that now abide faith hope and love these three but the greatest of these is love so it makes sense for him to begin 1 Corinthians 14 verse one by saying pursue Love and Desire spiritual gifts you know Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit just brilliantly brilliantly declared the preeminence of love for Christians in 1 Corinthians 13 and since love is the greatest that's what we must pursue that's what the Drive is in the Christian Life that's what it's all about it's not all about more power it's not about all more status it's not about more miracles it's about more love that's what we should be looking for in our Christian life. [00:57:40]

Prophecy is a sense of declaring something that God has revealed to somebody else's heart and that's exactly what Paul is saying that uh that we should uh far better than any other spiritual gift in the context that he's speaking of here that we should seek to be vessels for the word of the lord well we'll see this a lot more clearly as we make our way through the chapter. [05:11:24]

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God for no one understands him however in the spirit he speaks Mysteries but he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men now Paul is going to start comparing and contrasting the gift of tongues and the gift of Prophecy so so maybe mentally if you're taking notes you can do this on a piece of Note Paper you have two columns here you have the gift of tongues and the gift of Prophecy well how are they different and Paul's going to explain to us some ways that they're different and the first way he explains to us in verses 2 and three is that the gift of Prophecy and the gift of tongues are different in whom they are speaking to. [05:37:12]

Friends when a person speaks in tongues they're not speaking to people they're speaking to God now if we misunderstand this we misunderstand what is really happening when somebody attempts to interpret a tongue and addresses his or her interpretation to men a true interpretation of the gift of tongues will be addressed to God not men now I don't know if you've ever been in a church meeting like this I can say that I have where somebody at some point in the meeting maybe it's in the midst of worship maybe it's in some other context somebody will stand up or maybe from their seat they will start uh talking in a language that nobody can understand and often times they talk in a very spiritual tone or very spiritual tenor and it's kind of creepy to a lot of people I mean it's creepy to me but you hear them talk and then it's kind of Silent for a few moments and then somebody gives what they suppose to be the interpretation of that tongue and the interpretation goes something like this my little children if you only knew how much I love you you know and it's God speaking to his people can I tell you that is not a legitimate interpretation of that tongue if it were a legitimate interpretation it would be speaking from man to God because what does 1 Corinthians 14:2 tell us he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. [08:22:39]

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself but he who prophesies edifies the church I wish you all spoke with tongues but even more that you prophesied for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues unless indeed he interprets that the church may receive edification well Paul says he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself now again folks who believe that the gift of tongues isn't for today and I think wrongly approach these passages scripture they wrongly think that Paul says this as a criticism well look at you tongue speakers you're just edifying yourself their idea is you selfish Corinthians you're using tongues only to edify yourself when you should be using it to edify others but I think that's wrong friends it's just simply in the nature of the gift of tongues to edify oneself since he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God there I got it in again from verse two it follows that it is a gift for self edification not generally speaking for church edification right so the gift of tongues is for my own relationship with God on the other hand prophesy prophecy edifies the church because a word of Prophecy can be understood by everybody a true word of Prophecy builds up everyone. [21:17:64]

Paul says that in the gift of tongues someone in their Spirit speaks Mysteries and Paul knew the value of in his Spirit speaking forth Mysteries to God to unburden his soul in a way going Beyond human language and in a way going Beyond human intellect when Paul prayed with the gift of tongues he could pray he could praise he could intercede Beyond his ability to understand and articulate and Paul wanted every Christian to know the same blessing Paul's is saying look it's a blessing for me I want everybody to be blessed by this but he says notice this in verse 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues but even more that you prophesied for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues now as good as the gift of tongues is Paul sees the gift of Prophecy as better for the church as a whole why because with the gift of tongues you're edifying yourself with the gift of Prophecy you're edifying the church. [23:49:31]

Paul recognized that the gift of tongues was valuable for himself but it was not valuable for him to speak to others with the gift of tongues they couldn't understand him so they couldn't be edified so Paul says instead I'm going to speak by Revelation by knowledge by prophesying or by teaching I have to say that these four terms in verse six sort of struck my eyes as studying I what does Paul mean by those four different terms I'm just going to suggest some things here I think when Paul says Revelation if I come by a revelation I think that Paul may be speaking of his own awareness that he was uniquely inspired as an apostle now this business of inspiration and the inspiration that took to uh bring forth the New Testament it's very intriguing to me I mean when they were writing the New Testament were they aware that they were writing Holy Spirit inspired Eternal words of God I don't know maybe they did maybe they didn't maybe sometimes they did maybe sometimes they didn't I would venture to say that sometimes they did and Paul when he's talking about Revelation here I think he's talking about time when he just knew it he go man I know I'm speaking in my Apostolic Authority and God is speaking to me through a unique Revelation way that that kind of authority that kind of Revelation it did die with the apostles there's nobody who has the authority to speak to the church the way the Apostle Paul did or Peter or James or John friends they gave us their testimony and the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets is set so I think that's what he may be referring to when he says Revelation. [29:32:72]

Language is a gift from God it really is do you know evolutionists can cannot explain how language came about they just can't explain it most modern linguists believe languages so unique and the ones that don't believe in God they say Well it must have been a unique evolutionary process in other words one they can't figure out at all let me explain it to you this way language could not be the product of man putting together sounds all by himself no human being invented language you know one of the ways linguists know this is because there are many Universal human sounds there are many sounds that are made among all peoples I give you an example you know the raspberry sound you kind of stick your tongue out and and blurt you know that sound you know that sound does not exist does not mean anything in any human language now if language was invented by man it would make sense that in some language at least that that would mean you know dog or house or something right but it doesn't as linguists study the issue they language was not invented by man language is so complex because languages exist as whole systems not as little parts put together so knowing that language is a gift from God and that all languages have meaning we can trust that if we speak in the gift of tongues God understands even if no one else even if we include ourselves do not understand God understands that's the whole point when I pray in tongues I have an agreement with God I agree not to understand but to trust that the holy spirit is praying through me exactly what needs to be prayed and God agrees to understand perfectly what the spirit is praying through me it's that simple. [37:15:57]

Speaking in tongues is communication with God on a spiritual level bypassing our understanding my understanding does not benefit when I pray in tongues but my spirit prays now again I think it's so interesting here what does Paul say that your spirit does again I always get back to this point of tongues is speaking to who to God he says when I speak in tongues my spirit prays who do you pray to you don't pray to people you pray to God so he's emphasizing that again but you know the whole point there in verse 14 is that our understanding is bypassed now let's just be real honest and upfront here and I don't say this in any judgmental way whatsoever for some people the idea of bypassing our understanding in communicating with God that's totally undesirable you don't have any desire at all to do that and you know what I don't judge you or condemn you at all don't feel like you're a second rate citizen in the kingdom of God if you're like you know what man that speaking in tongues thing is weird I don't want any part of it I feel just fine with my ability to communicate with God The Way It Is God bless you don't don't feel like you're any less like you're a second class citizen that you're you know that you you don't got the E ticket right and God's K forget it and Friends some people just don't feel a need to relate to God through any other means except their understanding but I have to say for myself and I'm just speaking personally and I I don't mean to to put anything on anybody else but for myself there's lots of times from my own understanding my own rationality just isn't enough I fall short you see I value my intellect I value my understanding and I think it's important that Christians we never uh sell short intellect Jesus said that we should love the Lord Our God with all of our heart with all of our soul and with all of our mind it's important for us to seek understanding and intellectual strength as Christians but friends we also appreciate the limits of our understanding and the limits of our intellect and we thank God for a way to relate to him that goes beyond them so if someone is perfectly satisfied with their ability to relate to God through their understanding they really have no need for the gift of tongues friends don't seek the gift of tongues to prove to yourself or to prove to somebody else that you really have the Holy Spirit or that you really love God ask God for the Holy Spirit trust that you have him flowing in your life and love God but in the process of loving and living and Walking with God if you feel hindered in your ability to relate with God if you wish that you had a tool of communication with the Lord that bypassed your own understanding then when that day comes when you desire to relate with God beyond your ability to understand then you should seek God for the gift of tongues. [40:07:59]

Paul gladly proclaims I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding I'll sing with the spirit and I'll sing with the understanding Paul used the gift of tongues often and he used it in prayer and he used it in singing yet when he was with God's people he said you know what I don't do it I'd rather speak five words that everybody can understand than 10,000 that nobody could understand don't you think it's interesting here that Paul just makes the point that his use of tongues was pretty much focused in his devotional life it was a private thing then Paul here makes reference to how we can also sing in the spirit you know God can give us the freedom to exercise the gift of tongues in a melodic way so that it flows in with worship now again based on principles chapter if you're led to do that while we're together don't do it in a way that draws attention to yourself right don't do it in a voice or in a key or and that that that's drawing attention to yourself but in the context of worship if God's just putting a a song in the spirit in your heart go for it just don't do it in a way that draws attention to yourself or distracts other people. [52:48:39]