Join Alan J. Huth as he reflects on his readings from 1 Corinthians 14 and revisits his personal journaling over the years. We examine the controversial issue of speaking in tongues and the importance of prophecy within the church. This episode encourages listeners to pursue love, edify the church, and engage with the Bible daily for spiritual growth and understanding.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we are in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Let’s listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s recording of the 40 verses of 1 Corinthians 14. 1 Corinthians 14
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Pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God. For no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the spirit.
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On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets so that the church may be built up. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves. If with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.” There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning. But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
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Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the law it is written, Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers, but for believers.
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If therefore the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
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What then, brothers, when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
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If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
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So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.
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1 Corinthians 14 and the subject of tongues, probably one of the most controversial issues in the New Testament and in the churches today. So, let’s see what I have written in my journals over the last several years about 1 Corinthians 14. In 1994, I wrote, Pursue love. Spiritual gifts should edify, exhort, and console. Tongues was to transfer the message of Christ to other people, not to simply babble in church with like people. And then I quoted verse 33, For God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace. In 2004, I was reading multiple chapters on the same day. And on this day, I read 1 Corinthians 12 through 14. So I only wrote one or two lines about chapter 14. But I did write, tongues may be more appropriate as a prayer language than for public consumption. And I was referring to verse 14. God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. And then I wrote, all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner. That year I wrote a prayer about a lot of this. Let me share that with you. I wrote, What gifts have you given me for the church? Faith and prophecy, teaching. Am I using them to build up, edify the body? Am I loving? Help me grow in love, faith, and hope. What about tongues for me? Use the gift in my prayer life as led by the Spirit. God helped me mature in faith and Christianity. I have a long way to go, but I have come a long way. Thank you. And in 2015, related to 1 Corinthians chapter 14, I wrote, Pursue love. Love is action. It does not just come or come out. I continued conduct in church, prophecy, tongues. And then I quoted verse 26, let all things be done for building up. And then I quoted verse 33, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. And then lastly, verse 40, but all things should be done decently and in order. Rather than get into the controversy of tongues and prophecy, let’s focus on the bigger message that Paul was giving to the Corinthian church. I believe he was saying that some of the spiritual gifts were causing confusion in the worship time in the church. That’s not what God intended with spiritual gifts. In fact, again, verse 33 says, “…for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” And again, he says, but all things should be done decently and in order. So if there’s something causing confusion or dissension in your church worship service, maybe it’s time to take a look at that. Today, one of the biggest issues that seems to be of contention in the church is the volume of the worship service. Maybe that’s an issue that’s dividing your church or causing confusion or dissension. So what does Paul say about it? He says things like that the church may be built up. And he says, strive to excel in building up the church. Again, he says, let all things be done for building up. So, Lord, let us not divide over spiritual gifts. Let us build the church up through spiritual gifts. May our churches be places where people are comfortable, both the believer and the non-believer. May they be places where you are lifted up and the church is built up. And may they be places where all things are done decently and in order. Places where you are lifted up, not spiritual gifts and not the gifts of men. And in our houses of worship, may you increase and we decrease. Bless your church, Almighty God. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You know, sometimes we need a plumb line, a true north, a solid basis of truth to live life. We’re not going to find it in the media or in social media or Google or your friends, but it is available right at your fingertips. Pilate asked Jesus in John 18, 38, what is truth? The chapter before, Jesus had answered the question in his prayer to God for his disciples. In the 17th verse, Jesus pleads with the Father, Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. So what would it be like if everyone, everywhere, read the Bible every day? Wow, it might be heaven on earth. What would it be like if every Christian read the Bible every day? Would we be better ambassadors for Christ? What would it be like if everyone in your community read the Bible every day? Would we have greater impact in our communities? And what would it be like if you personally read the Bible every day? Could you use a closer walk with Jesus? Could you use a light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet to walk through this life? Could you use a spiritual power surge in your life? Matthew 22, 29, Jesus speaking to the Sadducees said, You are mistaken not understanding the Scriptures or the power of God. Yes, the Scriptures can give us power to live this life. So I’m going to give you three easy action steps to make the Bible worth your time each and every day. Number one, commit to daily Bible reading. Commit to seek God and His Word daily, every day. And if you miss a day, start again the next day. Change your belief about God’s Word to behavior in God’s Word. Use any of our Ezra Project resources to help you. Visit EzraProject.net to get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal or one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. Commit today and visit EzraProject.net for easy-to-use resources for your daily time in God’s Word. Number two, be intentional. Decide what you want out of your Bible reading. I got to visit the headquarters of Back to the Bible once in Lincoln, Nebraska. And in one hallway down one side, they had scribbled all the reasons people say they don’t read the Bible. On the other side were all the reasons people do read the Bible. And I want to give you some of those to encourage you. On that wall, it said, God wants me to. Yes, God wants you to read the Bible. Do you want to meet with him daily? Because he’ll meet with you every day through his word. Number two, it changes me. Where could you be in one year with more Bible reading in your life? Number three, it improves my outlook on life. Yeah, turn out the bad news and saturate yourself with good news from the Word of God. Number four, it keeps me grounded. Yes, when the storms of life come, and they will, can you stand? Yes, you’ll stand better and more solid because you’re in the Word of God. Next, it keeps my heart soft. Yeah, Nehemiah 8, when people heard the word, they wept and they worshipped. You will do the same as the word softens your heart. Lastly, on the wall it said, it keeps my daily focus on God. Yeah, that’s a great reason to read the Bible. You’ll gain the spiritual power to live life in our secular world. And then thirdly and lastly, feed your soul. Let God minister to your soul. Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God pierces between your soul and your spirit, between joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing else goes that deep. I don’t know where the place is between my soul and my spirit, but I want to put the Word of God there each and every day of my life. I hope you do too. God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word.
