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, unless indeed
he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
6 But now,
brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you
unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by
teaching? 7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when
they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be
known what is piped or played? 8 For if the trumpet makes an
uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So likewise you,
unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known
what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are,
it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of
them is without significance. 11 Therefore, if I do not
know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and
he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 12 Even so you,
since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the
edification of the church that you seek to excel.
13 Therefore let
him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I
pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is
unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray
with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with
the spirit, and I will also sing with the
understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will
he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of
thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed
give thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 I thank my God
I speak 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.
Have you ever had someone help you with a computer issue? You
watch them intently because you want to see and understand how they are fixing
the problem but soon the clicking is happening too fast and the screen is
changing from one thing to another and windows are opening and then closing.
What you hoped to be instructional is now just a blur. If the help ends there
your computer will be working again but the downside is that if the problem
reoccurs you will be as helpless all over again.
There is a famous proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him
for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.
When Jesus was here He was often asked to perform another
sign or miracle. We are drawn to them. Miracles draw a crowd but they don't
draw hearts and minds. People go to magic shows and have a good time. They may
even ponder for weeks what happened or how it happened but they aren't drawn
into a relationship with the magician.
The gift of tongues had almost become a toy in the Corinthian
church. Like a computer whiz or a magician people were trying to dazzle others
with their gift but no one was being helped by any of it. It was a misuse of
the gift and a misunderstanding of what it was for. God desires that we know
Him, that we understand Him, and that we in time come to love and trust Him.
Every gift is given for that purpose. I can speak more than one language but
who would be benefited if I walked into a church where no one could understand
the language I was speaking? They would leave having learned I speak a language
they don't and that would be it.
The lesson in all this is simple. We are gifted by God to
serve others, not ourselves. We are gifted by God to lift up Jesus, not
ourselves. Musical instruments were not invented to make sound, they were
invented to make music. If our lives and our gifts are not being used to bring
to others a deeper, clearer understanding of God than we are not making music,
we are just making noise.
The issue in Corinth wasn't tongues. It was pride, ego, and
selfishness.
Just ask yourself one simple question. Am I using my gifts to
serve others and draw them to Jesus or am I using them to draw attention to
myself?
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