But Rather Prophesy

Well, good morning, everyone. I want to greet you in the name of Jesus. I want to extend a hearty welcome to all who are here this morning, especially welcome Ernest and Alida and their family.

Her brother Jorge is here for the first time as well. Y quiero decir a Jorge: bienvenido a nuestra congregación.

It's a little bit ironic; the subject we had before us this morning is the subject of tongues. We have someone in our midst who does not understand English real well. I think he understands a lot, but so let's make him welcome here.

Happy Father's Day as well to all the fathers who are here or recognize that is an important position, and just ask for God's wisdom as we fulfill that role. We're going to return to our study in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The title of the message this morning is "But Rather Prophesy."

I'm going to read a couple preliminary passages before we get into this. Sometimes it may feel a little strange. We may look at this passage and say, "Well, it really doesn't apply to us." I don't think speaking in tongues is really something that we think a lot about or face a lot. In some circles, that is not the case, but I think there is something that we can learn here. Turn to Genesis chapter 11.

I'm going to read verses 1 through 9.

"Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens. And let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.' But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Indeed, the people are one, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do.

Now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.' So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

Turn to Acts chapter 2.

Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 21. "When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and one set upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, 'Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretians and Arabs. We hear them speaking in our own tongues, the wonderful works of God.' So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?' Others, mocking, said, 'They are full of new wine.' But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, 'Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.

For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it was only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my manservants and on my maidservants I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

I just wanted to read those preliminary passages because it illustrates to us the importance and the power of language, of being able of understanding. And I think it's really clear to all of us as we read this sort of what happened.

The people's hearts were becoming evil. They had evil motives, and yet they had one language. And so God came and realized that there's nothing it says that there's nothing that they could would be restrained from them. And so he confused their languages, and the result was a scattering over all the earth.

To me, it's beautiful in Acts 2. When the Spirit comes, we see a reversal of that in some senses. And all these people with many, many different tongues all came together in Jerusalem. And if you've ever been to any kind of an international airport or something, and you start to listen and you hear just all the different languages, and you have absolutely no idea what they're saying.

And I imagine Jerusalem was like that with all these folks being there. And when the apostles began to speak, people heard clearly in their own language. So it was a real language. It was a language that they could understand. And it says they were hearing the wonderful works of God. So in a sense, I sort of see a little bit of a when the Spirit of God moved upon men, a little bit of reversal of that whole thing that happened at the Tower of Babel.

And the reaction was of the people, they were amazed and perplexed, saying, "What does this mean? What does this what's this all about?"

There was some that said, "Well, they're probably drunk." But Peter says he says, "No, what this means is this is a fulfillment of the prophecy that was given by the prophet Joel, who says that in the last days, God's going to pour out his Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters are going to prophesy.

Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Okay, so there we have there we have a pretty good picture of what in the book of Acts, what the gift of tongues was.

And so we come to our passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, which incidentally, this is really the only other passage other than the book of Acts that really talk about speaking in tongues.

Of course, we talked in chapter 12 about the gifts, the gifts in the body. God places those gifts. He gives those gifts in order to build up the body of Christ. He ends chapter 12 by saying, "Earnestly desire the best gifts, and yet I show you a more excellent way. That more excellent way is the way of love."

He gives us a whole discourse on love in chapter 13. And he begins chapter 14 then and says, "Pursue love." So it's sort of book-ended. And I don't think we should lose sight of that. That is not a coincidence that in this whole context, we can never lose sight that our motivation has to be a motivation of love.

And yet it seems like Paul is writing in chapter 14 then and sort of honing in on something that the Corinthians, as sort of has been their habit, have really maybe have put a wrong emphasis on, or even we could say possibly a perversion on this gift.

It's consistent with the other issues that Paul has addressed. And we won't take the time to go in in detail. But it seems like the Corinthian church, as we mentioned from the very get-go, was a church with a lot of problems. It was a church who tended to bring in some of the elements of their own culture that was around them into the church. So we had the whole thing of immorality. We had the cult of personality where people were saying, "I'm this guy's person, and I'm that guy's man." And that was very common in the society around them, a cult of personality. "I'm a Paul. I'm an Apollos. I'm from Peter." We have the abuse of the Lord's table, the whole idea of temples and meat offered to idols and all that.

They were involved in bringing lawsuits to one another. So just lots of things where they actually took the surrounding culture and had a tendency to bring it into the church. And so Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians in order to correct some of those. And this seems to be no different.

And what he's honing in on here today is their preoccupation with the gift of tongues.

Now, again, as I mentioned, I think one of the other messages, the speaking in tongues, ecstatic utterances, and so on, was a very common thing in the mystery religions. So it would have been something that the Corinthians were familiar with in their old life.

And then we contrast that with what we see in the book of Acts and what we see going on here. And so Paul feels like he has to bring some correction here. So let's go ahead and read chapter 14, and then we'll sort of split it up.

Chapter 14, verse 1: "Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him. Moreover, in the Spirit he speaks mysteries, but he who prophesies speaks edification." I wanted to say before I go any further, I want you to just take notice here that the idea of edification occurs at least four times throughout this passage specifically. So verse 3: "But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish that 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. But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I prophet you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?

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? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?

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. There may be so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. 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. Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. Therefore, let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful."

What is the conclusion then? "I will pray with the Spirit, and I will also pray with understanding. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 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? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. Yet in the church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding than I may teach others also than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Brethren, do not be children in understanding. However, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. In the law it is written, 'With the men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people, and yet for all that they will not hear me,' says the Lord. Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers. But prophesying is not for the unbelievers, but for those who believe. Therefore, if the whole church comes together in one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say, 'You're out of your mind?' But if all prophesy and an unbeliever, uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all, and thus the secrets of his heart are revealed.

And so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. 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. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or three, two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent.

For you can all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be encouraged, and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as it is in all the churches of the saints. Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home. For it is shameful for women to speak in church. Or did the word of God come originally from you, or was it only you that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.

But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order."

So here he begins, and he says, "Pursue love." The word is a strong word. It means to follow after. It's actually the word persecute. So when we think of the picture of Saul of Tarsus, pursuing after the Christians and trying to put them in prison, that is the idea of how we are supposed to pursue love. And then he says, "Desire spiritual gifts or desire spirituals, but especially that you may prophesy." So if he says it, "Especially we may prophesy," then what does it mean to prophesy?

I think our idea a lot of times of prophecy is the idea of sort of foretelling the future. Certainly in the Old Testament, while some of the Old Testament prophets received a direct revelation from God, and they were God's mouthpiece to show forth

what God had for His people. Hebrews 1:13 says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in this last day spoken to us by His Son, who has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who, being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." So we see a shift a little bit from in the Old Testament. It says at various times in various ways, He spoke in times past to us by the prophets, but now He's spoken through us through His Son.

So I would like to think a little bit of prophecy as to speak forth God's revealed word, speaking forth God's revealed word, calling people to obey His word and to warn of judgment. It's forthtelling, standing and speaking forth God's word.

It would include things like preaching and teaching. I like this definition: the application of God's given word to God's given people in a given moment of time. The application of God's given word to God's given people in a given moment of time.

And so this is something he says we should all desire, all desire. And how does this work practically? What does it mean? Well, I'm going to give you a hypothetical. So imagine a scene in which one of you sisters takes your children to the park, and their children are playing on the playground. And as they're playing there, you're sitting there with one of the other mothers.

And as often happens, at least I find it so, if you begin to talk, the question arises: what's happening in the world? What do we make of everything that's happening?

A person who wants to speak forth the word of God could reply something like this: "Well, it really isn't a surprise to me what's happening in the world. The Bible says that in the last days, perilous times are going to come. Men are going to be lovers of themselves and lovers of money and boasters and proud and disobedient to parents and so on."

Well, then the next question they might have: "Well, how's it all going to end up?" Well, you could say someday Jesus will come back, and this world will end, and its works will be dealt with. The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God. And those that are ready to meet Him and the dead in Christ are going to rise.

And these are all scriptures, by the way, that are very clear: 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 2 Timothy 3. The next question may be: "Well, how should I respond to that?"

Cast off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light, turn to Jesus in repentance, and be ready. Watch and be ready for that great day. The response you may get: "What are you? Some kind of a prophet?" And it is in that context, I think, that we're called to speak forth the words of God.

Application of God's given word to God's given people in a given moment of time. So when we're faced with that, when we have opportunity, He says we should desire to speak forth God's word at that particular given moment in time.

He says prophecy has three purposes. And the one I already mentioned is the purpose of edification, building up. The words that we speak should actually be words that build up, that strengthen. It's words of exhortation and comfort. And again, Jesus is our example in all this. Jesus said in John 13:17, after giving them the example of servanthood by washing their feet, He says, "If you know these things, blessed are ye if you do them." So there He was exhorting them and says, "I've been an example to you. If you know these things, happier are you if you do them."

Comfort and consolation, John 16:33, Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace, but in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have come; I have overcome the world."

So there we see an example of comfort or consolation. Jesus says, "Yes, it's going to be difficult, but don't lose heart. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." So the desire to prophesy, that is to apply God's given word to God's given people in a given moment of time, to bring forth the truth of the word of God to bear on the lives of others for edification, for exhortation, and comfort.

And then Paul contrasts that with the speaking in tongues that the Corinthians were involved in. And he brings up the whole idea of the problem of unintelligibility.

What purpose is there if we do not understand?

And he gives some examples here, just some earthly examples. He says that even things without life, like a flute or a harp, when they make a sound, unless they made a distinction in the sound, how would it be known what is piped or played? And I always think about Weston sometimes comes to our house, and he gets on the piano, and it's just boing, boing, boing, boing. And it's a sound that has—there's no melody. You can't pick out anything.

In a sense, it's just noise. Last evening, we were at a Peggy Groves piano recital, and the students, even whether they were advanced or beginners, sat there, and their notes made a particular sound, and you could pick out a melody. It was clear.

He gives an example of a trumpet that, as you go out to battle, if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, certainly not going to be good to prepare for battle. Some months ago, I was at a thrift store and happened to find a trumpet that was very, very inexpensive.

Actually, a decent trumpet, but I don't know how to play a trumpet. And we got the thing home, and we could hardly even make it make sound, let alone make a certain sound. Pilgrim Goodwin visited our house, and he actually can play a trumpet. So he picked it up, and he played a tune. "Hey, I can understand it. The trumpet is giving a certain tone."

The point is this: unless we can understand what is being said, He says, "You're speaking into the wind. You're speaking into the air." So likewise you, unless you utter by tongue words that are easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken?

He said, "There's all kinds of languages, and none of them are without significance. But if I don't know the meaning of that language, I'm going to be a foreigner to Him who speaks, and He who speaks will be a foreigner to me."

So it's very important that what we say is able to be understood. And it seems as though the Corinthians were in a situation where there was a lot of chaos and a lot of things happening, people speaking in languages that no one really understood what they were saying.

This could maybe be a little—even maybe a little more practical to us. It's said that Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon, who was very well educated, recognized that some of the words he used may be difficult to understand. And maybe without thinking, he would use a word that was difficult to understand. So he had an exercise that he would do before he shared a message. He would share that message with one of his maids, who he recognized weren't as educated as he was. And he wanted to make sure that they could understand the things he was saying.

And I appreciate that attitude because it is very important that the things we say are able to be understood.

In the modern Pentecostal movement, charismatic movement, there's this sort of idea that things just—it just happens that we can't control ourselves, and all of a sudden this stuff all happens. "I can't help it," kind of a thing. Origen said in the year 248, "It is not part of a divine spirit to drive the prophetess into such a state of ecstasy and madness that she loses control of herself. For he who is under the influence of the divine spirit would be the first to receive the beneficial effects. Moreover, when a person is in close contact with the deity, it should be the time of clearest perception." And it sort of seems like the opposite of what passes for this, maybe what was happening in the Corinthian context here, where there was a lot of times where things were not—they were not in control of themselves.

And so he addresses that here. He says, "Therefore, let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." What is the conclusion then? "I will pray with the spirit, and I also pray with understanding." So whatever we say, the words we say, and the prayers we offer, and the songs we sing, there's a connection between what we say and our understanding. And so it's very important here, he says, that our minds are engaged with understanding at the same time things are being said. Occasionally, we may sing a song; our choir may sing a song in another language. And I think in those cases, it's appropriate to make sure that the translation of that song is given because it does mean—it certainly adds meaning to that.

Our desire is that our speaking, our singing, our prayers, that others can give a scent by saying Amen. So he makes that point here. He says, "If they don't—if what you say doesn't—they can't understand that, then how in the world are they ever going to give a scent and say Amen to the things that you're giving of thanks since he does not understand what you say?

For indeed, you give thanks well." I mean, you can say a wonderful prayer, but if the other person doesn't understand that, he's not edified. He's not built up. And then Paul says, "I thank God that I speak with tongues more than you all." And I have a really good idea that Paul was multilingual. I think Paul knew probably three or four languages that he was able to communicate in. And maybe that's possibly what he's talking about here. Paul did not, in order to prove some kind of a point, speak in a language that others could not understand.

The goal of our worship is a fruitful mind and a fruitful spirit. Fruitful mind and fruitful spirit.

And he ends up this section then by saying, "I would rather speak five words with understanding than 10,000 words that others do not understand." That's a pretty strong statement.

Five words. "Hello. How are you doing?" That's five words. He said, "I'd rather say five words that people understand than 10,000 words that they don't understand." This next section can seem a little bit confusing. So it says that tongues are assigned to unbelievers. He says, "Brethren, do not be children in understanding. However, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature." And then he says—he quotes Isaiah—he says, "In the law it is written with the men of other tongues and other lips, 'I will speak to this people,' and yet for all that they will not hear me." So the purpose of tongues—and if we think back in Acts, the people that were uninformed, the unbelievers—the response that they got was, "What does all this mean?"

So it sort of opened up a door for Peter to say, "Well, this is the prophecy that Joel gave. This is what this means. This is a fulfillment of that prophecy." And yet he says that for all that they do not hear me. So in a lot of ways, oftentimes it doesn't. The response of some of them was, "Well, they're drunk."

He says then, "Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not for those who believe, but to unbelievers. But prophesying is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe." But then it sort of doesn't fit with the next section where he says, "Therefore, if the whole church comes together in one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say, 'You're out of your mind?'" So how does this work that tongues are for unbelievers, but if the unbelievers come into your church and they hear you speaking in tongues, they're going to say, 'You're out of your mind.'

And then if you prophesy, which he says, "Prophecy is not for unbelievers," the unbeliever comes in and he's convinced by all and convicted by all. Well, I think it's a—this is how I came to understand that.

The sign of tongues is for unbelievers. And again, we go back to Acts chapter 2, and we can see that that was the point of that. "When men had heard unlearned men speaking in their own language, they were amazed and asked what it all meant."

Yet Paul says, quoting Isaiah, that for all that they don't hear me.

So if he says that an unbelieving person comes into your assembly and there's this confusion, and all of you are speaking in tongues like what was happening in the Corinthians, will they not think, 'You're out of your mind. You're crazy people.'

But if you come into your assembly and you hear you expounding the given word of God to a given group of people at a given point in time, whose purpose is to edify, to comfort, and exhort believers, there's this amazing thing happens.

It's sort of maybe backwards from what we think, that the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. And so the people that come in and hear you prophesying and speaking the word of truth, that word of God penetrates. Even though the purpose is to uplift and upbuild the believers, the unbeliever comes in, and that word of God speaks right to his heart. It says, "He is convinced. He is convicted. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed." And have you ever heard a testimony of someone who says, "I came into the—I was a visitor at this church, and we touched on it this morning about the man in the woodshed.

But I came to your church, and how did the preacher know that that's exactly what I needed to hear?" Like it was like he was speaking directly to me. And I've heard a lot of testimony that way. And so he says that the person that comes in, the unbeliever that comes in, when he hears prophecy, when he hears the word of God being the given word of God being preached or taught and testified to, that God speaks to him, and the secrets of his heart are revealed, and he falls down on his face and worships God and says, "Surely God is here. Surely God is in this place."

And so God gets the glory.

In contrast to that, he says, if they come in and it's all unintelligible and they can't understand, what's their response going to be? They're crazy. They're out of their mind.

And then towards the end of the chapter here, then he talks about the order in the gathered assembly. He says, "When you come together again for edification, and you have your time of sharing, if someone has a psalm, someone has a tongue, someone has a revelation, if someone's multilingual, someone who speaks a language that only he knows," he says, "it must be interpreted.

There has to be an interpretation there. Otherwise, that person should remain quiet. He should keep silent in the church."

He says, "Let the prophets speak.

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge." So there's this thing that's supposed to take place as someone's holding forth the word of God, teaching the word of God, that those who are listening are supposed to be doing like the Bereans did and searching the Scriptures and saying, "Are these things real?" Because Paul also warns that there's false prophets that come out. And Moses talked about that in Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 21 and 22. "But the prophet who presumes—" verse 20. "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know that the word which the Lord—'" "How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or has come to pass, that is, the thing which the Lord has not spoken, the prophet has spoken presumptuously, you shall not be afraid of him." Basically, he's saying if the prophecy doesn't come true, he's a false prophet. And so here he's encouraging in our assembly, as someone is expounding the word of God, that others listening should be paying attention to that and making judgments on whether what he's saying is true.

Not in a judgmental spirit, simply to see, as the Bereans did, whether these things are so.

He says, "If you get a revelation during that time, you're not supposed to talk over the other person. You're supposed to wait until that person is finished. Let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.

The spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of God."

You know, I've been in situations already where everyone prays at once. And I just wonder, as I look at this, this doesn't really fit with what Paul's talking about, that somehow there's some benefit in that. Here he's talking about order. He's talking about everything being done in its time so that everyone can understand, so that they can in their heart say, "Amen."

It's not confusion.

The goal, as it always is, that they all may learn and all may be encouraged in verse 32.

"The churches of the saints will be marked by peace, not by confusion." Then he gives a word to the women. And the gathered assembly of the process described that he just described of setting by and judging and so on is not a place that is given to the women. Judging the prophets, he says, "If you have any questions, you're supposed to ask your husbands at home." This sounds radical to our 21st century ears. It sounds very politically incorrect.

But finding and being content with the role and place God has ordained, it's no different than the idea of submission to our husbands.

Wives being in submission to their husbands, it's the way God has ordained it. Does this mean no speaking ever? I mean, that's some of the questions that happen here. And I'd like to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 8 to 15 as a sort of a companion passage.

1 Timothy chapter 2.

Verse 8.

"I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting, in like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or pearls or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but which is proper for women professing godliness with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless, she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness with self-control."

So here Paul clarifies that a woman is not to in any way teach or usurp authority over a man. And so there is a teaching role for women. The Bible also says that the younger is supposed to teach—the older is supposed to teach the younger. We're to train our children. And so I feel like singing and giving testimony and that kind of thing is appropriate as far as the way he talks about it here.

But to expound on Scripture, to lead an assembly in prayer or worship falls outside the God-given role that he has given to the wife. And she should be silent in the church. If she has questions, she should ask her husband at home.

And then he reiterates that the things which he writes are the commandments of the Lord. This is not something that he's just cooking up on his own.

He says, "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant." If anyone does—another translation of that is, "If anyone does not recognize this, then he's not recognized."

And he ends this chapter then by saying, "Desire earnestly to prophesy, to speak the truth of God's word, of Jesus, into the lives of the people we worship with and the lives of the people that we rub shoulders with."

He says, "Don't forbid to speak in tongues. They have their place." And you know, I'm just very happy to let that in God's hands. If He saw fit that it would happen, it happened on the day of Pentecost. It was successful. It filled its purpose. And if God decides that that must happen again, He's more than willing to do that. So it's not like Paul is saying to the Corinthians here, "Because of this abuse, we're just going to completely forbid speaking in tongues." He said, "Don't do that.

But let all things be done decently and in order." And I think some of the reason that things like this get out of hand is because of maybe a lack of life in congregations where, you know, it feels rather dead. And my feeling on that would be that the word of God—it says it's quick and it's powerful and it's sharper than any two-edged sword.

We better look at what we're sharing if that's the case. We don't—someone put it this way—we don't want the carnival on one side or the crematorium on the other side. And let all things be done decently and in order.

I guess I make no apologies for having a service that's well maintained, well ordered, according to what Paul says here. But desire to prophesy. And I guess that's the thing that I would like for you all to take home with you today, is that we all have the ability to speak the truth of God, God's revealed truth, into the lives of the people that we meet. And Paul says, "If we do five words of that, it's way more effective than 10,000 words that someone doesn't understand." So let's make the message understandable. Let's be quick.

The scenario I described at the park—I mean, I guess where that hits me is many oftentimes I don't take advantage of that. I remain silent. And I think when he says desire to prophesy, he's challenging us to take advantage of those opportunities that we have in order to speak into people's lives. And my trust and hope that you've been edified today and that we all may strive to be the mouthpiece of Jesus that He desires us to be. Does anyone have any comments?