Wild & Free: Heavenly Language

June 20th, 2021/Riverside & Lookout

Story: Growing up Baptist.

Intro: The passage we’re going to examine today, I hope will provide a lot of clarity around a topic that has historically been incredibly divisive.

Background:

Paul is writing this letter to a church in Corinth that he planted on his second missionary journey. Some time has passed, approximately 5 years, and he heard of the struggles they were facing. He writes this letter to address some problems in the church, he goes on to provide clarity and to teach believers how to live in a corrupt city.

In this text, Paul is addressing the church's many struggles: the abuse of the spiritual gifts, envy, selfishness, impatience, and actions that were not pleasing to God. He shares that the greatest thing that provides life and power and the only way spiritual gifts can be used properly, effectively, and creatively is if they are motivated and ministered to in love. Andy preached an incredible message on love last weekend and I highly recommend you go back and catch up in our series on the Holy Spirit.

The last several weeks have been building up to this passage here in chapter 14 where Paul identifies some specific mishandlings of the use of the gift of tongues. This passage has historically been at the center of a lot of controversy in the church and has resulted in lots of division. There is an enormous amount of complexity to the conversation today, but I’m going to work hard to make it as simple and easy to understand as I possibly can for the benefit of this body and for the glory of God.

Passage: 1 Corinthians 14:1-26 CSB

26 What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything is to be done for building up.

Here in verse 26 we see Paul pulling the curtain back and giving us a description of what the gatherings looked like at the church in Corinth. Now, this gathering he describes looks very different than most of the church services in our world today. This was a smaller group of maybe 20-30 people and they are dialoguing and as we see in chapter 11, even sharing meals and taking communion. This would resemble more of a house church approach. There is high participation, lots of people contributing here. Granted they are contributing in very disturbing and distracting ways that Paul will address.

Nowhere in the bible do we see exactly what each experience of Sunday gatherings is supposed to look like. We see certain expressions in gatherings with worship songs and the teaching of God’s Word, and we also have been instructed to partake in the sacraments of communion and baptism, but otherwise there is much variety. We love the different expressions in our city and champion the way God uses those churches to preach the Gospel and make disciples in our city.

Pray:

Main Points:

1. Speaking In Tongues

   1. Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. 2 For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. 4 The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

      1. “Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.” This passage wrecked me almost a decade ago. I’ve always felt like I had the gift of prophecy, but it was never affirmed nor was I given permission to pursue learning and growing in that gift. It wasn’t until I came across this passage again that I realized I did not need permission from others in my life, Paul was giving me permission right here!
      2. Question: I also love that he is encouraging them to desire gifts of the Spirit! How many of you have a hunger for more?!
      3. Observation: Speaking in tongues is addressed to God. It is a form of prayer and worship.
      4. Tongues Definition: This is a Spirit-given liberty to praise or pray to God with sounds or languages not understood by the speaker. Paul encourages the use of this gift in private and in the Sunday gathering, but only if the prayer is translated into intelligible speech so that it can benefit others. - Tim Mackie
      5. 6 So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8 In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.
      6. 12 So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

      7. Interpretation of Tongues: This is the ability to render the unintelligible prayer or praise into articulate words so that others can understand and be encouraged. This could be done by the one praying (14:5, 13) or by another person in the gathering (14:27-28). - Tim Mackie

         2. The Two Extreme Camps

      8. Charismatic or Pentecostals

         1. With extreme Pentecostals or charismatics, speaking in tongues is evidence of one's salvation. If you haven’t had this experience then you are missing out on all God has for you. Tongues are then evidence of your spiritual life.
         2. Story: Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? A question I got asked by a friend in high school that was pressuring me to speak in tongues as evidence of the Spirit living inside me.

         3. Prescriptive and descriptive - “The gift of tongues is another area in which it is important to separate descriptive from prescriptive passages. The book of Acts gives us several instances of people speaking in tongues, such as Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Some take this and other passages describing tongues and assume they are prescriptive, but this is a wrong interpretation. The Bible describes certain occasions when Spirit-filled people spoke in tongues, but the descriptions of what happened should not be confused with commands to make it happen. The Bible certainly commands us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), but nowhere does it say that speaking in tongues always accompanies the filling, and neither does it mandate speaking in tongues for everyone.” - GotQuestions 2. Cessationists

         4. Tongues and several other gifts were for a specific period in time and are no longer needed after the apostles have died. We no longer need these gifts because we have the Bible.

         5. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. - 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

         6. Some point out that the perfect has come and therefore some of the gifts have ceased, but based on my understanding of this text, and studying the verb tense and breadth of Scripture, this is not a persuasive argument for me. 3. Let’s talk about Pentecost. Jesus has risen from the dead and has appeared to hundreds. 50 days after the resurrection we have the day of Pentecost.

         7. Acts 2:1-13 CSB “When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. 3 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. 4 Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.”

         8. Observation: This is a wild experience! Violent winds, tongues of fire, and then speaking in different languages. What does this all mean? Let’s keep reading…
         9. 5 Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. 6 When this sound occurred, a crowd came together and was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were astounded and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites… —we hear them declaring the magnificent acts of God in our own tongues.” 12 They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But some sneered and said, “They’re drunk on new wine.”
         10. It would appear then that something different is happening here than what Paul is describing in 1 Corinthians 14. In Corinthians tongues are prayers to God, but here tongues are for each other. In Corinthians the people need an interpreter to make sense of what is being said, but here everyone can understand clearly in their own language. We also see that the purpose of tongues is different as well. So there are several distinctions between these two passages.
         11. For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 14:2
         12. Question: What then is Paul describing to the church in Corinth?
         13. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding. - 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 CSB
         14. This type of praying and praising in tongues is all in, raw, an expression towards God of everything I am experiencing!
         15. Question: Have you ever been startled and something came out that may have surprised you?
         16. Story: Zion & Sylah falling back on their heads at the pool. Also, Cory & Neriah on the deck with the bicycle. Sometimes there is a raw expression that happens as a result of you being fully engaged!
         17. Question: Have you ever been in worship and felt the Spirit move deeply! Speaking this, drawing you in, revealing truth to you… Or have you ever been in a prayer moment and found yourself praying prayers you didn’t even know you needed to pray?!?!
         18. “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” - Romans 8:26-27
         19. So we see that there are forms of tongues that are right and good in both prayer and praise, but we also see that there are some forms in public worship gatherings that may not be best.
         20. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. - 1 Corinthians 14:18-19
         21. For Paul, clear and intelligible speech is the priority in the gathering that builds up, which is prophecy.
         22. Speaking Prophecy
             1. 3 On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. 4 The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. - 1 Corinthians 14:3-4
             2. Question: What do you think of when you think of prophecy? Foretelling the future right?

      9. This is not primarily what the biblical definition is for prophecy.

      10. Prophecy is primarily someone who has immersed themselves in the Word of God, and they’ve prayed and asked the Spirit how the Word speaks to people in specific circumstances. So biblical prophecy is not foretelling as much as forthtelling.

          3. Prophecy Definition: Spirit-guided speaking that is inspired by God’s word and that makes the message specifically relevant to people’s lives or to the life of a church community. - Tim Mackie

      11. Up to this point I have been teaching, but I will conclude with preaching and prophesying. Which is to take the truth and make it more relevant to your lives today.

          4. Prophecy can often look like foretelling because the one speaking truth over people's lives knows the Scriptures so well, and is listening to the Spirit in their lives, that they can give biblical wisdom over people’s circumstances.

      12. “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” - Proverbs 16:18

          5. Paul says that prophecy builds up and edifies the body.
          6. “But everything is to be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40

      13. What does this mean for us today?

          1. More personality than theology

      14. Some people are more emotive and expressive, while others are more reflective and reserved. Which one is best?

          2. What is the motive behind it all?

      15. If you’re coming to church solely for the expression of tongues and your personal experience, then the motive is off. Also, if you’re coming to talk over people through prophecy then your motive is off there as well.

          3. Why we gather

      16. To hear a word from God (Prophecy)

      17. To express our gratitude and grief to God (Prayer & Praise)
      18. To serve each other (gifts for the common good)