Bible Talks - Sunday Night Church
Tongue Control
Sunday, 13 February 2005
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At 3 o'clock one morning in 1995, in Oregon, USA, Neale Walsch got out of bed and started writing. The words came in a rush. His hand, he says now, was held over the paper as if by an invisible force. Page after page. Of what became a book he called Conversations with God. Walsh says he simply asks the questions. And then writes, as God gives the answers. He says it's like taking dictation. And he has to write as fast as he can to keep up.
So let me tell you some of what - apparently - God says. He says you've got to replace fear with love. He says you've got to turn work into fun. He says, you've got to let your inner self come out to play. He says, organised religion has stopped people experimenting with sexuality. And repressed free sexual expression with rules. And on he goes. Conversations, he says, with God. He went on to establish the ‘Conversation With God Foundation’ and cwg.org
And judging from the web site and his media sales, people love this stuff ! I guess there's always an audience if you want to claim you've got a new word from God. Walsch speaks at seminars all around the world. People are queuing up to hear him. He visited Australia, and Sydney in 2002. The three books in the Conversations with God series have been translated into 29 languages. They've sold 8 million copies. And people are hungry for more. Hungry for prophecy. For a word from the Lord.
The Problem
Which is how it was in Corinth as well.
And there was no shortage of offers. A church full of words from the Lord. Of people jumping up with spiritual sounding messages. Of people speaking in tongues, as if they're possessed. Or one person speaking over the top of another. Everyone chiming in. Competing for airtime and attention. All having their very own conversation with God.
You get a glimpse along in v26. Which isn't so much a pat on the back, as stating the problem. “ What then brothers?” What can I say? “When you come together everyone has a hymn, a lesson, a tongue a revelation, or an interpretation..”
Everyone wants to have a say. Not for the good of the church. But for their own sake.
Which if you've been here the past few weeks you'll know is kind of typical of the church in Corinth. I was watching a bit of a war documentary on the ABC during January. The sinking of a warship. And as the ship's going down the order is given as a last resort: every man for himself.
No more teamwork. fend for yourself. Which is Corinth all over. It's a me-me-me church, who need to be shown the basics all over again.
And so chapter 14 here is all about getting things like tongues and prophecy into perspective.
It's a big chapter. With lots of ideas to get your head around. But if there's only one verse you take home today, make sure it's verse 12. Because it’s the chapter in a nutshell, the verse, that sums up everything Paul's been saying in chapter 12 and 13 and 14. “.. since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church”
It's the point he's made over and over again. Since you're so eager to have Spiritual gifts. Go for the big ones. Go for the gifts that are loving. Go for the gifts that give the most to your brothers and sisters. The gifts that build up the church.
Which is why the situation in Corinth needs to be brought under control. Under the control of love. Under the control of the question, how is what I'm doing going be helpful to my brothers and sisters?
Which is a good question for us to be asking as well.
Controlling the Tongues
So we're going to look at the chapter under two key headings, Controlling the Tongues, and Controlling the Prophets. Paul says in v33, “God is not a God of confusion (or disorder), but of peace.” He says in v40, everything should be done decently and in order.
And that's what he's going to spell out for a church where it's every man for himself.
The first question to ask though, is what is tongues. It's time to look a bit deeper. He's mentioned it in chapter 12. He's referred to it in chapter 13. But what exactly is it?
For starters, you'll need to turn back to Acts chapter 2. And see where it all began. It's the day of Pentecost. And the disciples are huddled together in a house when there's the sound of a violent wind. And suddenly, the air is electric. Tongues of fire appear in mid air and fork out and rest on each of them. The crowning moment of the ministry of Jesus. Who had come to do exactly this: baptise with the Holy Spirit.
And if you look at Acts 2:4, all of them are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enables them.
Now will you notice why. Because in Jerusalem, v5 says, there are God fearing Jews gathered from every nation. And a crowd comes together, amazed, because each one of them hears the apostles speaking in his own language. Each one of them, no matter where they're from - is hearing something that makes perfect sense. V9 says they're Parthians, they're Medes, they're Mesopotamians, they're God fearing Jews from all over the place. And v11, they're saying, each of us can hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!
Now that is an incredible miracle. And an incredible announcement. That the time has come that the scriptures had been talking about. When the exiled Israelites, scattered all around the nations were going to be called back to the kingdom, under the rule of King Jesus.
And every one of them, no matter what their language could hear the Apostles speaking in a way that made perfect sense.
Now that is speaking in tongues. And it's an incredible miracle. And it’s the only detailed description of the miracle that we have in Scripture.
And it is apparently what the Corinthians think they're doing too - as do a lot of Christians in Charismatic churches today. And everybody's doing it. Like we saw in v26. When they come together, everyone seems to have a tongue.
And therein lies the problem, because when it all boils down to it, they're just not making any sense to anyone but God.
So Paul says, in a nutshell, the real test of the gift of tongues like the Apostles had, is that at least somebody has got to be able to understand it. Otherwise, what use is it?
I mean, the sort of thing the Corinthians are doing might be fine to do on your own. But if nobody understands it, it's just causing division. It's alienating people, in the technical sense of the word. It's making people foreigners to one another. Because they can't be understood.
Back to chapter 14. Pick up in v2, and we'll scan through what he's saying.
He says prophecy is better. Because at least you can understand it. For anyone who speaks in a tongue, v2, doesn't speak to men, but to God. Indeed. no one understands him. And that's the problem. He utters mysteries with his Spirit.
If you speak in a tongue, v4, you're just edifying yourself. If you prophecy, if you say something understandable, you edify the church. You build up everyone else. He says, sure I'd like you all to speak in tongues. The apostles did it in Acts chapter 2. Paul does it himself. But he says, I'd much rather have you prophesy, v5, and say stuff that makes sense. Which is why he who prophecies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues - unless he interprets, so it makes sense and the church can be edified by it.
See, making sense to each other is incredibly important. Which the Corinthians seem to have forgotten. And generations of Anglicans seem to have forgotten as well.
Paul says, what good will I be to you if I don't make any sense? v6. If I come and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you... unless there's actually some content to it, or that I reveal something. Or teach you something you don't know.
Or speak a prophecy you can understand.
Or instruct you. What good am I to you if I don't make any sense? He says how will anyone know the tune being played unless there's a distinction between the notes? He says it would just be like bagpipes.
Again, if the trumpet doesn't sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?
Now can you see his point? He's making it over and over again. He's being as clear as he can about the importance of being as clear as we can.
So it is with you. V9. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you're saying. You'll just be speaking into the air.
Some years ago, I went to Indonesia to teach E.E. Christians had come from all over the country to the first conference of it’s type in Indonesia. And it was my first experience of speaking through an interpreter. On top of that, I was familiar with a youth version of E.E., but I was supposed to be teaching the Adult version. Working with the interpreter was hard enough, but the poor man had a impossible time trying to convert my Australian colloquial expressions and anecdotes!
Now the point is, there's nothing like a language barrier to put a distance between people, is there? It's possible to build a friendship like that. But it's harder. So why on earth put barriers there that you don't have to, by insisting on speaking in tongues?
Pick up in v10. Undoubtedly, says Paul, there are all sorts of languages in the world. Including Indonesian. Yet none of them is without meaning. If then I don't grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you.
You're making foreigners of one another by insisting on speaking in words that can't be understood. Which is crazy. Since you're so eager to have spiritual gifts, at least go for the ones that build up the church.
So if you speak in a tongue, v13, pray that you can interpret what you're saying. Because there's no point just having your spirit pray while your mind remains unfruitful. You want to do both. V15. Spirit and mind. "So what will I do? I will pray with my Spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I'll sing with my Spirit with my mind on the job as well. Otherwise, v16, how can someone who's with you and who doesn't understand join you in saying amen to your prayer?
Do you get the point? Paul's insisting over and over again that the other person matters. That you're coming to church not just to say your own prayers with your spirit; not just to sing your own songs; but to build up others, even in the way you pray, the way you're understood. The way you're thanking God is in a way that brings everyone together in a rousing amen. You do it in some strange language, you may be giving thanks well enough, and God can understand it. But v17, the other man is not edified. Which means you're wasting your church time.
That's the problem with speaking in tongues, the way they're doing it in Corinth. It's self edifying. Not other-person edifying. So it needs to be kept in control.
Paul says, in the church, v19, when we get together, I 'd rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others, five words that made sense, than ten thousand words in a tongue. So he says, stop thinking like children (v20).
And if it's not bad enough making foreigners out of one another when you meet as a church, what about if a genuine stranger comes in? Or an unbeliever? (v22)
What if someone walks in off the street, while you're all speaking in tongues? What then? So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues and some who don't understand, or some unbelievers come in, (we're in v23), will they not say that you're out of your mind? They'll say you're crazy. Because it just won't be making any sense.
And so, he says, the Corinthians have got to control their tongues, and start thinking of other people for a change. They’ve got to make sure they're making sense. V27. “If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.” So it makes sense to everyone. And if there's no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church, and speak to himself and God.
He’s saying this, because whatever you say in church needs to make sense. So it can be encouraging. Because that's what meeting as a church is all about.
Which is why, time after time, he's saying prophecy is best.
The Prophets
So what about prophecy? What exactly is it?
He's said it right from verse 1. “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”
All through the chapter. You Corinthians like tongues. But prophecy is better.
So does that mean are we meant to have a church full of people like Neale Donald Walsch?
Prophecy is something we need to think through carefully, and not get carried away with.
Now the trouble is, in our common language and understanding, I think we've turned prophecy into something spooky. Nostradumus, and Neale Donald Walsch. Which is fine if you want to write a best-seller book, or come across like a spiritual super-hero guru. But isn't quite what Paul seems to be talking about.
There's a good definition of what Paul means by prophecy, and it's there in v3. Where he's drawing a contrast between tongues and prophecy. And spelling out why prophecy is more useful for the church.
What are you doing if you're prophesying? V3. "...the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” What you're doing if you're prophesying is speaking a word from God to a particular situation. That strengthens. That encourages. That brings comfort. Although it’s not limited to that...
An insight, somehow, that the Spirit gives, to give special encouragement or special comfort.
And what church wouldn't want that? Because the whole goal is to build one another up. To encourage one another to persevere in Godliness. If you've got a word from the Spirit that's going to do that, then the church is going to be strengthened by it.
Except sadly, that's not what the Corinthians want to do with it at all. And again, it's like a competition. Where anyone who thinks they've got a prophecy wants to talk over the top of everybody else. Where the pursuit of a word of prophecy isn't to build people up, but to make yourself seem important. Which, as we’ve seen, is always the danger, whatever your gift.
a) Controlling the Prophets
And so Paul says, keep control of the prophets. Because random words of prophecy are not what the church is to go by.
First, he says, when you meet together for church, limit the number of prophecies. Two or three at the most. V29. Imagine the scene... And the others don't just blindly accept it. Paul says: Question it. Test it. V29. The others should weigh carefully what is said.
Words of prophecy like that are under the authority of the church. And the words of prophets are questioned. Except, if you pick up on v34, by their wives. Who as the church gathers and weighs prophecies are told to ask their husbands at home, rather than publicly.
If you want to ponder further on that, keep in mind we already saw in chapter 11 that it's okay for women to prophecy and pray in the church. But he says, when it comes to this point, question privately.
So number 1, if you've got a message you think is prophecy, it's not something you're going to rule the church by. It's something the church is going to sit in judgement on. The church is going to question, and weigh.
b) Self Control
The second way the prophets have to be controlled is by being self controlled. Which you can see in v30-33. If someone's speaking and a revelation comes to someone else, the first speaker gives way. It's road rules for prophesy. For he says, you can all prophesy in turn, so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. Don't talk over each other. Because the spirits of prophets he says in v32 are subject to the control of prophets. He says, Exercise some self control. Because God's not a God of disorder. But of peace.
c) Apostolic Control
And finally, as we look at controlling the prophets. He says make sure if you think you're a prophet that you're subject to the words of the apostles. Who are the ones Jesus left in charge of his church. It's a subtle one. But it's important. And it's in v37.
See, there's nothing like thinking you're a prophet to make you set yourself up as a guru. Like Neale Donald Walsch. And the next thing you know, you're saying stuff like he's saying. Stuff that people love to hear. No wonder he draws a crowd. God told me he wants you to experiment with sex. And yet you compare it with the New Testament, who wins?
Paul says to the Corinthians, make sure you listen to me. Because I'm your apostle, commissioned by Jesus, so I win. V37. “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 he ignores this, he himself will be ignored.
Which has still got to be rule number 1. That any word of prophecy, it needs to be compared; to be held under the authority of the words of the Apostles that make up the New Testament and who we know for sure are speaking the Lord' s commands to us.
The Bottom Line
So where are we up to? It's a chapter that covers a lot of ground, and that causes contention. But the bottom line is very simple. Whatever gifts you've got, remember the reason you've got them is to edify the church. Which is just the old fashioned word for building and strengthening. What ever gifts you've got, use them for building and strengthening other people. Which makes all the other issues sort of evaporate, doesn't it?
And so whatever you do, make sure you're being understood. Make sure it's bringing the church together. Rather than leaving some people out.
In v39, Paul wraps it all up by saying again, be eager to prophecy. Because it's such a great gift for building people up, for encouraging them. But don't forbid speaking in tongues. If you like speaking in tongues, you're not doing anything wrong. It's just that it's a bit like mixing up golf with cricket. Golf's a sport you play on your own. Cricket’s a team thing. When you come together for church, it's a team sport. Keep tongues between you and God. Unless there's someone else who can understand the language, and pass it on.
And if God gives you a word of prophecy, be humble about it. Don't get the idea it's something super-spiritual. If it's real prophecy then it's going to be strengthening and encouraging and comforting. And you'll be happy to have it assessed, and brought under the teaching of scripture. But it's a great way to encourage the church.
And pray that you'll have lots of words of encouragement like that. And that Philip and I will as we teach from week to week. That God's Spirit will use us like that. To encourage and build up.
But it goes further than that, doesn't it? Paul says, since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, forget about you for a minute and try to excel in gifts that build up the church. Whatever the gift. It's not for self expression. It's not for spiritual status. Be eager to build up the church.
