Order in Spiritual Gifts
Paul declares prophecies more important than speaking in tongues if there is no one there to interpret the tongues. The purpose of speaking in tongues and having an interpreter is so that the church can be built up, meaning expanded or increased. If one speaks in tongues and no one is there to interpret then Paul says outsiders would come in and think it is foolish for someone to be speaking what sounds like nonsense. Paul would love for the entire church to be able to speak in tongues but without interpretation, there is no point. In verse 19, Paul says that he would rather speaks 5 words of his mind than speak 10,000 words in tongues and have no interpreter.
Paul provides order for the spiritual gifts. He says it should only be 2 or 3, yet only allowing one at a time. In regard to order, it is understood that there were women who would speak out during the services and ask for explanation of things sitting apart from their husbands (as was custom) and disturbing the spiritual gifts. Paul says that they should wait until they got home to ask these questions and not in the middle of someone delivering a message. This section of text is often taken out of context and made to sound misogynistic, when in deed it was intended to create order not feed into disorder as the Corinthian Church was in (1 Corinthians 14:40).
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Spiritual Gifts and One Body
There are various types of spiritual gifts. These are not just things that you are good at, but gifts given to you by God for the "manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (verse 7)." The gifts are listed in verses 8-11 and range from utterances of wisdom and knowledge in the same spirit, prophecy, miracles and tongues. All these gifts are of the same spirit and not different ones. Why would Paul be pointing this out? Because there needed to be an understanding that the spiritual gifts were under the same God and this could also help create more unity which the Corinthian church lacked.
We see in regard to spiritual gifts (verse 13) a solid statement by Paul that whether Jew or Greek or slave or free, our source is under the same Jesus. He continues and tells us that the body does not consist of one member but many. If everyone had the same gift then there would be missing needs in the church. In verse 17 he explains that if a body was an eye then how would you hear or be able to smell. Each gift is important and special and needed for the church and God to be given glory.In summation, verse 27 tells us that we are all the body of Christ and individually members of it.
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Peter's Sermon at Pentecost
We read in Acts 1 that about 120 people were gathered, praying together to find a replacement for Judas. They were led by God to select Matthias. On the day of Pentecost (a feast celebrating Moses being given the Law) they were gathered (same theme as Acts 1) and were able to speak in tongues and interpret (tongues is the ability to speak in another language given via the holy spirit for the purpose of spreading the gospel to other's who do not speak your language).
In verses 12-13, people were amazed and others who saw this were thinking that those speaking in tongues were drunk. The disciple Peter gave a sermon as as response to the naysayers. He addressed their gossip and gave them truth and perspective saying that it was only the 3rd hour of the day (too early to be drunk and approx 9am). And then Peter gave them scripture. He gave them truth in Acts 2:17-21 from Joel 2:28-32 quoting why people should not be naysayers and gossipers when it was the Lord at work.
Once again we see that when people will gossip and cut you down and denigrate you when they do not understand the Lord's work in your life. They will chalk up your being infused with the Holy Spirit to you just being naturally outgoing or to you trying to gain something from others. We must be prepared for that when we are doing God's work and people tell us that we are not and try to cut us down. Be ready with a defense of truth and not defensiveness and emotion.
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