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1 Corinthians 14 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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0:00First Corinthians 12 gives us the
0:02administration or manifestation [music]
0:05of the spirit of God through gifts.
0:08First Corinthians [music] 13 shows us a
0:11more excellent way than merely chasing
0:13after gifts,
0:15but love is the way.
0:17And if you get gifts without love, you
0:19don't get anything.
0:21But it would be a terrible error to
0:23assume
0:24>> [music]
0:25>> that love is the replacement of gifts.
0:29Love, [music] instead, is the right way
0:32to handle and seek gifts.
0:35We know that
0:38he is not [music] setting up a love
0:39versus gifts equation because
0:43he finishes First Corinthians
0:45>> [music]
0:45>> 13, the love chapter, by saying that the
0:48things that remain are faith, hope, and
0:50love,
0:51and the greatest of these [music] is
0:52love. And then he begins chapter 14 like
0:55this.
0:5714:1,
0:59pursue love, yet desire earnestly
1:03spiritual gifts, but especially that you
1:06may prophesy.
1:08So, he ends 12 by saying to desire the
1:10gifts, and he
1:11>> [music]
1:11>> picks up 14. Love does not replace the
1:14need to earnestly [music] desire the
1:17greater gifts.
1:19For one who speaks in a tongue does not
1:21speak to men, but to God. For no one
1:24understands, but in [music] his spirit,
1:27he speaks mysteries.
1:29But one who prophesies speaks to men for
1:32edification and exhortation [music]
1:35and consolation.
1:37One who speaks in a tongue edifies
1:40himself, but one who prophesies [music]
1:42edifies the church.
1:44So, he's talking about two different
1:46kinds of tongues here. One is the tongue
1:48[music] that is a message in tongues for
1:51the church,
1:53and nobody understands it unless there's
1:55an interpretation. He's saying that's
1:57not what I want you to seek as the
1:59primary way
2:00>> [music]
2:00>> of ministering in the church. Instead,
2:05pray that you can prophesy, that you can
2:07communicate clearly to the church
2:09so that they
2:11can respond. Now, I wish that you all
2:13spoke in tongues,
2:16but even more that you would prophesy.
2:19And greater is one who prophesies than
2:21[music] one who speaks in tongues,
2:23unless he interprets so that the church
2:25may receive edifying. [music]
2:28So, again, the whole point here on the
2:30tongues that he's talking about refer to
2:35in a corporate church context.
2:38They're not very helpful in a corporate
2:41church context. And this is the tongue
2:44the gift of tongues that not everybody
2:46has. This is not the speaking in tongues
2:49that results from the baptism of the
2:51spirit.
2:53But now, brethren, if I come to you
2:54speaking in tongues,
2:56what will I profit you unless I speak to
2:58you either by way of revelation or of
3:00knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching?
3:04Yet even lifeless things, either flute
3:08or harp, in producing a sound, if they
3:11do not produce a distinction in the
3:13notes,
3:14how will it be known what is played on
3:16the flute or on the harp?
3:19For if the bugle produces an indistinct
3:22sound, who will prepare himself for
3:24battle?
3:26So you also, unless you utter by the
3:29tongue speech that is clear, how will it
3:32be known what is spoken?
3:35For you will be speaking into the air.
3:39There are perhaps a great many kinds of
3:42languages in the world, and no kind is
3:44without meaning.
3:45If then I do not know the meaning of the
3:48language, I will be to the one who
3:50speaks a barbarian, and the one who
3:53speaks will be a barbarian to me.
3:55He's saying
3:57the point of communication in church is
4:01to speak clearly.
4:05Because you want people to prepare for
4:08battle.
4:09And he's telling them he's giving a a
4:11likeness to the bugle or the instrument,
4:14the harp, the flute, and he's saying
4:17they don't just get on and start going
4:18hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo. They play distinct
4:22notes that signal a particular song.
4:26And you understand that song, and that
4:28song has meaning to you. Or in the case
4:30of the bugle,
4:31armies would be directed as to which way
4:35they should go, as to what they should
4:37do by the tunes that the bugle would
4:40play.
4:41So, the bugle would come up and play a
4:43tune, and that would mean
4:45go east. Or they'd play a different
4:47tune, it would mean go to rest, break
4:49camp. All of these different tunes were
4:52used to control the movements of
4:54thousands of troops. Okay? But, the most
4:58poignant thing here is not just that
5:00he's telling them that tongues has a
5:02limited place in the church, definitely.
5:05But, he's also saying that the goal of
5:08public ministry needs to be clarity.
5:12And this goes for a lousy testimony or a
5:16lousy teaching. If we just wobble and
5:19warble all over the place, nobody knows
5:21what's happening. Nobody knows what
5:23they're supposed to do. But, the goal is
5:25for people to prepare for battle. It's
5:28It's supposed to set people in motion.
5:31It makes you think of what the ancient
5:33prophet says before Paul.
5:36Take the vision and make it plain that
5:39they may run who hear it.
5:41The vision is supposed to activate
5:44a person's obedience. And if it's not
5:46distinct and plain, they won't know how
5:48to run.
5:50So, he says, "If If If we come and I
5:52speak in tongues and you don't, then I
5:55may as well be a foreigner, a barbarian
5:57to you and you to me."
5:59So also, you, since you are zealous of
6:02spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the
6:05edification of the church.
6:07So, here we have a little insight.
6:09The Corinthians are very proud of their
6:11gifts.
6:13They are proud of their miracles. Pretty
6:15much everything he lists in 1
6:16Corinthians 13 is likely what they were
6:19doing. If I speak with the tongues of
6:21men and of angels, if I have faith to
6:23move mountains, if I have all kinds of
6:25knowledge. So, he's kind of coming back
6:28to that theme, and he says, "You also,
6:30since you are zealous for spiritual
6:33gifts, seek to abound
6:37for the edification of the church."
6:40Why don't we not seek the gifts as an
6:42object of themselves? Why don't we
6:44instead seek to build up the church,
6:46which is what edification means?
6:50Therefore, let one who speaks in a
6:51tongue pray that he may interpret. For
6:55if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays,
6:58but my mind is unfruitful.
7:00So, here we have a contrast. Speak in a
7:03tongue, pray in a tongue.
7:05Do you see the difference?
7:06So, most of what he's been talking about
7:09is
7:10>> [snorts]
7:10>> an oracle, standing up in a public
7:13meeting and speaking out a declaration
7:16in an unknown tongue. And he's saying,
7:18"That's not terribly helpful without an
7:20interpretation."
7:21But then he changes, and he uses a
7:23combination of words he has not used
7:26until now. He says, "But if I pray in a
7:29tongue, my spirit prays,
7:33but my mind is unfruitful."
7:36Okay, what is the outcome then? I will
7:39pray with the spirit, and I will pray
7:43with my mind also. I will sing with the
7:46spirit, and I will sing with my mind
7:48also.
7:50Otherwise, if you bless in the spirit
7:52only, how will the one who fills the
7:55place of the ungifted say the amen
7:59at your giving of thanks, since he does
8:01not know what you are saying?
8:04So, he's saying,
8:05if you
8:07if you are in church and a blessing is
8:11called for,
8:12and you give a blessing at the end of
8:15the church service,
8:17the idea is that everybody in the church
8:19should be able to say amen
8:21and agree with that blessing and receive
8:24that blessing. But, if you give that
8:25blessing praying in a tongue, well, that
8:28may be very meaningful, but nobody's
8:30going to be able to say amen cuz they
8:32don't know what you said.
8:34It's interesting that when he talks
8:35about praying in the tongue, he he says
8:38that that is praying in the spirit.
8:41So, that's a kind of a defining term for
8:44us to praying in the spirit. That's the
8:46speaking in tongues that is for personal
8:47edification.
8:50For you are giving thanks well enough,
8:52but the other person is not edified. I
8:54thank God I speak in tongues more than
8:56all of you.
8:58However, in the church, I desire to
9:02speak five words with my mind, so that I
9:05may instruct others also, rather than
9:0710,000 words in a tongue.
9:11So, here's the big contrast. I speak in
9:14tongues, however, in the church.
9:18So, everything he's talking about
9:21regarding tongues
9:23is in the church, in the gathered
9:27assembly
9:28of a corporate context, where others
9:32need to be edified. So, Paul has the
9:34private life of praying in tongues
9:36himself, and he says, "I do it more than
9:38all of you, and I want you all to speak
9:40in tongues. But in the church
9:43in the church, not everybody has the
9:45gift of tongues. In the church, don't
9:48seek to speak in tongues so much. Seek
9:50to prophesy. In the church, at least
9:52pray that you have an interpretation if
9:54you do speak in tongues."
9:56The operative phrase is in the church.
10:01Brethren, do not be children in your
10:04thinking. Yet in evil, be infants.
10:08But in your thinking, be mature.
10:12In the law, it is written,
10:14>> [clears throat]
10:14>> "By men of strange tongue
10:16and by the lips of strangers, I will
10:19speak to this people, and even so, they
10:22will not listen to me," says the Lord.
10:26So, he's saying in the in the law, in
10:27the Old Testament, it is written that
10:30God's going to use unknown tongues to
10:32speak to his people.
10:34So, then, tongues are for a sign,
10:37not to those who believe, but to
10:40unbelievers. But prophecy is for a sign,
10:44not to unbelievers, but to those who
10:47believe.
10:48Now, this is confusing, but in order to
10:50harmonize what Paul is saying, I'm going
10:53to explain it like this.
10:55And I'm not saying this is the final
10:57word, but at least this makes sense.
11:01Paul is telling us here
11:04that tongues are for unbelievers. But
11:07let's just think of that more like for
11:09unbelief.
11:11Because he's going to say that we should
11:13not speak in tongues when unbelievers
11:16are present.
11:18So, how do we harmonize these things?
11:20Well, the unbelief
11:22that tongues is for, first of all, we're
11:25talking about in the church, and the
11:27unbelief that tongues are for
11:29are for unbelief in the church among
11:34church people.
11:35When God is speaking to them and they're
11:37not receiving the plain word of
11:40prophecy, then God can add tongues as a
11:44sign that requires two witnesses because
11:47typically one gives a message in tongue
11:50and another prophesies or another
11:52interprets that message in tongues. And
11:54so I can see that there's a two witness
11:57dimension in this
11:59that would seem to confirm an atmosphere
12:03of unbelief in the church. God's saying,
12:06"I want you guys to do this." And the
12:07church isn't doing it. I can see how
12:09tongues would be used as a sign for the
12:13unbelief in us as church people.
12:16But he's not saying it's a primary
12:19function for unbelievers who come to
12:22your church.
12:24Therefore, if the whole church assembles
12:26together,
12:27so again, here we go. If the whole
12:29church assembles together and all speak
12:32in tongues and ungifted men or
12:35unbelievers enter, will they not say
12:38that you are mad?
12:41But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or
12:44an ungifted man enters,
12:46he will be convinced by all.
12:49He is called to account by all.
12:52The secrets of his heart are disclosed
12:55so that he will fall on his face and
12:57worship God declaring that God is
13:00certainly among you.
13:02So he's saying tongues is not going to
13:04help this guy.
13:06Right? But to harmonize this, we're I I
13:10think he's saying that tongues are for
13:12the church when the church is in
13:14unbelief
13:15and it's not so much for the unbeliever
13:19per se. There's another way to interpret
13:21that, but this is mine.
13:24God is certainly among you. It's
13:25profound that
13:27the goal, Paul's
13:29goal for an unbeliever visiting a
13:31meeting
13:32is to know that God is truly among you.
13:37That's his goal. So, whatever the
13:40ministry does,
13:41Paul wants the man to fall on his face
13:43and know that God is truly among you.
13:48He doesn't need to know a message. He
13:50doesn't need to know a program. He
13:52doesn't need to know about. He needs to
13:54know God is among you.
13:57>> What is the outcome then, brethren? When
13:59you assemble, each one has a psalm,
14:03has a teaching,
14:04has a revelation, has a tongue,
14:07has an interpretation. Let all things be
14:10done for edification.
14:13So, this is giving us an insight into
14:15the kind of church service
14:17that Paul wants them to have. The kind
14:20that would make someone fall on their
14:21face and know that God is among you.
14:24It's a plurality of ministry. This is
14:26not three songs, an offering, and a
14:29sermon, and two more songs at the end.
14:31This is a diversity of ministry.
14:35Each one has a psalm. That means a song
14:39accompanied by a musical instrument.
14:41That's the definition of a psalm.
14:44For those who don't think they should
14:45play instruments.
14:46Has a teaching, has a revelation,
14:50has a tongue, has an interpretation.
14:53Let all things be done for edification.
14:55He wants there to be a symbiosis, a
14:58conversation
15:00with God and with each other.
15:02If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should
15:05be by two or at the most three, and each
15:08in turn, and one must interpret. But if
15:11there is no interpreter, he must keep
15:13silent in the church, and let him speak
15:17to himself and to God.
15:19Let two or three prophets speak, and let
15:22the others pass judgement. So he says if
15:25we're going to have messages in tongues,
15:26don't let there be more than one or two.
15:29And it needs to have an interpretation.
15:31Don't keep adding them on without
15:33interpretation. That just buries us in
15:35confusion.
15:37And then he says, "Let two or three
15:39prophets speak and let the others pass
15:41judgement." So there's a pattern here
15:44that when somebody speaks under the
15:46anointing, that there should be a
15:48response. That the body should comment
15:51and say, "This is the Lord. God is
15:53speaking to us here. My spirit bears
15:55witness with this."
15:57So that there the word can be
15:59established by two or three witnesses.
16:01But if a revelation is made to another
16:04who is seated, the first one must keep
16:06silent. For you can all prophesy one by
16:10one, so that all may learn and all may
16:13be exhorted. And the spirits of prophets
16:15are subject to prophets.
16:19For God is not a God of confusion, but
16:21of peace, as in all the churches of the
16:23saints.
16:25Okay, let's unpack this a little bit.
16:28Paul is saying that there needs to be
16:31order in the way people are sharing.
16:34Okay?
16:35So he's saying
16:37that if one is in the middle of talking
16:41and somebody gets something from God, a
16:43revelation comes to him,
16:46that the one in the middle of talking
16:47should actually be seated
16:49while this breakout revelation
16:52has room to come forth.
16:55The idea here is that whatever is
16:57freshest from the Holy Spirit needs to
17:00be given place to.
17:02Okay?
17:04And then he says, "For you can all
17:06prophesy one by one, so that all may
17:10learn and all may be exhorted." He does
17:12not want people prophesying over each
17:14other. He He one to sit down and one to
17:16go. And he wants them to give preference
17:19to whoever has the unction and
17:20inspiration of the Spirit.
17:22>> [snorts]
17:23>> And and then he makes this statement,
17:25"The spirits of prophets are subject to
17:28the prophets."
17:30He's telling them, "I want you to do it
17:31in this orderly way." And there's a
17:33little voice inside of them that could
17:35go, "Paul, it's a prophecy. I can't hold
17:38it back when I start vomiting a
17:40prophecy."
17:42And he says, "No.
17:44In fact, that gift of prophecy is still
17:48subject to you.
17:50You still have the ability to control
17:53it.
17:54You still have the ability to say, 'I'm
17:57going to wait until brother so-and-so
17:59finishes talking.'"
18:00Does that make sense? And he says, "They
18:02are subject to you. Why are they
18:04subject? For God is not a god of
18:07confusion,
18:09but of peace, as in all the churches of
18:11the saints."
18:13Okay?
18:15"The women are to keep silent in the
18:18churches, for they are not permitted to
18:20speak, but are to subject themselves,
18:23just as the law also says.
18:27If they desire to learn anything, let
18:29them ask their own husbands at home, for
18:32it is improper for a woman to speak in
18:34church.
18:36Was it from you that the word of God
18:39first went forth? Or has it come to you
18:41only?
18:43If anyone thinks he is a prophet or
18:44spiritual, let him recognize that the
18:46things which I write to you are the
18:49Lord's commandment."
18:51Okay.
18:52What does this mean that women are to
18:55keep silent in the churches?
18:58He's just said that God is not a god of
19:01confusion,
19:03and he says that
19:04but a god of peace, as in all the
19:06churches of the saints.
19:09Now, I'm just going to say right here
19:12that part of the confusion is the way
19:14Paul is using church.
19:17He says, "When the whole church is
19:20assembled
19:23so the gathered meeting isn't
19:26necessarily the church.
19:30The church
19:31can and likely refers here
19:34to the
19:36decision-making committee
19:39of the church.
19:41It's not saying that women are not
19:43allowed to
19:45utter anything in a gathered meeting, or
19:48else what he said in the previous
19:49chapters don't make any sense. Paul says
19:52in in 1 Corinthians 11 that a woman
19:56should not pray or prophesy without a
20:00covering, speaking of her husband. But
20:03that means she is allowed to pray and
20:06prophesy in the church.
20:09Likewise,
20:10we are told in Acts that Philip had
20:13three daughters and they prophesied.
20:17Prophecy is for a public meeting.
20:20So, we have women praying and
20:22prophesying in the church. We have women
20:25who are prophets, who are prophetesses,
20:28who are prophesying. And so, women are
20:31speaking in the church.
20:33But they are not entering into disputes
20:37when there are disagreements.
20:40They're going to learn from their
20:42husband. They're going to ask questions
20:44of their husband.
20:45So, if a woman is giving a testimony,
20:47that is not asking a question. That is
20:49not challenging what is happening.
20:52What likely Paul is addressing is that
20:56something was happening pretty
20:57disorderly.
20:59Chloe is the one who wrote him about the
21:01disorder that was occurring in the
21:03meetings.
21:04So, it feels to me like
21:07he is saying, "I want there to be order
21:10in the way you guys are speaking. But,
21:12if there's disorder, I don't want the
21:14women to stand up and correct it."
21:17Which is likely what was happening,
21:19perhaps even from Chloe, I don't know.
21:21But, it it's likely what was happening.
21:24So, he's saying, "In terms of disputes,
21:27you're going to learn from your
21:29husband." The term church is not a term
21:33invented by Jesus or Paul.
21:36It's a term used by the Romans.
21:40And
21:41the way it worked is
21:45the imperial authority of of the Roman
21:49state would create a caucus or a
21:53delegation of people to decide a matter
21:58in a local area, and they would call
22:00that an ecclesia.
22:03So, if a mayor
22:05died suddenly before an election could
22:08occur in a certain province,
22:11then the emperor would instruct a church
22:15to be gathered.
22:16And the church, in imperial terms, the
22:20ecclesia in imperial terms, meant that a
22:23delegate from Rome
22:26would go and call out the most
22:30responsible leaders from the community.
22:34So, he would call out the responsible
22:37older men, the responsible businessmen.
22:40He would call out delegates of the the
22:43leading people of a community or city.
22:46And that small group would be called the
22:51called out ones.
22:53And it would be delegated to make a
22:56decision that would represent the
22:58emperor's power and authority in this
23:01local matter.
23:03So, the called out ones does not first
23:07refer
23:08to an assembly.
23:10It first refers to people of high
23:14authority and rank being aggregated
23:18to make a decision that stands for the
23:20emperor.
23:21Stands in the place of the emperor.
23:24So, when Paul uses church in relation to
23:28disputes or decision, I don't believe
23:31he's using it interchangeably with
23:33assembly.
23:34He's talking about the leadership of the
23:37church.
23:39So, let the women keep silent in these
23:42called out disputes that are taking
23:44place that are representing the decision
23:47of our Father who art in heaven. Jesus
23:50introduces ecclesia the very first time
23:53when Peter makes direct contact with the
23:56emperor.
23:57When Peter says, "You are the Christ,
23:59the son of the living God." Jesus says,
24:01"Oh,
24:02well, you're going to be one of the
24:03called out ones. I can use you
24:06to represent what the Father is saying
24:09from heaven now on earth."
24:11Do you understand? So,
24:13I don't want to make too much of that,
24:15but we cannot force a contradiction in
24:18scripture. We have Anna who is a
24:20prophetess. We have Philip's daughters
24:23who are prophetesses. We have women
24:26praying and prophesying with their heads
24:28covered, which means covered by their
24:30husbands, not something on their head,
24:32which even this translation confuses a
24:34little bit.
24:36So, that's how we can harmonize this.
24:38And basically, Paul is saying,
24:40"Corinthian women, I know there's
24:41problems in your church. Don't you solve
24:43them."
24:45But that doesn't mean Corinthian women,
24:46you're not allowed to say anything if
24:48the Holy Spirit moves on you and you are
24:50covered by your husband in the ministry
24:53that you offer.
24:55A perfect example of
24:58the church assembled to resolve a
25:00dispute is the Acts 15
25:03uh dispute over circumcision.
25:06That's where Paul is saying the women
25:07should keep silent. But we also have to
25:09harmonize that with Paul saying
25:12in Christ there is neither male nor
25:13female.
25:15Which means if you're submitted to his
25:16design, if the head of every woman is
25:19the man,
25:20then you don't have to keep silent
25:22because there's neither male nor female
25:24if you're in Christ, if you're submitted
25:27to the headship of Christ, a headship
25:29exercised in and through [music] the
25:31church.
25:32Now, I want to be clear. I am not saying
25:35that every time Paul uses the word
25:37ekklesia, he is exclusively meaning this
25:41decision-making body or the authority of
25:44the church and not the whole. There are
25:46times when he says the whole church.
25:48Jesus does the same thing. So,
25:51I know that church can mean assembly.
25:55I know that church can mean
25:56congregation.
25:58But I'm telling you in something like
26:00this when we're talking about a dispute,
26:03[music] it likely means the leadership
26:06of the church. And in that, Paul does
26:08not permit the women to engage in the
26:11dispute.
26:12>> [music]
26:13>> So, he says, "If anyone thinks he is a
26:14prophet or spiritual, let him recognize
26:17that the things which I write to you are
26:18the Lord's commandment.
26:20But if anyone does not recognize this,
26:22he is not recognized."
26:26Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly
26:28to prophesy and do not forbid to speak
26:30[music] in tongues.
26:32But all things must be done properly and
26:35in an orderly manner.
26:37Any church, [music]
26:38any ministry that forbids speaking in
26:40tongues
26:42is in flagrant, [music] arrogant
26:44rebellion against the commandment of
26:47scripture.
26:48Anybody who comes against [music]
26:50speaking in tongues is a fraud if they
26:54claim to be doing it on the basis of
26:55scripture cuz you can't get any simpler
26:57than this. Do not forbid speaking in
27:00tongues. If you do, you are in
27:03undeniable disobedience [music] to the
27:05word of God, period.
27:08And he says if anyone [music] thinks
27:10he's a prophet and spiritual, let him
27:11recognize. Use your great discernment to
27:14recognize that what I'm speaking is the
27:16word of God. It's a commandment of the
27:18Lord.
27:19But if anyone does not recognize this,
27:22he is not recognized. If he can't
27:25recognize the authority that comes
27:27before him and that is over him, he
27:29should not be recognized in a place of
27:32authority in the church.
27:35>> [music]
27:46[music]

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