1 Corinthians 14:1-40 Desire Spiritual Gifts

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Desire Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 14:1- 40
January 5,2025

All through the book of Corinthians Paul is busy giving them direction on how to live in their new life in Christ. In chapter 12 he addressed spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit and that it should be for the edification of the body.

In chapter 13, he then sets the foundation from which it all flows: Love.

This is how Paul starts chapter 14. Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. He then goes into an in-depth study of prophesy and tongues, also addressing the order in church into which we will get into next week, as the chapter must be taken in context as a whole.

One of the objections against the gifts and, specifically, the gifts of prophecy and tongues is that Paul only addresses it in depth in 1 Corinthians. How Paul addresses it, though, gives us some insight into this.

Illus – I don’t have to describe a fridge to you, because everyone here has in the past seen a fridge or heard of a fridge, and knows how it works. However, if I go to some remote tribe in Africa that has never seen anything from the western world, I would in detail have to explain it. Now let’s say I go to another town that just recently got electricity and I gift them a fridge, they might plug it in, and because it makes cool air, keep it open the whole time thinking that it will cool the whole house. Because of ignorance, they would be using it wrongly, or be abusing the fridge. They need to be taught. I do not have to teach those who are already applying it correctly.

The same principle can be used in the New Testament. It can be assumed that most churches and believers functioned and understood the gift of tongues and prophecy. Paul speaks favorably about gifts, praying in the Spirit and in tongues, but only goes into correction in detail because the Corinthian church was acting immature in their gatherings and did not have the necessary knowledge.

Paul did not scorn them for doing it, saying that no other church does it, but instead gave them direction which all other churches did already follow.

Before I accepted the position at this church, it was important for me to see in our statement of faith that this church and Calvary Chapel believe in the gifts of the Spirit. Many churches believe that the gifts started and ended in Acts. This is not what we believe because scripture clearly states differently.

John 14:12, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

Mark 16:17, These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;

Because many have misunderstood this chapter, they have either banned or downplayed the gifts, or oppositely, have gone overboard. Paul gives us great directions referring to the church and his personal life.

We will see that there is a gift of tongues with which a believer edifies himself and communicates with God, and then prophecy with which the church is edified.

Depending on your background, this might be a foreign concept. Maybe you had a bad experience because of bad theology. I do believe that understanding this can greatly enrich your spiritual life and growth.

I. Gift of Prophecy

Many scholars equate this use of the word ‘prophecy’ in the New Testament more with forth-telling than fore-telling. In other words, telling forth the good news of God.
It is also translated as inspired preaching and teaching. Seeing that God has revealed Himself and His will through His word, it can be described as prophetically teaching the truth, breaking it open, revealing the prophetic as written in the word of God.
So, Paul says that he wants them all to rather prophecy, encouraging, building each other up, exhorting, edifying, and consoling.
It is done through the revelation of the Spirit applying the good news of the word to help people grow and be encouraged.

Illus – The other day I was praying with someone that was going through a rough time at work, being overlooked for promotions even though he has been serving faithfully for years…

Illus – Once while praying for someone God gave me a picture of a waterwheel…

Very importantly, I do not see myself as prophet in the context of telling people what to do in their lives. We are all to be led by the Spirit of God when we are sons (and daughters) of God.
God does not gossip. He can, however, use someone to confirm what He is telling you.
It is very dangerous to make decisions and set the course of your life by the word of a so-called ‘fore-telling’ prophet. I have known many people who go from one prophetic conference to the next to hear from the prophet what they must do in their lives.
Jesus said that the Spirit that comes to live in us will teach us and guide each one of us.
We are not in the Old Testament dispensation anymore where God’s Spirit come upon a prophet sporadically to speak to the people while the rest of the people are distant from God. He wants to lead and speak to all.
It is good to get godly counsel from wise brothers, but ultimately you need to be led by God and be directed by His word.

Illus – I have heard of people getting married because a prophet told them that they were meant for each other. I have had girls come to me before I met Rhiete telling me that God told them I was their husband.

II. Gift Of Tongues

The second gift Paul addresses is the gift of tongues. The reason was that the church in Corinth were not handling this wisely.
A lot of damage has been done in some churches where they teach that, if you do not speak in tongues, you are not saved. This is totally unbiblical.

Romans 10:9, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

It has had the effect that people are opposed to the notion of speaking in tongues as it is equated with a certain negative teaching or mindset.

Illus – I have a dear friend that were totally opposed to the notion of speaking or praying in tongues….

Others, have gone overboard, losing control in the church and has put people off. We will get into that more next week.
I believe that because of this, the enemy has succeeded in robbing the church from a precious gift that God makes available.
We should not be guided by our perceptions, but by what the word of God teaches.

A. Gift that edifies the believer

The gift of tongues is evident all through the book of Acts. We first encounter it in Acts 2 where the Spirit if God was poured out on those waiting in the upper room on Jesus’ command:

Acts 2:4, And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

This is not a gift God gave discriminately, as they were all filled and started speaking in other tongues.
This was also not a one-time event to mark the beginning of the new dispensation as some suggest as it happened numerous times after that as well.
Paul also points out the importance of the gift and, if you read the chapters in context, one can see that it was assumed that the readers practiced it broadly and knew what it was.
To such an extent that they were all together in church speaking and singing in tongues which brought on the correction. Paul encouraged them and wished they all would practice it.
Verse 5 – Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues…
Not only that, but he himself flowed in the gift of speaking in tongues and did it frequently.
Verse 18 – I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all…
From this chapter we see that Paul definitely had a favorable view of speaking in tongues.
So, what is tongues and what is the purpose?

B. Applications of the tongues

There are a few different applications of tongues. It is given to strengthen the believer, speak mysteries to God in prayer and to praise and worship God. It can also be used as a sign and evidence to the unbeliever.
Tongues Paul speaks of here is a language not naturally acquired. Something that is a gift from God. It is also a language that your mind is not the source of. It is not a language you can learn.

Verse 2- The one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God, for NO ONE understands it, but in His Spirit he speaks mysteries to God.

When you pray in the Spirit, you do not understand what you are saying. Your spirit is praying mysteries to God in perfect alignment with God’s will.

Romans 8:26, In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We need to view this from a spiritual perspective. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. What we speak on earth has an impact. God chose through His sovereign will to make us co-workers with Him, that our prayers will have a spiritual dynamic impact.

Ephesians 6:18, With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit,

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-19, Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit;

I have been to many prayer meetings. After a while words run out. Even in my own prayer time, sometimes words run out. How do I pray without ceasing?

Verse 14 – If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? ( what is our conclusion?) I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also, I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the mind also.

When I pray in the Spirit, my mind is unfruitful. It is one of the only multi-tasking things I can do as a man. Sometimes I even experience praying in tongues as I am waking up in the morning.
The one that speaks in a tongue edifies himself (builds himself up). (v.4) I equate this to spiritual bodybuilding as you exercise your spirit and your spirit is speaking to God, praying, and praising God.
Because of this, many play down this gift saying it is a selfish gift and not important.

Illus – I firmly believe in date-night with my wife. Is it selfish to eat alone with my wife? No, it is where we spend quality time which re- energizes and brings a re-focus on us, our unity, and our love. It is like saying I should never have dinner with my wife as I need to always have dinner only at the church and serve at our dinner times.

Paul thanks God that he uses it so much that he used it more than all of them! Apparently, he thought it to be of vital importance.
Because this is the one gift that edifies the believer, I believe that it is available to all believers, as God is not a respecter of persons that will give some an unfair advantage over others.
Paul then also distinctly says that he prays and sings in the spirit. Prayer is part of our intimacy with God. Singing in tongues is part of our worship, praise and adoration towards God.

Illus – I have many times experienced while praying or singing in tongues, how God reveals new things about Himself to me. When I do not know what to pray, I pray in tongues, and many times the Holy Spirit ‘drops’ something in my Spirit to pray for, or gives me insight and wisdom on a particular topic. Many times, I just get overwhelmed by His glory and my words fall short.

There are two more areas of misunderstanding. Sometimes the tongue is used in the application of tongues and interpretation in the church, and everyone does not have that gift. More on that next week.
Sometimes God uses this as sign to the unbeliever.
Verse 22 – So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…
It seems like Paul is contradicting himself, but not if we understand the context.
On the day of Pentecost, the tongues were a sign to those who did not believe, because they heard them all speaking in different known languages although the ones who spoke it did not understand it themselves. God chose to use it for that application in that instance.

Isaiah 28:11, Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue…but they would not listen.

Through people speaking in tongues, this scripture was fulfilled and became a prophetic sign to those who knew it.
This, however, is not the normal application of tongues. This is a supernatural occurrence as and when God chooses to use it.
Tongues itself can also be a sign of the existence of God and the supernatural move of His Spirit.

Illus – For me personally as a believer, it is also a sign of the existence of God. When I meet believers from all over the world whose natural mother tongue is a foreign language to me, it is interesting that when they start to pray in tongues, it has the same type of dialect all over the world. I cannot understand it, but the “language” sounds the same. It is impossible for millions of people all over the world to speak the same dialect of an unknown language if it is not birthed from the Spirit of God.

C. Receiving the Gift

In our western culture, it is sometimes difficult for people to grasp the concept. We want to understand and rationalize spiritual things with our logical engineering minds. How does it work?
Some people are scared, because of bad experiences and bad theology. They don’t want to make fools of themselves.
With the gifts, God does not just take over and you lose control. The spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. (v32)
People have seen movies of mediums and in seances and think God operates the same.
God will not give us a snake when we ask for a fish. He is a good Father. The Holy Spirit doesn’t take over your mouth, force you and you lose control.
You speak with your mouth that which the Holy Spirit impresses on your spirit while you are praising and worshipping God.
Some people say, ‘what if I am just making up this language?’ You haven’t been able to do it until now. And one of the greatest ways that I know it is the Spirit of God is when my own mind says, ‘Are you crazy? You cannot say that!’ Why, because your mind was not the author of it.
Your mind is unfruitful and don’t want to lose control because your mind does not understand it. It flows from your Spirt, from your innermost being. As you start to just worship God from your innermost being it will start to flow.
Just like every spiritual principle, even our salvation, at some stage you have to take God at His word and take a step of faith and just receive.
One of the most important principles is not to chase the gift first, but the gift giver. It is not primarily about the gift. It is about Jesus. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. Jesus is the one that baptizes with His Spirit and with fire.
Secondly, we see in Acts that they were together waiting. They were consecrated. They were earnestly seeking God.
Thirdly, Jesus told us to ask.

Luke 11:9-13, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. … Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?… If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

I want to reiterate; this has nothing to do with your salvation. I have known many wonderful Christians who has flowed in the gifts of the Spirit who does not speak in tongues.
It doesn’t make you a better or worse Christian. But it is a gift that Paul thought important enough that he wished everyone would do it and which he himself used in abundance.
Ask for and desire spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 14:1- 40 NASB

14 ¹Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. ²For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. ³But the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation, and consolation. ⁴The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but rather that you would prophesy; and greater is the one who prophesies than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edification.

⁶But now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophecy, or of teaching? ⁷Yet even lifeless instruments, whether flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? ⁸For if the trumpet produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? ⁹So you too, unless you produce intelligible speech by the tongue, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will just be talking to the air. ¹⁰There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and none is incapable of meaning. ¹¹So if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be unintelligible to the one who speaks, and the one who speaks will be unintelligible to me. ¹²So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.

¹³Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue is to pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive. ¹⁵What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the mind also. ¹⁶For otherwise, if you bless God in the spirit only, how will the one who occupies the place of the outsider know to say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you are saying? ¹⁷For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. ¹⁸I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; ¹⁹nevertheless, in church I prefer to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. ²¹In the Law it is written: “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord. ²²So then, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe. ²³Therefore if the whole church gathers together and all the people speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are insane? ²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; ²⁵the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

²⁶What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification. ²⁷If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret; ²⁸but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God. ²⁹Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment. ³⁰But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent. ³¹For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; ³²and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; ³³for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, ³⁴the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. ³⁵If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. ³⁶Or was it from you that the word of God first went out? Or has it come to you only?

³⁷If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. ³⁸But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

³⁹Therefore, my brothers and sisters, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰But all things must be done properly and in an orderly way.

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