November 30, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Numbers and 1 Corinthians? Here’s today’s reading:
1 Corinthians 14 (NIV)
Intelligibility in Worship
1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.……Continue Reading
“Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”
The gift of tongues and prohecy are very real and Paul makes that clear, however, importance of how they are used is what he shares here. If all our gifts are to be used to build up the church their use comes into question when there is no interpretation of them. I grew up in a church that operated regularly in these gifts, and while it can be a powerful thing to see it is often misused by people “feeling” more than actually hearing from God. So I appreciate being in a church that respects these gifts enough to know it should not just be an open opportunity for people to use them anytime they want.
I do always read the woman not speaking in church section like nails on a chalkboard, but I respect that this was a different time and also feel blessed that God has moved the position of women to a place where we are able to learn and be heard which was not the case at this time.
The gift of prophecy has helped me a few times in my life..
1 Corinthians 14
1 Corinthians 14
Numbers 32-36; 1 Corinthians 12-14
Man, there is a lot to unpack here.
“and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets” (v32)
Many charismatic types who speak in prophecies or tongues might say something along the lines of “when the Holy Spirit compels me, I can’t keep silent”. But here Paul is specifically saying that is not true. You can control yourself and wait your turn.
“the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but they are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says…” (v34)
One of the more controversial passages in all of scripture. But my understanding of this is this is specifically in the context we find ourselves in with this chapter where Paul is describing how people ought to share tongues and prophecies in a proper church service. Paul doesn’t discourage women from sharing tongues or prophecies (back in Chapter 11 he even gives criteria of how women can share prophecies, just with their heads covered; and throughout the past few chapters he keeps saying ALL should desire the greater spiritual gifts like prophecy and those gifts should be used for the edification of the church). But when the tongues/prophecies are being interpreted/discerned, this should be done by the men (predominantly the pastor/elders in my opinion).
It makes sense what Paul is saying here. Someone talking in another language has no meaning to us unless it is translated. And when someone prophesies facts that they do not know about a person, that person gets the sense that something supernatural is happening. Like “God really does exist and is speaking something important to me right now, so I better pay attention.” Someone in the church described a dream they had about me regarding something they wouldn’t otherwise know, and I was convinced that God was speaking something I needed to hear. After some time, I realized that the Lord wanted to connect me with this special friend so she could support and encourage me so I would have the strength to work with her to help others going through similar difficulties. Sometimes God works his will and purpose in very creative, interesting ways : )
It is important to remember that prophecy is both the forth-telling and the foretelling of the word, and yet both are mentioned here by Paul. His argument also makes sense that it is only when we can understand something that it is then useful to us. This then elevates prophecy over tongues and requires tongues to be interpreted in order to be in operation in a church service. It is also a reflection of the most important principle here, that we should always be thinking how others are benefitted by our gifts rather than how we are. And I would agree that women remaining silent in the church is more about the context here with regard to tongues and prophecy or the context of women in the 1st century. They would often be restricted from learning and therefore ask questions or make statements that would be disruptive to the church service. So this is more about decency and order than not valuing the perspective of women.