09/01/19 - Confusion Over Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14:1-25

God is not a God of confusion, but of peace says Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. The Corinthian Christians were very confused and this proved they had something to learn about the practice of their faith. These early believers had a false belief that some gifts made you more spiritual than others and at the top of their list was tongues. They were wrong. Paul brings clarity by making a contrast between the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy. Which is superior? According to Paul it is prophecy, unless tongues is interpreted. Why? Because it all goes back to the purpose of the gifts. They are for the common good; the edification of the church (1 Cor. 12:7). The main problem with the gift of tongues is that it was not being used in a way that built up the church. 

What we learn from chapter 14 is that the Spirit of God is on display when we serve one another with what God has given each of us. I have a homework assignment for you. Will you affirm the people who bring their gifts and blessings into your life? Begin to look outwardly and express gratitude for those who serve you. I’ll let you in on a little secret. The more you make your life about you the more miserable you will become. You will use and manipulate and become hypercritical and angry and you’ll be looking at others as a means to your happiness and that never ends well. This is what made the Corinthian church sick. Instead, let's look for ways to affirm and bless those around us.

I read this week that the vast majority of people who own running shoes don’t run. I think this is a good analogy for the church. We’ve all been given running shoes (spiritual gifts) to run the race God has for us. We run it together helping each other cross the finish line. So if you’ve been coming around for awhile and you’ve not been involved can I encourage you to lace up your shoes and be part of the amazing work God is doing at Illuminate?