Grow up and stop thinking about yourselves!

“Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. ²¹ In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” ²² Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14 v 20-25)

Paul is addressing the abuse of the gift of tongues within the Corinthians church.

He refers to the prophet Isaiah who spoke 700 years previously saying that God will judge Israel’s sin by using foreigners with foreign languages they could not understand to rule over them. “Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, ¹² to whom he said, “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”; and, “This is the place of repose”— but they would not listen.” (Isaiah 28 v 11-12)

So Paul is bringing balance to tongues and prophecy. Tongues is a sign that is connected to judgment and prophecy is a sign of encouragement and revealing the presence of God and both are speaking to unbelievers. Tongues pushes people away from God because it creates that distance of confusion because the unbeliever cannot understand. Prophecy on the other hand draws people in because they hear in their own language what God is thinking of them. Paul is speaking about tongues that are not interpreted of course. It raises a question on whether in a public service we should be encouraging a time of corporate tongue-speaking. The tongue speakers may feel great but the non-tongue speakers and especially the unbelievers may think we are crazy!

Paul is helping us to understand that:-

1. The spiritual gifts are not only for strengthening the church but to speak to the unbeliever that God is here.
2. Maturity is to think less of yourself and more of others.
3. Public worship services are not meant for Christians who all have the same gifts but for the revealing and the understanding of God being present there and then to encounter everyone.