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The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus, part 4

Yes, there’s more evidence. Paul will now say simply this: Look at me!

“For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.” (1 Corinthians 15 v 9-11)

The grace of God transformed Paul. It doesn’t matter where the people heard the message of the Resurrection, it was the same results, changed lives.

We know Paul had a previous name, Saul. We also know he had a previous life. “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” (Philippians 3 v 4-6)

Saul was the leading Pharisee who killed Christians. He was a murderer.

You only have to read the account of Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 7 to see Saul’s involvement, He approved of it and his door to door ministry was to drag Christians away from their homes and if they weren’t killed he would throw them in prison.

How did Saul end up being the writer of the majority of the New Testament? How did he become the major gospel-carrier to the Gentile world? How was he so willing to lay his life down for the Gospel? It wasn’t a name change that did it. It was because he encountered the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. He turned around. He became willing to suffer as a Christian. He was willing to be flogged, stoned, go through bouts of hunger, poverty and even be killed himself. Why? Because he had met the risen Jesus!

What convinced Andrew to be crucified in Greece? Or Bartholomew crucified upside down in Georgia? Or James son of Alphaeus stoned to death in Jerusalem? Or James son of Zebedee killed by beheading? Or Peter crucified upside down in Rome? Or Philip crucified upside down in Hierapolis? Or Thomas speared to death in India? (According to legends) They had met the risen Jesus.

But following on from these thoughts there is another. What convinced James, the half-brother of Jesus, who had not been a follower then proclaim that his brother was the Son of God? Only the risen Jesus and so much so that James will die for his faith.

Finally, we have seen the conversion of Paul, the experience of the apostles, James the half-brother of Jesus, all encountering the risen Jesus, they become the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. But there’s one other person we musn’t forget.

You!

You are the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. What God has done in your life. The testimony He has given you. Look at you!

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The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus, part 3

I am not sure how many days this will take and I am excited every day to wake and read more evidences for the resurrection of Jesus. Paul gives us some clear proofs and that being that this was not only a belief of the Church in their generation but people knew it because they had met the risen Jesus!

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Corinthians 15 v 3-8)

Let me extend with evidence from other Scriptures as well as using what Paul has stated here.

The resurrected Jesus appeared to:-

Mary Magdalene, John 20:14

Joanna (wife of Chuza), Luke 24:10

Mary (mother of Jesus, widow of Joseph of Nazareth), Acts 1:14

 Mary (mother of James and Joses/Joseph), Matthew 27:56

Salome (mother of James and John), Mark 16:1

The gospel writers then write of the following:-

Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus,

Cephas (Peter),

11 disciples and others,

10 apostles and others with Thomas absent,

Thomas and the other apostles,

7 apostles,

500 disciples,

James,

Apostles at the Mount of Olives for their commissioning,

Acts 13:30-31 “But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had travelled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.”

On 13 different occasions the risen Jesus appeared to a total of 552 people.

Look at v6 in our verses this morning: “most of whom are still living”. They can be checked out.

“I’m not making this up!” “I know these people will back up this story!”

These people really did believe in the resurrection of Jesus not only because many had seen the empty tomb but they had met the risen Jesus. But this was Jesus who touched them and who ate with them.

They didn’t just believe it they knew it!

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The Evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus, part 2

What’s important to you? Most probably loved ones is one of the responses. Nothing wrong with that. But for our Christian message Paul in his defense of the resurrection writes what appears to be an early form of a creed. A creed is a formal statement of belief (like the Nicene Creed in yesterday’s devotion) and it looks like this:-

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”  (1 Corinthians 15 v 3-4)

Here are 5 parts of what is of first importance to the Christian faith.

  1. Christ died for our sins.

Jesus died on that cross. He was not resuscitated later. He did not faint. The suggestion that the Roman soldiers had somehow crucified the wrong man is ludicrous. The Chief Priests and the Pharisees slandering Jesus on the cross knew it was Jesus. The soldiers who crucified Jesus were experts in the cruel art of crucifixion. Historians concede the truth that crucifixion was the death sentence, no on survived. In fact many died under the Roman flogging. Prior to the cross Jesus had suffered haematidrosis where in the extreme stress that he was under in the Garden of Gethsemane he sweated blood. Jesus was giving out large amounts of blood from the flogging and then he was nailed to the cross. If Jesus had come down from the cross and recovered later, what kind of condition would he have been in to inspire and motivate his followers to lay their own lives down for a lie that he had been raised?

Jesus died on that cross. But He did so for our sins. There was a purpose. Many honourable people have died horrendous deaths over history but the death of Jesus was different for it was a redemptive, substitutionary, dying in our place and bearing the penalty of our sins, death. This was not a martyr’s death dying for a cause. It was a death for our sins. But it was a death nevertheless. There can be no resurrection without a death.

2. Christ was buried

This is as important as His death. Dead people are buried, not alive ones. Everyone thought it was over. The resurrection of Christ was a resurrection from the dead. Joseph and Nicodemus prepared His body and laid Him in a new tomb. The burial is equally as important as every other aspect of the creed. Instead of great applause He was buried in a grave. This was a moment of humiliation. There can be no resurrection without a burial.

3. Christ was raised on the third day (the tomb became empty).

In Acts 2:24 Peter preaches, “God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” If there was no empty tomb then don’t talk about it in the very city where the tomb was and where people would know if Peter was just making it up. Don’t begin the church there.

Also, if the gospel writers were wanting to make up the resurrection story then they would not have used women as the first eye-witnesses to the empty tomb. Women at the time could not testify in a court of law. Using women like they did would just not have been credible. They would have written that Peter or the other men got there first not the women.

Jesus had said he would rise after 3 days (not in some general end of the world resurrection) and it was the 3rd day. He didn’t stay dead!

4. According to the Scriptures

This is so important to Paul he repeats it twice. He wants us to know that this event was in the mind of God and for thousands of years prophesied in Scripture, in places like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 for His death and for His resurrection in places like Jonah 1:17 and  in Matthew 12:40 where Jesus says, “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” There are other Scriptures like Psalm 16:10, “because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay”. What the Scriptures prophesied and what Jesus said about His death and resurrection, Paul preached.

5. The Creed

I left the first part of what Paul said to the last but it is still part of the evidence of the resurrection. “I received what I passed on to you.”

Paul got the gospel from the risen Messiah, Jesus Christ, it was this visitation that verified his apostleship. (I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12) He then went immediately into Arabia. The date was approximately AD33. After 3 years he went to Jerusalem to stay with Peter and James, Galatians 1:17-20. Why? He wasn’t sent for. He went on his own volition. Paul was hearing Peter’s story and all that he had seen and heard from Jesus. He also heard from James. Paul was sharing his own story too. This was not a new Christian-Paul. He was 3 years a follower of Jesus. He was not learning the gospel. He already had it. But Paul was certainly learning this creed:

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

he was buried,

he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

This letter was written around AD55. That’s only 25 years after the event of the death and the resurrection of Christ. The creed was around in oral tradition for 20 years before he wrote it. If this creed and this event is a legend then it would be the first ever legend to emerge in such a short space of time ever in history.

This is of first importance and it is evidence for the Resurrection of Christ. But there’s more!

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The Evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus, part 1

The message of Islam is that Jesus was never put to death, never rose from the dead and was not divine. There are other theories that Jesus fainted on the cross and was then taken down and he recovered later. Other Muslims believe that at the last moment Jesus was swapped with another man who looked like him and so Jesus was not crucified. In 5 weeks today we will be celebrating Easter Sunday and it is more important than ever that we declare the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus.

It is the centre of what we believe. It is the offence of the gospel. It is why there is only one way to heaven through Jesus Christ. It is why Jesus is more than a prophet. It is why Jesus is the Son of God, divine, God Himself. It is why those who put their trust in Him will never die but be raised to new life. The greatest miracle is the miracle of the resurrection. So what is the evidence for the resurrection? How do we answer the critic who says there was no resurrection? The Apostle Paul will help us. I normally read and write on a few verses at a time and over the next several days I will do the same. But first let us read the entire rest of this chapter.

“ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. 29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. 35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendour. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we[g] bear the image of the heavenly man. 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”  (1 Corinthians 15 v 3-58)

The Corinthian Church lived at a time not dissimilar to ours. The very essence of Christianity and our core message was believed to be wrong. If you are dead you are dead. Today Muslims believe that until the Day of Judgment the dead stay in their graves. On that day they are brought before Allah and their deeds on earth are judged. The Jews are diverse and the resurrection is not important to them as much as we may think. There is no one view that is central to the Jewish faith. They too focus more on good works and the purpose of their life on earth.

For us as Christians and led by the teaching of Paul we hold to not only of the fact that Jesus was raised but that this is the determining factor for our own resurrection when we die. Paul’s defence of this would show that this is possibly the greatest issue for him. He has been told that someone has been preaching to the church that there is no resurrection (v12) and this is something that he writes at length about in order to bring correction. Without the resurrection we don’t have Christianity. Christianity hangs on the resurrection message, that of Jesus and that of ourselves. It seems unthinkable for Paul. He has fought wild beasts (v32) for the message of the resurrection.

So … the evidence? I will dive into this amazing passage over the next few mornings. But here are some brief points for the importance of the resurrection from reading this passage of Paul:-

  1. This has been the essence of the Christian gospel for 2,000 years.
  2. For Paul, if someone denied the resurrection then they were denying Christianity itself. Resurrection was not a component of the gospel. It is everything of the gospel.
  3. If there is no resurrection of the dead then there is no resurrection of Christ. If there is no resurrection of Christ then there is no death of Christ on the cross. If there is no cross of Christ then we are still lost and we are still trapped in our sins.
  4. The fact that our loved ones are safe with Christ is based on the resurrection.
  5. If there is no resurrection then there is no need to live a surrendered life to Christ.
  6. Without the belief in the resurrection there can be no belief in Jesus as the Son of God. When Jesus was raised it was God’s vindication of who He was.
  7. Death has the victory over everything if the resurrection is not true. There is no hope.
  8. Sin cannot be defeated nor forgiven if the resurrection is not true.
  9. Our resurrection means not some life-less and body-less soul floating around. Rather it is a transformed body but a recognisable body definitely.
  10. Christ’s resurrection means we live out new lives now whilst we are alive. His power and presence live within us now. We live a cruciform life. When people see us they see the cross AND the resurrection.

Before the evidence we must hold on to the importance of the resurrection. I am sure you can probably see more points from Paul’s writing here but these are my top 10!

Don’t let the culture of your world tell you otherwise.

Hold on to what was passed down to you.

The Nicene creed known also as the creed of Constantinople was written at the first council of Nicea in AD325 and has formed the foundation of Christianity since then. It is worth reading many times.

We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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5 reminders of the importance of the Gospel

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance.” (1 Corinthians 15 v 1-3)

  1. The GOSPEL doesn’t change over time and we need reminding of that even if our culture and world changes, the GOSPEL remains.
  2. The GOSPEL isn’t something we create for ourselves to fit into our own lifestyles and behaviours but it is what we receive.
  3. The GOSPEL requires a decision to hold firmly to it and to take a stand for it so as not to drift from what was originally given.
  4. The GOSPEL has saved you but calls for an ongoing commitment to it.
  5. The GOSPEL is so important it needs to be given to others. We are responsible to give what has been given to us.
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10 things the Apostle insisted on in a church service

“What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. Womenshould remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. 36 Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. 39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. ” (1 Corinthians 14 v 26-39)

Paul’s Church service:

  1. It involved more than just the leader, v26.
  2. It was for the building up of those in the Church, v26.
  3. Understanding was more important than just the use of the spiritual gift, v27-28.
  4. Not every person should be heard, v28-30.
  5. You are there to listen and learn, v29.
  6. Peace is more important than self-promotion, no one is ever out of control if the Spirit is there, v31-33.
  7. Marriages should not display division, (wives should not interrupt/correct their husbands when he is using a spiritual gift), v34-35.
  8. No one is the best, the most, the greatest … v36-38.
  9. The Scriptures (the law, v34); the gospel (v36); and the apostle’s teaching of the Lord’s commands (v37); (are all equalling our Bible for us) are more important and should never be replaced by prophecy or any other spiritual gift.
  10. The Church should be united in that spiritual gifts (such as prophecy and tongues) should not be stopped but all the gifts should be used in an intelligent, understandable and orderly way.

Paul’s view of the church service 2,000 years ago and still relevant for us today.

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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.
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5 v 10,000

“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭

The Apostle Paul spoke in tongues.

He didn’t dismiss its use nor devalue the gift.

He spoke in tongues a lot. 

He was pleased and thankful that he did. 

This was done away from church, in a private setting, not in the public arena. 

How about you? 

Do you have the gift?

Do you speak in tongues much?

Are you thankful that you can?

In your private prayer time do you use the gift?

Yet Paul held to the 5 v 10,000 principle when in church. 

5 words in your every day native language are better than 10,000 words of tongues. Simply because good communication isn’t measured by the quantity of words (tell the long-winded preacher!) but if the words have been used to influence those who are hearing you. 

So we are back to the very purpose of our lives, which should be LOVE. 

LOVE means what goes on in private isn’t as important as what goes on in public. 

LOVE means other people’s benefit is better than yours.

LOVE means 5 is better than 10,000.

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Praying and singing with my spirit and my understanding

“For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an enquirer, say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no-one else is edified.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭13-17‬ ‭

  • Our spirit can pray and worship as well as our mind. Therefore the impact of prayer and worship can be experienced in our spirit. 
  • Your spirit can cause fruit to bear in your mind. Therefore intelligence in your spirit needs to be understood so that not only your spirit grows but your mind also.
  • Desire to do both. It’s not one or the other. Let the whole of you give thanks to God.
  • Have in mind those who are ‘enquiring’ about the faith. When your spirit is involved make sure you make clear what is being said and sung.
  • Make sure the church is edified. 
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Make the church service clear.

I have been in many church services all over the world and not understood anything that has been said, neither the songs, the exhortations to worship nor the prayers and shouts of praise to God. I’ve stood there trying to engage, having my own time of worship but not aware of anything that is happening around me. 

“Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. “Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14‬:‭6-‭12‬ 

I use my encounters of world church services as an illustration to what Paul is meaning. It’s not meant to be a criticism and I quite enjoy listening to foreign languages trying to spot the odd Hallelujah and Amen! 

Paul is not against tongue speaking, he speaks in tongues more than all of them (v18). But having spoken so freely about love he is against the self-indulgent use of the spoken gifts that are not understood by those in that service. His thoughts are for the unbelievers and for the whole church. Everyone must understand what is going on otherwise what is the point of them being there?

A worshipper can be having a great time; they can be enjoying themselves; the church can be pleased that the service displayed spiritual gifts but if there was no explanation, no understanding by all of the people gathered, then what’s the point? There isn’t one.

The church service needs to edify all and needs to call everyone to battle. 

Love means no one is left out. That’s the point!