JULY 23 READING…1 CORINTHIANS 14
The primary thing in the church is not our giftedness. It is not our gifts that change the world…it is the Spirit of God in us. Our focus should be on the Holy Spirit, not on which particular gift we have received. Church history is filled with followers of Christ arguing, and being filled with envy and jealousy because of fights over spiritual gifts. A class system has even been developed in some churches…those with certain gifts are seen as spiritually superior to others in the church. This kind of thing ought not be. Paul had to deal with these issues in the church of Corinth. Tongues have always been a source of controversy in the church, because for some reason this gift has been exalted above all others. Yet Paul said he would rather speak a few words in an understandable language than to speak many words in an unknown tongue. Clearly communicating the message of Christ should be a priority in the church. The Lord has a purpose for tongues, and primarily that is to communicate the Gospel to those who don’t your particular language. It was never meant to be mindless babbling in the church trying to impress others as to how spiritual one is. Paul calls for order in the church. It is never to be a free for all…things are to be done properly and in order. This does not mean that it becomes so structured that we don’t need the Holy Spirit, but it does mean that the church is not an out-of-control party, but a place of worship. The church is a foreign place to those who come in out of the world, we certainly don’t want to let our carnal revelry scare them away. Worship should be Spirit led…and if it is, it will draw people to Christ through the clear proclamation of the Word and worship that honors God.
Please share your thoughts.
TOMORROW’S READING…1 CORINTHIANS 15
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