Author: newlifenarrabri

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 14:1-14

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Scripture

I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more, I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened.

Observation

We must let love be our highest goal, but we should also desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially prophecy. Speaking in tongues is just speaking to God – it remains a mystery to the listeners. The one who prophesies strengthens, encourages, and comforts the church.

Paul wants everyone to speak in tongues, even more that we should prophesy. Unless there is an interpreter, prophecy is more useful to the church than tongues. If Paul came to their church and just spoke in tongues, that would not be helpful, but if he comes with a special revelation, prophecy, or teaching, that will be helpful.

Anyone who speaks in tongues in church should pray for the interpretation.

Application

This chapter is a classic case of needing to read the context before coming to a conclusion. Various verses have been quoted to justify every position possible on the use of spiritual gifts in the church.

Paul is very clear that he supports the use of speaking in tongues as a gift to edify the individual believer. Its place in a group setting is less useful, but only because it does not strengthen the whole group.

When I pray in tongues, I am talking to God. My spirit communicates with the Holy Spirit. This is a great thing, but it does not do anything for other people. Paul says that in the meeting, tongues speakers should pray for an interpretation so that everyone may be blessed.

Paul wishes everyone would speak in tongues, but more so he wishes that everyone would prophesy.

Churches need to find ways to encourage the spiritual gifts, especially prophecy, so that the church can be built up.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, please release your gifts in the church. Let tongues, interpretation, and prophecy be especially prominent. Amen

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

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Scripture

Three things will last for ever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.

Observation

Paul now goes on to talk about something even more important than spiritual gifts – love.

We can speak in all the tongues in the world, give amazing prophecies, move mountains by faith, give everything to the poor. Without love, it’s all meaningless.

All the spiritual gifts will come to an end. They will not be needed in heaven. Three things last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.

Application

There is no conflict between love and the spiritual gifts. It is not that we hav eto choose one side or the other.

Paul’s directive is for prophecy, tongues, knowledge AND love. Do not neglect love while pursuing the spiritual gifts. Otherwise you just make noise like a clanging cymbal.

The way of Jesus is the way of love.

We will not need prophecies, miracles, healings, and words of knowledge in heaven. But we will need to love one another

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please put your love in my heart. Help me to show your love to my neighbours. Amen.

Ephesians 6:4

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:4. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 6:4

“And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

In the New Testament; responsibilities and duties in relationships fall to all parties.

Not only are children required to obey their parents, the parents have an equal responsibility to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord .

The word translated as” fathers” in many translations can equally mean simply “parents.”

There is a tendency in many cultures to treat children as objects or possessions, if not as inconveniences. In such situations, children have few, if any of the rights that adults may have. In the christian community, however, children are to be treated as people made in the image of God.

Parents are firstly encouraged to not provoke the children to anger. This simple phrase covers a wide range of possible areas.

Discipline that is seen as unfair or excessive will breed resentment in a child. Children generally have an idea of what is fair behaviour by people in authority. If one child is treated differently from a sibling, or if a parent goes overboard in punishment, anger is going to take root in the heart of the child.

Parents have the capability of inflicting all kinds of abuse in a child – sexual, physical, or emotional. Clearly this is unthinkable behaviour for christian parents who are required to love their children as they love themselves.

Some parents can lash out in rage against their children over the smallest of infractions. This is not discipline but abuse.

There will be times when parents will necessarily or accidentally provoke a child to anger. What is in view here is the routine and regular stirring of conflict.

Parents must empathise with their children. Love is about seeing another person from their own perspectives and not just from our own limited point of view.

Rather than a hostile or dismissive approach which generates anger in their children, parents are to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The idea of bringing up a child suggests an active process. We do not ignore our children and expect them to work out the world for themselves. We provide them with food and shelter and meet their other physical and emotional needs. Beyond this, we invest ourselves in their growth towards maturity. We seek out what they need to help them grow.

We bring them up in the discipline of the Lord. We teach them the boundaries of life that are apart of living the christian life. We teach our children to consider other people, how to share, how to pray, how to worship, and so on.

The discipline of the Lord is the process of walking in discipleship to Jesus. This discipling is not optional for parents. Their first and most important ministry is to their children.

The Lord disciplines those whom he loves (Hebrews 12:6), and so parents must discipline their children so that they grow up to love the Lord and love their neighbours.

The instruction of the Lord is about teaching children the Word and the doctrines of the faith. Regular reading of Scripture and family worship times are essential duties for parents. It is not acceptable for parents to contract this out to the church, expecting children’s ministers and Sunday School teachers to fulfil this parental responsibility.

Having performed this responsibility, parents should not expect their children to be guaranteed to follow the Lord in their adult years. We can sow the seeds of the faith in their hearts, but ultimately every person must make the choice for themselves to embrace the gospel.

Key points in this verse:

  • Christian parents must discipline their children fairly so as not to provoke them to anger
  • We must see children as people who are made in the image of God
  • Parents have a responsibility to invest themselves in bringing up the children
  • Discipline in the Lord means that we set the right boundaries for our children
  • We must instruct our children and teach them the ways of the lord
  • Parents must not outsource to the church their own responsibilities