Scripture

Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the Spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the Spirit, but I will also sing in words I understand.

Observation

Paul says he will pray and sing both in the Spirit, i. e. in tongues, and in words he understands. If you only ever use tongues in a meeting, others will not be able to join in your praises.

Paul speaks in tongues more than anyone but he would rather speak five understandable words to help others than ten thousand words of tongues.

Speaking in tongues and prophecy are both helpful for believers and unbelievers alike.

Application

Paul was a great believer and practitioner of speaking in tongues. He was also a pragmatist. He wanted all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be used in a way that builds up all the church.

As far as a church gathering was concerned, he would do both – that is pray in tongues and in normal language.

Many churches have banned the use of tongues because they do not understand the gift, or because they have had a bad experience in the past. The solution is not to prohibit what God has given, but to ensure it is practised in a way that is orderly and useful.

Church leaders need to be creative in their approach to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. How can we encourage the gifts without going to excess?

Prayer

Thank you,Lord, for the wisdom of the scriptures. May your church always glorify you in all of our worship. Amen

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

Scripture

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.

Observation

Together, we form Christ’s body. It is not about any individual person.

God has placed His gifts in the Body according to His order – firstly apostles, then prophets, teachers and the other gifts.

Not everybody gets to have all the gifts or exercise all the offices in the church. No, we should seek the most helpful gifts.

Application

Paul tells us to earnestly seek the most helpful gift. He is not telling us to desire the gifts he already listed as being appointed in the church.

To earnestly desire the most helpful gift is dynamic, changing from day to day. Today, confronted by a severe illness, I might seek the gift of healing. Tomorrow, prophecy might be the most helpful gift.

The “gifts” listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 are not “given” to individuals. Every believer has the opportunity to exercise gifts according to the need of the moment. It is this gift, this action of the Holy Spirit, that is needed right now that I should earnestly desire.

We should not see the list given in this passage as a hierarchy of importance. Apostles are not most important and the gift of tongues the least important. In chapter 14, Paul says a message in tongues might convict an unbeliever of God’s reality and presence. In that moment, the gift of tongues is the most important gift.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, come and fill me. Work out your presence in my life and outward to other people. May I work in all the gifts that you desire to show your power. Amen.

Scripture

God has put the body together such that extra honour and care are given to the parts that have less dignity.

Observation

The human body has many parts, but those parts together make up the one whole body. All the people in Christ’s body are different, but it is all one body.

If different parts of a person’s body were to say, “I don’t belong!” it would make no difference to reality. In any event, the body would be less if different parts were cut off from it.

Some parts of the body that seem least important are actually vital. The parts of our body that seem less honourable, we treat with special care.

Just as God has put all the parts of our physical body in just the right place, He also puts all the parts of the Body of Christ into the right place and right function.

Application

Sometimes people get very jealous of other christians whom they perceive are treated with unreasonable respect. These people might be pastors or have some other ministry in the church. Often pastors can be envious of other pastors who seem to have influence beyond their talent.

Paul tells us we should not envy other christians. God has put us and them in the exact place He wants us to be. Let is all get on with the job that He has asked us to do.

Paul makes a very controversial point in his analogy. We take specials care of the bits of our bodies that are considered not honourable to parade around in public. In a sense, we give those parts extra honour and care.

God does this with His Body, too. The people who get the respect and the plaudits from both the world and the church are not necessarily His favourites. God is giving special honour to the weakest members!

Celebrity preachers and christian TV teachers are not the top of the tree in God’s kingdom.

Do not be envious of other christians. What they have is not necessarily what it seems.

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to focus my attention on serving you. I renounce any jealousy that I might have felt towards other believers, and today, Lord, I pray that you will bless them in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture

So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say “Jesus is Lord”, except by the Holy Spirit.

Observation

When they were pagans, the Corinthians worshipped useless idols. Nobody speaking under the Holy Spirit will curse the Lord Jesus, and nobody can confess, “Jesus is Lord”, without the Holy Spirit.

God gives many spiritual gifts. These include words of wisdom and knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues. It is the one and same Spirit who distributes these gifts.

Application

The biggest test of anyone’s true position in Christ is what they say about Jesus. There are many impostors and fake believers in the world. Anyone who confesses that Jesus is their Lord is being led by the Holy Spirit.

Anyone who curses the name of Jesus is not a true believer. They do not have the Holy Spirit. Those who pray to a generic God without ever mentioning Jesus are not praying in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Using the name of Jesus as a swear word shows that a person is not truly in love with Him, and is therefore not really born again.

To say “Jesus is Lord” is to say that I have given Him my allegiance, my highest loyalty. That is why Paul says that a person can only do this in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Some time ago, I had a conversation with some cult members who claim to be christian. They were charming people, but there was something a bit off with them. I realised later that they did not once mention the name of Jesus in all of our talking. For a true christian, the name of Jesus flows from the lips as an overflow of the love we have for Him.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I love you because you first loved me. I declare that you are my Lord, the King and Master of my life. Amen.

Scripture

For every time you eat the bread and drink the cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

Observation

Paul now moves on to teach about the Lord’s Supper, where he has a rebuke for the Corinthians.

When they meet together, those who arrive first eat without waiting for the others who may be late. The result is that some have plenty to eat, but others go home hungry.

The point about the Lord’s Supper is not about eating and drinking for our stomach’s sake. It is a remembrance of the night when Jesus was betrayed prior to His crucifixion.

Every time we eat the bread and rink the cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death.

We must therefore examine ourselves before we take part in the Lord’s Supper. We must honour the Body of Christ (that is, the church) or we may bring God’s judgement on ourselves.

Application

The celebration of the Lord’s Supper is an evangelistic action, because it proclaims the Lord’s death – the body and blood of Christ bring salvation and the forgiveness of sins.

The sacrament proclaim the gospel to:

• the believers who are gathered. We need to be reminded that we are saved and set apart for God’s purposes. We forget our calling so easily.
• the unbelievers in the gathering. This is a concrete enactment of the gospel. Jesus Christ died for sinners,
• the spirits and principalities. These demons are reminded that in Christ the war has been won.
• the angels and saints watching and cheering us on from the heavenly realms

Because it is such a powerful proclamation, we must ensure that our hearts are in tune with the Holy Spirit whenever we celebrate Holy Communion.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the weekly celebration of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Thank you for redeeming me. Amen.

Scripture

But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this and neither do God’s other churches.

Observation

The head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man. A man dishonours God if he prays with his head covered, but a woman dishonours God if she prays or prophesies without her head being covered.

Among God’s people neither men nor women are independent of each other.

Paul concludes by saying that they have no other custom in any of the churches, that is that men worship without head coverings, but women must have their heads covered.

Application

Here we have an extended argument by Paul about men and women worshipping, and what they should or should not wear on their heads.

It is strange that, even though the arguments and the directions are clear, churches generally do not insist on women wearing hats or veils in worship, not even when they are praying and prophesying.

A few generations ago, this was not the case. Over that time hats have generally gone out of fashion, except for their sun protection function.

Equally, our understanding of scripture has also changed in that time. We now recognise that Paul was talking about culture and customs in this passage, rather than about abiding principles.

In Corinth, as in many parts of the ancient world, a woman’s hair carried culturally imposed sexual connotation. Prostitutes would often emphasise their long hair, while respectable women tended to cover their hair in public places.

Paul is saying that while women might be free to come to church with their heads uncovered, it is wise to encourage them to conform to cultural expectations.

The lesson for us is that while Christians are free to do anything we want to, sometimes wisdom comes in following the dress codes of the culture in which we live.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for the freedom you have given us. Please help me and your church to be wise in how now we use this freedom. Amen

Scripture

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Observation

While we can do anything or eat anything, not everything is beneficial. It is not about law any more, but about grace.

We can eat anything without raising questions of conscience. If a person who isn’t a believer invites us to share a meal, we can eat anything put before us. However, if they say the meat was offered to an idol, then we should not eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the other person.

Eat or drink, whatever we do should be done for the glory of God. Like Paul, we should try to please others for the sake of their salvation.

Application

Paul is very pragmatic about the issue of food offered to idols. He advocates a” Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy so that Christians are not put in a position where they may inadvertently offend an unbeliever.

We are free to do many things, but we should exercise freedom wisely, in order to glorify God. If my dogmatic freedom turns others away from the Kingdom of God, where is the benefit?

I read the other day of someone who is known as a christian shouting through the door of a cafe denouncing the use of vaccine passports. He is free to do that, and he is free to refuse the vaccination. But why be aggressive in this freedom?

Jesus tells us to be wise as serpents and gentle is doves. Sometimes I think we get it the wrong way around.

There are times when it is right to demand justice for christians and for the church. There are times when it is right to show that we treat idols with contempt. We just need to make sure we do this in a way that honours the Lord.

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to receive every freedom that is mine in Christ. Grant me wisdom in the way I express this grace. Amen