1 Corinthians 14
14
Chapter 14
Messages from God
1So you must always want to love other people. Also, want very much to receive spiritual gifts from God. More than anything else, want to speak messages from God. 2If someone speaks in a different language, he is speaking only to God. The people who hear him do not understand his message. God's Spirit is causing him to speak about secret things. It does not help people. 3But if someone speaks a clear message from God, he helps the people who hear him. He helps them to become stronger as believers. He helps them to be happy and strong in their troubles. 4Anyone who speaks in a different language only helps himself. But a person who speaks a message from God helps the believers in the church to become strong.
5I would like all of you to speak in different kinds of languages. But even more, I want you to speak God's message clearly to people. Anyone who can speak a message from God is important in the church. He is more important than someone who speaks in different kinds of languages. That person only helps the church if someone can explain what he says. Only in that way will his message help the church to become stronger.
6My Christian friends, if I come to visit you, then I want to help you. But if I speak to you in languages that you do not understand, that will not help you at all. I would need to explain to you what God has shown to me. I would need to help you to understand something. I would need to speak a clear message from God, or teach you something. Only that would help you. 7Think about how people make music with flutes or harps. Those things are not alive. We have to use them to make clear sounds. If we do not use them properly, then nobody can recognize the music. 8Soldiers will not prepare to fight unless they hear a clear sound from the trumpet.
9It is the same for you. You must use your tongue to speak clearly. If not, nobody will understand what you are saying. You will only be speaking words into the air. 10There are many different kinds of languages in this world. They all mean something to the people who speak them. 11Perhaps somebody may speak to me in a language that I do not understand. Then we are like foreign people to each other. 12So think about what is best for you. You really want the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Most of all, you should want the gifts that will help the whole church to become stronger.
13So, if you speak a message in a different language, you should pray to God about it. Pray that you may be able to explain to people what the message means. 14If I pray in a different language, only my spirit is praying. But I do not use my mind while I pray like that. 15This is what I should do: I will not only pray with my spirit. I will also pray with my mind. I will sing to praise God with my spirit. And I will also do that with my mind. 16If you are praising God only with your spirit, not everyone will understand. Believers who have not learned these things will not know what you are saying. They cannot agree and say ‘Amen’. 17You may really be able to thank God very well in your spirit. But your words do not help those other believers to become strong.
18I thank God that I speak in different kinds of languages more than all of you. 19But when the church meets together, I want to help other believers and teach them. So I would rather say five words that people understand than thousands of words in a different language.
20My Christian friends, do not continue to think like children think. Instead, think properly like men and women should think. The only way you should be like babies is to keep away from evil things. 21This is written in the Bible:
‘I will send strangers to speak to my people.
They will speak my message to them in strange languages.
But even when I do this, my people will not listen to me.’
That is what the Lord God has said. #14:21 See Isaiah 28:11-12.
22So the gift to speak in different languages is like a sign. It shows God's power to people who do not believe in him. It is not a sign to help believers. But the gift to speak clear messages from God shows his power to believers. It is not a sign for those people who do not believe.
23Think about what happens when the whole church meets together. Perhaps some people come in who do not believe in God. Or perhaps they have not learned much about God. If all of you are speaking in strange languages, those visitors would not understand. They would say that you are all crazy! 24But if all of you are speaking clear messages from God, a visitor will understand you. He may not believe in God. He may not have learned much about God. But he will hear God's message. He will understand that he has done wrong things. He will know that God will judge him. He will learn this from what all of you are saying. 25The visitor's secret thoughts will become clear. As a result, he will bend down to the ground and he will worship God. He will say, ‘God is really here among you!’
Church meetings
26My Christian friends, this is what you should do when you meet together. Some of you may have a song to praise God. Some of you may have a lesson to teach about God. Other people may have a special thing that God has shown to them. Some people may have a message in a special language. Other people may explain what the message means. Do all these things to help the church become stronger.
27If some people speak in special languages, it should only be two or three people. They should speak one person at a time. Then someone must explain what each person said. 28But perhaps there is nobody among you who can explain like that. Then, anyone who wanted to speak in a special language must be quiet in your meeting. When they are on their own, they should speak to God.
29When you meet together, two or three people should speak a message from God. Then the other people there should think carefully about each message. 30Someone who is sitting in your meeting may receive a special message from God. Then, the person who is already speaking should stop. 31In that way, each person can speak a message from God, one person at a time. Then everyone will learn something that helps them. 32All of you who speak messages from God have authority over your own spirits. 33When we meet together as God's people, he wants there to be peace among us. He does not want to bring trouble.
This is what happens in all the churches where God's people meet together. 34The women should be quiet during the meetings. They should not speak. They should remember that they are under authority. That is also what God's Law teaches. 35If a woman wants to ask about something, she should ask her husband at home. Women should be ashamed if they speak in the church. #14:35 See also 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. Paul says that women may pray or speak a message in a meeting of the church. He may mean that women should not speak at certain times. That is, while a man is explaining messages from God. 36Remember that God's message did not start from you in Corinth! You are not the only people who have heard it, either.
37Someone may think that he has the gift to speak messages from God. Or he may think that he has received other spiritual gifts. Anyone who thinks like that should agree with what I have written to you. He should recognize that it is what the Lord himself is telling his people to do. 38If anyone refuses to accept this, you should not accept that person.
39My Christian friends, this is what I am saying to you: It is good when you want to speak clear messages from God. And if anyone has the gift to speak in a special language, do not stop them. 40But you must do everything in a proper way that helps people.
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1 Corinthians 14
14
Prophecy: A Superior Gift
1Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. 2For the person who speaks in another language # 1Co 12:10 is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. # Or in spirit, or in his spirit 3But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. 4The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church. 5I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.
6But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in other languages, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation # 1Pt 4:13 or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7Even inanimate things that produce sounds — whether flute or harp # Rv 5:8; 14:2; 15:2 — if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized? 8In fact, if the trumpet makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle? # Nm 10:9; Is 58:1; Jr 4:19; Ezk 33:3-6; Jl 2:1 9In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air. 10There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, and all have meaning. # Lit and none is without a sound 11Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner # Gk barbaros = in Eng a “barbarian.” To a Gk, a barbaros was anyone who did not speak Gk. to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. 12So also you — since you are zealous # Nm 25:13; Gl 1:14 for spiritual gifts, # Lit zealous of spirits ; spirits = human spirits, spiritual powers, or the Holy Spirit # Ps 51:11; Lk 11:34; Jn 1:33; Ac 2:4; Rm 8:9; Gl 5:25; Ti 3:5; 1Jn 4:1; Rv 3:22 seek to excel in building up the church.
13Therefore the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can interpret. 14For if I pray in another language, my spirit # Ps 51:12 prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. # Gl 5:22; Ti 3:14 15What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. 16Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, # Or praise by the Spirit how will the uninformed person # Lit the one filling the place of the uninformed say “Amen” # Ps 72:19; Rv 22:21 at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank # Rm 1:8 God that I speak in other languages more than all of you; 19yet in the church I would rather speak five words # Mt 12:37 with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.
20Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. # Ps 131:2; Is 28:9; Mt 18:3; Rm 16:19; Eph 4:14; Heb 5:12-13 21It is written in the law:
I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me, # Is 28:11-12 # Is 28:11-12
says the Lord. 22It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, # Lit that languages are for a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. 23Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. 25The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.” # Is 45:14; Zch 8:23
Order in Church Meetings
26What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one # Other mss add of you has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. # 1Co 12:10 All things must be done for edification. 27If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. 28But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. # 1Jn 4:1 30But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. # Lk 16:25 32And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, 33since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the churches of the saints, # Eph 6:18 34the women # Other mss read your women should be silent in the churches, # 1Tm 2:11-12; 1Pt 3:1 for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. 35And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands # Mt 1:19; 1Pt 3:1 at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. 36Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?
37If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. 38But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. # Other mss read he should be ignored 39Therefore, my brothers, be eager # Nm 25:13; Gl 4:17 to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. 40But everything must be done decently # Rm 13:13 and in order.
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