This past weekend at Eastbrook, I continued our preaching series entitled “God’s Grace for an Imperfect Church: 1 Corinthians” by looking at chapter 14 with a message entitled “Worship That Makes Sense.” Chapter 14 concludes a subsection of 1 Corinthians that stretches from chapter 11 through chapter 14, which focuses on the gathered community at prayer and worship, including how Spirit-gifts work within that setting. There was too much in this chapter to adequately deal with it in one week, so I had to summarize som sections of this chapter to help us look with greater depth at other portions.
You can find the message outline and video below. You can access the entire series here. Join us for weekend worship in-person or remotely via Eastbrook at Home.
“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.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)
Contrasting Spirit-Gifts: Tongues and Prophecy (14:2-25)
Tongues:
- Speaks to God (vs 2)
- Not understandable, uttering mysteries of the Spirit (vs 2)
- Edifies oneself (vs 4)
- Emphasized by Corinthian believers as greater
- A sign for unbelievers – truly miraculous (vs 22)
- Also confusing for unbelievers or inquirers (vs 23)
Prophecy:
- Speaks to people (vs 3)
- Strengthens, encourages, and comforts others (vs 3)
- Edifies others (vs 4)
- Emphasized by Paul as greater (vs 5)
- A sign for believers – brings understanding (vs 22)
- Also convicting for unbelievers or inquirers (vs 24)
Paul’s Overarching Goal of Spirit-Gifts and Worship within the Gathered Community
Pursuing love and desiring Spirit-gifts (vs 1)
Edification and upbuilding of the entire church community (vss 4-5, 12, 17-19, 26)
Paul’s Central Guidance on Order within the Community’s Worship
Openness to a variety of Spirit-gifts used within the gathering (vss 26-30)
Appropriate order that testifies to God’s presence and power (vss 31-33)
Paul’s comments on women in the public gathering (vss 34-35)
A reminder about the way of love (vss 36-38)
Final words and summary (vss 39-40)
Dig Deeper
This week dig deeper in one or more of the following ways:
- Memorize 1 Corinthians 14:12 or 14:26 or 14:39-40
- Explore some of the following resources:
- Gordon D. Fee, Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God
- Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future Worship
- Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians
- N. T. Wright, “Women’s Service in the Church: The Biblical Basis”
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Matthew Erickson 