Encourage One Another . . .  1 Corinthians 14.26-33

Two things bracket all of what is to take place in the worship of God.

Let all things be done to build up the body of Christ.

Let all things be done decently and in order.

Look with me at verse 26: What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.  

Stop!  Please read this next part with caution:  Paul notes that

>>when each of the believers met together to worship God,

  >>they brought something from their heart to share with other people. 

    >>They came to glorify God,

       >>and also use their gifts to encourage other people in their faith.

Now, their gatherings were no doubt smaller than most of the worship services we might attend, but they also devoted more time to be together than ‘now-a days’.  That does not let you and I off the hook, however;

God’s desire is that his children would come ready to give and not just take on

Sunday mornings. . . 
that we would come ready to lift our hearts, (and can I say our hands?) in glad adoration of him. 

Oh my goodness—do I go to church to give to God and others around me,

   or merely to take in, and even at that find myself critical???

Friends, herein lies the key to the beauty of the early church.  It wasn’t their potlucks, though I’m sure the food was good.  The believers came with ready hearts.

Let’s go on . . .

27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.  28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.  29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.  30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.  31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.  33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

Paul stresses orderly delivery of messages in tongues—they must be followed by an interpretation.  And then, there’s prophecy.  In the Old Testament, without written revelation in hand, God used the mouths of prophets to deliver messages to the people; he also used messages to foretell what was to come.  For instance, Isaiah prophesied of the coming birth of Jesus, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (700 years before the birth of Jesus; Isaiah 7.14).  

Christian churches give prophecy different definitions today; some believe that it is a spiritual gift that includes further revelation, and foretelling; others believe it is merely the preaching of God’s Word with keen insight as to its God-given meaning.  I found this by John Calvin: “By the term prophesying I do not mean the gift of foretelling the future, but as in 1 Corinthians 14:3 the science of the interpretation of Scripture, so that a prophet is the interpreter of the divine will... Let us understand prophesying to mean the interpretation of Scripture applied to the present need.”  Hmmm . . .

Let me say this about what folks bill as ‘prophecy’:

weigh what is prophesied,

and if that is in question, weigh the prophet. 

The message must always be consistent with Scripture, and must never take liberties with that.  I’ve seen people take what they believe to be the character of Christ, and blend it with a message from their own hearts, and call it prophecy.  Now it might be an encouraging word, which is valuable, but ought not then be called prophecy.  A slippery slope, Friends.  Be wise in your understanding.

As in all things, Christ be lifted up . . . let’s worship him in the sanctuary~ more than that, let’s live our very lives in worship of him. 

Christine