How awesome it is to come and confess these truths that are not self-evident. The only way we know that God is Father, God is Son, God is Holy Spirit, these three are three in one, is that we have been gifted by God with a revelation. That’s why Christians celebrate the triune God who reveals Himself in Scripture every Sunday. That’s what we do. That’s who we are, and it sort of is the foundation of all of life. It’s not just a Sunday morning experience. All of life is rooted in those statements of what we believe to be true based on what God has revealed in His Word.
We’re in a series on the study of the Holy Spirit. This is the second message on spiritual gifts and we’re going to be in 1 Corinthians 14. We take up this very easy and non-controversial subject of the gift of tongues, today. (Laughter!) I’m going to read the first twelve verses for us. We’re going to cover much of the chapter. I recognize, all week long I’ve just been a little bit fear and trembling not because of the subject, but because of its scope. I just know that there are so many questions that will be left unanswered. That’s part of it. We just want to lay a foundation today. God teaches His church,
1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? 8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, 11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. 12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
I emphasize that last word again. If we are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, for the Holy Spirit to be seen in the church, then let us strive to excel in building up the church and let us do this together.
In 1982, when my 18 year old self entered Moody Bible Institute, I was surprised to discover that my new roommate, Larry, believed in the modern practice of speaking in tongues. I thought everyone at Moody would believe the way I did. Larry and I spent hours and hours talking through various Scriptures regarding the gift of tongues. Through those conversations, I realized that I had not delved as deeply into the Scriptures regarding this topic as I previously thought. I deeply respected my roommate, Larry, as a follower of Jesus. Larry loved God and He loved God’s Word. So I was very open to his biblical reflections. At one point I prayed that if the gift of tongues was to be practiced today, God would help me to understand His Word on this subject. Interestingly, Larry shared that he once thought he had the gift of tongues and he in fact, practiced the gift of tongues. But he had come to realize his expression of tongues had been manufactured by himself and not by the Spirit. He still believed that others in his church genuinely had the gift of tongues, but he confessed that he did not.
This season of conversation about this gift of tongues was both uncomfortable and fruitful. It was uncomfortable because my previous convictions were being challenged. Yet, it was fruitful because it led me to a more thorough examination of the Scriptures and ultimately to a more rooted conviction. Larry’s arguments regarding tongues were influential for a number of reasons. First is because he was a godly man. He was passionate for biblical orthodoxy and biblical orthopraxy. He lived out the tenets of the Gospel in front of me. He avoided all the extreme abuses of this spiritual gift that are mentioned in the Scripture. In fact, Larry was most ardent in his opposition against those abuses because he felt those abuses were actually detracting from his core belief of their present existence. Larry defended his views from the Bible rather than from his own experience. He was patient and reasonable in the face of my disagreements. He made a profound spiritual impact upon my life. Ultimately, Larry did not radically change my understanding of the Bible’s teaching on this subject, but he did help me gain a better perspective. I think that’s what differences over disputable matters in the Word are to do. It’s to drive us to the Word and to deepen our fellowship, rather than divide it.
This morning, we open up our Bibles to 1 Corinthians 14 where we think again about this subject of spiritual gifts. We learned last week from chapter 12 that the Holy Spirit gifts each believer with spiritual abilities so that we would use those gifts to strengthen God’s church. The Holy Spirit purposes for us to employ these supernatural gifts to strengthen the faith of our brothers and sisters in Jesus.
Remember that Paul writes all of this instruction in the context of a church that is abusing spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts in Corinth are causing conflict and hostility in the church family rather than unity and love. The problem in this church in Corinth is not a lack of gifts. It’s not that they needed more spiritual gifts. In fact, Paul begins this letter in 1 Corinthians 1:4-7 by saying that you are not lacking in any gift. So all the gifts are present in this church, but the problem was that they were misusing the gifts that had been given them. In 1 Corinthians 12-13, God lays the foundation for the church to understand the proper use of spiritual gifts. Then chapter 14 is devoted to correcting the false practices within the Corinthian church specifically regarding the gift of tongues.
The main idea that we’re going to trace through our study this morning is that when we use spiritual gifts properly, we love others in our spiritual family and we help them grow spiritually in Christ. This is God’s design. It’s that we would employ these gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to every one who is in Christ so that the body of Christ, the church family, would be stronger in her worship, in her love for God, and in the mission that God has given to her. When we misuse spiritual gifts, we fail to love others in our spiritual family and we actually hinder their spiritual growth. It’s possible to employ spiritual gifts in such a way that it does more damage than good. That’s actually what is happening here in this church that Paul is writing to.

When we look at the gifts listed for us in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11. You might just turn back there for a moment. Several of these gifts stand out to our modern eyes. The gifts that stand out to me in that list are healing, miracles, tongues and interpretation of tongues. Many refer to these as “sign gifts” because they were given for the purpose of confirming the apostles’ witness during a time in church history when the Bible wasn’t completed yet, when the apostles’ foundation was still being laid.

Let me give you some definitions to begin our time together. The gift of healing is the bringing of God’s healing to many kinds of afflictions within the church. The gift of miracles is the gift of supernatural workings that defy natural laws. We think of Jesus’ turning water into wine as a for instance. The gift of tongues is the gift of speaking God’s truth in other known languages by people who do not naturally know that language. Now right away, with that definition there is controversy. Almost every statement I’m going to make is going to elicit some controversy. But this is a definition that I believe is born out from Scripture. The spiritual gift of speaking in tongues is not the gift of speaking in ecstatic utterance, but it’s the gift of speaking in other known languages by people who do not naturally know that language. The interpretation of tongues is the gift of interpreting the gift of tongues.

Most today who practice the gift of tongues don’t practice it according to that definition. We’re going to develop that a little bit more, but most today would practice ecstatic utterance, that is, a kind of speaking where there is no consistent terminology and there is no syntax. There is none of the markings of a true language. The claim that tongues is the speaking of a known language by a person that does not naturally know the language is a foundational matter in discussing this issue. It perhaps is the most important matter that will drive you one direction or the other. Again, we’ll talk about this a little bit more later in this message. But today, we focus mostly on the gift of tongues because that’s where Paul’s focus is in chapter 14.

In the modern church, four positions are taken regarding these sign gifts. The first is that the sign gifts have ceased. These gifts held great purpose in the apostolic era while the apostles were laying the foundation of the church. These gifts attested to the authority of the apostles and of the Scripture that they wrote. When the ministry of the apostles ceased when the foundation was laid, the sign gifts ceased.

Position number two is that the sign gifts may have ceased. This position holds that these gifts likely ceased since their primary purpose was to attest to the authority of the apostles and their ability to lay the foundation of the church as they wrote Scripture. But God may have other purposes for these gifts to build up the modern church. There is a hesitancy to exclude them altogether, in this position.

The third position is that the sign gifts have not ceased. It is that these gifts hold purposes now and they are definitely given to members of the modern church to use for the building up of the church.

Finally, the sign gifts should be pursued and practiced by every church member. Not only do the sign gifts exist today, but they should exist in every spiritually-minded believer. Every member of Jesus’ church can obtain these gifts by faith. That’s what this view says. In fact, these gifts hold a key to a higher level of spiritual life. To not have them is to live spiritually below God’s intended blessings.

I tip my hand to you today as we begin this message by letting you know that I am in the second category. I believe these gifts have likely ceased from use, but I am not ready to close the door completely. I’ve never witnessed personally these gifts being practiced in the way that the Scripture describes them. But at the same time, it wouldn’t throw all my theology out of whack to someday see these gifts practiced in the way Scripture describes.

I know that as we walk through 1 Corinthians 14 together, I’m going to scare up more snakes than I can kill. The moment I say we’re going to talk about the gift of tongues, there will be all these questions. Every statement is going to cause more questions. For that reason, this message likely will be dissatisfying to many. It will be dissatisfying because it’s not as deep or thorough as some would have it to be about some of the questions we do address. And it will be dissatisfying because it won’t be as broad. It won’t attend to as many questions as we wish we could. But in the next 20 minutes, we pray that God would speak. We pray that God would work. Let’s begin by considering

The Guiding Principles for Spiritual Gifts

A lot of this is ground we covered last week, but it’s important to emphasize it so that there is a good spiritual impact upon this message. The first principle that Paul plainly spells out in this passage and other passages in the New Testament is that spiritual gifts are useless unless we love our brothers and sisters.

Paul knows that this is a church filled with believers who are super, super excited about the spiritual gifts. But he also knows that this is a church that is not very excited about loving brothers and sisters, especially people with whom they have conflict. This is a group of believers who are excited about using spiritual gifts for self-serving reasons. That is why the Apostle Paul places 1 Corinthians 13 square in the middle of chapters 12 and 14. Paul didn’t all of a sudden think when he got to the end of chapter 12, “Hmmm! I’m going to do a wedding this weekend. I think I need to write something about love.” That’s not what happened. Paul is in the middle of talking about spiritual gifts. The foundational abuse or misuse of spiritual gifts had to do with their failure to truly love their brothers and sisters in their own church. So in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul begins this way.

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Do you notice, after talking about these gifts, he actually names them at the beginning of this love chapter. He says

1 Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,

In other words, not only just the normal use of spiritual gifts, but even beyond normal, way up in the angelic realm.

1 Corinthians 13:1 …but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Now in this, he’s not only saying that such speaking would be fruitless. He’s actually saying that such speaking would be detrimental, damaging to the church. Imagine someone coming down the aisle with a garbage can and a big stick. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! It’s not only that they’re not adding to the worship experience that we’re having as a church, but they’re actually keeping us from it. That’s what is happening!
These are believers who are expressing the spiritual gift without love and they’re like this coming into a worship service. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! It’s distracting. It’s disruptive. It’s damaging to the fellowship and to worship. He goes on to say

1 Corinthians 13:2-3 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Spiritual gifts are given to be applied on top of a foundation of Christian love. To put it another way, the only person who can make right use of his or her spiritual gift is the person who gets up in the morning and thinks, “Man, I really want to find a way to help my brother and my sister grow in faith.” The only person who has the possibility of using gifts in the right way is the person like that. If we are a people who don’t ever wake up that way. It’s not that they hate their brother or sister. It’s just that they don’t think about their brother and sister very much. “It’s not a key element of the purpose of my life to wake up and think, ‘how can I help my brother and sister grow in faith?’” There is no foundation to use or to apply spiritual gifts because the best use of spiritual gifts without that foundation of saying, “I really have a heart to love my brother and sister, to help them grow in faith, to help them thrive and flourish in their life with God.” Apart from that, spiritual gifts become a detriment to the church. When we love our brothers and sisters, we want to help them flourish in their spiritual life.

Now, at this thought, that’s a great vision that God has given me to really love my brother and sister and to help my brothers and sisters grow in faith. Immediately, Satan whispers, “Who are you to think that you could make such a contribution. How can a person like you, feeble, failing and flawed, how can a person like you possibly make such a positive spiritual impact on a brother and sister?” That’s the whisper of Satan. To that whisper, the Holy Spirit shouts, “I have given you spiritual gifts to use for the very purpose of making that impact. Trust me! Use your gifts and watch me work.” Isn’t that wonderful?

We jump to 1 Corinthians chapter 14 after this discourse on love and how love never ends. Prophecies pass away. Tongues cease. Knowledge passes away. But love never ends. The Apostle Paul says this in verse 1.

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

In other words, he’s not saying spiritual gifts are discounted as unimportant. No, they’re really important. But the first matter is to pursue love. That word “pursue” means to actively hunt down or to chase after.

I mentioned last week that I went trout fishing with a small group. It’s such a fascinating thing to watch a bunch of guys get super excited about some fish swimming in a river, but we do. We took time to get ready for it and load up our stuff. Then the night before, we’re all in the cabin and we’re putting little tiny thread through really little tiny lures. We’re getting everything set up so in the morning, we can get up really bright and early. Then we put on these waders and they’re kind of clunky. We’re excited to put them on. The state park puts hundreds of trout in the Current River every night. It’s a real clear, beautiful river and you can see the trout all over. So we wake up and we know that they’re going to blow a horn at 7:00 am. Before 7:00 am, if you put a line in the water, you’re taken off to some place and never seen again. (Laughter!) So we make sure we’re ready and we get down there about 15 or 20 minutes early so we can get the good spots before the greedy people do. (Laughter!) We stand in the water and about five minutes before, guess what we have? Here are these guys and it’s like Christmas morning to a kid. These guys, myself included, we have the bale open, we have our arm cocked, and we’re waiting for that horn. Why would we do that? Well, because we’re excited about catching trout. That’s why we would do that.

I have yet to see someone standing along the bank with their net held out and a trout just jumps right in it. I’ve never seen that yet. Maybe it’s happened. I just have never seen it. If you want to have love in your heart for your brothers and sisters, God says to strive. Hunt it down. Chase after it. Get really excited about obtaining it. God’s Spirit guarantees that He will work in your heart to obtain such a love. This kind of love is not about having a certain kind of personality. It’s not thinking, “I just don’t have a loving personality.” It’s not about personality. It is about what God is doing in your soul. If you really want to have love for your brothers and sisters, chase after it in the power of God’s Spirit, and God will transform your heart and my heart into the heart of Jesus. Isn’t that amazing?
The second principle is that spiritual gifts are given to individual members for the common good.

1 Corinthians 12:7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit

Notice this! This is so foundational. It has to do with everything about understanding chapter 14.

1 Corinthians 12:7 …for the common good.

Why are spiritual gifts given? Not for my good. That’s not why I have spiritual gifts. It’s not for my edification. That’s not why spiritual gifts are given. It’s very clear that spiritual gifts are given for the common good. Paul reiterates this principle in chapter 14.
12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
He says if you really want to see the Holy Spirit active in your church family, strive to excel in the building up, the common good of the whole. Spiritual gifts are not given for the edification or aggrandizement of the person who possesses the gifts. They are given for bringing good, the spiritual good, to others in the body of Jesus. Whenever a gift is being used properly, it will build up the body of Christ and not merely build up the person who is using it.

Principle number three is spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit as He wills. Look in verse 11 of chapter 12. I know we’re covering old ground a bit.

1 Corinthians 12:11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

It’s not just as each member desires, but just as the Spirit wills.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

The Holy Spirit is the architect of the church. The Holy Spirit possesses sovereign power to determine the spiritual gifts that each member possesses. God does not give us the power to choose for ourselves the gifts that we possess. Each person has gifts that differ from other members and those differences are all as He wills, as He chooses. The fact that some have gifts that others do not is not due to human ignorance. It’s not like if you were just a little bit more biblically informed you could have this gift, too. Those differences flow from God’s heart of love and wisdom in apportioning out His gifts. Now I want to talk about

The Grave Problem of the Misuse of Spiritual Gifts

Clearly, there is a problem here in the church in Corinth related to spiritual gifts. In chapter 12, we begin to see some of the nature of that problem.

1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets,

These are foundational gifted people for the church.

1 Corinthians 12:28-29 …third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles?

The answer is what? No. Why would he ask that question? Because there is a misunderstanding in the church that everyone should have certain kinds of gifts. He’s asking these questions to bring correction. It’s loving correction. It’s very gentle. But he’s asking these questions because they’re corrective questions.

1 Corinthians 12:29 Are all prophets?

Nope!

1 Corinthians 12:29 Are all teachers?

Nope!

1 Corinthians 12:29 Do all work miracles?

Nope! So whatever we think about this, let’s not think that we can pursue certain gifts and all of us can obtain them.

1 Corinthians 12:30 Do all possess gifts of healing?

No!

1 Corinthians 12:30 Do all speak with tongues?

No!

1 Corinthians 12:30 Do all interpret?

No! Then he says

1 Corinthians 12:31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

That excellent way has to do with love. He’s saying to the church, desire as a church family, not as individuals, but as a church family, desire the more excellent gifts. Desire people who are going to point us to the Word and help us to understand what it means and how to apply it.

The principle here as Paul begins to address the misuse of spiritual gifts is that it’s actually loving to teach sound doctrine and to refute false doctrine. That’s a loving thing to do. A shepherd who refuses to teach sound doctrine out of concerns that people will get upset with them, or a shepherd that refuses to refute false doctrine out of concerns that it might bring offense, is not a loving shepherd. Paul is a loving apostle and that’s why he is bringing sound doctrine and refuting false doctrine in this church. It is loving to teach practical obedience to God and to correct disobedience to God.

I say this because first, it’s important for those who are in a position of bringing correction, whether it’s spiritual leaders or leaders in the home, parents or teachers, government officials, wherever, if we’re Christians, our correction must be motivated by biblical love. So wherever we’re in a position of bringing correction to someone else, if we’re going to have a spiritual ministry to that person, it must be motivated by biblical love. It can’t be motivated out of our frustration or maybe out of our wounded pride where we’re thinking, “How dare you disagree with me!” It must not be motivated by those fleshly things in order to have an effect. Paul is motivated by love. He brings this out of love, to have a good effect.

Secondly, I bring this up because our flesh naturally receives all correction as unloving. If you correct your children and tell them, “No, you’re wrong,” do they immediately look at you and say, “Oh, thank you. That is such a loving correction you just gave me.” No, our natural response is “How dare you! You’re wrong. Let me tell you why you’re wrong. You misunderstood. You’re being really unkind to me at this point.” Whenever we’re corrected, our flesh’s response is to resist.

Now, by God’s Spirit, many children come to realize that all that correction of their parents was loving. Many times we realize our friends or our church leaders who bring correction actually were loving us. But please understand that as I speak, I hope you hear that the motivation, I pray all the time that my motivation to bring any correction would be out of love. Yet, we naturally resist any kind of correction because it goes against our self and cuts against our pride.

Before we begin this list of abuses, and I have four here that I want to talk about that I believe intersect with this church in Corinth and our own times, I stress that not all differences of views regarding spiritual gifts create grave problems. There are many really healthy churches who have differences of opinion with Bethany or with myself over these matters. For instance, two of my sons don’t live here in our area. One lives in Colorado and one lives in Virginia. I’ve encouraged both of my sons to join churches where the sign gift of tongues is being affirmed. These churches do not practice tongues in the public worship service, but they believe the gift of tongues does exist today. I rejoice that my children are part of these churches because of all the other health that is a part of these churches. These are churches that proclaim God’s Word chapter by chapter and verse by verse. These are churches that are bold in orthodoxy and right practice. These are churches that are Spirit-filled. There is an energy and excitement in loving God together. These are churches that are faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ. So please understand that as there are some disagreements, not all disagreements create grave problems for the church. However, there are some disagreements that do create grave problems, that create great distress and damage to the church. Let’s talk about some misuses that are grave.

Jeff Foxworthy made a comedy career off the line, “You might be a redneck if…” You might be misusing your gifts if… Here’s the deal. There are four deals. You might be misusing your gifts if the use of your gift creates two classes of church members. Inside the church, Paul begins in chapter 1 by saying that there are quarrels in the church and that there are divisions among you.

1 Corinthians 1:12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

In this, what they’re doing is that they’re vying in these groups for spiritual superiority. They’re saying, “Well, our group is really spiritual. Your group is inside the church, but it’s less spiritual than us.” Any time there is a use of gifts that creates the “haves” and the “have not’s,” that creates the really, really spiritual with the not quite so spiritual, it is a misuse of the spiritual gift. Any view of gifts where every member is encouraged to be an eye or a foot or a hand is harmful to the church and dishonors the Spirit. Members who have one gift do not have more of the Holy Spirit than members who have other gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:13 says we’ve all been baptized by one Spirit into one body. There is an equality and a sameness. We all have these blessings from God. Spiritual gifting has nothing to do with spirituality. That has to do with faith.

1 Corinthians 12:24-25 But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body,

In other words, in the discussion of spiritual gifts, he says these gifts are given so that there would be no division. When they create this kind of division between the spiritual and the not-so-spiritual, there is grave misuse. That’s what is happening in Corinth. That’s what is happening in the modern church. He says

1 Corinthians 12:25 …but that the members may have the same care for one another.

That’s why there are these differences.

The second misuse is the creation of disorder in the public worship service. The apostle Paul speaks to this by way of a correction.

27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three,

He says that because that’s not what is happening. There were many people wanting to get up and exercise this gift publicly because it’s a public gift and it’s a means by which they received spiritual esteem from others. Then he says

and each in turn,

It’s not one talking over the other. We get the idea that that’s what was happening. Furthermore,

and let someone interpret.

So let one speak and then there is interpretation, another speak, and then there is interpretation. Maybe one more speak if there’s time and people are willing to stay a little later, then interpretation, but then after that, no more. That’s it for that gift in that public worship service. But that’s not what was happening.

28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

What happens in a public worship service is important to God because His Person is on display. The church gains a picture of who God is. It comes to know God through our public worship, corporate worship. The world is presented with a view of God through public worship as well. Disorder and confusion in the worship service dishonor the God whom we wish to honor.

The third misuse is the use of gifts for personal gain without benefit to others in the church. Remember again the foundational principle for these gifts is for the common good. These gifts are for the building up of the body. Remember those phrases.
2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him,
Keep in mind that there is a problem here that he is addressing.
but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
All this, I believe, is being claimed by the people who are practicing this gift in an abusive way in the church in Corinth.
3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
Well isn’t that what he has been talking about? He’s saying this is the kind of gift that builds upbuilding. But the way that a tongue is being used, and I think it’s important to notice the difference between a tongue and tongues, even. The way a tongue is used is used in a way that there is not this upbuilding and encouragement.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue
Notice this!
builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
What is he saying? Some would say he is saying that they build up themselves and that it’s legitimate to use a spiritual gift to build up themselves. I think he has already laid the groundwork to say no, that’s not legitimate. He’s bringing correction. He’s saying, “The way you’re using tongues is you’re just building up yourself. Don’t you know that the gift of tongues is given for the common good? It’s not for personal edification.” So there is a correction that he is bringing here.
5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.
What he is saying is, “By me bringing correction, don’t think that I am against the gift of tongues. I’m not.” In chapter 7, you remember when he talked about marriage he said, “I wish you all were like I, single.” He’s not saying everybody should be single, but he’s saying, “Don’t think I’m against marriage as I talk about this and give some really hard principles about marriage. I’m not against marriage. I wish you all were single like I am.” He’s doing the same thing here in chapter 14 when he says, “I’m not against tongues. I know that’s what you’re going to think the moment I bring correction here, that I’m against it. I wish you all were able to speak in tongues. If the Holy Spirit gave every person the gift of tongues, I would have no problem with it.” That’s what he’s saying. He goes on to say
The one who prophesies
In other words, the one who speaks God’s Word
is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
In other words, that’s the purpose.

I believe that understanding the gift of tongues to be the gift of speaking known languages rather than ecstatic utterances helps avoid these first three abuses. I do not know of abuses to occur where the gift of tongues is accepted as speaking known languages. That may be there, but I’ve never come across those kinds of abuses. So why do I believe that the gift of tongues is known languages and not ecstatic utterances? I’ll give you a very brief reason.

In Acts 2, Luke describes the first incident, the first time tongues-speaking is given to the church by the Holy Spirit as the speaking of known languages. That’s not arguable. So when you read the text, the languages are even listed there. These are the languages that the people on the day of Pentecost were speaking as they spoke in tongues. Luke uses that word, speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the same Greek term that Luke uses in Acts 2, to describe this spiritual gift. Now, Luke and Paul are close associates. They talk a lot about a lot of things; the church and theology and doctrine. I believe it’s very unlikely that Luke and Paul would use the same term for a very different phenomenon in the church related to the Holy Spirit. I believe that if they did, that would have led to really great confusion.

The burden of proof to say that there is another definition other than the definition Acts 2 drives us toward is on those who claim it’s by ecstatic utterance. And you don’t find an instance of ecstatic utterance described in all of the New Testament. If it were not for the dominant expression of that in modern times, I don’t think many would even call that interpretation into question. But it’s because so many sincere, good, lovely people who love the Lord, express the gift of tongues through ecstatic utterance, that it is accepted. It’s driven by experience rather than by Scripture.

You might just jot down 1 Corinthians 14:10-11. Paul quotes from Isaiah chapter 28. In Isaiah 28, the quotation is about a foreign language, not an ecstatic utterance, but a foreign language being spoken on the streets of Jerusalem as a sign of judgment. If we went outside here today and suddenly all the messaging, radio announcements, and television would be in a foreign language, choose another super power. China, Russia, whatever you might choose. What would we think? We would think, “Oh no! Somebody has taken over.” That’s what the warning was. In Jerusalem, you’re going to hear a foreign language. What does that mean? “Oh no! The Babylonians are taking over.” That’s the only explanation. So that’s why Paul says here in 1 Corinthians 14 that the gift of tongues is a sign of judgment. It’s a sign that God is closing down the end of the age, so repent now, while the day of salvation is still at hand.

The last matter that I would say regarding misuse, and I’ll just close it very quickly because of our time, is the diminishing of the Bible in a believer’s life.
6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
Paul is an apostle and he’s emphasizing even here that these gifts that are revelatory and we have the revelatory gifts established through God’s Word. Sign gifts are often misused sometimes intentionally, I think most often, unintentionally, to direct people away from the specific revelation that God has provided in His Word to more direct, I’ll say, mystical, maybe even more exciting forms of revelation. When God’s Word is displaced, that is a danger, danger, danger! Jesus, who is God’s Son, who is God the Son, when He came in the form of a man, what was His ministry? It was the proclamation of the Word. He rested His ministry on the authority of the Word. He said things like
Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

He prayed to the Father,

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

So wherever there is diminishing of the Bible in a believer’s life, it is a damaging, damaging effect upon the believer. I want to close with

The Glorious Potential of the Use of Spiritual Gifts

God gives us gifts so that we can help one another grow strong in faith. Praise God! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the ability to impact the folks that are in this very room, even as you leave, to say, “I can do something, use a spiritual gift in some way, whether it’s through prayer or whether it’s through encouragement, whether it’s through instruction, whether it’s through compassion, whether it’s through administration. I can bring a blessing to someone’s spiritual life and help them grow in faith through the use of that gift. The Holy Spirit is manifest. He is seen in a church that uses these gifts for the glory of God. I close with Peter’s words in 1 Peter 4.

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,

Again, this is the common good, the edification of the body. It’s to serve one another

1 Peter 4:10-11 …as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Praise God that He is glorified in His church!