Right after I had trusted the work of Christ through His death, burial and Resurrection, I had a person ask me if I had received the second blessing yet. Unsure of what that meant I asked him what he was talking about, and he said, “speaking in tongues as a manifestation of the coming of the Holy Spirit into your life.” This began a search for me to figure out if I was truly saved or not, and it was during this study that I was directed to 1 Corinthians 14. What I found out is that the Scripture is clear that proof of salvation comes through our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and our willingness to submit ourselves to the authority of the Word of God, not through the manifestation of any gift. It is interesting to note that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be mimicked by man and Satan. Our assurance is not to be gained through any external proofs (like speaking in tongues), but through the internal reality that is brought about by our submission to the Will of the Father, through our love for the Work of Christ. It is the inner … READ MORE

Tongues have become a contentious issue over the years. “Should we, shouldn’t we, why haven’t you, I have” In 1 Corinthians 14:6 Paul makes a point about tongues that we need to all consider. His statement is “What is the profit of speaking in tongues to the church?” It may give the church prestige, get people excited, or demonstrate that there is something going on that can’t be explained. However, how does the experience help the people to grow. He compares what is happening to an instrument playing that has no meter, it is just noise. God did not send the Holy Spirit to make the world think that as believers we are weird, He sent the Spirit to enable us to do the work that He has called us to do. The purpose of any gift is that of edification of the body, not of the individual. Paul says in verse 19 “I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.” Teaching is to be the focus of what happens at church, because that teaching gives direction to our service. Here in Verse 6 Paul shares … READ MORE

Paul starts out his discussion on Tongues VS Prophecy by saying that we should pursue love as our primary objective in the life of the church. Lovelessness was by far the church at Corinth’s greatest problem. Love is no substitute for other virtues, but it is the great motivator of good works. They were right to desire spiritual gifts, but their concern should have been for using those gifts for the body not for their own self-exaltation. He reminds them that the most significant gift to the church was prophecy, because it could do what tongues could not. Prophecy could enlighten the church as a whole. What is the benefit of a “gift” if it only exalted the user, and even then brought that user no true spiritual understanding or strength. He reminds us that Prophecy is constructive (v3a), Convicting (3b) and consoling (v3c). Always remember that spiritual gifts are meant to accomplish something spiritually and practically worthwhile, and are always meant to be of benefit to others. The people of Corinth were so intent on speaking to God in a way that he could understand, that they forgot, that He is the creator of language, and wants us to … READ MORE