ORDER IN THE CHURCH
I Corinthians 14:26-40
S: Worship
C: Understanding, not confusion
Th: Orderly Worship
Pr: WE ARE TO BUILD FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER.
?: How? How do we do that?
KW: Need
TS: We will find in our study of I Corinthians 14:26-40 five specifications that will direct our worship toward edification.
Type: Expository, Propositional
The ____ specification is we…
I. ABANDON COMPETITION (26-28)
II. APPRAISE WHAT IS SPOKEN (29-33)
III. ATTEND TO OUR TONGUE (34-35)
IV. ACCEPT TRUE AUTHORITY (36-38)
V. ANTICIPATE CORPORATE WORSHIP (39-40)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Build each other
• Be motivated by love
Version: ESV
RMBC 30 January 05 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever found yourself in a confusing situation?
ILL Chaos: politician
A surgeon, an engineer, and a politician were debating which of their professions was the best and the discussion turned to which was the oldest.
The surgeon said, “Eve was made from Adam’s rib, and that, of course, was a surgical procedure. Obviously, surgery is the oldest profession.”
The engineer countered with, “Yes, but before that, order was created out of chaos, and that most certainly was an engineering job.”
The politician smiled and said triumphantly, “Aha! And just who do you think created the chaos?”
Perhaps that is something we can all agree on.
When we consider what is happening inside of Erie County, we can say with confidence that politicians really know how to make things more chaotic.
TRANSITION:
Well…
We have been studying I Corinthians 14 for the last three weeks.
It is a difficult study.
I compare it to like nailing jello to the wall.
Every time you think you grasp it, it slips between your fingers.
As slippery as this text is, there are principles we can gather and apply to our lives.
We do know this…
1. The worship in Corinth was chaotic.
Their corporate worship was out of control.
You see, the key word for the church in Corinth was not edification as it was supposed to be.
Instead, it was exhibition.
When it came right down to it, they were showing off, trying to one up the other.
Their focus was in all the wrong places.
We do know this…
2. Worship is primarily directed to God.
When we gather for worship, it is not for ourselves.
This is not an entertainment time.
This is not something for the paid players to put on a good show.
Worship is not something you watch.
It is something you do.
We gather together to honor and glorify God.
We gather together to get our perspective, in the realization that God is to be the center of our lives.
ILL Worship: Peterson in Reversed Thunder
Eugene Peterson, in his book Reversed Thunder, talks about what happens to us when the worship of God is not at the center of our life:
"Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. We move in either frightened panic or deluded lethargy as we are in turn alarmed by specters and soothed by placebos. If there is no center, there is no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose."
Knowing God, loving Him, and worshipping Him gives us direction for our lives.
And it puts us on the same path together.
So…
3. At the same time, how we worship affects each other.
We must not fail to remember that though worship is primarily directed to God, how we do it when we are together is important as well.
We are called to corporate worship.
We are called to gather to be of one voice and mind.
This means that we must give consideration to what we say and do and how it will affect those around us.
Each church has its own personality, just as each one of us has our own personality.
One of Randall’s quirks is that we don’t clap very much during singing, even thought I know that some of us like doing it.
We know that Scripture instructs us to clap our hands.
And no one will say you can’t clap here.
But when you start to clap, be prepared to be the only one doing so.
Fortunately, this particular issue is not a dividing line in any way for our fellowship.
But there have been some issues that it becomes tempting.
Because I hear concerns, suggestions and criticisms from many perspectives, like…
We are too formal.
We are not formal enough.
We sing too many hymns.
We sing too many worship songs.
We don’t use the organ enough.
We don’t use the band enough.
We should have more flow in our music and sing more.
We sing too much and should leave more time for the message.
We should skip announcements.
We should make prayer more spontaneous.
We have too many people up front.
We don’t have enough people participating.
And, believe it or not, I could keep going.
I have received more than this…
Though we should always look to improve our time of worship, we do need to remember that the secondary goal of worship is this…
4. WE ARE TO BUILD FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER.
We come together to be edified (that is, to be built up).
We come together to be instructed and encouraged.
We come together to be comforted and uplifted.
So, how do we do that?
Well…
5. We will find in our study of I Corinthians 14:26-40 five specifications that will direct our worship toward edification.
Instead of reading the text as a whole today, we are dividing it up with each particular point.
So…
OUR STUDY:
I. The first specification is we ABANDON COMPETITION (26-28).
(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. (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.
1. Whenever there is communication, it is to be clear.
Paul begins this section by listing various means of communicating a message.
And in doing so, he emphasizes that it is all to have an unwavering purpose.
The word is literally “house-building.”
It is the idea that the purpose of the message is to grow, improve and mature the one that hears it.
We are to be ever increasing in our fullness and completeness as a result of hearing the message.
But the Corinthians were not doing this.
They were not interested in helping each other.
Instead, they were competing for attention and preeminence.
Because each one was considering their experience as more legitimate than others, they became unaccepting and even condescending of others.
Instead of understanding happening, the church had bedlam.
At the center of this, was the use and abuse of the spiritual gift of tongues.
And according to Paul’s instruction…
2. When it comes to the gift of tongues, it is to be understood.
Again, the gift of tongues is an unlearned foreign language that would be understood by those who knew the language, and not by the person speaking it.
It is a gift that is to be expressed publicly, for it is a sign to unbelievers to arrest their attention, so that they might know that God’s love is for them as well.
As far as the church is concerned, the purpose of tongues is to edify the church.
But for that to happen, the gift of interpretation must be present.
And according to Paul, if there is no interpreter, it is to be held back so as to not confuse the unbeliever who does not speak that language.
ILL Tongues: Goins
Doug Goins, a pastor at Peninsula Bible Church in California shares this experience:
Our sovereign Lord is absolutely free to do whatever he wants in using this gift [of tongues] for the purposes defined in his word. I had never seen or heard of this Biblical use of the gift of tongues until just a couple of years ago. Mark Verber [member of Peninsula] told us a story in a men’s study about a church that he was familiar with. It wasn’t a charismatic or Pentecostal church, but there was a lot of spontaneity and freedom in the worship. At one point somebody stood and spoke in a language that nobody there understood whatsoever. Someone stood to interpret the message of worship and praise that had been given, but there was really no response at that time in the service.
But after the service, a visitor who was a non-Christian African national made a beeline for the person who had spoken in the tongue and said, "You were speaking my language!" He understood the message that was given.
I don’t know if he became a Christian or not, but to me that would clearly be the Biblical use of the gift of tongues in a public setting.
Personally, I have come across other stories as well that communicate the same kind of circumstances.
This is why I believe that the primary purpose of tongues is evangelism.
Paul, though, wants us to understand that tongues is not an irresistible impulse of the Holy Spirit.
It can be controlled.
And this is why Paul admonishes the Corinthians to use the gift sequentially, and not simultaneously.
In so doing, orderliness, understandability, and courtesy will aid the individuals involved to build the church instead of tearing it apart.
II. The second specification is we APPRAISE WHAT IS SPOKEN (29-33).
(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. As in all the churches of the saints…
1. When God is bringing thoughts to our mind, we are to exercise patience.
Paul now turns to the spiritual gift of prophecy, and the principle is largely the same.
As we have noted before, the gift of prophecy is the ability and the responsibility to speak the things God brings to mind.
But it is not to be done out of the realm of patience, self-control and love.
When it comes to the use of any communicative gift, we are to be concerned about other’s needs over my own.
Prophecy is not to be used by the self-absorbed and ego-driven.
Paul also clues us in about the nature of prophecy, especially as it relates to Old Testament prophecy.
Each message is to be weighed carefully and evaluated.
Because we all possess the Spirit of God at our salvation experience, each one of us become potentially competent to evaluate what is said.
We do know that if it contradicts Scripture, it is to be rejected.
If it agrees, we take it, meditate on it and apply it in the ways God leads us to.
When prophecy is shared in the church, we are to practice submission to one another.
We do so because…
2. God is about order.
God is not honored where there is disharmony, frenzy and competition.
Where there is chaos and discord, the Spirit is not in control.
But, where the Spirit rules, there is always peace.
We should never believe that order is beyond us.
It is always within our grasp when we have control of our tongue.
III. The third specification is we ATTEND TO OUR TONGUE (34-35).
As in all the churches of the saints, (34) the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. (35) If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
You will need to forgive me, because I can hardly do justice to this portion of Scripture.
It really seems out of place with what has come before.
In fact, Paul has even been accused of being a bitter old bachelor that was threatened by women exercising their gifts.
But such a conclusion does not fit chapter 11, which we studied last July.
It was during that study, we came to the conclusion that women are to have vocal participation in worship.
In particular, Paul described women praying and prophesying within the congregation.
So what was happening here that caused Paul to have such strong words?
We must admit we do not know exactly, but our best conclusion is that…
1. Some women were causing disorder in the church.
Apparently, there was some outrageous behavior occurring that was a huge disruption in the gathering.
And these disruptions were at odds with the order and purpose of creation in Genesis 2.
Because the word for speak has as its base meaning “to chatter,” many commentators have come to the conclusion that because women, whether Jewish or Gentile, were largely uneducated, that worship was being interrupted with inappropriate talkativeness.
Perhaps they were asking questions and debating during the services.
We do not know for sure.
But it does appear that whatever was happening was creating a large amount of unneeded dissension.
Regardless of our gender, it is a lesson for us all.
ILL Bill Hamlen sings “This Tongue of Mine”
2. We have a responsibility to keep our tongue in check.
Worship is to be a time of order and peace, not confusion.
This is why, during the past three weeks, the section on “Worship Etiquette” has been in the bulletin.
Worship is not a time for incessant talking.
Worship is not a time for coming and going.
We are each responsible to see that the environment of worship gatherings is conducive for each other’s growth in the faith.
IV. The fourth specification is we ACCEPT TRUE AUTHORITY (36-38).
(36) Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? (37) If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. (38) If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.
We are to recognize that our reception of the truth is not unique.
Paul wants them to clearly understand that no one can claim special revelation.
None of them could claim a unique status.
No one had gifts that nobody else had.
In addition, tongues, interpretation and prophecy will not add anything to the Word of God.
Unfortunately, the Corinthians had the audacity to place themselves above Scripture and above the apostle Paul.
But Paul refutes this soundly (and with a touch of sarcasm).
True spiritual people always recognize the authority of Scripture and will submit their experiences to it.
ILL Bible: Ironside
The well known pastor, Ray Stedman gives this account…
I remember my dear patron saint, Dr. H. A. Ironside, telling me of an encounter he had with a woman who came up to him after a meeting. He had spoken on First Corinthians 6:11, where Paul says to the Corinthians, "such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus."
This woman said, "Sir, you know you got those words mixed up; they are in the wrong order. You put sanctification before justification, but everyone knows that justification comes first, then you are sanctified."
Dr. Ironside said to her, "Well, I was simply quoting the Apostle Paul."
"Oh," she said, "That couldn’t be. He would never have said that."
"Well," he said, "Here is the passage."
He turned to it and had her read it, and after reading it she said, "Well, Paul couldn’t have been very clear on the doctrine of holiness if he wrote that!"
So there are some people who assume that they have the original meaning and inspiration of Scripture, and they will even set aside the Scripture to sustain that.
Let us be clear at this point…
No believer has the right to overrule, ignore, alter, or disobey the Word of God.
Now we come to our fifth specification…
ILL Plan: the tags
A certain teenager was headed to school one morning when his mother told him that the neck tag on his shirt was hanging out. "I know," he replied. "It’s a fad me and some of the guys started."
Weeks later, as the style persisted, his mom commented, "I can’t stand it! Every time I see that, I want to fix it for you." I gently tucked the tag in place and rumpled his hair.
"Yeah," he said smiling slyly, "all the girls do."
It’s nice to see he had a plan…
V. The fifth specification is we ANTICIPATE CORPORATE WORSHIP (39-40).
(39) So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. (40) But all things should be done decently and in order.
Corporate worship is to be characterized by thoughtful care.
In Corinth, spontaneity had turned into chaos and self-indulgence.
But Paul wants them to know that the proclamation of the truth, the Word of God, is the most important.
It is this that builds, comforts, and encourages.
So the gathered worship was not to be a free for all.
It was not to be unplanned.
A balance between freedom and structure must be found and applied.
Everything was to be done decently and in order.
APPLICATION:
Let us once again note this conclusion…
1. We are to build each other.
Again, Paul encourages the church to use the gift of prophecy.
It has been in my experience that I have observed its use during Sunday School classes, evening services, testimony times, spontaneously during services and even during business meetings.
Whatever God has brought to mind, you are to share, so that we will all grow as a result.
You see…
2. We will build successfully when we are motivated by love.
It doesn’t matter what our position is about tongues.
It doesn’t matter what our position is about prophecy.
It doesn’t even matter what our position is about women in the church.
When we are motivated by love, we will be able to achieve unity, so that the church will exude joy and life.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
As we gather…let us remember that our primary focus is God Himself; life makes sense when He is at the center.
As we gather…let us remember that our focus must include a desire to build one another; so let our worship be characterized by encouragement, comfort and uplifting.
As we gather…let us be motivated by love…a love for God…and a love for one another…so that we might achieve a true unity of voice and mind.
Now may your love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best; and may you be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Amen.
RESOURCES:
Blomberg, Craig, The NIV Application Commentary
Fee, Gordon, The New International Commentary on the New Testament
MacArthur, John, I Corinthians
Grudem, Wayne. The Gift of Prophecy.
SermonCentral:
“How Do We Worship?” David Holwick
“The Necessity of Order in Our Worship” Doug Goins
“When You Come Together” Ray Stedman
“Order in the Church!” A. Todd Coget
