Gifts given with love …

1 Corinthians 14:1-12 (NIV)

¹ Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷ Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸ Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹² So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

This is the next step in Paul’s argument that runs from chapter 12 through to the end of this chapter.

He begins, in chapter 12, by telling us how the Spirit is working to build this diverse community of believers into one body, working together with each other and with the Spirit to make it a healthy body. When it’s healthy it functions as Christ’s body, making him visible to the world and doing his work in it. The Spirit is doing this by giving each person different gifts to build others up, such as a message of wisdom or knowledge, or faith or healing, or prophesy or different languages or an interpretation. He says the Spirit chooses how he distributes them, but Paul also says that we should “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (12:31). Hang on Paul. What is this about “greater gifts”?

He says, “I will show you the most excellent way”, and goes on to describe how love is generous, never self-seeking, rejoices in the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. When everything else is gone, faith, hope and love remain, and love is the greatest. If I have the most amazing gift from the Spirit (he singles out tongues, as well as prophecy, knowledge and faith) but it’s not driven by love, I become absolutely worthless.

Now he takes the examples of prophecy (literally speaking for God) and tongues a step further, to show how love transforms all the Spirit’s gifts. When someone prophecies in love, they strengthen, encourage and comfort their hearers (v3), they build the church community up. The combination of tongues with an interpretation effectively does the same thing as prophecy.

Without love, any of the Spirit’s gifts can become a source of self-gratification, a source of pride, puffing me up instead of building others up. God’s generous, hope-filled, faithful love longs to speak truth to every aspect of the community of Jesus’ followers, including minds as well as spirits.

Every gift from the Holy Spirit should be treasured, including tongues. Especially when I don’t know what to pray, I love it when the Spirit gives me words that express his heart in ways my words can’t. It’s great when the Sprit does things. But it’s even better when he does things in partnership with me to bring his blessing to my church family.

Holy Spirit, I want to be part of what you’re doing to build up the whole community of your people in whatever way you give me. Fill me with your love. Fill me with your heart to do whatever will most build up the people around me in your love.

Written by David Cornell

The Message rephrases this passage nicely:

Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth. If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him. But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.

^4–5           The one who prays using a private “prayer language” certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God’s truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength. I want all of you to develop intimacies with God in prayer, but please don’t stop with that. Go on and proclaim his clear truth to others. It’s more important that everyone have access to the knowledge and love of God in language everyone understands than that you go off and cultivate God’s presence in a mysterious prayer language—unless, of course, there is someone who can interpret what you are saying for the benefit of all.

^6–8           Think, friends: If I come to you and all I do is pray privately to God in a way only he can understand, what are you going to get out of that? If I don’t address you plainly with some insight or truth or proclamation or teaching, what help am I to you? If musical instruments—flutes, say, or harps—aren’t played so that each note is distinct and in tune, how will anyone be able to catch the melody and enjoy the music? If the trumpet call can’t be distinguished, will anyone show up for the battle?

^9–12          So if you speak in a way no one can understand, what’s the point of opening your mouth? There are many languages in the world and they all mean something to someone. But if I don’t understand the language, it’s not going to do me much good. It’s no different with you. Since you’re so eager to participate in what God is doing, why don’t you concentrate on doing what helps everyone in the church?

^13–17        So, when you pray in your private prayer language, don’t hoard the experience for yourself. Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy. If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays but my mind lies fallow, and all that intelligence is wasted. So what’s the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray. I should sing with my spirit, and sing with my mind. If you give a blessing using your private prayer language, which no one else understands, how can some outsider who has just shown up and has no idea what’s going on know when to say “Amen”? Your blessing might be beautiful, but you have very effectively cut that person out of it.