What should be my mindset when I go to Church?

1 Corinthians 14:13-25

¹³ For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶ Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷ You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. ²¹ In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”

²² Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

What should be my focus and mindset when I come to church on Sundays?

The Apostle Paul elaborates on a principle that I should take to heart when I come to church.

God cares about me, the individual. The gift of tongues is one of the gifts that edifies (builds up) my spiritual life and relationship with him. I am encouraged to use it in private prayer times.

But in church, edification comes through others. God gives gifts to people so that they can edify others.

So, the principle Paul lays out is this: Jesus wants me to come to church, not looking for a blessing, but intent on being a blessing. My mindset when I go to church is to ask God, “how can I use the gifts you have given me to bless others?”

“Lord, you know my needs before I even ask for them. You care for me more than I can care for myself. Lord, I leave my needs with you and as I meet for church; I set my heart on being a blessing. Use me to bless others with the gifts you have given me. Amen.”

Written by Andrew Mellor