For those who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit such
as tongues (and their interpretation), prophecy, and words of knowledge or
wisdom continue today the question remains over how and when they should be
used during gathered worship.
Indeed, the misuse and
abuse of these gifts does terrible harm to their promotion across the
church. Nothing makes people draw away
and even attack these wonderful gifts than their inappropriate use. This means that we need to be careful and
think not only of ourselves but of outsiders and others when encouraging their
use - "Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are
speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come
in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?" (1
Corinthians 14.23).
One easy way of ensuring that things are done Biblically and
correctly is to use vowels as a mnemonic. Every use of the gifts must take into account
A E I O and U:
Accountable: Our use of gifts must be held
accountable to the truth revealed in Scripture.
This is rightly the first and most foundational thing to consider. Paul
tells us in 1 Corinthians 14.29 "Two or three prophets should speak, and
the others should evaluate." Likewise John tells us in 1 John 4.1 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have
gone out into the world." We are to evaluate and test what
God gives. What does this evaluation and
testing entail? Obviously prayer is
involved as is the keeping of what is good and the rejection of what is evil (1
Thessalonians 5.21-22). Knowing that the
Bible is God's perfect and inspired word to us it should also involve asking if
what is given agrees with Scripture and the teaching found there: if it does
not it should clearly be rejected. Part
of this testing against Scripture is whether or not it agrees with what follows
in our mnemonic.
Edifying: Our use of gifts must be edifying. If what is given would not encourage or build
up or rightly teach then it has no place in our worship. If sharing something would be more likely to
cause pain and suffering than foster love and joy then it is likely not to be
shared before the whole congregation - perhaps it is a something for a personal
conversation but that is another matter.
Paul says that prophecy is for
"edification, encouragement, and consolation" (1 Corinthians
14.3). Our use of gifts should be because we are seeking to "excel in building up the church"
(1 Corinthians 14.12) not break down the church! Ultimately, Paul makes clear that in church services "All things must be done for
edification" (1 Corinthians 14.26b).
Interpreted: Because our use of gifts must be edifying to not
only ourselves but to those around us and the church as a whole it follows that
our use of tongues or 'other languages' when gathered together must have
interpretation. This is one area where
the modern charismatic movement tragically fails. Paul is crystal clear. There is no 'wiggle room' in what he says. "If any person speaks
in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in
turn, and someone must interpret. But if
there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and
speak to himself and to God" (1 Corinthians 14.27-28) Tongues
are a wonderful gift that is given for our own edification and for the building
up of our own relationship with God (1 Corinthians 14.4) Paul wishes that we
would all speak in tongues—so we should all be praying that God would give us
this gift—but unless it has an interpretation then it is not for the gathered
congregation of the church (1 Corinthians 14.5).
Orderly: Paul would have made a great Anglican because
Paul highly valued orderliness in church.
Paul loved the zealousness of the Corinthians but he detested their lack
of order. He didn't believe in 'charismatic chaos' and neither should we. Paul clearly thinks that people should be
controlled in worship, he believes that those who have the gift of tongues can also
make the decision of when and when not to use this gift in public (1
Corinthians 14.27-28). This same control extends to prophesy in verses 29-31
where we see the command to wait in line and indeed be quiet if it is not your
turn or too many speak before you.
Ultimately the person with the gift is in control and this must be so if
it is from God because God is a God of order and control: "And the prophets’ spirits are under the
control of the prophets, since God is not a God of disorder but of peace."
(1 Corinthians 14.31-32). Just as everything must
be done to edify and build up the church so "everything must be done decently and in
order" (1 Corinthians 14.40)
Usual: Finally,
the use of the gifts should be something which is not 'unusual' but very much
run of the mill and 'usual.' Paul
clearly expects the gifts to be used in pretty much every service. He sees that when we gather together "each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another
language, or an interpretation" (1 Corinthians 14.26). Not only does Paul see it as clearly a normal
thing for each person to bring such gifts but time and again he calls on people
to seek these gifts and be eager for them (1 Corinthians 14.1, 5,12-13, 39).
All of this—these five points
for using the gifts of the Spirit today—are the basic and obvious teaching of
Paul in 1 Corinthians 14. They are
challenging to all because they touch on many 'sacred shibboleths' we
hold. The final one challenges those who
either don't believe in the gifts of the Spirit today or those who don't really
want to speak in tongues or prophesy.
Paul's clear words on the absolute necessity of interpretation for
tongues in the congregation and his adamant stance on good order in the service
challenge and even offend those who like to be 'caught up' in the Spirit and
embrace chaos as an expression of their fervour and the presence of the Holy
Spirit.
The problem is that these things
must be challenged. The teaching in 1
Corinthians 14 is basic, foundational, and simple. If we reject this teaching then we reject the
very word of God and what He is doing and prove ourselves to be liars when we
claim to be spiritual and prophetic.
Paul bluntly says "If anyone thinks he
is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the
Lord’s command. But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored" (1 Corinthians 14.37-38). We must humbly recognise what Paul teaches or
we should be rightly ignored by the people of God and indeed by God Himself.
(All
quotations of the Bible are from the HCSB with any emphasis added being my own.)
