“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.” NKJ
The issue of whether or not one should or can speak in tongues is something that separates the Body of Christ. It’s sad because the enemy (Satan) will use anything to weaken us. And I think we miss the point.
Paul has just spent an entire verse talking about love. Our Lord Jesus said that we would be known to the world by the love we have for each other (John 13:35). And now, Paul talks about tongues.
I was on staff of a church where the senior pastor wanted me to go into the building several days a week and pray in tongues. It seemed to think there was some kind of “magical” power in praying in tongues. Magic? I think that God responds to a humble heart, not to a formulated heart.
What do I mean by that? I believe that Father God ultimately wants us to submit completely and absolutely to His will, not for us to figure out the “formula” that will manipulate Him into doing our will. I have nothing against speaking in tongues. I speak in tongues and pray in tongues. What I have a problem with is the idea that if we do something a certain way, it will “force” God to ‘fess up to some promise and require Him to respond to us in a specific way (usually something that makes our life easier).
I think that these first five verses in chapter 14 are very important because they orient us to the purpose of the gifts:
• He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.
• He who prophesies edifies the Church.
• I wish even more that you prophesied that the Church may receive edification.
What is our purpose? What is the purpose of the Church, of the gathering together of believers? Back in chapter 12, Paul addresses this: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (12:7 NKJ). As Christians, our focus should be on the edification, the blessings for others, not for ourselves. Our focus should be to reach outside of ourselves and love those around us, give to those around us, minister to those around us.
There is a story about the difference between heaven and hell. While it’s not a true story, the analogy fits for this instance:
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Heaven And Hell by allinspiration.com (from http://www.allinspiration.com/Life/Stories/heaven_and_hell.html)
Little Johnny had heard all about heaven and hell, about good and evil. But, being so young, it never really bothered him, and he never really thought about it.
As he got a little older, and began to understand things better, he became curious. One day, he asked his mum, "Mum, what is so different about heaven and hell?"
Johnny's mum pondered for a little while, then took out a piece of paper and a pencil. She drew a horizontal line across the middle of the page. On the top half, she wrote "heaven" in big letters, then drew a picture. In the bottom half, she wrote "hell", and drew another picture. She then passed the piece of paper to Johnny.
Johnny looked at the pictures and first observed the one in the "heaven" part of the paper. There was a huge banquet table, and many people were seated around it. Men, women, young and old, children and old folks, all together, like one big family. Each one of them held a very long fork. It was a strange, huge fork, much bigger than any Johnny had ever seen. On the table lay a feast. The people looked well-fed, very happy and satisfied. They were talking, laughing, hugging and looked like they were having a good time.
The "hell" picture was not all that different. In fact, it was almost exactly the same picture. But the people were neither talking, laughing, nor hugging. They had looks of anger, suspicion and distrust on their faces. And they were stick thin, obviously starving.
Johnny was a little confused. "Mum. In hell, there is also great food lying on the table. Why do the people look so hungry? Why don't they use their forks to eat the food? The people are also sitting on big, comfortable chairs. And they are surrounded by so many people. How come they look so lonely and unhappy? They have everything the people in heaven have, so why are they so miserable?"
"You see, Johnny. In hell, there is no love and trust, and the people bear grudges. The spirit of giving and sharing is also absent, the people are selfish and only think of themselves. Unfortunately, the forks are too long, and when the people use the forks to pick up the food, they are unable to reach their own mouths and put the food in. So they go hungry, and are very unhappy. These negative feelings multiply and give rise to other negative feelings, like anger and bitterness. That's why they are so miserable."
"In heaven, however, the people love each other. They may have their differences and they may make mistakes, but they learn to forgive. They may have their selfish instincts, but they learn to share. They learn to give without first taking. When a man is hungry, all he has to do is ask, sometimes he doesn't even have to, and someone from across the table would use his or her fork to pick up some food and feed the hungry man. You see, Johnny, in heaven, they, too, may have forks which are too long to feed themselves. But they don't allow this slight obstacle to deter them. In heaven, Johnny, they feed each other. That's why they don't go hungry. And this spirit of giving and sharing breeds even more love, that's why everyone is so happy and satisfied with life, not just physically, but emotionally too."
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When we, as Christians, get to the point that we are more concerned about those around us than ourselves, then we will have learned what it means to love as Christ loves us.
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