Cross City Church - North
March 6, 2022 / Love Is / Love Is Mature
While 1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most quoted passages in the Bible, the truth it holds is often missed. Join us as we explore the truth about love in our series “Love Is.”
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Cross City - North
2775 Bobcat Blvd, Roanoke, TX 76262, USA
Sunday 10:00 AM
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LAST WEEK:
1) PURSUE the most ultimate goal...“LOVE”
The one used here is Agape...unconditional/benevolent love
...without this one, marriages fail.
...without this one, churches fail.
...without this one, relationships fail.
2) PURSUE the gift that prioritizes loving people & helping them know & love God.
“If the message of the Cross is so important and life-changing then the practice of sharing the message must be done with clarity so people can fully understand it.”
3) PURSUE any and all ways that prioritize building up the body of Christ.
“There is no room in any of these verses for the current practices of ecstatic utterances of modern-day charismatic churches. That’s just not what 1 Corinthians teaches.”
If the Corinthians were to take Paul’s advice here they would have to mature:
- Stop the practice of tongues they had and prioritize prophecy.
- Stop edifying themselves.
- Start being clear with anything coming from their mouths.
- Stop practicing tongues without a clear translation.
- In no other NT book, out of 21 letters to the churches in New Testament (13 written by Paul) and 4 letters which address spiritual gifts, over decades of years of church history, no other church received any correction at all. It’s quite astounding.
1) PURSUE the most ultimate goal...“LOVE”
The one used here is Agape...unconditional/benevolent love
...without this one, marriages fail.
...without this one, churches fail.
...without this one, relationships fail.
2) PURSUE the gift that prioritizes loving people & helping them know & love God.
“If the message of the Cross is so important and life-changing then the practice of sharing the message must be done with clarity so people can fully understand it.”
3) PURSUE any and all ways that prioritize building up the body of Christ.
“There is no room in any of these verses for the current practices of ecstatic utterances of modern-day charismatic churches. That’s just not what 1 Corinthians teaches.”
If the Corinthians were to take Paul’s advice here they would have to mature:
- Stop the practice of tongues they had and prioritize prophecy.
- Stop edifying themselves.
- Start being clear with anything coming from their mouths.
- Stop practicing tongues without a clear translation.
- In no other NT book, out of 21 letters to the churches in New Testament (13 written by Paul) and 4 letters which address spiritual gifts, over decades of years of church history, no other church received any correction at all. It’s quite astounding.
1. Our love & maturity should go hand in hand and result in CLARITY!
1 Corinthians 14:13-17...
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
Maturity says “I must have a very clear idea of what I believe my spiritual gifts are and what I need to do with them to edify others.”
In every instance in this chapter, when there is an example of tongues, there is a requirement of interpretation.
The whole idea is clarity. If it’s not clear – it’s chatter.
In the Greek, he uses the word for chatter. Chatter is always unclear.
1 Corinthians 14:13-17...
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
Maturity says “I must have a very clear idea of what I believe my spiritual gifts are and what I need to do with them to edify others.”
In every instance in this chapter, when there is an example of tongues, there is a requirement of interpretation.
The whole idea is clarity. If it’s not clear – it’s chatter.
In the Greek, he uses the word for chatter. Chatter is always unclear.
Conclusion #1:
If someone speaks in a tongue, there must be someone to interpret.
If someone speaks in a tongue, there must be someone to interpret.
2. Love and maturity should result in SENSITIVITY.
1 Corinthians 14:18-22...
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.
1 Corinthians 14:18-22...
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.
“How often do you walk into a setting and you are not thinking about the people around you?”
- Church
- Home
- Work
- School
"Being sensitive to the needs of others is a huge leap forward in living in the Spirit.”
Paul is saying know your audience...be sensitive to them.
Paul in the NT, when he used the spiritual gift of tongues...
...where different dialects were needed...
...nation to nation where he didn’t have a natural ability to speak.
...where unbelievers were/needed to understand the Gospel.
...it always resulted in understanding & people coming to Christ.
...it was always for upbuilding, encouraging and consoling others.
...there is no mention of it as a private prayer language.
Corinth didn’t have more info than Paul on the subject:
1) any other special gift than another church.
2) no other special knowledge than another church.
3) conclusion...wrong interpretation/practice of their gift.
Paul is trying to correct this in Corinth...
Paul is saying, “I’d rather exercise prophecy than tongues so people can hear the Word of God.”
- Church
- Home
- Work
- School
"Being sensitive to the needs of others is a huge leap forward in living in the Spirit.”
Paul is saying know your audience...be sensitive to them.
Paul in the NT, when he used the spiritual gift of tongues...
...where different dialects were needed...
...nation to nation where he didn’t have a natural ability to speak.
...where unbelievers were/needed to understand the Gospel.
...it always resulted in understanding & people coming to Christ.
...it was always for upbuilding, encouraging and consoling others.
...there is no mention of it as a private prayer language.
Corinth didn’t have more info than Paul on the subject:
1) any other special gift than another church.
2) no other special knowledge than another church.
3) conclusion...wrong interpretation/practice of their gift.
Paul is trying to correct this in Corinth...
Paul is saying, “I’d rather exercise prophecy than tongues so people can hear the Word of God.”
Conclusion #2:
The best place for tongues is outside of church gatherings.
The best place for tongues is outside of church gatherings.
3. Love and maturity should result in UNITY.
1 Corinthians 14:23-33...
23If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. 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.27If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30If 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 learnand all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:23-33...
23If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. 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.27If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30If 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 learnand all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
EVERY single thing we do...
- as a church must result in unity.
- should edify the body & help unbelievers understand who Jesus is and what Jesus calls us to do next.
- as a church must result in unity.
- should edify the body & help unbelievers understand who Jesus is and what Jesus calls us to do next.
Conclusion #3:
The priority in worship should always be teaching the Word of God.
The priority in worship should always be teaching the Word of God.
“The truest test of a believer who has the Spirit and is walking in the Spirit is found in the fruit of their life. The Fruit of the Spirit evident in someone’s life weighs much heavier than does one who possesses the gift of tongues. Test yourself by the power of fruit and not necessarily by the power of the tongue.”
Conclusion #4:
The church gathers for edification, exhortation & peace.
The church gathers for edification, exhortation & peace.
