Edification 1 Corinthians 14

I would like Macy and Addy to come up. Macy and Addy I have the game jenga here. Do you know how to play the game? I want this to be a team effort. I want to see how high you can build this tower in the time that I read today’s scripture.

Got it?

Go!

1 Corinthians 14:26–40 HCSB

26 What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. 27 If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, 33 since God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. 36 Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? 37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. 39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. 40 But everything must be done decently and in order.

Stop!

Now leave that there and give them a hand. They done a pretty good job right?

I need Liam and Kale to come up.

Let me start reading today’s scripture and your jobs is to tear this down while I read.

Got it?

Go!

(Start reading from the top)

Notice the difference?

How long did it take to build this up?

How long did it take to tear it down?

It is far easier to tear down then to build up.

It takes less time to tear down then to build up.

It takes less effort to tear down then to build up.

In the flesh, it can feel good to tear down rather than build up.

Here in Paul throughout this chapter uses the word Edification.

Edification: making more able, a building up, strengthening.

making more able, a building up, edification, strengthening

1 Corinthians 14:3 HCSB

3 But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation.

1 Corinthians 14:5 HCSB

5 I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

1 Corinthians 14:12 HCSB

12 So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:

1 Corinthians 14:26 HCSB

26 What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.

When you come together

Reading through this you might miss this point. This chapter assumes that you will meet as the church. This idea that you can get your church by not meeting does not line up with scripture. The Body of Christ. The church is called throughout scripture to meet together. Be careful that the idea of church comes from scripture and it is not something you create in your mind.

The church is coming together and meeting.

Each one

We have seen that God gives gifts to the body and here again this is again reinforced that everyone has a gift that is to build up the body of Christ.

I want to again encourage us to be deeply committed to ensuring that everyone is valued and brings gifts to the Body of Christ. You must exercise that gift for the building up of the body.

It is essential that we don’t create one way systems that disempower those we serve to believe that they can’t contribute to the body of Christ.

Psalm, teaching, revelation, another language, or interpretation

Here are the things that are brought when we meet together. He has taught on these throughout this letter.

All things must be done for edification

Edification: making more able, a building up, strengthening.

1 Corinthians 14:3 HCSB

3 But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation.

The Psalm, teaching, revelation, another language, or interpretation must be done for the building up, strengthening or making more able.

Reminder that building up takes more time, more effort, and more intentionality

It is much easier to tear down than to build up.

It feels right in the flesh to tear down.

I would encourage you this week to strive to build up more than tear down. Try this week to strengthen more than weaken and to put effort into making more able.

Let me remind you who is he encouraging to edify?

The Body of the Christ (Church) Is that a building? Land? Vehicles?

No this is the church and the church is people. You take all the stuff (land, buildings, property)away from the church and the church will still exist because the church is the people.

Order of the Church

1 Corinthians 14:27–32 HCSB

27 If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. 30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets,

1 Corinthians 14:27-

There should be only two or at the most three speaking in another language each in turn and someone must interpret

There is clear order here when it comes to tongues. There must be an interpreter and it says that each in turn.

Notice that this means full control. This is not getting lost in the Spirit and the lack of control. As they speak in other languages there is an order to this. There should only be two or at most three and each in turn and an interpreter must be present.

If there is no interpreter

The person should keep silent in the church. Notice again the order or the control of the Spirit. You may have a tongue so to speak but if there is not an interpreter you are to remain silent. This again shows us that it is not a letting go and no control over yourself when the Spirit comes on you but this very much shows a control.

When you meet two to three prophets should speak and others should evaluate.

There is order in the speaking and evaluating of what is being spoken.

The messages were evaluated to determine whether the speaker had truly communicated the Word of God through the Holy Spirit.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: Be Wise about … Using Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 14)

It was possible for a speaker, under the control of his own emotions, to imagine that God was speaking to him and through him. It was even possible for Satan to counterfeit a prophetic message (see 2 Cor. 11:13–14). The listeners would test the message, then, by Old Testament Scriptures, apostolic tradition, and the personal guidance of the Spirit (“discerning of spirits,” 1 Cor. 12:10).

1 Corinthians 14:30–32 HCSB

30 But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. 32 And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets,

1 Corinthians 14:30-

Again we see order.

Something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent.

So much humility for the person speaking and then someone else gets something revealed and the first speaker must yield to the other speaker.

The meeting of the church causes us to realize that it is not about us. It is about Jesus Christ.

Notice the self-control that is present. If one person is speaking and the other begins to speak the first exercises self control to allow the other to speak.

A fruit of the Spirit is self-control and you see this fruit being exercised in the meeting of the church.

The prophets spirit are under the control of the prophets

Self-control is evidence that the Spirit is indeed at work in the meeting.

The Spirit brings order out of chaos

The spirit has brought order out of the chaos of my life. he has brought order out of chaos to our community.

Confusion comes from Satan

James 3:13–18 HCSB

13 Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Notice the contrast here v16 to v17

1 Corinthians 14:33 HCSB

33 since God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

Understand the passage in their town

1 Corinthians 14:34–35 HCSB

34 the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting.

You ever go to a new church and everyone knows what is going on but you? Catholic wedding or catholic mass.

1 Corinthians 14:35-

Even here there are some cultural understandings when to stand, what to do with your offering, prayer time.

To understand a passage of text in their context or town is the first to understanding of scripture.

N.T. Wright says about this passage of scripture

But I have always been attracted, ever since I heard it, to the explanation offered once more by Ken Bailey. In the Middle East, he says, it was taken for granted that men and women would sit apart in church, as still happens today in some circles. Equally important, the service would be held (in Lebanon, say, or Syria, or Egypt), in formal or classical Arabic, which the men would all know but which many of the women would not, since the women would only speak a local dialect or patois. Again, we may disapprove of such an arrangement, but one of the things you learn in real pastoral work as opposed to ivory-tower academic theorizing is that you simply can’t take a community all the way from where it currently is to where you would ideally like it to be in a single flying leap. Anyway, the result would be that during the sermon in particular, the women, not understanding what was going on, would begin to get bored and talk among themselves. As Bailey describes the scene in such a church, the level of talking from the women’s side would steadily rise in volume, until the minister would have to say loudly, ‘Will the women please be quiet!’, whereupon the talking would die down, but only for a few minutes. Then, at some point, the minister would again have to ask the women to be quiet; and he would often add that if they wanted to know what was being said, they should ask their husbands to explain it to them when they got home. I know there are other explanations sometimes offered for this passage, some of them quite plausible; this is the one that has struck me for many years as having the strongest claim to provide a context for understanding what Paul is saying. After all, his central concern in is for order and decency in the church’s worship. This would fit extremely well.

It is clear in that Paul has permitted the women to pray and prophesy

1 Corinthians 11:5 HCSB

5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

Warren Wiersby

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eleven: Be Wise about … Using Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 14)

The context of this prohibition would indicate that some of the women in the assembly were creating problems by asking questions and perhaps even generating arguments. Paul reminded the married women to be submitted to their husbands and to get their questions answered at home. (We assume that the unmarried women could counsel with the elders or with other men in their own families.) Sad to say, in too many Christian homes today, it is the wife who has to answer the questions for the husband because she is better taught in the Word.

Context of this passage is so key. You take this verse out of context and you begin to unravel.

The key thing Paul is addressing the order in the church. He continues with that in these verses and women are encouraged in these verses to strive for order in church meetings.

1 Corinthians 14:36–40 HCSB

36 Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? 37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. 39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages. 40 But everything must be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians 14:37

Did this word of God originate with you or come to you only?

Caution that if you are coming up with beliefs on your own that can’t be found in the Bible or among believers then it is not a Word from God.

be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in other languages

Everything must be done decently and in order.

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