1Cor 14:26-40 | KingComments | STEP | . Now Paul is going to tell us how the meeting of believers should happen. He starts with the question: “What is [the outcome] then?” It is a good thing to make it a habit to ask yourself this question and listen to the answer that is written in the following verses. The importance of these verses to you personally, is, of course, determined by the way you approach the meeting. How and why do you attend the meeting? Is it because you have to or do you really like to be there? I can well imagine that you sometimes feel less likely to go than you generally do, but if you love the Lord, you will generally love to be with others who also love Him. Then the question follows with which starts: “What is [the outcome] then?” When it further says “each one has a …” then it applies to you too. The point is that you go to the meeting with ‘something’ and that you do not go there empty-handed ( ) i.e. with an empty heart. Therefore it is important to prepare yourself for the meeting. That preparation is not just looking up a song or reading a Bible section just before you go. It is a matter of your life with the Lord as you experience it daily. Actually, your whole life is a preparation for the meeting. Meetings are the highlights in the life of a believer. In Deuteronomy 26 you find a nice example of how the Lord wanted the Israelites to approach Him at the place He dwelt. When the Israelites were going to dwell in the land and bring in the harvest of the land, then the Lord would love to receive the first fruits of the land ( ). Spiritually it is like that too. When in your daily life you get more and more aware of what the Lord Jesus has given to you, then He as the First loves to hear out of your mouth what you enjoyed that much. Every time you can thank Him for what you have read. He loves to hear from you what has touched you in His Word. Make it a habit to tell Him what you have discovered in the Bible. And when you go to the meeting you will notice that your heart is filled with Him. This is how God wants to meet you, together with other believers who have also been occupied with the Lord Jesus in this way. In Deuteronomy 16 it is written that we ought not to appear empty-handed before the Lord ( ). Does it then mean that, in case you did not manage to be occupied with the things of the Lord Jesus because of much work or due to illness, you should not go to the meeting? No, absolutely not. It also happens to me sometimes that I feel quite ‘empty’. It is wonderful that in such moments there are other brothers and sisters who are praising and worshiping the Lord out of the fullness of their heart. Then I, as it were, am captured by that and experience admiration for the Lord. But, after all, the point is that each person has something. Nevertheless, if everyone has something, it does not mean that the meeting indeed happens in a way that is pleasing to God. At Corinth all did have something. But it appears that the meeting happened quite disorderly, for Paul is giving instructions to bring all things in order. When everyone has something and everyone wants to bring that forward as well, there is a great risk that it becomes a mess. Even though everyone does have something, it doesn’t mean that everyone should then just audibly express it. The question whether something is edifying is important for every meeting. The issue is always about the edification of the other. When in “a psalm”, ”a teaching”, “a revelation” etcetera the interest of the other is sought, then it is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit ( ). Then there is no disorder in speaking and neither will anyone put himself forward, but everybody waits his turn. . For speaking in tongues there is a limitation: not more than three persons may do that. To the Corinthians, who loved to speak in tongues, it was quite hard to accept this. Speaking in tongues in the church was also connected to a restriction: it ought to happen only if there was an interpreter. If there was no interpreter they had to be silent. Next to the question whether speaking in tongues still occurs and the question why the gift of speaking in tongues was given, you find here some conditions that may be useful to you in some cases. Based on these conditions you yourself can test whether speaking in tongues is dealt with properly. . Regarding the prophets, the limitation was the same: not more than three prophets were to speak. The importance of this gift has been dealt with in detail already. Now something is said to the listeners. They are to judge what the prophet is saying ( ). In 1 Thessalonians 5 you read the same command: “Do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything [carefully]” ( ). In both cases it must be judged whether the message that is passed on is in accordance with the Bible. It is important that your judgment is not based on whether the message pleases you or not, or whether you like the speaker or not, nor whether he can speak nicely or not. . Also something is expected of the prophet. He should be aware that the Holy Spirit may also want to use another person to pass on something. Therefore, he who prophesies in the church must not think that he is the only one to pass something on. . Who actually are the ones who may prophesy? Is it an elected group of people? With the gift of a prophet it is the same as with the gift of an evangelist. Not everybody has the gift of an evangelist. In Ephesians 4 it is written that the Lord Jesus gave “some [as] evangelists” ( ). Yet everyone is called to do the work of an evangelist ( ). That also applies to the gift of the prophet. The gift to prophesy is not given to all, but still each of us can prophesy. Do you remember what prophesying is? It is speaking for the edification, exhortation and consolation ( ) of others. Well, that is something each brother ought to be aware of. Each brother who lives with the Lord and who loves His Word, can be used to pass on a word of comfort or exhortation (although of course there may be exceptions). The first time may be quite difficult. The speech doesn’t need to last for an hour. Paul talks about five words in of this chapter. Those are quickly spoken. That is, of course, in a manner of speaking. I believe that too many brothers leave this service to others because they think that those others can do it (much) better. It is true that often a certain fear has to be conquered to speak in public. On the other hand it is not the intention that a newly converted person addresses the church. He first has to build up a life with the Lord. However, that doesn’t mean that you should wait until you are completely mature. Then you can wait a very long time, for here on earth we shall never stop learning. I hope you can sense what I mean. Be open to the Lord and you will see that the Lord will use you. . There is another significant aspect in this service and that is self-control. Do not think that in the meeting you should express immediately each thought that crosses your mind. You really cannot hide behind the excuse: ‘But the Spirit urged me to.’ It is written: “And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.” That means that each person who thinks that he should pass on something in the meeting, does that consciously, with consideration and not because of an impulse he cannot control. This is not how the Spirit of God works. For instance you think of something from the Bible. How do you know whether the Lord wants you to say something about it? The important question you could ask yourself is this: Do I want to edify the church and do I want to glorify the Lord Jesus, or do I still seek my own honor? . If we all come together in this way, while the sisters also pray that the Lord points out the right brother and the right section from His Word, there will be no disorder, but peace. God is the God of peace and this peace ought to be noticeable in all the churches. In this way the meetings of believers will be an oasis in the midst of a restless world. Now read 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 again. Reflection: How do you prepare yourself for the meeting?

‏ 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

When You Assemble

1Cor 14:26. Now Paul is going to tell us how the meeting of believers should happen. He starts with the question: “What is [the outcome] then?” It is a good thing to make it a habit to ask yourself this question and listen to the answer that is written in the following verses. The importance of these verses to you personally, is, of course, determined by the way you approach the meeting. How and why do you attend the meeting? Is it because you have to or do you really like to be there? I can well imagine that you sometimes feel less likely to go than you generally do, but if you love the Lord, you will generally love to be with others who also love Him. Then the question follows with which 1Cor 14:26 starts: “What is [the outcome] then?”

When it further says “each one has a …” then it applies to you too. The point is that you go to the meeting with ‘something’ and that you do not go there empty-handed (Deu 16:16) i.e. with an empty heart. Therefore it is important to prepare yourself for the meeting. That preparation is not just looking up a song or reading a Bible section just before you go. It is a matter of your life with the Lord as you experience it daily. Actually, your whole life is a preparation for the meeting. Meetings are the highlights in the life of a believer.

In Deuteronomy 26 you find a nice example of how the Lord wanted the Israelites to approach Him at the place He dwelt. When the Israelites were going to dwell in the land and bring in the harvest of the land, then the Lord would love to receive the first fruits of the land (Deu 26:1-11). Spiritually it is like that too. When in your daily life you get more and more aware of what the Lord Jesus has given to you, then He as the First loves to hear out of your mouth what you enjoyed that much. Every time you can thank Him for what you have read.

He loves to hear from you what has touched you in His Word. Make it a habit to tell Him what you have discovered in the Bible. And when you go to the meeting you will notice that your heart is filled with Him. This is how God wants to meet you, together with other believers who have also been occupied with the Lord Jesus in this way.

In Deuteronomy 16 it is written that we ought not to appear empty-handed before the Lord (Deu 16:16). Does it then mean that, in case you did not manage to be occupied with the things of the Lord Jesus because of much work or due to illness, you should not go to the meeting? No, absolutely not. It also happens to me sometimes that I feel quite ‘empty’. It is wonderful that in such moments there are other brothers and sisters who are praising and worshiping the Lord out of the fullness of their heart. Then I, as it were, am captured by that and experience admiration for the Lord. But, after all, the point is that each person has something.

Nevertheless, if everyone has something, it does not mean that the meeting indeed happens in a way that is pleasing to God. At Corinth all did have something. But it appears that the meeting happened quite disorderly, for Paul is giving instructions to bring all things in order. When everyone has something and everyone wants to bring that forward as well, there is a great risk that it becomes a mess.

Even though everyone does have something, it doesn’t mean that everyone should then just audibly express it. The question whether something is edifying is important for every meeting. The issue is always about the edification of the other. When in “a psalm”, ”a teaching”, “a revelation” etcetera the interest of the other is sought, then it is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 12:7-10). Then there is no disorder in speaking and neither will anyone put himself forward, but everybody waits his turn.

1Cor 14:27-28. For speaking in tongues there is a limitation: not more than three persons may do that. To the Corinthians, who loved to speak in tongues, it was quite hard to accept this. Speaking in tongues in the church was also connected to a restriction: it ought to happen only if there was an interpreter. If there was no interpreter they had to be silent. Next to the question whether speaking in tongues still occurs and the question why the gift of speaking in tongues was given, you find here some conditions that may be useful to you in some cases. Based on these conditions you yourself can test whether speaking in tongues is dealt with properly.

1Cor 14:29. Regarding the prophets, the limitation was the same: not more than three prophets were to speak. The importance of this gift has been dealt with in detail already. Now something is said to the listeners. They are to judge what the prophet is saying (1Cor 14:29b). In 1 Thessalonians 5 you read the same command: “Do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything [carefully]” (1Thes 5:20-21). In both cases it must be judged whether the message that is passed on is in accordance with the Bible. It is important that your judgment is not based on whether the message pleases you or not, or whether you like the speaker or not, nor whether he can speak nicely or not.

1Cor 14:30. Also something is expected of the prophet. He should be aware that the Holy Spirit may also want to use another person to pass on something. Therefore, he who prophesies in the church must not think that he is the only one to pass something on.

1Cor 14:31. Who actually are the ones who may prophesy? Is it an elected group of people? With the gift of a prophet it is the same as with the gift of an evangelist. Not everybody has the gift of an evangelist. In Ephesians 4 it is written that the Lord Jesus gave “some [as] evangelists” (Eph 4:11). Yet everyone is called to do the work of an evangelist (2Tim 4:5). That also applies to the gift of the prophet. The gift to prophesy is not given to all, but still each of us can prophesy.

Do you remember what prophesying is? It is speaking for the edification, exhortation and consolation (1Cor 14:3) of others. Well, that is something each brother ought to be aware of. Each brother who lives with the Lord and who loves His Word, can be used to pass on a word of comfort or exhortation (although of course there may be exceptions). The first time may be quite difficult. The speech doesn’t need to last for an hour. Paul talks about five words in 1Cor 14:19 of this chapter. Those are quickly spoken. That is, of course, in a manner of speaking.

I believe that too many brothers leave this service to others because they think that those others can do it (much) better. It is true that often a certain fear has to be conquered to speak in public. On the other hand it is not the intention that a newly converted person addresses the church. He first has to build up a life with the Lord. However, that doesn’t mean that you should wait until you are completely mature. Then you can wait a very long time, for here on earth we shall never stop learning. I hope you can sense what I mean. Be open to the Lord and you will see that the Lord will use you.

1Cor 14:32. There is another significant aspect in this service and that is self-control. Do not think that in the meeting you should express immediately each thought that crosses your mind. You really cannot hide behind the excuse: ‘But the Spirit urged me to.’ It is written: “And the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.” That means that each person who thinks that he should pass on something in the meeting, does that consciously, with consideration and not because of an impulse he cannot control. This is not how the Spirit of God works. For instance you think of something from the Bible. How do you know whether the Lord wants you to say something about it? The important question you could ask yourself is this: Do I want to edify the church and do I want to glorify the Lord Jesus, or do I still seek my own honor?

1Cor 14:33. If we all come together in this way, while the sisters also pray that the Lord points out the right brother and the right section from His Word, there will be no disorder, but peace. God is the God of peace and this peace ought to be noticeable in all the churches. In this way the meetings of believers will be an oasis in the midst of a restless world.

Now read 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 again.

Reflection: How do you prepare yourself for the meeting?

Properly and in an Orderly Manner

1Cor 14:34. Things happened in a disorderly way at Corinth. You will come to this conclusion from everything Paul has already written to them. He had to correct many things. One disorder is women speaking in the meetings of the church.

A woman has many capabilities with which she can serve the Lord. There are many examples of women in the Bible who have served the Lord, sometimes with more dedication and insight than men. The Lord notices that and appreciates that.

God makes no difference between sinners. Men and women have sinned and can be saved without any difference. When they are saved there is still no difference to God. In Christ man and woman are equal (Gal 3:28). But that still doesn’t mean that women have the same position as men in the meetings of the church. It is written clearly that they are not to speak in the meeting.

It has been mentioned once that the issue here would be their gossiping with one another. That is not true of course, for gossiping is also a wrong thing to do for men. Speaking as it is mentioned here, is speaking as a prophet in the meeting and that is not suitable for a woman. The reason for this is written thereafter: it does not fit with the submissive attitude she ought to have toward the man.

This submissiveness is not an invention of Paul. At the very beginning of the Bible, God Himself gave the woman this position. The expression “as the Law also says”, refers to what is told in Genesis 3. You read there about the fall. Due to the independent action of the woman, sin entered the world.

This event is the reason for God to clearly establish the place of man and woman. The man is the head and the woman ought to acknowledge him in that position, for he will rule over her (Gen 3:16). This doesn’t at all mean that Adam did not do anything wrong. In fact, his guilt was greater because he heard the prohibition against eating from that tree directly from God Himself. For him, sin also has consequences (Gen 3:17-19). So there are no excuses for Adam.

Because Eve entered, without Adam, into a discussion with the devil, which caused sin entering the world, God determined that she became subject to the authority of man. And this relationship is still valid. Just look at what it says in 1 Timothy 2 (1Tim 2:11-14). Of course that doesn’t mean that the man can exploit the woman. He ought to treat her with respect. This commandment is clearly defined in 1 Peter 3 (1Pet 3:7). It rather emphasizes the responsibility of the man more to guide the woman rightly, that she is not tempted to take actions without him anymore.

1Cor 14:35. Therefore, when these things are general, then they should certainly be applied when the church meets. It is even shameful for a woman to speak there, even if it were only to ask a question. If she wants to have an answer on a question about a subject or a verse from the Bible, she ought to ask her own husband at home about that. This implies that the husband is expected to be able to answer the questions of his wife.

It is true that no one knows the right answer to all questions. In fact a man has enough questions of his own. But I think that some men neglect this responsibility by saying that they are not able to do it. Each person who is aware of this task will make every effort to find an answer. There are resources in the form of books about the Bible that are helpful in this regard. Efforts sometimes ought to be made for that. But who doesn’t want to do that for his wife? It is a great blessing to speak with your wife about the Bible.

All kinds of issues in the domestic sphere you will want to look at using the Bible. Thereby you can think for example of how to spend your money correctly or how to make wise decisions concerning your children. By the way, these issues can also be spoken of in the meeting of the church. New questions can arise after what is said about that. People can talk about this further later at home.

Then there is still another question: ‘But what happens if a woman doesn’t have a husband or when her husband is an unbeliever?’ It is too simplistic to say that she can find answers in the books about the Bible. That might be helpful if it is about an interpretation of a certain verse. However, most questions have to do with the practice of life: how to deal with a certain situation. There are no standard answers to that. A possibility is for her to consult a married couple of whom she knows that the husband has an open ear for his wife and who also makes an effort to answer his wife’s questions.

He who dares to proclaim loudly in these days what is previously said, will find no favor with those who think that these verses are outdated. There are a lot of such people and their number is increasing. More and more Christians become victim of modern thinking, which gradually erases the difference between men and women. Not only worldly people, the unbelievers, do that. You cannot expect from them that they do differently. The most dangerous are people who pretend to be Christians and tell you that you should see everything differently, more in accordance with the time in which we live. Do not be deceived! Hold on to the trustworthy Word of God.

1Cor 14:36. Paul says to the Corinthians: “Was it from you that the Word of God [first] went forth?” By that he means: ‘The Word of God originated from God Himself and not from you, right? You are not able to determine what should happen in church, as if God has not said the necessary things about that, are you?’ When God speaks, you cannot do better than surrender yourself unconditionally to that, even though it means that you do things against the tide and even if the crowd is against you.

There is another thing to be added. They were not the only ones who were reached by the Word of God. What God has to say, He speaks to all churches. They could look around and see how things happened in other churches that took into account what God had said. They would do well if they accepted that as an example.

1Cor 14:37. What Paul has written about the order in the church, was not invented by him. It neither is a friendly request to do it that way. It is “the Lord’s commandment”. This commandment is also, whether it is consciously or unconsciously, flouted in professing Christianity. He who thinks himself to be a prophet, someone who passes on a message he has received from God, or he who thinks himself to be spiritual, someone who is guided by the Spirit of God, will have no difficulty with this commandment.

1Cor 14:38. He who does not recognize this commandment, is not to be recognized. Let him go. It is no use trying to convince such a person of this commandment.

1Cor 14:39. Paul concludes his explanation of prophesying and speaking in tongues with a kind of summary. On the one hand he exhorts the believers at Corinth to prophesy; you have seen in this chapter that all the emphasis is on this gift. On the other hand they did not have to hinder the practice of speaking in tongues; you have seen in which cases this gift can have been practiced in church.

1Cor 14:40. You notice that the way Paul phrased his comments here is the same as he does through the whole chapter. It is all about prophesying, while speaking in tongues is of secondary importance. In any case, everything, whatever happens in the church, it should happen in the right way and in the right order. To accomplish that, there is no need to record the service of the church, as it happens too often in professing Christianity. If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit in the meeting, He will surely show us the way of how to gather and He will protect the order.

It is striking that in this chapter there is no mention of the guidance of the Spirit in the meeting. Here it is made clear that it is most important that each believer has his own responsibility in the meeting. You are not suddenly overwhelmed by a certain feeling. God assumes that you are consciously present and that you consciously partake of the meeting. You will have to make efforts to experience it that way. And that is what the Holy Spirit wants to strengthen you for (cf. Phil 3:3).

Now read 1 Corinthians 14:34-40 again.

Reflection: Where does ‘the commandment of the Lord’ (1Cor 14:37) refer to?