GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING SPIRITUAL GIFTS (1 Corinthians 14)
By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.
The Lord “commanded” Paul to spell out principles for supervising the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church (I Corinthians 14:37).
I must confess over the years I have studied 1 Corinthians 12, Paul’s list of spiritual gifts and 1 Corinthians 13, Paul’s masterpiece portrait on love. But even though the Holy Spirit “commanded” Paul to write chapter 14, I confess I missed it was a COMMAND,” and over the years have all too often given 1 Corinthians 14 only minimal attention.
And I am not alone.
Many of us in the Pentecostal revival have skipped over Chapter 14, the Holy Spirit’s teaching on managing spiritual gifts in the church, even though 1 Corinthians 14 assures chapters 12 and 13 will be practiced decently and with order. In addition, I never had a teacher in my college and seminary years who gave serious attention to 1 Corinthians 14.
If our people are not taught 1 Corinthians 14, when problems arise in the church, spiritual gifts will become cause for confusion. The temptation can grow until a church stops the ministry of spiritual gifts altogether. But to do that is to “put out the Spirit’s fire” and become disobedient to the Holy Scriptures (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
A colloquial phrase is in order: don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.
In my lesson on I Corinthians 14 for Pentecost Sunday, I have first repented, and now hope to write what I pray will be a fresh look at managing the gifts, as the Holy Spirit “commanded” the Apostle Paul.
And Paul was obedient.
I have identified seventeen principles in 1 Corinthians 14 and one in Thessalonians 5:19. If prayerfully and repeatedly taught spiritual gifts can become a blossoming flower in the church.
My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use this condensed study to mark a new beginning.
1) Follow the way of love [agape] and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1).
2) Tongues speaking is speaking to God (14:2).
3) Prophecy speaks to people to strengthen, encourage, and give comfort (14:3).
4) Speaking in tongues edifies or instructs and improves oneself; prophesies edify the church (14:4). “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues,” Paul wrote. “But I would rather have you prophesy.”`
5) “A person who prophecies is greater than one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the church may be edified” (14:5).
6) Paul hit the target when the Holy Spirit ordered him to write, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
7) “If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So-it-is with spiritual gifts” (14:8-9). Spiritual gifts must bring a clear sound in the church.
8) “Anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says” (14:13). The person speaking carries the first responsibility for the interpretation.
9) “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So,
what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind” (14:14-15).
10) “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church, I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (I Corinthians 14:18-19).
11) Isaiah prophesied speaking in tongues would be in the New Covenant and Paul addressed it: “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking [or as you think about this], be adults. In the Law it is written: ‘Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then, they will not listen to me,’ says the Lord (1 Corinthians 14:20-21; Isaiah 28:11-12).
I want to be numbered among those who do listen to the Lord.
12) Tongues are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers (14:22).
13) “When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. These must be done to strengthen the church” by giving order (14:26).
14 “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God” (14:27-28).
15) “Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said” (14:29.
16) The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (14:32-33).
17) “Women should remain silent in the churches” (14:34-35).
This principle must be accepted as an adaptation to first century Greek culture. Consider, for examples: Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, quoting Joel’s prophecy, that men and women would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and they would prophesy (Acts 2:18; Joel 2:29). The evangelist Philip, who was also one of the seven deacons, had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. Philip hosted Paul in his home “a number of days” while Paul was on his way to Jerusalem in what would become his final visit to the Holy City (Acts 6:5; 21:8-9).
18) Paul’s conclusion: “My brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (14:39-40).
It is worthy of repetition: Paul taught the believers at Thessalonica, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
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A SUGGESTION, PLEASE
An idea for consideration. If you are not already doing so, plan to preach or teach a series on 1 Corinthians 14 at least yearly.
Lesson 1 – a summary study of 1 Corinthians 12 and 13.
Lessons 2-3-4 — Lead the congregation in studying Chapter 14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19, doing it with perhaps three lessons that show how to manage spiritual gifts.
[This study is also in my book, Discovering the Job Description of the Holy Spirit, Xulon Press, 2021, beginning at page 271].
June 1, 2022 9:54 am|
Thank you for this excellent view. So fresh and engaging.