Behave Decently and in Order in the Church
10There are, it may be, so many kinds of sounds in the world, and none of them is without meaning. 11If then I don’t know the meaning of the sound, I would be to him who speaks a foreigner, and he who speaks would be a foreigner to me. 12So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the assembly. 13Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret. 14For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 16Otherwise if you bless with the spirit, how will he who fills the place of the unlearned say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, seeing he doesn’t know what you say? 17For you most certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up. 18I thank my God, I speak with other languages more than you all. 19However in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in another language. 20Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.
Though Jesus is the almighty God who receives glory in his own right, he is patient and keeps working to save people’s souls.
Even though the souls he came to save are creatures, he does not behave inappropriately toward them; he always set an example of humility and obedience with a gentle heart.
Now it is the turn of believers, who have become God’s children, to show that love through their lives, with humility and obedience, with patience, and with a faith that carries out its mission.
To show that God’s love is different from the world’s love, believers will need the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit gives.
The gift the Holy Spirit gives is faith. When believers keep that faith and live with decency, that very way of life reveals the character of God.
The Holy Spirit gives gifts to build up the church and to save souls. So believers who have received gifts must act according to God’s will even in the face of death, and must deny themselves to deliver the Word honestly.
1 Kings 22:18
18The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
People always want praise and recognition.
Even when they know they are doing wrong, they want God to praise them, and they want to hear that he will bless them.
But as I have been saying, God has no interest in anything but the saving of souls.
If it will save a soul, God will commend freely, and he will not hesitate to judge and rebuke either.
Only when you know for certain who God is and have faith can you take the fastest road, and live by God’s will and still enjoy blessing. If you live with no difference at all from the world and only want to be blessed, you will end up with a hard life of faith that has nothing to do with salvation.
King Ahab of Israel made an alliance with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to attack Syria and recover Gilead.
King Jehoshaphat wanted to know whether God had truly approved this war, so he wanted to hear from the prophets.
About four hundred prophets who served King Ahab prophesied that God had promised to deliver Gilead into the king’s hand if he would only go up and fight.
But when Jehoshaphat wanted to hear from Micaiah, Ahab said he hated Micaiah, because Micaiah never prophesied good concerning him, only evil, and Ahab stood in the way of Jehoshaphat meeting him.
As we know from Ahab’s life, he did not live by God’s word, and he did evil to God’s people. Though God had made him king of Israel, Ahab did not serve God as his king; he brought in many idols and worshiped them.
True to that ominous expectation, Micaiah prophesied that if the king went out to that war, he would die. When Ahab heard the prophecy, he flew into a rage and threw Micaiah into prison. Even after hearing Micaiah’s prophecy, Ahab and Jehoshaphat set out for war with Syria, and just as prophesied, Ahab died.
I am telling you about Micaiah’s prophecy and Ahab’s death because I want to tell you what God wants.
God created the world and people, so he knows well how sinners must live for their souls to be saved, and in what order things must be done.
That is why problems that seem as if they could never be solved get solved when we simply live by God’s word. And that is why you must read the Bible diligently and pray, so that you understand God’s word rightly.
Micaiah prophesied evil to Ahab. But if Ahab had rejected the words of the four hundred false prophets and listened to Micaiah, he would have been given another chance to meet God, believe, and turn back.
That is, if Ahab had known God’s word.
The prophecy of the prophets exists for one thing only: to turn people back from the way of sin.
So they do not mention what a person is doing well, because the person will keep doing it well without being praised.
And they point out what is wrong even though they know the person will not want to hear it, because fixing that one thing is all it takes.
God rebukes a person because, in his eyes, they are someone who could receive blessing without limit if they fixed just that one thing they are doing wrong.
However many blessings people receive, if there is something filthy in the middle of them, it all turns into dirty water. So prophecy is what tells them to throw that thing out.
But for the one who hears the prophecy, it points out what they want to hide or what they have been missing, so their pride would be hurt.
And it stings like being pierced with the sword of the Word, so it can even wound them.
But read the Bible and you will see that God exhorts and rebukes more than he praises.
Believers do not fully realize that God is examining them down to the smallest detail.
Because God always pays attention and watches, he can rebuke them, and he also praises them. So when believers are rebuked, those who understand God’s heart, repent, and turn back receive great blessing.
When God rebukes you, it does not mean your faith is wrong. He is teaching you that if you turn back in the area where you were rebuked, you can receive more blessing. That is why turning back when you are rebuked is wisdom.
When the people of Israel lived by God’s will, God helped Israel grow rich and strong, and helped them rule the nations with great authority.
But when they did not turn back despite his warnings, and worshiped idols, married foreign women, or lived as they pleased, God raised up foreign nations and made Israel suffer thoroughly.
When you pray, too, if God warns you in a still small voice to turn back, you must listen to those words. For God is the Master not only of our life’s course but of life itself, and of the heaven to which we go after death.
1 Corinthians 14:8
8For if the trumpet gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war?
If someone who does not fully know God’s will teaches the Word, they pass on what they do not understand themselves, so they have no conviction even as they preach. And because it is not a clear word, those who listen hear it and still do not understand.
Now and then I watch Deacon Kim Hong-sik tune the piano.
Deacon Kim tunes it so that when Deacon Cho Eun-hee plays the accompaniment, the piano will clearly give the sound Deacon Cho wants.
Tuning takes a great deal of time, and it can be done properly only if the deacon knows the exact pitch. If Deacon Kim Hong-sik could not tell pitch by ear, the piano could not be tuned at all, and even if it were tuned, it could not be used.
It is the same with gifts. Only when believers first give their time to prayer and strive to hear the still small voice more clearly can they deliver a clear word.
When believers share the Word, only by always delivering the exact truth can they resist Satan and warn believers who are going the wrong way.
That is why all of you, both those who deliver the Word and those who hear it, must stay awake.
Only if you stay awake can you hear the trumpet and know whether it is calling you to prepare for war or announcing that the enemy has already attacked.
In table tennis there are singles, but there are also doubles.
In singles you simply play to your own ability, but in doubles it matters that the two players work in step with each other.
It is probably true of every sport, but in doubles the two players make signs to each other with their fingers, showing whether they will serve short or long, with spin or straight.
When one partner signals how they will serve, the other simply waits, as that sign indicates, for the opponent to return it.
A doubles pair can win only if both obey absolutely whichever player better knows the opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Two players who form one team for doubles can move as one body and bring about victory only if they train a great deal together.
But a doubles pair put together suddenly knows neither the agreed signs nor anything at all about each other, so it can run into great difficulty. And if one player, even after the sign has been given, does things their own way out of pride, that match will be lost.
That is why working in step and looking out for each other matters so much.
It is the same with the relationship between God and believers, and between one believer and another.
If God has sent a sign and we do not understand it properly, we can never win the war against Satan.
God rebukes believers because he knows Satan better than anyone. Fearing that spiritually weak believers might fall away from salvation, he keeps sending signs through believers who have the gift of prophecy or through pastors.
If we do not keep our attention on God, who knew Satan’s schemes beforehand and sent the sign, we will be defeated by Satan in the end.
Just as you train spiritually, Satan also trains hard.
The souls Satan once held captive in death have been set free by the precious blood of Christ, so Satan is doing his utmost to lock them up in death again.
Satan, who stood against God, is training this hard. If you, who have no power at all, neglect your training, you will fail in the end. That is why you must always keep ready the sword of the Word, which Satan fears most.
1 Corinthians 14:19
19However in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in another language.
Tongues are not a gift that builds up believers. They are a sign to the unbelieving, showing that God, who works through tongues as a spiritual language, is alive.
So on the day of Pentecost, when the brothers who believed in Christ were gathered in one place praying, the Holy Spirit came upon them and worked so that each one could speak in another language.
At that time, Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem from every nation to keep the Passover were amazed to hear the disciples speaking, in tongues, the languages of the countries where they themselves lived.
Not knowing what the working of the Holy Spirit was or what tongues were, some of them mocked the disciples as filled with new wine, while others began to think that Jesus, who had borne the cross, might truly be the Messiah.
Peter told those who doubted that the disciples were not drunk; rather, the prophecy of the prophet Joel was being fulfilled right there.
Just as those tongues at Pentecost became a sign to people who did not believe, the tongues that believers speak are a sign to unbelievers that God is alive.
And the gift of prophecy has the role of rebuking the believing brothers and revealing the secrets hidden in their hearts. That is why it is wise not to complain or take offense that it offers no praise, but to obey the Word.
Prophecy does not pass on the thoughts of the believer who received the gift; it speaks as the Holy Spirit leads. So when we receive every word as God’s will, we can receive blessing.
In this way, gifts help believers live as believers should. So believers who have received gifts must without fail understand the Word fully.
This is why it matters more for believers to deliver words of truth, drawn from a deep understanding of the Word, than ten thousand words.
For example, you speak Korean very well, but to go abroad you would learn English or the language of the country you want to visit. After all, however fluently you speak Korean, the people there cannot understand it.
Even if you cannot speak English fluently, if you know the few phrases you need for travel, you will be able to see the places you want to see, buy what you need, and travel smoothly.
In the same way, even if you cannot teach the whole Bible in detail, if you can tell who Christ is in accurate and clear words, you can save souls. So you must know how to explain accurately who Christ is.
1 Corinthians 14:32-33
32The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, 33for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.
Any community, whatever kind it is, needs order in how it is organized.
When the many people who make up an organization are wise, faithful, and in harmony, the organization can take on a great deal of work.
For an organization to succeed, its leader must be wise.
If a leader is foolish, indecisive, or not forward-looking, then however good the proposals from those under them, nothing gets through, and there is no progress.
A leader must always set themselves aside and be ready to listen.
And they must have eyes that can see the whole situation.
An organization holds together, and its people serve faithfully without complaint, only when the leader’s qualities and capacity are greater than those of its members.
How much more is this true of believers. Almighty God makes every plan and leads them, and if they only obey, they can receive great blessing. If such believers live disordered lives and sin, that would be a serious problem.
If we simply do as God commands, God takes responsibility even for the outcome. If we do not believe this and so fail to obey his commands, we cannot abide in God’s grace.
The church, too, can be peaceful and orderly only when its pastor is wise and its officers have the right faith.
The pastors are responsible for the conflicts now stirring in so many churches.
Conflict arises because pastors have not preached God’s word clearly, and they have no standing to lead believers because they have not shown an example of living by the Word.
Because believers have not learned the word of truth, they have no ability to resolve problems when they arise, so they bring in the world’s methods.
As those of you who have raised children know, if babies are not clearly taught right from wrong, they do not learn how to deal with anger. So, not knowing how to express their feelings, they cry, scream, or refuse to listen to anyone at all.
The child’s spirit is in disorder and does not know how to let its feelings out, so this is the child’s way of letting the parents know that the child is struggling right now.
Parents let the time for teaching right and wrong slip by, thinking the child is still too young to understand, and not wanting to scold their own child.
While the parents hesitate for a moment, the child does not hear and learn how to govern themselves, and so is shaken every time a problem comes. I am not saying you should hit a baby or deal with the child emotionally. I am saying you should keep your eyes on the child steadily, not miss the moment, and show them how to deal with it.
If pastors, like a trumpet giving an uncertain sound, do not teach believers the word of truth clearly, believers will not be able to let go of their own worldly thinking and will not discern God’s will, because they have never learned the Word.
A conflict once broke out at a church I used to attend. When the pastor tried to preach, the choir would suddenly stand up and sing, and while the choir was singing, church members would shout at the choir. Watching this, I wondered why believers would behave like this.
A place is not a church just because it is a building with a church sign, with a pastor standing at the pulpit, people in choir robes, and members filling the sanctuary.
In a sanctuary like that, where people shouted to get their own way and the pastor and members would not yield to each other, I wondered how many could actually be saved.
Believers act like this because they have not learned the Word and do not know how a believer ought to conduct themselves.
Just as the blame for a child’s wrongdoing lies with the parents, the blame for believers’ wrongdoing lies with the pastor.
The apostle Paul said that God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Those words tell us to fear how great God’s wrath is toward those who break the order of the church, which Jesus bought with the price of his blood.
Paul also said that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. This does not mean that gifts have a ranking. It means that those who have gone ahead and live out the word of truth should teach believers who are not yet sure of the truth.
When someone who does not know the Word receives a gift, they may act proudly, so the pastor must teach well. And because gifts carry responsibility, believers avoid mistakes only by obeying what the pastor teaches.
There is no greater or lesser in faith and belief, yet the members of Christ’s body must without fail keep an order of faith founded on obedience and humility.
Believers who have met Christ and been born again do not go back to the world.
They follow the rules of the church and live in obedience to the Word, so they live for the church rather than for their own gain.
God will protect believers who live by faith like this.
Believers who are full of faith and have power yet stay humble will build up the church. And a church where such holy believers gather teaches the truth to the souls God has entrusted to it, so God’s attention cannot help but rest on it.
I want our church to become such a church, one on which God’s heart and eyes rest.
I hope you will set an example as God’s children, both spiritually and in the flesh. Adults, lead the young adults, the youth, and the children with the Word and with prayer so that they can grow well in faith. Young adults, youth, and children, I hope you will honor your elders and serve them well.
Do your very best to learn the Word first. Even as adults, if there is something in the Word you can learn from young adults, do not be ashamed to ask and learn. Then you can teach the word of truth you have learned to someone else.
God made every plan for the work of salvation before the ages, and he has carried everything out in order.
We enjoy peace now thanks to Jesus, who atoned for our sins. So I hope you, too, will live as children who take after God.