Book Study · Week 4 of 6

Order and Prophecy

1 Corinthians 14:1-40

Using gifts for the common good

Main Point

Spiritual gifts should be exercised in order and with concern for the entire congregation. A gift used selfishly or chaotically does not build up the church.

Application Ideas

Sometimes spiritual enthusiasm can become disorder. Are there areas in your church life where personal expression has become destructive? How can we cultivate both freedom and order? This week, ask: Am I building others up or drawing attention to myself?

Discussion Questions

What is the difference between speaking in tongues and prophecy as Paul describes it? Why does Paul emphasize that God is not a God of confusion? How can churches balance the work of the Spirit with orderly worship?

Detailed Sermon Outline

Primary Text: 1 Corinthians 14:1-40

Supporting Texts: 1 Corinthians 12:7; Romans 14:19; Colossians 3:16

Big Idea: Spiritual gifts are exercised for the whole congregation, in a way that builds up — a gift used selfishly or chaotically edifies no one.

Target Length: 35-40 minutes

Introduction

This chapter has been fought over for a long time, and it is easy to arrive at it with a position already loaded. Try to hear it first as the Corinthians would have, sitting in a room where their gatherings had become a competition for attention.

Paul's concern throughout is a single question, repeated in various forms: did anyone leave stronger? He is not suspicious of the Spirit's work. He is insisting that the Spirit's work has a purpose.

The main point: a gift is working properly when the person next to you is built up.

I. The Test Is Whether Anyone Is Built Up (1 Corinthians 14:1-19)

Paul sets two gifts side by side, not to rank the giver but to show what each one does in a room full of people.

'Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit.' Chapter thirteen was not a detour. Love is the lane the gifts run in.
'The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.' Three words worth lingering on — they describe what most congregations are starving for.
'Unless you speak intelligible words, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.'

Paul is not dismissive of the more ecstatic gift; he says he does it more than any of them. But in the gathering he would rather speak 'five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.' The setting changes what is useful.

II. Think Like an Adult, Watch the Outsider (1 Corinthians 14:20-25)

Then a sharp aside: 'Stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.' Maturity here means thinking about the effect of your enthusiasm on other people.

Paul pictures 'some inquirers or unbelievers' walking into the meeting. He expects them. A church that never considers the visitor has stopped expecting anyone.
If everything is unintelligible, 'will they not say that you are out of your mind?' The gospel is strange enough without our help.
But if the word lands, 'the secrets of their hearts are laid bare', and they will fall down and worship, saying 'God is really among you.'

That is the aim of a gathering. Not a performance that impresses, and not a service so careful that nothing happens — but a room where God is so clearly present that a stranger notices.

III. Freedom With Order (1 Corinthians 14:26-40)

The instructions that follow are surprisingly ordinary. Take turns. Limit numbers. Interpret. Weigh what is said. Let others speak.

'When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation.' Participation is assumed. This is not a spectator gathering.
'Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.' That sentence is the rule the rest of the chapter applies.
'The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.' Being moved by God never removes your ability to wait your turn.

The reason given is theological, not merely practical: 'God is not a God of disorder but of peace.' Order here is not about a tidy service. It reflects the character of the One being worshipped.

Conclusion & Appeal

Two failures live on either side of this chapter. One church silences everything it cannot control. Another lets every impulse run and calls the confusion freedom. Paul refuses both.

So ask about your own contribution, whatever form it takes — teaching, music, prayer, a comment in a group. Is it aimed at the people present, or at how you appear to them?

This week, before you speak in any gathering, ask Paul's question first: will this build someone up? If it will, say it. If it will not, the most spiritual thing you can do is stay quiet and let someone else be heard.