I Corinthians 16: 1-4
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.
Paul gave no directions to the Galatians in his letter to them about the collection for the saints, so he must have informed them verbally when he was with them, which he alludes to in Galatians 2:10, to remember the poor.
So he will write the instructions for the Corinthians, and for us.
On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.
The first day of the week, Sunday, when the church regularly met for services, was the time to collect the donations the church was giving toward the gift they would be sending to the saints who were undergoing persecution. That way, all the donations would be gathered together to present to Paul when he came.
When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem;
Paul planned to send their gift to the saints in Jerusalem, carried by whichever the Corinthian elders knew would be trustworthy to carry the money.
and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.
If Paul ended up going to Jerusalem, then they would go together.
After this Paul gets into his travel plans.
The principle of setting aside the tithe to the church each week is a practical method of supporting the church. The gift from each weekly paycheck works well, for consistency and for forming the habit of putting the envelope into the plate or bag each Sunday.
And special gifts for missionaries or other church or para-church ministries can also be scheduled to give or send regularly. According to how God has prospered us each week, or each period.
God never expects us to give what we don't have, but He's promised to provide our needs, and whatever exceeds that is meant to share. So He always provides extra, over our bare needs. Whether we spend it on ourselves or give it away will show how faithful we are with God's provisions, and if we are generous like He is.
When my children were still quite small, my husband and I didn't have very much income, so I had to "prioritize" the weekly bills to try to get them paid. Then my husband suggested that we should tithe!
I knew he was right, so I figured to do that, I'd have to pay God first, or I'd never have anything left for Him. So I calculated our dollars each Monday, subtracted God's 10%, then "prioritized" the 90% to pay the bills.
It wasn't very long before I noticed that I was able to just pay the bills that were due each Monday without having to "prioritize," even though the income wasn't any more, nor were the bills any less--God was stretching the 90% to cover more than the 100% had, because I was giving Him His due.
That's when I learned that I couldn't out-give God. Pretty soon we even had a little money left over, so we began supporting friends of ours who were missionaries. And we've never turned back.
After my husband died and my prosperity drastically decreased, I never did stop giving my local church the tithe on what income I had. And I have also been able to built up the additional giving I could make over time. And God has always been faithful to me to meet all my needs, so that I've never been in want of any necessities.
O my Father, I pray for all my brothers and sisters to realize how generous You are, that You will always honor obedience to the principles of Your Law. Father, show us how the first ten percent given back to you will strengthen our trust in You to provide the other ninety percent, and more.
Help us all to learn to be generous like You are, Father. Give us the courage to step out into the financial unknown, trusting You to show us the sources and resources that You have set up before us, both to meet our needs and to share with others bountifully. May each of us come to the practical realization that it all belongs to You, Father, and You let us have all we need of Your provision, to share the rest to finance Your Kingdom.
And You will receive all the credit, all the glory for all You have done. As we live day by day depending on You, You will be faithful to each of us to lead us into the path You have designed for each of us, Your Light showing up the bumps and potholes to avoid, and all the branches of bounty lining the path on either side. Open our eyes to see, to reach out our hand to pick the luscious fruits growing within our reach, to satisfy our needs, and radiate Your joy in all You do for us!
And every living person will hear and understand, to make an informed decision to either accept Your wonderful Gift or to reject it.
And Your great Name will be glorified in us, Father, through all eternity, as we gain the victory through the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, September 13, 2019
Thursday, September 12, 2019
The "Rapture"
I Corinthians 15: 35-58
But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what body do they come?"
Now Paul talks about the Resurrection body, similar but different from the body we live in now.
You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;
You're talking foolishly when you don't recognize that what you plant looks different from what grows. And the seed must decay for the plant to start growing.
and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or something else.
You don't plant a stalk of wheat, you plant the wheat seed.
But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.
The seeds of different plants look different from one another. A cherry pit looks different from an apple seed.
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.
All Mankind is of one flesh; people from different corners of the Earth can marry and produce children. But different flesh cannot reproduce. Each flesh reproduces within its own kind, but cannot between kinds. This is how God designed it to work. Everything is to reproduce "after their kind;" this phrase is repeated ten times over every kind of living creature God made (Genesis 1:11-26). We all on this Earth reproduce after our own kind. Children look like their parents. Dogs have puppies, and cats have kittens.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
God has made the Earth unique among all the other occupants of our Universe. Earthly bodies may refer to mountains and oceans and such features of our Planet, that have never been found on any other planet.
There is one glory of the Sun, and another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
All the things in Space, all the suns, all the moons all the planets, all the quarks and muons and black holes and every other thing out there, is different from every other thing out there. There are no two things alike anywhere in the Universe.
So also is the resurrection of the dead.
This is no different, no two are alike. And what is partial will be made complete. God never stops half-way with anything He starts, He always finishes.
It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
What God started in each of us will be finished, made perfect.
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Obviously, there is a natural body--we each are living in one. So there also will be a spiritual body. Similar, but different from our bodies now.
So also it is written,
Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul. So God put His own breath into the lungs of the first Man, and he came alive.
Then Jesus was born of a woman, and became a Man. Then He died and was buried, and rose from death with a new, different kind of Life, Resurrection Life. And He could walk through locked doors (Luke 24:36), and appear and disappear at will, (Luke 24:31). These are hints as to what our bodies will be like, and be able to do, when we are made perfect.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
Everything in order, God is orderly about everything. No chaos.
The first Man is from the Earth, earthy; the second Man is from Heaven.
As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
As Adam lived on the plane of this Earth, so we all live here, too; Jesus came from Heaven, a whole different plane of being, to raise us up to His Heavenly plane of Living.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy,
we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Just as we are living here now, in bodies suited for this Earth, so we will put on new bodies that are suited to live in the heavenly realms. More than just putting on a space-suit.
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God;
Our flesh-and-blood bodies are very frail and fragile and cannot withstand the rigors of spiritual powers directly. Like looking into the Sun will burn out our retinas making us blind, so being in the direct presence of God Himself would destroy these bodies.
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
What can be destroyed so easily cannot be transported to an indestructible realm.
Behold, I tell you a mystery;
Okay, listen up here: a mystery is something we never knew before.
we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
Not all of us will have to die, but every one of us will receive this body-upgrade, whether we died or live to see that Day.
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trumpet;
Instantly, when the last Trumpet of a series of Trumpets sounds. The only series of trumpets in the whole Bible is in the Book of Revelation. The Seventh Trumpet is in Revelation 11:15-18, when, "The kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." And it's time for the dead to be judged, the servants be rewarded; and a great Earthquake and great hail on the Earth.
for the Trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
That's when we will be changed. We will hear His voice calling each of our names, and rise to meet Him in the clouds. This has never happened before, and it will never happen again, it's a once-in-all-Time event! See also I Thessalonians 4:13-18 for more details on this event.
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Everything we are that is faulty and incomplete must put on the "space-suit" of the new Resurrection body so we will be able to survive and live with God the Father and Jesus the Son comfortably, without being burned up.
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written,
When this happens, then this prophesy will be fulfilled in us! The death, the downward spiral that pulls us down into chaos, will be overcome by the power of Resurrection, changing our flesh bodies into spirit bodies instantly! No more sin, because the Law is finished and not needed any more.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, thanks be to God, who sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to conquer Death, the curse that was put on us all when Adam sinned. We can also have this victory in our own lives right now, the power to overcome the temptations to do what we know is not right. And to be called off of this World into the clouds, to be with Jesus forever, ruling in His Kingdom with Him forever!
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
This should encourage us to keep on keeping on doing what is right, helping one another any way we can, knowing that even when it is hard, and people don't understand, and don't respond to us the way we think they should; it's okay, our conscience is clear, and we can leave them in God's hand, to draw them to Himself.
And we will be rewarded at that time, for all that we did to promote His Kingdom principles in this fallen World we live in.
And we will rejoice in His glory!
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language that Christ Jesus is Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But someone will say, "How are the dead raised? And with what body do they come?"
Now Paul talks about the Resurrection body, similar but different from the body we live in now.
You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies;
You're talking foolishly when you don't recognize that what you plant looks different from what grows. And the seed must decay for the plant to start growing.
and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or something else.
You don't plant a stalk of wheat, you plant the wheat seed.
But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.
The seeds of different plants look different from one another. A cherry pit looks different from an apple seed.
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.
All Mankind is of one flesh; people from different corners of the Earth can marry and produce children. But different flesh cannot reproduce. Each flesh reproduces within its own kind, but cannot between kinds. This is how God designed it to work. Everything is to reproduce "after their kind;" this phrase is repeated ten times over every kind of living creature God made (Genesis 1:11-26). We all on this Earth reproduce after our own kind. Children look like their parents. Dogs have puppies, and cats have kittens.
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
God has made the Earth unique among all the other occupants of our Universe. Earthly bodies may refer to mountains and oceans and such features of our Planet, that have never been found on any other planet.
There is one glory of the Sun, and another glory of the Moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
All the things in Space, all the suns, all the moons all the planets, all the quarks and muons and black holes and every other thing out there, is different from every other thing out there. There are no two things alike anywhere in the Universe.
So also is the resurrection of the dead.
This is no different, no two are alike. And what is partial will be made complete. God never stops half-way with anything He starts, He always finishes.
It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
What God started in each of us will be finished, made perfect.
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
Obviously, there is a natural body--we each are living in one. So there also will be a spiritual body. Similar, but different from our bodies now.
So also it is written,
The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.The first Man Adam became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).
Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul. So God put His own breath into the lungs of the first Man, and he came alive.
Then Jesus was born of a woman, and became a Man. Then He died and was buried, and rose from death with a new, different kind of Life, Resurrection Life. And He could walk through locked doors (Luke 24:36), and appear and disappear at will, (Luke 24:31). These are hints as to what our bodies will be like, and be able to do, when we are made perfect.
However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
Everything in order, God is orderly about everything. No chaos.
The first Man is from the Earth, earthy; the second Man is from Heaven.
As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
As Adam lived on the plane of this Earth, so we all live here, too; Jesus came from Heaven, a whole different plane of being, to raise us up to His Heavenly plane of Living.
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy,
we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Just as we are living here now, in bodies suited for this Earth, so we will put on new bodies that are suited to live in the heavenly realms. More than just putting on a space-suit.
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God;
Our flesh-and-blood bodies are very frail and fragile and cannot withstand the rigors of spiritual powers directly. Like looking into the Sun will burn out our retinas making us blind, so being in the direct presence of God Himself would destroy these bodies.
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
What can be destroyed so easily cannot be transported to an indestructible realm.
Behold, I tell you a mystery;
Okay, listen up here: a mystery is something we never knew before.
we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
Not all of us will have to die, but every one of us will receive this body-upgrade, whether we died or live to see that Day.
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trumpet;
Instantly, when the last Trumpet of a series of Trumpets sounds. The only series of trumpets in the whole Bible is in the Book of Revelation. The Seventh Trumpet is in Revelation 11:15-18, when, "The kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever." And it's time for the dead to be judged, the servants be rewarded; and a great Earthquake and great hail on the Earth.
for the Trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
That's when we will be changed. We will hear His voice calling each of our names, and rise to meet Him in the clouds. This has never happened before, and it will never happen again, it's a once-in-all-Time event! See also I Thessalonians 4:13-18 for more details on this event.
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Everything we are that is faulty and incomplete must put on the "space-suit" of the new Resurrection body so we will be able to survive and live with God the Father and Jesus the Son comfortably, without being burned up.
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written,
Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting? (Hosea 13:14).The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law;
When this happens, then this prophesy will be fulfilled in us! The death, the downward spiral that pulls us down into chaos, will be overcome by the power of Resurrection, changing our flesh bodies into spirit bodies instantly! No more sin, because the Law is finished and not needed any more.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, thanks be to God, who sent His Son, Christ Jesus, to conquer Death, the curse that was put on us all when Adam sinned. We can also have this victory in our own lives right now, the power to overcome the temptations to do what we know is not right. And to be called off of this World into the clouds, to be with Jesus forever, ruling in His Kingdom with Him forever!
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
This should encourage us to keep on keeping on doing what is right, helping one another any way we can, knowing that even when it is hard, and people don't understand, and don't respond to us the way we think they should; it's okay, our conscience is clear, and we can leave them in God's hand, to draw them to Himself.
And we will be rewarded at that time, for all that we did to promote His Kingdom principles in this fallen World we live in.
And we will rejoice in His glory!
Every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language that Christ Jesus is Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
What If There's No Life After Death?
I Corinthians 15: 27-34
Still talking about resurrection, Paul takes a related path here before talking about it directly.
But He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.
This means that when God the Father put all things under the rulership of the Son, the Father Himself was not under the Son, but the Son was still under the Father. That order never changed.
When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
When the Son gives back all creation to the Father, then the Son will still be subject to the Father, and God the Father will be directly over all and in all.
Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?
Evidently they must have had a custom in Corinth of someone being baptized for a loved one who had died, who had not yet been baptized. Paul says, why do this if there is no life after death? If we just cease to exist when we die?
Why are we also in danger every hour?
I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Paul faces persecution everywhere he goes.
If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
If we just stay dead when we die, then there is no benefit to living a moral life, and we might as well just "grab the gusto" and live our lives for pleasure.
Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak to your shame.
Paul is admonishing them to think logically, and stop "missing the mark" in denying this logical fact flowing from Christ's Resurrection.
The immorality that results from purely materialistic thinking is damaging their witness among their neighbors. Knowing God is having an understanding of moral excellence, and it's a shame that these Christians have lost the good influence they should be having in their society.
O my Father, You are so good, and You are good to us every day. Help us to keep in mind that You have given us eternal Life, that starts right now and will last forever. And that You will change these frail bodies into bodies which will be suitable to live with You in Heaven, without being damaged by the Majesty of Your Radiance.
And we will live with You, in Your presence, serving and assisting You in governing and ruling all the creations that You may or will create throughout all future eternity!
Father, help all of us Your children to know what to expect, so we will be prepared to face all the changes and upheavals and persecution that will come upon us all as the End Times come to a close.
And Jesus is coming soon! And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Still talking about resurrection, Paul takes a related path here before talking about it directly.
But He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.
This means that when God the Father put all things under the rulership of the Son, the Father Himself was not under the Son, but the Son was still under the Father. That order never changed.
When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
When the Son gives back all creation to the Father, then the Son will still be subject to the Father, and God the Father will be directly over all and in all.
Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?
Evidently they must have had a custom in Corinth of someone being baptized for a loved one who had died, who had not yet been baptized. Paul says, why do this if there is no life after death? If we just cease to exist when we die?
Why are we also in danger every hour?
I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Paul faces persecution everywhere he goes.
If from human motives I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."
Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
If we just stay dead when we die, then there is no benefit to living a moral life, and we might as well just "grab the gusto" and live our lives for pleasure.
Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak to your shame.
Paul is admonishing them to think logically, and stop "missing the mark" in denying this logical fact flowing from Christ's Resurrection.
The immorality that results from purely materialistic thinking is damaging their witness among their neighbors. Knowing God is having an understanding of moral excellence, and it's a shame that these Christians have lost the good influence they should be having in their society.
O my Father, You are so good, and You are good to us every day. Help us to keep in mind that You have given us eternal Life, that starts right now and will last forever. And that You will change these frail bodies into bodies which will be suitable to live with You in Heaven, without being damaged by the Majesty of Your Radiance.
And we will live with You, in Your presence, serving and assisting You in governing and ruling all the creations that You may or will create throughout all future eternity!
Father, help all of us Your children to know what to expect, so we will be prepared to face all the changes and upheavals and persecution that will come upon us all as the End Times come to a close.
And Jesus is coming soon! And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Resurrection? Or Not?
I Corinthians 15: 12-26
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
There were some in Corinth who were materialistic and denied that we would be resurrected. So Paul goes 'round and 'round the idea of resurrection or no resurrection.
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Vain means having no purpose. So if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we have nothing to base our faith on.
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
So if there is no resurrection, then we are liars for saying that Christ was raised from the dead, if He didn't. Because if we won't, then He didn't, either.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
If God did not show His acceptance of Christ's payment for our sins by raising Him, then our sins weren't forgiven either, and we have no hope.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
And those who have already died don't have any chance at all.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
If there's nothing after this Earthly existence, then all we go through as Christians has no worth, no reward.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
But the fact is that Christ was resurrected, it's a historical event that really took place, it happened. He is the first: the first fruits were the beginning of the harvest, given back to God in thanksgiving for the rest of the whole crop that was coming. And He is the first before us, we are the crop.
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
All people who have been born from Adam will all die, everybody, the whole human race; we all will die. In the same way, everyone who has been born in Christ, all who have been born from above, through the Sacrifice Jesus paid on our behalf--receiving God's Holy Spirit of Life--will continue to live that new Life forever, even after these bodies we have now die.
But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
God always is orderly. Everything in its own order. Christ was resurrected first, three days after His death. The rest of us will be resurrected when He calls us out as He approaches this Earth, when the last trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ will rise out of their graves and we who are alive will also rise in the air to meet Him in the clouds, ever to live with Him.
Then He will set up His Kingdom here, in this World, and reign for a thousand years, conquering all His enemies.
then comes the end, when He hands over the Kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
God the Father put the authority over all creation into the hand of the Son, and when the Son has destroyed all the enemies of creation, He will hand it back over to God the Father.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
So He will rule over every part of this Earth and the whole Universe until He has cleansed it of all unrighteousness and chaos and everything that has marred its beauty. Then it will be a fit gift for His Father.
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
The final cleansing touch after eradicating all evil and all wickedness and everything that is out of place, will be the destruction of death itself, the curse the Lord God placed on all creation because of Adam. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, entropy.
Then there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth, running on a completely different basis from the Universe and the Earth we know now.
O my Father, thank You for raising Jesus from the dead, giving Him Resurrection Life, to prove that You accepted His payment in full for our sins and sinfulness. Thank You that You will also raise up all who have been born into Your family, to live in our changed bodies the Life we will be able to live in Your very presence, without being destroyed by Your Glorious Majesty.
Thank You, Father, for drawing us to Yourself, to be members of Your own family, to reign and rule with You in Your ever-expanding Kingdom throughout all Eternity, without end.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
There were some in Corinth who were materialistic and denied that we would be resurrected. So Paul goes 'round and 'round the idea of resurrection or no resurrection.
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
Vain means having no purpose. So if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we have nothing to base our faith on.
Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised.
So if there is no resurrection, then we are liars for saying that Christ was raised from the dead, if He didn't. Because if we won't, then He didn't, either.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
If God did not show His acceptance of Christ's payment for our sins by raising Him, then our sins weren't forgiven either, and we have no hope.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
And those who have already died don't have any chance at all.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
If there's nothing after this Earthly existence, then all we go through as Christians has no worth, no reward.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
But the fact is that Christ was resurrected, it's a historical event that really took place, it happened. He is the first: the first fruits were the beginning of the harvest, given back to God in thanksgiving for the rest of the whole crop that was coming. And He is the first before us, we are the crop.
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
All people who have been born from Adam will all die, everybody, the whole human race; we all will die. In the same way, everyone who has been born in Christ, all who have been born from above, through the Sacrifice Jesus paid on our behalf--receiving God's Holy Spirit of Life--will continue to live that new Life forever, even after these bodies we have now die.
But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming,
God always is orderly. Everything in its own order. Christ was resurrected first, three days after His death. The rest of us will be resurrected when He calls us out as He approaches this Earth, when the last trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ will rise out of their graves and we who are alive will also rise in the air to meet Him in the clouds, ever to live with Him.
Then He will set up His Kingdom here, in this World, and reign for a thousand years, conquering all His enemies.
then comes the end, when He hands over the Kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
God the Father put the authority over all creation into the hand of the Son, and when the Son has destroyed all the enemies of creation, He will hand it back over to God the Father.
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.
So He will rule over every part of this Earth and the whole Universe until He has cleansed it of all unrighteousness and chaos and everything that has marred its beauty. Then it will be a fit gift for His Father.
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
The final cleansing touch after eradicating all evil and all wickedness and everything that is out of place, will be the destruction of death itself, the curse the Lord God placed on all creation because of Adam. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, entropy.
Then there will be a New Heaven and a New Earth, running on a completely different basis from the Universe and the Earth we know now.
O my Father, thank You for raising Jesus from the dead, giving Him Resurrection Life, to prove that You accepted His payment in full for our sins and sinfulness. Thank You that You will also raise up all who have been born into Your family, to live in our changed bodies the Life we will be able to live in Your very presence, without being destroyed by Your Glorious Majesty.
Thank You, Father, for drawing us to Yourself, to be members of Your own family, to reign and rule with You in Your ever-expanding Kingdom throughout all Eternity, without end.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, September 9, 2019
What Is "The Gospel" Exactly?
I Corinthians 15: 1-11
Now I make known to you, brethren,
Paul is telling them something important here, in love as their brother.
the Gospel
This is literally, the "Good News"
which I preached to you,
This is the same that he had originally taught them when he first came to Corinth.
which also you received,
They listened to what he said receptively.
in which also you stand,
You are still believing that it is true, without doubting.
by which also you are saved,
This Gospel is what rescued them from the power sin had over them.
if you hold fast the Word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
If it really "worked," then they would still hold on to the Good News that Paul had preached, and it would not be "in vain," or to no purpose.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
The very first thing they needed to know and believe and trust in, as the basis of everything else in the Christian life, which also Paul had received in his own life.
This is what it is, the Good News:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
That Jesus is the perfect Personal Sacrifice, who took our place individually, as our personal sin sacrifice as laid out in Leviticus chapter one. And how the Messiah was predicted to suffer and die, as Isaiah 53 lays it all out, by crucifixion as described by David in Psalm 22. And all the other prophesies in the Old Testament Scriptures.
and that He was buried,
He was buried because He was dead. If He wasn't dead, they wouldn't have buried Him.
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Jesus was Resurrected, raised back to Life from the dead with a different kind of life than He had before, as we have now. Just like the Old Testament prophesies said that He would.
Like when Abraham received Isaac back from the dead figuratively (Hebrews 11:17-19), as he believed God would bring him back after killing him on the altar, according to what he said to the two servants with them, "the boy and I ... we will return to you" (Genesis 22:5).
And in Psalm 2:7; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10; and Hosea 6:2 God had His prophets predict that He would raise Him up in three days after suffering death.
And Jesus said that He would rise after three days, just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days (Matthew 12:40).
And to prove He was really alive:
and that He appeared to Cephas,
This is Peter, who ran to the tomb and found the wrappings just lying there empty, with no body in them (Luke 24:12; John 20:2-9).
then to the twelve.
Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29; and Acts 1:3-8 all relate how Jesus showed His disciples and other followers that He was alive after He had publicly died.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
At the time Paul was writing this letter, most of the five hundred believers who saw Him at the same time were still alive, even though some of them had died, and were current eye-witnesses to His Resurrection.
Then He appeared to James,
James was the brother of Jesus, the oldest of His four brothers, who became the Leader of the Jerusalem church. When the Angel at the tomb told the women to tell His disciples to keep the appointment He had made with them to meet in Galilee, Jesus talked to Mary Magdalene and told her to also tell His brothers to go to that meeting (Matthew 28:1-10).
Evidently His brothers did go to Galilee to that meeting along with the Apostles, and that's when they believed Him, that He really is Messiah, God's own Son, their Redeemer. Not just their "perfect" Big Brother.
then to all the Apostles;
Jesus met repeatedly with the Apostles and the rest of His disciples during the forty days He spent with them after His Resurrection until His Ascension.
and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Paul was not a believer until some time later. He was a Pharisee, who thought these followers of Jesus were fools who were poking fun at what he considered sacred, because he didn't believe Jesus fulfilled what Moses had written. Until he took that fateful journey from Jerusalem to Damascus. The story is in Acts 9:1-20, and continues through the rest of the book of Acts.
Paul considered himself as having been born "out of time," or an abortion. He may have thought that he was born too early, because he thought Jesus would come in his lifetime, and should be living in the end of the last days.
For I am the least of the Apostles, and not fit to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
He is saying that because he persecuted the church that he didn't deserve to be given the position of Apostleship.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
But God's grace is so gracious that even when we're still God's enemies, rebelling against His authority over us, as Saul of Tarsus was, He applies Jesus' Sacrifice to each of us, laying all our sins and sinfulness on Him on the Cross; and transfers His righteousness onto us in the Person of His Holy Spirit; all as His free gift.
and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
God's gift was not worthless, it accomplished the work in him God meant for it to do.
but I labored even more than all of them,
Paul says he worked harder than any of the other Apostles and disciples, and he probably did, laying the groundwork for all the church-planting all over the whole known World of his time.
yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Paul does not take the credit for all he had accomplished, because he would not have done any of it had it not for God calling him to faith, by Jesus appearing to him on that Damascus road as He did, and working His Divine work in him.
This is what God does for every person who is saved by grace, the only way to be made fit to live with God--by His free gift. And God has purpose for each of us today, too, the same as He had for Paul. We are all different, so our "mission, if we choose to accept it," is not the same as anyone else'.
Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
So no matter if it was Paul or any other of the Apostles or disciples who brought the Good News to the Corinthians, it's the Good News that God has done all the work that counts. And they believed.
O my Father, thank You for telling us all the details we need to know to put together Your great Story of Redemption. Thank You for having Paul write down for us, so that it cannot be changed, all Your Truth of how all the parts of our Salvation and Redemption fit together into one seamless, beautiful love story!
You thought it all out before You ever created, and Your Son agreed to take responsibility for Mankind, being our Lord God who gave the Law and prophesies, knowing that He would come and do all the things written down, and fulfill them. So now we don't have to bring an animal to an altar, because He finished it.
Father, You have put all creation into the hand of Your Son, and He will return to this Earth to finish all that He started, fulfilling all the rest of the prophesies and Psalms that tell of His glory.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language everywhere that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now I make known to you, brethren,
Paul is telling them something important here, in love as their brother.
the Gospel
This is literally, the "Good News"
which I preached to you,
This is the same that he had originally taught them when he first came to Corinth.
which also you received,
They listened to what he said receptively.
in which also you stand,
You are still believing that it is true, without doubting.
by which also you are saved,
This Gospel is what rescued them from the power sin had over them.
if you hold fast the Word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
If it really "worked," then they would still hold on to the Good News that Paul had preached, and it would not be "in vain," or to no purpose.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
The very first thing they needed to know and believe and trust in, as the basis of everything else in the Christian life, which also Paul had received in his own life.
This is what it is, the Good News:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
That Jesus is the perfect Personal Sacrifice, who took our place individually, as our personal sin sacrifice as laid out in Leviticus chapter one. And how the Messiah was predicted to suffer and die, as Isaiah 53 lays it all out, by crucifixion as described by David in Psalm 22. And all the other prophesies in the Old Testament Scriptures.
and that He was buried,
He was buried because He was dead. If He wasn't dead, they wouldn't have buried Him.
and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Jesus was Resurrected, raised back to Life from the dead with a different kind of life than He had before, as we have now. Just like the Old Testament prophesies said that He would.
Like when Abraham received Isaac back from the dead figuratively (Hebrews 11:17-19), as he believed God would bring him back after killing him on the altar, according to what he said to the two servants with them, "the boy and I ... we will return to you" (Genesis 22:5).
And in Psalm 2:7; Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10; and Hosea 6:2 God had His prophets predict that He would raise Him up in three days after suffering death.
And Jesus said that He would rise after three days, just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days (Matthew 12:40).
And to prove He was really alive:
and that He appeared to Cephas,
This is Peter, who ran to the tomb and found the wrappings just lying there empty, with no body in them (Luke 24:12; John 20:2-9).
then to the twelve.
Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-49; John 20:19-29; and Acts 1:3-8 all relate how Jesus showed His disciples and other followers that He was alive after He had publicly died.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;
At the time Paul was writing this letter, most of the five hundred believers who saw Him at the same time were still alive, even though some of them had died, and were current eye-witnesses to His Resurrection.
Then He appeared to James,
James was the brother of Jesus, the oldest of His four brothers, who became the Leader of the Jerusalem church. When the Angel at the tomb told the women to tell His disciples to keep the appointment He had made with them to meet in Galilee, Jesus talked to Mary Magdalene and told her to also tell His brothers to go to that meeting (Matthew 28:1-10).
Evidently His brothers did go to Galilee to that meeting along with the Apostles, and that's when they believed Him, that He really is Messiah, God's own Son, their Redeemer. Not just their "perfect" Big Brother.
then to all the Apostles;
Jesus met repeatedly with the Apostles and the rest of His disciples during the forty days He spent with them after His Resurrection until His Ascension.
and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
Paul was not a believer until some time later. He was a Pharisee, who thought these followers of Jesus were fools who were poking fun at what he considered sacred, because he didn't believe Jesus fulfilled what Moses had written. Until he took that fateful journey from Jerusalem to Damascus. The story is in Acts 9:1-20, and continues through the rest of the book of Acts.
Paul considered himself as having been born "out of time," or an abortion. He may have thought that he was born too early, because he thought Jesus would come in his lifetime, and should be living in the end of the last days.
For I am the least of the Apostles, and not fit to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
He is saying that because he persecuted the church that he didn't deserve to be given the position of Apostleship.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
But God's grace is so gracious that even when we're still God's enemies, rebelling against His authority over us, as Saul of Tarsus was, He applies Jesus' Sacrifice to each of us, laying all our sins and sinfulness on Him on the Cross; and transfers His righteousness onto us in the Person of His Holy Spirit; all as His free gift.
and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
God's gift was not worthless, it accomplished the work in him God meant for it to do.
but I labored even more than all of them,
Paul says he worked harder than any of the other Apostles and disciples, and he probably did, laying the groundwork for all the church-planting all over the whole known World of his time.
yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Paul does not take the credit for all he had accomplished, because he would not have done any of it had it not for God calling him to faith, by Jesus appearing to him on that Damascus road as He did, and working His Divine work in him.
This is what God does for every person who is saved by grace, the only way to be made fit to live with God--by His free gift. And God has purpose for each of us today, too, the same as He had for Paul. We are all different, so our "mission, if we choose to accept it," is not the same as anyone else'.
Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
So no matter if it was Paul or any other of the Apostles or disciples who brought the Good News to the Corinthians, it's the Good News that God has done all the work that counts. And they believed.
O my Father, thank You for telling us all the details we need to know to put together Your great Story of Redemption. Thank You for having Paul write down for us, so that it cannot be changed, all Your Truth of how all the parts of our Salvation and Redemption fit together into one seamless, beautiful love story!
You thought it all out before You ever created, and Your Son agreed to take responsibility for Mankind, being our Lord God who gave the Law and prophesies, knowing that He would come and do all the things written down, and fulfill them. So now we don't have to bring an animal to an altar, because He finished it.
Father, You have put all creation into the hand of Your Son, and He will return to this Earth to finish all that He started, fulfilling all the rest of the prophesies and Psalms that tell of His glory.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language everywhere that Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, September 8, 2019
The Role Of Women In The Church
I Corinthians 14: 34-40
The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak,
Women were not to take official speaking roles in the services of the church, usurping the roles of the men.
but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
The Law here must refer to Genesis 3:15, when the Lord God tells Eve that she will be under her husband's rule.
This is expressing God's order of authority, as discussed August 28, 2019, and other places.
If they desire to learn anything,
That is, if they have questions.
let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.
They are not to interrupt the service to get answers, they are to discuss these queries privately at home. Or if she has no husband, then the pastor or one of the teachers in the church. Not during the service.
Was it from you that the Word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
Paul's rhetorical questions here suggest that the Corinthians had their own customs concerning women's public speaking, and were acting independently of the other churches. They may have been presuming that the Word of God came only to them through their own prophets, so could deviate from what Paul wrote.
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.
So Paul suggests that if they think they are true prophets of God or spiritual, that they would acknowledge that God had Paul put into writing the guidelines for all the churches to follow. We are all one Universal Church and all our congregations are to be united in promoting God's order, as He had Paul lay it out for us.
But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not to be recognized.
The one who ignores this is to be ignored.
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.
So he says to still want the gifts that would profit the church the most, but don't be against any gift God would give, even the gift of tongues.
But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
Just make sure that everything done in church, for the church services, is all done in an orderly and proper manner, not allowing confusion or inappropriate behavior to bring chaos into God's church.
We think that we're so modern, and that these old-fashioned ideas are out of style for us today. But I think that is how they were thinking in Corinth. They were thinking that women were emancipated, so could override the order of authority God made mankind to operate under.
When Eve allowed herself to be deceived, she demonstrated that she needed her husband to be able to lead her aright. So God put him over her in authority, to maintain order. That has never changed.
The husbands have the position of leadership over their wives, and widows or unmaried women are under the umbrella of authority of the church. So the women are not to usurp the men in assuming speaking and teaching and preaching roles in the church. This is not being followed in many churches today.
Yes, women are emancipated today. Yes, God considers that in His family there is no more male or female, any more than there is any distinction between rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, educated and cultured or "naked savage." All are one in Christ Jesus (Colossians 3:11).
But God is still a God of order, and His order in the church is for the men to take the leadership roles of pastor and teacher over the congregation.
He's not saying that the women should be uneducated or put down in any way, but that their place in the church is to learn from the leaders, and their own husbands. And the older women are to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3-5), so they are not excluded from ministry. And in some cultures today, women are not permitted to be taught by men at all, so women need to pastor those women in those situations. They would not be usurping the men's role there. And there are very godly women today teaching other women the "deep things" of God in Ladies' Bible Studies. So we ladies can learn from both the men and the women who are gifted to teach.
So God has use for each one of us. We are all God's ministers if we are His children. We are His witnesses, and we all are to be able to give an answer to whatever question we may be asked at any time.
Where we are and who we are with will determine how our ministry will look. And we all have a ministry to others from the Lord to promote His Kingdom. That's why He left us here after saving us.
It's up to us to scatter the seed of His Word throughout the whole World, until every person alive will be able to hear His Gospel, and understand enough of how much God loves us all to be able to make an informed decision to either accept His gracious gift of Salvation or reject it.
Then the Lord will return (Matthew 24:14). And we will be rewarded for all we did to promote and grow His Kingdom, that will last forever.
O my Father, thank You for Paul. Thank You for taking Saul of Tarsis, the fiery persecutor of the Way, and transforming him into Paul the Evangelist. From tearing down the church to building it. Thank You for having him write out all these details and preserving his writings so that we could read them today and be instructed, just as the church in Corinth was taught so long ago; and the guidelines still apply to us, just as they did then for them.
Father, help us to rightly understand all these admonitions, not only for the original hearers in their culture, but also for us in our own societies today.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak,
Women were not to take official speaking roles in the services of the church, usurping the roles of the men.
but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
The Law here must refer to Genesis 3:15, when the Lord God tells Eve that she will be under her husband's rule.
This is expressing God's order of authority, as discussed August 28, 2019, and other places.
If they desire to learn anything,
That is, if they have questions.
let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.
They are not to interrupt the service to get answers, they are to discuss these queries privately at home. Or if she has no husband, then the pastor or one of the teachers in the church. Not during the service.
Was it from you that the Word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
Paul's rhetorical questions here suggest that the Corinthians had their own customs concerning women's public speaking, and were acting independently of the other churches. They may have been presuming that the Word of God came only to them through their own prophets, so could deviate from what Paul wrote.
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.
So Paul suggests that if they think they are true prophets of God or spiritual, that they would acknowledge that God had Paul put into writing the guidelines for all the churches to follow. We are all one Universal Church and all our congregations are to be united in promoting God's order, as He had Paul lay it out for us.
But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not to be recognized.
The one who ignores this is to be ignored.
Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.
So he says to still want the gifts that would profit the church the most, but don't be against any gift God would give, even the gift of tongues.
But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.
Just make sure that everything done in church, for the church services, is all done in an orderly and proper manner, not allowing confusion or inappropriate behavior to bring chaos into God's church.
We think that we're so modern, and that these old-fashioned ideas are out of style for us today. But I think that is how they were thinking in Corinth. They were thinking that women were emancipated, so could override the order of authority God made mankind to operate under.
When Eve allowed herself to be deceived, she demonstrated that she needed her husband to be able to lead her aright. So God put him over her in authority, to maintain order. That has never changed.
The husbands have the position of leadership over their wives, and widows or unmaried women are under the umbrella of authority of the church. So the women are not to usurp the men in assuming speaking and teaching and preaching roles in the church. This is not being followed in many churches today.
Yes, women are emancipated today. Yes, God considers that in His family there is no more male or female, any more than there is any distinction between rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, educated and cultured or "naked savage." All are one in Christ Jesus (Colossians 3:11).
But God is still a God of order, and His order in the church is for the men to take the leadership roles of pastor and teacher over the congregation.
He's not saying that the women should be uneducated or put down in any way, but that their place in the church is to learn from the leaders, and their own husbands. And the older women are to teach the younger women (Titus 2:3-5), so they are not excluded from ministry. And in some cultures today, women are not permitted to be taught by men at all, so women need to pastor those women in those situations. They would not be usurping the men's role there. And there are very godly women today teaching other women the "deep things" of God in Ladies' Bible Studies. So we ladies can learn from both the men and the women who are gifted to teach.
So God has use for each one of us. We are all God's ministers if we are His children. We are His witnesses, and we all are to be able to give an answer to whatever question we may be asked at any time.
Where we are and who we are with will determine how our ministry will look. And we all have a ministry to others from the Lord to promote His Kingdom. That's why He left us here after saving us.
It's up to us to scatter the seed of His Word throughout the whole World, until every person alive will be able to hear His Gospel, and understand enough of how much God loves us all to be able to make an informed decision to either accept His gracious gift of Salvation or reject it.
Then the Lord will return (Matthew 24:14). And we will be rewarded for all we did to promote and grow His Kingdom, that will last forever.
O my Father, thank You for Paul. Thank You for taking Saul of Tarsis, the fiery persecutor of the Way, and transforming him into Paul the Evangelist. From tearing down the church to building it. Thank You for having him write out all these details and preserving his writings so that we could read them today and be instructed, just as the church in Corinth was taught so long ago; and the guidelines still apply to us, just as they did then for them.
Father, help us to rightly understand all these admonitions, not only for the original hearers in their culture, but also for us in our own societies today.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, our Sovereign King, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, forever.
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Order In The Speaking In Tongues
I Corinthians 14: 1-33
I have observed great controversy in the church about the speaking in tongues. Some say that every saved person should show it by speaking in tongues. Others say that it is a gift given only to the early church, and it is not from God today.
So what does Paul say? And how does it apply to us today?
Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
Paul speaks of the gift of prophesy as being able to speak God's Word accurately, applying it to the current situation. This is a most useful and beneficial activity to build up the church. That's why he puts such emphasis on it, especially in contrast to the gift of tongues.
For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.
If someone is speaking in an unknown tongue, he's obviously not speaking to anyone who does not know what he is saying; so he's only speaking to himself, or God, who knows all languages.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
Someone expounding on God's Word is helping all the hearers by building them up, and advising or admonishing them, and comforting them.
One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.
Someone speaking in an unknown tongue is only helping himself, but the one who is teaching God's Word is helping everyone.
Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy;
Obviously not everyone had this gift of tongues in this congregation, so Paul says that he wouldn't mind if all of them had this showy gift they want, but that he would rather they all would want to help one another, instead.
and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.
More helpful and useful is the one who ministers to others than the one who just wants to help himself by showing off in an unknown tongue; the only way to make this useful is to have someone interpret that tongue, so others can benefit, too.
But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you
None at all! If you can't even understand what I'm saying!
unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophesy or of teaching?
Unless you can understand my revelation or knowledge or prophesy or teaching. These are what will help you, not just tickling your ears with some exotic language!
Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp?
For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
Even musical instruments must be played with skill and learning, or they would not be good for anything.
So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.
So if your words are foreign and not understood by the hearers, then you're only speaking into the air! Useless!
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the World, and no kind without meaning.
There are lots of different languages spoken all over the World, and every one of them is understood by the people in the area where that language is used.
If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me.
So if I don't understand what you're saying, then I would consider you to be a foreigner to me, and I will be a foreigner to you, unable to communicate at all.
So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
Since you are so eager to want to practice spiritual gifts, then decide to want the ones that will do the most good for the most people, not just yourself.
Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
So the one who has a gift of tongues should ask God to help him understand what he is saying, so that he and others will benefit by it.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
Paul says that if he prays in an unknown tongue, then it's only his spirit that is praying, and he's not benefiting at all, since it is our minds that think, and need to be renewed, so that we can learn to live better lives.
What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
The conclusion here is that he decided to pray with his mind, which will include his spirit, too, and also when he sings he will understand the meanings of the lyrics so that he will benefit by it, too.
Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?
Otherwise, no one else can agree with ("Amen") what you're praying, since he can't even understand you, and doesn't get any benefit at all.
For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.
So you may understand the wonderful prayer you just said, but you're the only one.
I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all;
Paul understood this gift well. He traveled the whole known World, spreading the Gospel to every people group he could, so he needed to preach to them in their own languages that he never had the chance to learn. So he was constantly using this tongues gift in his ministry.
however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
But when he's in church with his brothers and sisters in the Lord, he didn't want to use this tongues gift, because he wanted them to understand what he was telling them.
Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
Paul wanted these Corinthians to grow up in their faith. He didn't want them to learn all kinds of evil stuff, but all the good qualities they needed to build into their lives to be godly.
In the Law it is written,
The gift of tongues was to be able to show unbelievers the goodness of God, and the gift of prophesy was to be able to teach the believers how to grow up in the Lord.
Tongues is for unbelievers, prophesy is for the church. God's order. Not chaos.
Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?
If some stranger wanders in, he'd think you're all crazy!
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed;
How many times have you been listening to your pastor's sermon, and had the distinct feeling that he'd had your house bugged that week?
and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
That is what will draw someone toward God, and he may even be saved. Praise God!
What is the outcome then, brethren?
So what is the conclusion here?
When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.
Everybody has something to say.
Let all things be done for edification.
Do everything that will build up the church and help everyone.
If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;
If someone wants to speak in a tongue, be disciplined about it and keep order, and make sure it will help others, too, not just yourself.
but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.
If it will only help yourself, then keep it to yourself.
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.
Let those who want to teach also speak in an orderly way, and let the hearers decide how to apply it to their own thinking and living.
But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.
Then if God speaks to someone there who has been listening to the speaker, then the speaker should give him the floor.
For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;
You can all get a chance to speak and share, but do it in an orderly way, so that everyone will be heard and everyone can learn.
and the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets;
Each person has the ability to control himself.
for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
God is a God of order, and His Love put order into the chaos of creation. So to be godly is to not give in to confusion, especially in the church services.
O my Father, all Your gifts are good gifts and are beneficial for us all, both those who are Your children and those we are witnessing to, to show them how much You love them, too, and want them to come to repentance and accept Your gracious gift of Salvation.
Father, please help Your children, Your saints, to exercise the gifts You have given to each of us; to help one another, and to spread Your Good News; to grow Your Kingdom.
That we might grow up, and that the numbers will increase to the size You have determined for each congregation, to fill every seat at Your great Banquet Table and Your House will be full!
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language everywhere, that Jesus is Lord God Almighty and Sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory and praise of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I have observed great controversy in the church about the speaking in tongues. Some say that every saved person should show it by speaking in tongues. Others say that it is a gift given only to the early church, and it is not from God today.
So what does Paul say? And how does it apply to us today?
Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
Paul speaks of the gift of prophesy as being able to speak God's Word accurately, applying it to the current situation. This is a most useful and beneficial activity to build up the church. That's why he puts such emphasis on it, especially in contrast to the gift of tongues.
For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.
If someone is speaking in an unknown tongue, he's obviously not speaking to anyone who does not know what he is saying; so he's only speaking to himself, or God, who knows all languages.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
Someone expounding on God's Word is helping all the hearers by building them up, and advising or admonishing them, and comforting them.
One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.
Someone speaking in an unknown tongue is only helping himself, but the one who is teaching God's Word is helping everyone.
Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy;
Obviously not everyone had this gift of tongues in this congregation, so Paul says that he wouldn't mind if all of them had this showy gift they want, but that he would rather they all would want to help one another, instead.
and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying.
More helpful and useful is the one who ministers to others than the one who just wants to help himself by showing off in an unknown tongue; the only way to make this useful is to have someone interpret that tongue, so others can benefit, too.
But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you
None at all! If you can't even understand what I'm saying!
unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophesy or of teaching?
Unless you can understand my revelation or knowledge or prophesy or teaching. These are what will help you, not just tickling your ears with some exotic language!
Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp?
For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?
Even musical instruments must be played with skill and learning, or they would not be good for anything.
So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.
So if your words are foreign and not understood by the hearers, then you're only speaking into the air! Useless!
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the World, and no kind without meaning.
There are lots of different languages spoken all over the World, and every one of them is understood by the people in the area where that language is used.
If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me.
So if I don't understand what you're saying, then I would consider you to be a foreigner to me, and I will be a foreigner to you, unable to communicate at all.
So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
Since you are so eager to want to practice spiritual gifts, then decide to want the ones that will do the most good for the most people, not just yourself.
Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.
So the one who has a gift of tongues should ask God to help him understand what he is saying, so that he and others will benefit by it.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
Paul says that if he prays in an unknown tongue, then it's only his spirit that is praying, and he's not benefiting at all, since it is our minds that think, and need to be renewed, so that we can learn to live better lives.
What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.
The conclusion here is that he decided to pray with his mind, which will include his spirit, too, and also when he sings he will understand the meanings of the lyrics so that he will benefit by it, too.
Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?
Otherwise, no one else can agree with ("Amen") what you're praying, since he can't even understand you, and doesn't get any benefit at all.
For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.
So you may understand the wonderful prayer you just said, but you're the only one.
I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all;
Paul understood this gift well. He traveled the whole known World, spreading the Gospel to every people group he could, so he needed to preach to them in their own languages that he never had the chance to learn. So he was constantly using this tongues gift in his ministry.
however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.
But when he's in church with his brothers and sisters in the Lord, he didn't want to use this tongues gift, because he wanted them to understand what he was telling them.
Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
Paul wanted these Corinthians to grow up in their faith. He didn't want them to learn all kinds of evil stuff, but all the good qualities they needed to build into their lives to be godly.
In the Law it is written,
By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me, says the Lord (Isaiah 28:11).So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe.
The gift of tongues was to be able to show unbelievers the goodness of God, and the gift of prophesy was to be able to teach the believers how to grow up in the Lord.
Tongues is for unbelievers, prophesy is for the church. God's order. Not chaos.
Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?
If some stranger wanders in, he'd think you're all crazy!
But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed;
How many times have you been listening to your pastor's sermon, and had the distinct feeling that he'd had your house bugged that week?
and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.
That is what will draw someone toward God, and he may even be saved. Praise God!
What is the outcome then, brethren?
So what is the conclusion here?
When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.
Everybody has something to say.
Let all things be done for edification.
Do everything that will build up the church and help everyone.
If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret;
If someone wants to speak in a tongue, be disciplined about it and keep order, and make sure it will help others, too, not just yourself.
but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God.
If it will only help yourself, then keep it to yourself.
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.
Let those who want to teach also speak in an orderly way, and let the hearers decide how to apply it to their own thinking and living.
But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent.
Then if God speaks to someone there who has been listening to the speaker, then the speaker should give him the floor.
For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;
You can all get a chance to speak and share, but do it in an orderly way, so that everyone will be heard and everyone can learn.
and the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets;
Each person has the ability to control himself.
for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
God is a God of order, and His Love put order into the chaos of creation. So to be godly is to not give in to confusion, especially in the church services.
O my Father, all Your gifts are good gifts and are beneficial for us all, both those who are Your children and those we are witnessing to, to show them how much You love them, too, and want them to come to repentance and accept Your gracious gift of Salvation.
Father, please help Your children, Your saints, to exercise the gifts You have given to each of us; to help one another, and to spread Your Good News; to grow Your Kingdom.
That we might grow up, and that the numbers will increase to the size You have determined for each congregation, to fill every seat at Your great Banquet Table and Your House will be full!
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim in every language everywhere, that Jesus is Lord God Almighty and Sovereign King of the Universe, to the glory and praise of Almighty God the Father!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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