Exercising Spiritual Gifts in Order, Rev Dr John Kwasi Fosu
Introduction
This study of 1 Cor. 14:26-40 focuses on Paul’s instructions on exercising spiritual gifts in discipline and order.
The discipline of exercising spiritual gifts to benefit others (1 Cor. 14:26:28)
Everything done in worship services must be beneficial to the worshippers. This principle touches every aspect of the Church’s worship: singing, preaching, and the exercise of spiritual gifts. Those contributing to the service must have love as their chief motivation, speaking useful words or participating in a way that will strengthen the faith of other believers. Tongues are not to be used in worship without interpretation. Only two or three are to speak, and they must be in order.
The discipline of discerning true spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:29-33)
With particular attention to the charisma of prophecy, two or three prophets are to speak and the others are to test their messages to see if they come from God (Note the gift of “discerning of spirits” in 12:10. See 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). Speakers are to edify the church and maintain proper order. If a speaker becomes incoherent it is proof that the Spirit is not speaking. When the Spirit is at work, there is self-control.
The discipline of exercising spiritual gifts in unity (1 Cor. 14 34-35)
Paul relates these verses to 11:5 and 1 Timothy 2:12. It seems that the women were abusing their gifts while praying and prophesying in public worship. Paul does not say that women have no spiritual gifts.
In the Corinthian culture, women were not allowed to confront men in public. Perhaps some of the women who had become believers thought that their freedom gave them the right to question the men in public worship. This was causing division in the church. In addition, women of that day did not receive formal religious education, as did the men. Women may have been raising questions in the worship services that could have been answered at home without disrupting the services. Paul was cautioning the women about the exercise of their freedom during worship. The purpose of Paul’s words was to promote unity, not to teach about women’s roles in the church. He teaches that both men and women if acting out of place in the church, tear down the church instead of building it up.
The discipline of obedience to the Word in exercising spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:36-40)
“If any of you are spiritual,” says Paul, “you will prove it obeying the Word of God!” The Spirit of God never works apart from or contrary to the Word of God. Nowhere is this principle needed more than in the area of spiritual gifts. We cannot be guided somebody’s subjective emotional experience, but we can be guided the unchanging objective Word of God.
Conclusion
Certain principles can be deduced from our studies of 1 Cor. 12-14. In exercising spiritual gifts in the worshipping context, it is worthy of note that teaching and preaching of the Word takes precedence over everything else. Also, exercising spiritual gifts must aim at building up the body of Christ, and it should be nothing that would hurt the testimony before unbelievers. Moreover, there must always be self-control. Next, everything must be done “decently and in order,” following the Word of God. Last but not least, there must be understanding before there can be a blessing.
It is evident from Scripture that there was an informality about the meetings of the early church. We must avoid formality on one hand and fanaticism on the other. A planned service is not an unspiritual service, for the same Spirit can lead in the planning beforehand just as He can lead in the service itself. But even in a planned service, we must make room for the Spirit to lead, lest we grieve Him.
