14Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth.G1377G26G1161G2206G4152G1161G3123G2443G4395 2If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him.G1063G2980G1100G2980G3756G444G235G2316G1063G3762G191G1161G4151G2980G3466 3But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you're letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.G1161G4395G2980G444G3619G2532G3874G2532G3889 4The one who prays using a private "prayer language" certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God's truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength.G2980G1100G3618G1438G1161G4395G3618G1577 5I want all of you to develop intimacies with God in prayer, but please don't stop with that. Go on and proclaim his clear truth to others. It's more important that everyone have access to the knowledge and love of God in language everyone understands than that you go off and cultivate God's presence in a mysterious prayer language—unless, of course, there is someone who can interpret what you are saying for the benefit of all.G1161G2309G5209G3956G2980G1100G1161G3123G2443G4395G1063G3187G4395G2228G2980G1100G1622G1508G1329G2443G1577G2983G3619 6Think, friends: If I come to you and all I do is pray privately to God in a way only he can understand, what are you going to get out of that? If I don't address you plainly with some insight or truth or proclamation or teaching, what help am I to you?G1161G3570G80G1437G2064G4314G5209G2980G1100G5101G5623G5209G3362G2980G5213G2228G1722G602G2228G1722G1108G2228G1722G4394G2228G1722G1322 7If musical instruments—flutes, say, or harps—aren't played so that each note is distinct and in tune, how will anyone be able to catch the melody and enjoy the music?G3676G895G1325G5456G1535G836G1535G2788G3362G1325G1293G5353G4459G1097G832G2228G2789 8If the trumpet call can't be distinguished, will anyone show up for the battle?G1063G2532G1437G4536G1325G82G5456G5101G3903G1519G4171 9So if you speak in a way no one can understand, what's the point of opening your mouth?G3779G2532G5210G3362G1325G1223G1100G3056G2154G4459G1097G2980G1063G2071G2980G1519G109 10There are many languages in the world and they all mean something to someone.G1487G2076G5177G5118G1085G5456G1722G2889G2532G3762G880G846 11But if I don't understand the language, it's not going to do me much good.G3767G3362G1492G3362G1411G5456G2071G2980G915G2532G2980G915G1722G1698 12It's no different with you. Since you're so eager to participate in what God is doing, why don't you concentrate on doing what helps everyone in the church?G2532G3779G5210G1893G2075G2207G4151G2212G2443G4052G4314G3619G1577 13So, when you pray in your private prayer language, don't hoard the experience for yourself. Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy.G1355G2980G1100G4336G2443G1329 14If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays but my mind lies fallow, and all that intelligence is wasted.G1063G1437G4336G1100G3450G4151G4336G1161G3450G3563G2076G175 15So what's the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray. I should sing with my spirit, and sing with my mind.G5101G2076G3767G4336G4151G1161G4336G3563G2532G5567G4151G1161G5567G3563G2532 16If you give a blessing using your private prayer language, which no one else understands, how can some outsider who has just shown up and has no idea what's going on know when to say "Amen"?G1893G1437G2127G4151G4459G378G5117G2399G2046G281G1909G4674G2169G1894G1492G3756G5101G3004 17Your blessing might be beautiful, but you have very effectively cut that person out of it.G1063G4771G3303G2168G2573G235G2087G3618G3756G3618 18I'm grateful to God for the gift of praying in tongues that he gives us for praising him, which leads to wonderful intimacies we enjoy with him. I enter into this as much or more than any of you.G2168G3450G2316G2980G1100G3123G5216G3956 19But when I'm in a church assembled for worship, I'd rather say five words that everyone can understand and learn from than say ten thousand that sound to others like gibberish.G235G1722G1577G2309G2980G4002G3056G1223G3450G3563G2443G2727G243G2532G2228G3463G3056G1722G1100 20To be perfectly frank, I'm getting exasperated with your infantile thinking. How long before you grow up and use your head—your adult head? It's all right to have a childlike unfamiliarity with evil; a simple no is all that's needed there. But there's far more to saying yes to something. Only mature and well-exercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullibility.G80G1096G3361G3813G5424G235G2549G3515G1161G5424G1096G5046 21It's written in Scripture that God said, In strange tongues and from the mouths of strangers I will preach to this people, but they'll neither listen nor believe.G1722G3551G1125G3754G1722G2084G2532G1722G2087G5491G2980G5129G2992G2532G3779G1522G3761G1522G3450G3004G2962 22So where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues no one understands? It doesn't help believers, and it only gives unbelievers something to gawk at. Plain truth-speaking, on the other hand, goes straight to the heart of believers and doesn't get in the way of unbelievers.G5620G1100G1526G1519G4592G3756G4100G235G571G1161G4394G3756G571G235G4100 23If you come together as a congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as you're all praying in tongues, unintelligible to each other and to them, won't they assume you've taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as they can?G1437G3767G3650G1577G4905G1909G846G2532G3956G2980G1100G1161G1525G2399G2228G571G2046G3756G2046G3754G3105 24But if some unbelieving outsiders walk in on a service where people are speaking out God's truth, the plain words will bring them up against the truthG1161G1437G3956G4395G1161G1525G5100G571G2228G2399G1651G5259G3956G350G5259G3956 25and probe their hearts. Before you know it, they're going to be on their faces before God, recognizing that God is among you.G2532G3779G1096G2927G846G2588G1096G5318G2532G3779G4098G1909G4383G4352G2316G518G3754G2316G2076G1722G5213G3689 26So here's what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight.G5101G2076G3767G80G3752G4905G1538G5216G2192G5568G2192G1322G2192G1100G2192G602G2192G2058G1096G3956G1096G4314G3619 27If prayers are offered in tongues, two or three's the limit, and then only if someone is present who can interpret what you're saying.G1535G5100G2980G1100G2596G1417G2228G4118G5140G2532G303G3313G2532G1329G1520G1329 28Otherwise, keep it between God and yourself.G1161G3362G5600G3362G1328G4601G1722G1577G1161G2980G1438G2532G2316 29And no more than two or three speakers at a meeting, with the rest of you listening and taking it to heart.G1161G2980G4396G2980G1417G2228G5140G2532G1252G243G1252 30Take your turn, no one person taking over.G1161G1437G601G243G2521G4601G4413G4601 31Then each speaker gets a chance to say something special from God, and you all learn from each other.G1063G1410G3956G4395G2596G1520G2443G3956G3129G2532G3956G3870 32If you choose to speak, you're also responsible for how and when you speak.G2532G4151G4396G5293G4396 33When we worship the right way, God doesn't stir us up into confusion; he brings us into harmony. This goes for all the churches—no exceptions.G1063G2316G2076G3756G181G235G1515G5613G1722G3956G1577G40 34Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening,G4601G5216G1135G4601G1722G1577G1063G2010G3756G2010G846G2980G235G5293G2531G2532G3004G3551 35asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God's Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking.G1161G1487G2309G3129G5100G1905G2398G435G1722G3624G1063G2076G149G1135G2980G1722G1577 36Do you—both women and men—imagine that you're a sacred oracle determining what's right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?G2228G1831G3056G2316G1831G575G5216G2228G2658G1519G5209G3441 37If any one of you thinks God has something for you to say or has inspired you to do something, pay close attention to what I have written. This is the way the Master wants it.G1536G1380G1511G4396G2228G4152G1921G3754G3739G1125G5213G1526G1785G2962 38If you won't play by these rules, God can't use you. Sorry.G1161G1536G50G50 39Three things, then, to sum this up: When you speak forth God's truth, speak your heart out. Don't tell people how they should or shouldn't pray when they're praying in tongues that you don't understand.G5620G80G2206G4395G2532G2967G3361G2980G1100 40Be courteous and considerate in everything.G1096G3956G1096G2156G2532G2596G5010
Dublin, OH
