1 Corinthians 14:27

[RobSav]

Hi,

Why don't [most] Penecostals obey 1 Corinthians 14:27? I attended a Pentecostal church myself for a few years, but never got a solid explaination.

 

[superdave]

I really don't have a solid answer but I think that pertains to when you are sharing infront of the church. I mumble in tongues when I pray in church- during the service but I don't scream it... inlest if the whole room can speak in tongues. That verse is guidelines for government in the church. I think that it is important when you deliver a corporate word in a tongue- that you make sure you have an interperter. I have only been in a AG church a couple of times- And I sometimes wondered why they were yelling in tongues- but they are worshiping God, and I have no problem with that.

Bless them for what they are doing!!!!- We both are advancing God's kingdom and administrating the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ!

 

[SUNSTONE]

I agree

Basicly that type of tongues is for translation. But what you are hearing in the church, is praying in the spirit.

 

[Andrew]

I think the key is in the earlier v21:

21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.

So the tongues spoken of here and being regulated is "public tongues" ie tongues where God has a message for the congregation (I will speak unto these people), which wld then require interpretation.

This gels with "27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret."

Probably, what was happening in the Corinth church was that as the preacher was preaching, people wld just stand up and speak loudly in tongues, interrupting the speaker and causing confusion. Worse still, no interpretation.

In my church for eg, if my Pastor were preaching and someone suddenly just stood up and spoke loudly in tongues, he wld be told to keep quiet and sit down. This is becos it does not make sense for the Holy Spirit to annoint the Preacher and speak thru him only to interrupt Himself by interrupting the preacher. Unless, of cse, the preacher is not being annointed and is preaching unscriptural stuff. Then perhaps God wld interrupt him!

I also think that the essence of what Paul is trying to teach is order not chaos in church. So, even if the worship leader leads everyone into singing in tongues, it is not chaos -- becos everyone is doing it and no one is sticking out like a sore thumb and causing a distraction. Likewise when the leader tells everyone to start praising God in tongues. Note this is praise and singing in tongues, where the person is speaking directly to God. It is not message tongues from God that needs to be interpreted. This happens only when the Spirit wills.

 

[RobSav]

What about never more than 4 at a time and never without an interpretation? What doesn't bother me is tongues, nor is it the manifestation of the holy spirit; what bothers me is when you attend a mega church to see the entire denomination speaking in tongues, where the pastor says if you have a problem with it "that just shows me you don't pray enough". I went to Living Word church in Minneapolis and that's precisely what happened.

Oh well I guess I'm being a bit unfair for ranting, you can't label them all I suppose.

 

[Andrew]

"that just shows me you don't pray enough".

that's a rather insensitive and ridiculous comment. Are you sure he want joking?

But I think you still missed my point. If in a big church during service everyone starts speaking in tongues, it is done becos

1. The leader tells them to do it, be it the worship leader or the Pastor.

2. This happens for prayer and singing or praising.

Everyone can pray, sing or praise "in one accord" as in Acts. There is no chaos or disorder, just like there is no chaos or disorder when everyone stands up to say the Lord's prayer or to sing Amazing grace.

Anyway, that the way I understnd it from my church (we're charismatic but not Pentecostal)

 

[superdave]

I don't know... I feel really weird when someone forces the gifts- because it doesn't seem like God led it... you know? If a guy comes up and says, "Everyone pray in tongues..." What if I am not in the mood to do that? What if I am in the mood to stand still in the prescence of God? But yet, If someone came up and said, The Holy Spirit says we all need to pray in tongues- will you join in and agree with what the spirit is saying, I will do it. Because it's from authority.

 

[Andrew]

I don't know... I feel really weird when someone forces the gifts- because it doesn't seem like God led it... you know? If a guy comes up and says, "Everyone pray in tongues..." What if I am not in the mood to do that?

That's where you have to trust your leadership. So you attend a church where you believe your leaders are annointed and hence you submit and trust God to use them. Anyway, there is no forcing. You dont expect the leader to go around asking everyone if he wld like to sing in tongues right?

Just like when the worship leader says, "Let's now sing hymn no 33, Amazing Grace." If 3 or 4 persons in the congregation dont want to sing that song for whatever reasons, then should the leader accommodate them and ask them what they wld like to do instead? So who's the leader God has appointed?

 

[Shannonkish]

What a lot of people don't understand is there is 2 category's of tounges...

There is the gift of tounges.. which this passage talks about... in that it is used for the edification of the church... and MUST have an interpeter..

Then there is praying in tounges. I pray in tounges... this is for my edification.. to life me up... and does not need an interperter.

 

[hal]

I have found that many people have been "turned off" by imature, overly emotional charismatics. One thoughtless or wrong remark is all it took. It is the case of the old saying, "throwing the baby out with the bathwater. But alas it works.
I try to get them to go directly to Jesus for their source. I like leading them through John 7:37-39.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

We are to offer up praise and worship to according to what is pleasing to Him not what is in accordance with our moods and feelings.

According to Romans 8:9 "we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit", and the Sprit is always willing to praise and worship. The spirit is always, ready and waiting to make intercession for us (Romans 8:26-28)

According to 1 Cor 14:31 "you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be incouraged." Before that in verse 26 Paul says, "each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretaiton."

Then after saying that he begins to instruct on how all may operate in what they have.

Verese 27: "If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three" I believe that is limiting any "one" person from doing all the tongues. And they are instructed to allow interpretation to come forth before proceeding on to the next person with a tongue.

However, if a tongue is given and there is no known interpreter, then the one giving the tongue should be prepared to do or remain silent (verse 28).

I agree, that a lot of Penticostal churches do not give proper training in this area. Fortunately, I grew up in a church that did but even then, until I started to operate in this gifting myself, I learned a lot as I stepped out.

 

[obediah001]

personally I dont even want to speak in tounges; I got a big enough problem wit hthe one I got now.