Therefore if the
whole Church comes together
in one place, and all
speak with tongues,
and there come in
those who are uninformed
or unbelievers, will
they not say that you
are out of your mind?
But if all prophesy,
and an unbeliever
or an uninformed
person comes in,
he is convinced by
all, he is convicted by all.
And thus the secrets
of his heart are revealed;
and so, falling down
on his face, he will worship
God and report that
God is truly among you.
1 Corinthians 14: 23
-- 25
What do you
think? What do you think about an
unbeliever who should enter into your congregation, and find a person talking
to the congregation in a language, that none of them understood? Would it not make him suppose, if you were
one of those doing such a thing, rather mad than inspired? But if he should hear any of your teachers
expounding, then a different effect might be produced. He might see his error; his conscience might
take alarm; and falling down on his knees he might worship God among you. The apostle Paul does not forbid the praying
or singing when a person has a spiritual gift to communicate, and yet Paul would
have them exercise that gift so that others may join them: "Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who
occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of
thanks, since he does not understand what you say" (1 Corinthians 14:)? Furthermore, how could the people in the
congregation hearing such unintelligible sounds declare their consent? When we say at the end of a prayer, or we joined
with the one praying who says that word, then we are consenting and agreeing
with what that person is saying when he says "Amen" and that word
means "so be it, God grant the thing that was requested or we join in the
confession of sin, and in the acknowledgment of Divine Mercy and
favors." If then we don't
understand what was said how can we agree?
We cannot! It is unintelligible! God is not a God of confusion! So many people claiming to be Christian, and
I am not here talking about their salvation rather their Christianity, hold so
highly to have such a gift that is not edifying the Church nor intelligible nor
addressing what needs to be addressed to unbelievers or those who were
uninformed? There is such a fondness
could have these gifts and to display such gifts when in many cases those
looking in on such antics as being displayed thinking that those doing such
things are "mad, insane." How
was this furthering the Gospel? It is
not! Are we not the ambassadors for
Christ and as an ambassador we are to be speaking the truth and that truth is
the simple gospel of Jesus Christ. If
you are truly a Christian minister, an ambassador, a citizen of the eternal
home prepared for you, then you will value what God has done for you through
Jesus Christ. You will value what God
has given you much more than doing a small spiritual good to men's souls,
rather than trying to find some sort of approval that is only an attempt to
bring upon you some sort of commendation for yourself. Rather we must find our approval as a
servant of Jesus Christ. When we are
not following the truth then we are trusting in our human nature. Jesus Christ never agreed to accept human nature for human nature is sinful, but by His acceptance or agreement that human nature exists He was not cynical, suspicious, and the reason for this was because He
knew what he could do for human nature.
Now you know also what you can do for human nature: edify another person
by teaching and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ so that those who are
hearing upon this see the error of their ways and turn their lives to become
the image of Jesus Christ. That is your
and mine work! Why do you think God
left you here on the earth? To become
successful? To become some sort of
celebrity? Why did not God just take
you to heaven the minute you converted to Jesus Christ since that is where you
are going when you die? It is because
you are His hands and feet to bring the gospel to those to whom He had chosen
to be with Him for eternity. When we
grow from innocence, that is as children innocent, and began taking in
that which a mature person intakes as one grows in their sanctification, they
take this knowledge and apply it to their virtue. God does not demand us to do those things which He has not
commanded and the command of God is that his children be pure and virtuous. It is sin that causes us to desire things
that make us feel virtuous or religious or somehow approved by God and we who
are sinners must be reconciled to this one fact: we are sinners and sin is in
the world. We are to be salt and
a light to the world! And yet, if we
are not displaying what God has given to us through His Son and the atonement
then how can the unbeliever or the uninformed or be edified? When we were a babe we thought as a babe,
but when we grew up then we do those things that a mature person does, and
in this case it is to be a witness for Jesus Christ: first and foremost! The Ministry given to Christians was not
instituted to make ostentation of gifts and parts, rather to save souls. Now while religious ordinances should be
directed for the edification of believers, yet we must take care to not send
away those who are just occasional hearers and are confirmed in their
prejudiced against truth and always say or ridicule their beliefs. We are to speak the word of God both to
their understanding and their affections, and with close application to their
conscience, so that very secrets of their heart are exposed and disclosed
by the preaching and teaching of God's Word.
Now they will truthfully join the worship that they once despised. Hallelujah!
Praise God for allowing us to participate in this grand scheme of God!
If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
or if you
have devised the evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
Proverbs 30: 32
Be reconciled to God
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