PROCEDURES and LIMITATIONS
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. But if there be no interpreter, let
him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to
himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or
three, and let the other judge. If any thing be re-
vealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his
peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all
may learn, and all may be comforted (I Cor. 14:27-3-
1).
After Paul lists the contributions each person may make for the edifying of
the body, he places limitations upon certain speakings and gives guidelines for
their use. Paul places limitations on tongues and, therefore, interpretation, and he
limits the number of prophets who may speak in a service. However, he does not
limit the number who may prophesy with the gift of prophecy.
Paul puts a limitation on the number of people who speak with tongues in a
meeting:
If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by
two, or at the most by three (I Cor. 14:27).
Paul puts a limitation on the number of prophets who should speak in a
meeting:
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the
other judge (I Cor. 14:29).
However, Paul does not place a limitation on the number of persons
who may exercise the gift of prophesy:
For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may
learn, and all may be comforted (I Cor. 14:31).
There is no limitation on the spiritual gift of prophecy, only on speaking in
tongues (with or without interpretation) and prophets.
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 (I Cor. 14:27).
Here, Paul is establishing a proper order for the manifestation of the gift of
tongues. If any speak in tongues, the speaking should be limited to two, or at the
most, three, and that by course, or one after the other, not all speaking at once.
One may speak, another may speak, or a third may speak, one after another, and
one should interpret. But if there is no interpretation after each or any of the
utterances in tongues, then a person should keep silence in the church and speak
(quietly) to himself and unto God. These are the guidelines that the Apostle Paul
gave concerning the manifestation of the gift of tongues.
Paul says that when you are taking up the time of God's people, you should
be considerate of them. For you to speak in tongues while people just sit there is
not appropriate. If there is not an interpretation, then you should sit down and be
quiet and talk to yourself and unto God for your edification. But remember Paul
does not forbid to speak in tongues. He only provides guidelines for your speaking
out in a meeting.
It is worth noting that Paul only suggests limitations for the two more
sensational types of utterances, speaking in tongues and the message of the
prophets. In considering this I asked myself the question, "Why would we need
more than three prophetic messages, or why would we need more than three
speakers in tongues in a given meeting? If speaking in tongues is to God for
prayer and praise, then why would we need more than three, especially when it is
essential that the teaching and preaching of the Word of God go forth. Or, how
many direct revelations of the will of God given by the prophets are we able to
comprehend in any one service?
I believe one of the reasons the Apostle Paul established these guidelines in
the Corinthian Church was to reduce the temptation for the tongues-speakers and
the prophets to compete with each other. Prophets should not get into the
business of trying to out-prophesy one another and those who speak in tongues
should not try to demonstrate their spirituality by much tongues-speaking.
Therefore, Paul put limits on tongues and on the prophets but he does not limit the
simple gift or manifestation of prophecy.
ALL MAY PROPHESY ONE BY ONE
Ye may all prophecy one by one, that all may learn,
and all may be comforted (I Cor. 14:31).
Paul does not limit the gift of prophecy because the church needs all of the
edification, exhortation, and comfort that it may receive, "that all may learn, and
all may be comforted."
RESPECT FOR OTHERS
If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let
the first hold his peace (I Cor. 14:30).
This is an interesting scripture. Paul states that if a person is ministering
and God reveals something to another person, the first person must hold his
peace, while the second person assumes responsibility for the service. If the Spirit
moves on someone to minister when someone else is ministering, the Spirit is
saying that the second person has a fresh revelation from the God which super-
sedes the manifestation that the Spirit gave to the first person. Thus, the first
person should be quiet and allow the second person to minister. The service and
its continuance become the responsibility of the second person because God has
revealed something to him and he must manifest it to the church. However, a
person who assumes the responsibility of "replacing" his brother must recognize
that LOVE does not "behave itself unseemly" and the Spirit will not force anyone
to manifest any gift.
THE SPIRIT OF THE PROPHET IS SUBJECT TO
THE PROPHET
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets (I Cor. 14:32).
In light of the above discussion, this is a pivotal verse. The spirit of the
prophet, and I might add, the spirit of every child of God, is subject to him. We
have control over and, therefore, are responsible for our actions. Our spirits are
subject to us. The Holy Spirit is always a gentleman, and we need to operate in
love, always asking ourselves why we wish to do something. If it is not in love,
then we should not speak or act, because God is not the author of confusion.
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