5.04.2009

Say what?

Darin and I have some wonderful friends in Kentucky and we have attended their church during weekend visits on several occasions.  We have experienced prophecy beyond preaching and teaching and have been called out as direct receivers of a specific message.  I have to admit, it was a little out of our comfort zone!  However, on every occasion I wanted to pull out my Bible and read today's chapter out loud--throughout the service there are always at least 10 people speaking in tongue and at several points in the service, up to 30 or 40 voices can be heard. About this time Darin's ADD kicks in!

All joking aside, it was always so distracting.  And, we would get slightly amused at how everyone was seemingly unaware of each other and everyone talking, but no one interpreting. Every once in a while, there would be a lull, and 2 people would stand together, one speaking and one interpreting.  Admittedly, this was still strange to us as neither Darin nor I grew up in a church where tongues and interpretation were part of the service.  However, my Spirit always had a very different response when there was interpretation as opposed to the chaos that seemed to ensue most of the time.  

What I love about Paul's writings today is that they talk of how the speaking of tongue is an intimate prayer language with God.  Isn't that just beautiful?  I have never received the gift of tongues, but I do have friends who have shared with me experiences when they were so deeply entrenched in prayer that they have begun communicating in Spirit through a language they did not recognize.  Now that's cool!  

I have always believed, based on this passage, that public speaking of tongues should ALWAYS be paired with interpretation.  I also believe that the gift of tongues is a gift from God and has great purpose within prayer.  But, I also pulled something new out of this passage today:  while he is clearly giving some direction, instruction, and boundaries to speaking in tongue, the flip side of that is presenting God's truth in every service.  Again, I have attended services at other churches before and walked away wondering what an unbeliever could possibly have gained from that message.  I am thankful for MMCC and the Truth that is always spoken in a manner that reaches the unbelievers where they are but encourages and pushes the believer as well.  It was just a good reminder to me that all we do on Sunday morning to make service enticing to the children is important, but none more than presenting Biblical Truth.  That should be and is our number goal.


3 comments:

  1. Let me edit that last line, please..."That should be and is our number one goal"

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  2. Oh, and I was so excited toe see a comment! Cute title!
    Everything is in such a balance. I believe only the Lord can lead us in that balance. I was at a conference this weekend where they pointed out that knowledge is referred to a lot more often in the Bible than faith. Maybe, but I know Jesus emphasized faith a lot. Another note from my Bible.... "There is a proper place for the intellect in Christianity. In praying and singing, both the mind and the spirit are to be fully engaged. When we sing, we can also think about the meaning of the words. When we pour out our feelings to God in prayer, we can not turn off our capacity to think. True Christianity is neither barren intellectualism nor thoughtless emotionalism."
    Lori, I was really hoping you would tackle the women in the church part. We have a friend that wrote a book on the subject. I'll share the note on that issue, too.
    "Does this mean that women should not speak in church services today? It's clear from 11:5 that women prayed and prophesied in public worship. It is also clear in chapters 12-14 that women are given spiritual gifts and are encouraged to exercise them in the body of Christ. Women have much to contribute and can participate in worship services.
    In the Corinthian culture, women were not allowed to confront men in public. Apparently some of the women who had become Christians thought that their Christian 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 service. Paul was asking the women not to flaunt their Christian freedom during worship. The purpose of Paul's words was to promote unity, not to teach about women's roles in the church."
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe in those days based on their old synagogue traditions that the men and women sat separate. So, she couldn't just ask her husband a question quietly.

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  3. I agree. I wasn't trying to avoid it; I was just really sick and got tired of thinking and typing. So, thanks for going there for me. I know it's just an interpretation, but I think The Message really brings out your point to these verses--you can read that version on Crosswalk.com.

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