Paul speaks here about his desire for order in the church regarding the use of speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is rarely discussed in main line denominations, and when it is discusses we often produce more heat than light around the subject.
Paul is not speaking against the practice here, in fact he says he speaks in tongues more than any, but instead wants to bring some clarity to proper use of this gift. I have been involved in fellowships where tongues were spoken and it can put people off. Have you had any experience with this gift and the exercise of speaking in tongues?
Next Paul speaks about the order of worship in the church - "What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged." 1Cor. 14:26-31 NRSV. I like the idea of each one coming to worship with something to share - a hymn or a word from the Lord. I imagine if this were literally followed worship would take hours. I wonder how they handled it.
As Paul moves on to forbid women speaking in church I get confused. This mandate goes against my reason, other scripture, our tradition, and my experience. I was raised in a church with a woman pastor who was gifted and dearly loved. I am proud of the Methodist tradition of ordaining women and I see great gifts and talents exercised by women in our churches around the globe! In chapter 11 of this letter, Paul instructs women on how they should wear their hair when they pray or prophesy in church, and Paul writes in Galatians, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 NRSV. It seems if he is concerned about how women wear there hair when they prophesy and he says there is no longer a distinction between male and female when we are in Christ, this prohibition makes no sense.
How do you deal with this prohibition from Paul in your church tradition? Are women silenced in your church, or are they treated as equals? if God has given a person a gift for a task, could God really mean for them to be forbidden to exercise that gift?
About Me
- Pastor Bill
- I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ, a happy husband, father and grandfather!
5 comments:
Here we are again, talking about the bible. IT’S SO GREAT!
Speaking in tongues – yeah, that’s pretty wild. I’d love to do it. I think about that a lot when I think of Acts 2 and the coming of the Holy Spirit and everyone begins to speak in crazy languages but yet they understand each other! In college, I am studying to be a teacher of English as a Second Language – so I have a good idea of what it’s like to try to learn another language. What an incredible gift to have it just like :::that:::.
I can see how this must have really been an issue for people coming to the church that were new, so it’s not wonder they tried to limit it, especially if no one was translating.
My fellow Young Life Leaders have tried to bring kids to church with them on Sundays, and they say that no one ever speaks in tongues, then the day they bring a new kid someone gets up and does it! It’s one of the hardest things to explain to a new believer, and it in fact scares them away sometimes. As a believer and follower of Jesus, I think it’d be awesome…but we have to be conscious.
The creating a service by sharing thing sounds pretty awesome. We do that at YL sometimes. Don’t we always have something to share if we’re remaining in HIM? There’s so much to know and say with Jesus, so it’s crazy to think that we would ever come together and not have something to say. If we were all reading different things, there’d be even more. There’s not a time where I’m reading the Bible where I don’t have a thought about something.
This is what you guys do up there when you meet for breakfast and bible study and stuff, right?
Women are smarter than men in many regards. We couldn’t survive without them. What’s the deal with not letting them speak?
“She’s all I see between the Devil and Me” (Alan Jackson Song)
I agree with Paul in Galatians, not with these verses here. He must have had a reason to say it though, right?
Thanks for everything guys!
15.5! :-O!
Love Marsh
Hey Marshall -
Thans for you comments and your faithfulness - I was pulling 0's without you!
Some theologians say that Paul was addressing a specific problem in Corinth when he wrote the prohibitions on women speaking, and that he wasn't making a blanket rule for the church. If that is true, I wish he would have said so!
2 weks to go - hang in there friend!
Bill
I can't help but find the commentary about tongues a little amusing, with Paul's remarks that tongues are all very well, but only if someone can actually understand them.
Of course, I bristle at the verses about women in churches. But, obviously, I haven't let it hold me back ;)
Yeah, the speaking in tongues commentary is very interesting - what he's speaking of not doing is usually how it works, isn't it?
I'm glad you didn't let the women comments hold you back. What you do in the church and with the blogger is awesome. It was a different time back then, so you take those things with a grain of salt of course. Thanks for keeping up. God bless!
Marshall
Thanks for the kind words Marshall!
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