Building Healthy Church Communities Part 18

Welcome back to Growing Healthy Church Communities! Today, we’re considering 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul gives clear guidance on spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy and speaking in tongues, and how they should be used to build up the church. His teaching is incredibly relevant to us today as we seek to create healthy, Spirit-filled, and orderly church communities that reflect Christ.

Transcript

Welcome back to Growing Healthy Church Communities! Today, we’re considering 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul gives clear guidance on spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy and speaking in tongues, and how they should be used to build up the church. His teaching is incredibly relevant to us today as we seek to create healthy, Spirit-filled, and orderly church communities that reflect Christ.

In previous episodes, we discussed how the Corinthian church was rich in spiritual gifts but often used them in ways that caused division, pride, and confusion. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explained that the church is one body with many parts, and in 1 Corinthians 13, he taught that love must be the foundation for all spiritual gifts. Now, in 1 Corinthians 14, he focuses on how the spiritual gifts should function in the gathered church for the good of everyone.

Just like the Corinthians, the modern church must navigate how to embrace these gifts of the Spirit while maintaining unity, order, and edification. A continuist approach, which believes that the gifts of the Spirit are still active today, encourages us to pursue both spiritual power and spiritual maturity.

The Corinthian church was experiencing disorder in worship gatherings. Many believers were speaking in tongues without interpretation, leading to confusion rather than edification. Some were treating tongues as a sign of spiritual superiority, while others were disrupting services by speaking out of turn. Instead of their gatherings being a place of growth and encouragement, they had become chaotic and distracting from the message of Christ.

Paul acknowledges the importance of spiritual gifts, but he also calls for order:

“Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)

His concern is not to quench the Spirit, but to ensure that gifts are used in a way that strengthens the body of Christ.

Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14 offers us some key principles that we can apply to the church today, ensuring that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are used for the benefit of the entire community rather than for personal recognition.

He encourages believers to desire spiritual gifts, particularly prophecy, because it strengthens, encourages, and comforts the church.

As he writes, “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

While speaking in tongues is valuable, it should be accompanied by interpretation in corporate worship so that everyone can be edified. In a healthy church, gifts should be used to build up the body rather than to showcase individual spirituality.

Corporate worship should be orderly and understandable so that all believers, as well as visitors, can engage with what is being taught and shared. Paul warns against using tongues in a way that causes confusion, stating, “If you speak in a tongue and no one understands you, you will just be speaking into the air.” (1 Corinthians 14:9). This means that contemporary churches should balance spontaneous expressions of worship with structure, ensuring that teaching, prophecy, and prayer are clear and understandable. A healthy church fosters an atmosphere where both the Spirit and the Word work together, creating a space where people can encounter God without distraction or disorder.

Paul also emphasizes that order in worship brings peace and encourages growth. He reminds the Corinthians that “God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.” (1 Corinthians 14:33). This does not mean that services should be rigid or lifeless, but that they should reflect both freedom and order. A thriving church is one that is open to the movement of the Spirit while remaining discerning and biblically aligned. Personal expressions of faith are encouraged, but they should always contribute to the unity and edification of the church as a whole.

Finally, Paul stresses that every member has a role in building up the body of Christ. He writes, “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

A healthy church encourages active participation from all members, recognizing that gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to serve the entire body. While leadership provides guidance and oversight , every believer has something valuable to contribute, ensuring that the church remains a strong, unified, and Spirit-filled community.

Once again small groups can provide an ideal space where active participation of every member can be encouraged and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit can be operated to build up strengthen each person spiritually.

These gifts can be expressed in various ways, such as offering wisdom and knowledge in counseling and discipleship, exercising faith through prayer and intercession, and praying for healing and miracles to demonstrate God’s power.

Prophecy provides encouragement and guidance, while discernment helps protect the church from false teachings and deception. Speaking in tongues, when used appropriately, deepens personal prayer and edifies the church when interpreted. Encouragement contributes to the church’s relational health.

The Holy Spirit also inspires creativity in worship and media, allowing the church to engage with the community in dynamic ways. When every believer embraces these gifts with love and humility, the church becomes effective in reaching out to the community growing a thriving, Spirit-filled body that reflects Christ’s mission in the world.

Finally, a thriving church community is one that embraces the gifts of the Holy Spirit while providing teaching and oversight in order to maintain love, unity, and order.

By providing a church community that remains a place of peace, power, and transformation leaders can ensure that people are built up, not confused, and Christ remains at the center.

Thanks for joining me today on Growing Healthy Church Communities! Let’s keep the conversation going—how is your church walking in both spiritual power and order? I’d love to hear your thoughts, and I’ll see you next time!