In the Law it is written:

“Through men of strange tongues 

And through the lips of foreigners

I will speak to this people,

But even then they will not listen to me,”

says the Lord.

Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers  (1 Corinthians 14:21-22).

Paul is quoting Isaiah here, which seems only fair since so many people quote Paul. In the quote, God seems to be saying that through outsiders–Assyrian invaders, in this case–God was going to speak judgment upon His unrepentant children.  By extension, Paul says that tongues in general are a sign to those who do not follow God. Prophecy, on the other hand, was for believers. They trusted God to speak through His prophets, and would listen to His word through them.

I don’t know about your local church, but I am unlikely to see either tongues–Assyrian or other–or prophecy in my church on a Sunday morning. Does that mean that we are way out of biblical compliance?

Well, we might be–but I don’t think it’s because of this.

Beloved, I’ve told you before that I am not going to weigh in on whether or not the gifts are still active in the Church. I just don’t feel competent in that particular arena. What you read in these lines–both of you–are simply the musings of Michael and his big fat study Bible. Besides, I think that focusing on these gifts is missing the point. At least part of Paul’s message here is that God is at work, through His Holy Spirit, to draw both believers and unbelievers closer to Himself. As the next few passages will show, He wants an orderly worship service, both because it reflects His nature and because He doesn’t want people thinking church is a carnival. Let’s keep our eyes on that particular ball, shall we? God wants our worship to glorify Him and to draw all people closer to Him.

That, I can get my brain around.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved