1 Corinthians 14:10-13 

¹⁰Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. ¹³For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.

Church

         What easily comes to your mind whenever you hear the word “church?” Many people think that a church is a building where Christians worship. Biblically, the English term “church” was translated from the Greek word “Ekklesia,” and Ekklesia literally pertains to congregation of Christians or assembly of believers.

         Seriously, how can we teach Christians that a “church” or “Ekklesia” is a congregation of Christians or assembly of believers and not a structural building? Will it help if we agree to name our church building with: Maples Temple, Inkster Cathedral, Green Tabernacle or TMEC Sanctuary?How about Timek Theos?

         In February this year, the spiritual article in our Sunday Bulletin has been renamed as Timek Theos. Probably, you know that the Greek term “Theos” is “God” in English language, whereas, the Ilokano term “Timek” is translated “Voice” in English language. (Ilokano is a language in Northern Philippines).

         When “Timek Theos” is verbalized, it sounds like “Timek Ti Dios” which is literal Ilokano translation of “The Voice of God!” “Timek Theos” may sound foreign to other people but somehow, it may create curiosity or interest.

         When people say, “Let’s go to church!” they pertain to the church building.

Are you comfortable saying, “Let’s go to church!?” Should we just disregard the biblical meaning of “church” because everyone uses it? Could we make it right?

Pray, visualize and discern, if it’s important. If we literally name our church building with, “Timek Theos,” will it have viral impact? Imagine when everyone says: “Let’s go to Maples Temple or Inkster Cathedral or Green Tabernacle or TMEC Sanctuary! Or, let’s go to Timek Theos!” Will it not ignite or spark interest?

         That sounds like church members have internalized that the word “church” is not a building but an assembly of believers or a congregation of Christians.

         Do you accept that proper use of biblical terms like “church” express our knowledge of the Scripture? Christ our Lord declares in Matthew 22:29.

²⁹You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

         Religious jargons and practices can mislead Christians if they are not seriously attentive to what the Scripture teaches. Christ mandated us to witness for him, how he had transformed our life. Therefore, if we know by heart the Scripture or the power of God, testifying for Christ could be more effective.

         We believed and accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. To enlighten us of the sacrifices of Christ on the cross, the Holy Spirit used the Scripture to help us conceptualize how Jesus Christ was humiliated, tortured and crucified. The Scripture describes that his painful death demonstrated his divine love for us.

         How can we express love for Christ and gratitude for his sacrifices for us? We follow his prescriptions for us to express love and gratitude to the Lord.

Attending worship services, listening to the word of God, participating in Sunday school and other church activities to encourage one another, those are supposed to be expressions of gratitude as adopted children of God. Serving the Lord should not be counted as obligation but as expression of love for him.

When we believed and accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, the Lord sent his Holy Spirit into our heart and gave us spiritual gift or special ability to serve him. Personally, have you internalized that the practice of spiritual gift is most practical way to express our gratitude and love for the Lord?

Every believer is given a spiritual gift but do you think God would grant it if we desire other spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy? Certainly! The Lord grants specific spiritual gifts as instruments to witness for Christ more effectively. The practice of spiritual gift is personal expression of gratitude and love for God.

 1.  Expression

¹⁰Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 

         As implied, the Corinthian church had no idea the each believer is given a unique spiritual gift. They may have thought that their preferred leader was more gifted than other leaders. Apostle Paul addressed their confusion about speaking in tongue. The term “tongue” pertains to spoken language in the world.

Languages are expression of belief, culture, tradition and also very useful for communication among people who speak the same language or tongue.

         Those who speak in tongue utter languages that are meaningful to them. And if someone can interpret and explain the spoken language in the church, it may edify, build up and strengthen the church as a body of Christ. If everyone understands everyone, that is more productive in the assembly of Christians.

Tower of Babel

Together, let us reflect and learn from Genesis 11:3-6, ³The people said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”

         With one language, the people agreed to build the Tower of Babel. All they wanted was to make a name for themselves. So, the Lord confused them, and they stopped building the Tower of Babel, why? The term “Babel” has evolved from Hebrew term “Balal” or confusion. After the Lord confused them, they were scattered. The Tower of Babel or Confusion was not completed.

What’s wrong with making a name for themselves? Why did the Lord scatter the people? Let’s reflect on what God said in Genesis 9:1 ¹God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.”

         The descendants of Noah tried to build the Tower of Babel. By heart, they knew that the Lord commanded their ancestor Noah, to fill the earth but they just wanted to stay together. They resisted the idea to be scattered (Genesis 11:4).

         Reflect on it personally. If we have agenda, God may bless if it is essential, relevant and useful to accomplish his mission purposes in our life. But if the Lord deems that a plan, program or agenda is not useful for his mission purposes, we may spend years of dedicated effort for trivial thing but the Lord may not bless it.

         Together, let us reflect on what Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:23-24.

         ²³And since I have been longing for many years to visit you, ²⁴I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

         Apostle Paul wrote about a plan to visit Spain. Scholars suggest that Paul went to Spain but the Scripture is silent about his travel to Spain, why? Probably, his visit to Spain was personal matter or just luxurious travel. What do you think?

Does God discourage luxurious travel so that the Scripture did not include when Apostle Paul visited Spain? Reflect on what it says in John 21:25? ²⁵Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

         Jesus did or said many things that were not written in the Scripture. Why? Theologians propose that the Scripture is sufficient manual for Christian behavior or lifestyle acceptable to God. Words, deeds, events or situations that are not in the Scripture may confuse us. This is why we should desire for the spiritual gift of prophecy for us to interpret divine revelation and excel in building each other up.

         There’s problem of division in the church of Corinth, why? Did they desire to excel in church activities that their preferred leader promoted? Did the leaders and their followers have conflicting agenda so that they’re divided? Pray for unity and harmony among us and build each other up. That’s excellence in the Lord.

2. Excellence

¹¹If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹²So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

         If we can understand the language of each other, we can agree with each other. Apostle Paul did not oppose speaking in tongues but he encourages that when a person speaks in tongue, an interpreter should be present to explain. It won’t need exegetical scholar, empirical idea or rocket science to explain that.

It is very simple language. If I speak in my mother tongue, you might be confused because you may not understand me. Everything I say will be nonsense to you.

If you cannot understand what I said, how could you respond proactively?

         In comparison, if you understand when I told you to participate, it is more likely that you want to get involved more proactively. We also need to particularly know the will of God. The spiritual gift of prophecy helps interpret his divine will.

         We can learn from the intentional prayer of David in 1 Samuel 23:10-14.

¹⁰David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. ¹¹Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.”

¹²Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will.” ¹³So David and his men, about 600 in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. ¹⁴David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

         Previously, David and his men saved the city of Keilah from their enemies. The city of Keilah may have thanked David and his men but David cannot expect the city of Keilah to defend him against King Saul, why? How can Keilah resist the mighty King Saul when they cannot even save themselves from their enemies?

         Whenever David was in trouble, he never entrusted his safety to anybody. He always inquired of the Lord which best move he should do. Indeed, the Lord kept David safe and secure, why? The mission purpose of God was for David to be the greatest king of Israel, and it was not accomplished just yet at that time.

         Do you believe that the Lord keep us safe and secure until his mission purposes for us is accomplished? It says in Ephesians 3:11-12, ¹¹According to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

         What problem had been bothering you so far? Everyone has struggle, but be confident to approach God for his help. God allows events, situations if they’re useful to accomplish his mission purposes for us. Do you believe that? We trust that the ways of God favor us. We may not be able to explain everything. If you sense gladness and peace in your heart, do you still bother about explanation?

3.  Explanation

¹³For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.

If we understand each other’s language, it helps us respond proactively. The pronoun “they”pertains to several interpreters since it is in plural form.

It’s not just one interpreter. If explanation comes from several interpreters, the meaning of a language becomes more convincing, relevant and clear. if anyone speaks in tongue in the church, there should be several interpreters and not just one who could interpret and explain for listeners to properly respond proactively.

         It declares in 2 Peter 3:15-16, ¹⁵Our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.

         Apostle Peter reiterated about the patience of God that Apostle Paul wrote about. Skeptics in the past and at present are confused why Jesus Christ is not returning yet. God patiently waits for us to seriously consider our faith in Christ.

Do you eagerly expect for Christ to return sooner? Many individuals, even Christians are not very much concerned if Christ returns sooner or later. The Scripture teaches that God prepared rewards for believers who proactively wait eagerly for the second advent of Christ. And you might be familiar about it.

         When we practice our spiritual gift, it manifests proactive waiting for Christ. We hope that the Lord will reward us for practicing our spiritual gift to serve him.

 Lifetime

         Young people: If you and your fiancée plan your wedding, prepare for life as married couples. You should seek marriage advice from married people you admire. Advices help you realize several possible expectations of married life.

         You meticulously prepare for grand wedding ceremony, why? It’s a special day for both of you, but you should prepare more meticulously for your married life. Why is that? Married life is lifetime. Be smart, be prayerful about your future.

         Together now! Let us reflect on what it says in Revelation 19:7-8, ⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. ⁸Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

         The Wedding of the Lamb is majestic moment when God welcomes into heaven his church, his holy people. Interestingly, fine linen symbolizes for the righteous act of God’s holy people. Righteous acts are obedience to prescription of Christ. We obey him as preparation to attend the Wedding of the Lamb.

         Believers who have faith in Christ can enter heaven to attend the Wedding of the Lamb. Certainly, righteous acts of believers are very obvious in heaven. Imagine: If more righteous acts add to the length of fine linen gown, certainly, you don’t like to wear a very short linen skirt at the Wedding of the Lamb, right?

The Lord’s Supper reminds that the Wedding of the Lamb is coming soon. Don’t let yourself caught by surprise, or you will be left behind. Christ is coming sooner. Pray for stronger faith in Christ and inspiration of the Holy Spirit always.

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