1 Corinthians 14:6-9

⁶Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.

 Forge in Fire

What is your favorite reality TV Show? Have you watched “Forge in fire?”

In the reality TV show “Forge in fire,” contestants forge different ancient weapons: knives, swords. One of the judges, Doug Marcaida popularized the statement, “This weapon can KEAL!” Since Doug was originally Filipino, viewers assume that he may have mispronounced the word “kill.” However, his avid fans explain that it’s not “kill” but “KEAL” an acronym for “Keep Everyone Alive.”

Well, pronunciation is vital to proper communication. And you may have observed when parents speak to their children who are still learning to talk. Many Filipino parents talk to their babies like: “Do you popo? Do you pipi? Go ligo na!”

What else? Now, if parents frequently speak properly and clearly to their babies, their children may learn early how to speak properly and clearly.

Reflect on what it says in Ephesians 6:4, ⁴Parents, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Most parents, if not all parents teach their children what they want to hear. The very first words and phrases they teach are: “Daddy, Mommy, Papa, Mama. Come to Daddy! Come to Mommy! Or, Come to Papa! Come to Mama!”

When we teach children to come to us, are we not self-centered? We want attention from our children. Parents: We are commanded to bring up kids in the training and instruction of the Lord. How? First of all, we should teach about God. If the first words of babies are, “Praise God or Thank, you Lord!” is it not great?

Before children learn how to use cellphones, teach them to pray or sing praise songs. You may teach them also how to play musical instruments.

Guitar

In their early years, we gave instruction to our children: “Learn to play the guitar for 1 hour before you can play the computer.” The result is very favorable.

Here’s a challenge for you and your children. If you don’t know how to play musical instruments, start learning with your children. When children sing or play musical instrument during worship services, parents are glad. Reflect on what it declares in Revelation 19:5, ⁵Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”

The term “servants” is not amusing to natural human. For Christians, God is Lord and King. And believers of God are biblically called “Servants of God.”

Since we admit that we sinned against God, we accept that all sinners will suffer in hell. But through faith in Christ, we are eternally saved from eternal torture. So, how can we express our gratitude to God practically? We serve him. To be servants of God is not even enough expression of deep gratitude to him.

When Jesus Christ returns, he takes into heaven all sinners who trust him. Yet, the Scripture teaches God is more generous that we can ever expect. How?

It declares in 1 John 3:1, ¹See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 

When by faith we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he forgave us, and God adopted us to be his children! Wow! But wait! What certainty do we have that we are adopted children of God? Don’t be deceived! Make sure, that you’ve got genuine faith in Christ without a doubt. Here’s a reality check for all!

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. The shed blood of Jesus on the cross washed away our sins. By faith we believe such mystery. What is our practical proof that God forgave us or that our sins had been washed away?

When there’s temptation to commit sin, can we easily avoid or say “NO?”

Avoiding sin is just the initial stage of Christian life. As we grow mature spiritually, we become responsible children of God. We follow his way of love; we eagerly desire the gift of the Holy Spirit, especially, the spiritual gift of prophecy.

Parents teach babies to walk, eat or take a bath before they can do it by themselves independently. Experiential knowledge of household chores, cooking, washing, cleaning and many others will be handy and useful when children live on their own. Parents need intelligible words to teach children to be independent.

Likewise, we should always be dependent on the Holy Spirit for intelligible words when we share the good news to potential believers. We need the spiritual gift of prophecy to interpret correctly when God reveals to us his divine message.

1.  Reveal

⁶Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 

Speaking in tongues must have been controversial issue in the church of Corinth. Apostle Paul challenged them to put into good use their logical thinking and ask them about what benefit they could get if he were to speak in tongue to them. Paul may have tried to get them into their senses; he wanted them realize that nobody in the church of Corinth speaks in tongue more than him. He said in

1 Corinthians 14:18, ¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

Apostle Paul was not trying to suppress speaking in tongue. He spoke in tongues more than them. He emphasized that the spiritual gift of prophecy is the greater gift we should desire. Normally, the term “prophecy” is understood as “foretelling of future events.” The spiritual gift of prophecy pertains to the gift of communicating the revealed divine truth, divine message or the will of God.

The purpose of the spiritual gift of prophecy is edification, exhortation, admonition, education, training, encouragement and comfort within the church. We need the spiritual gift of prophecy to interpret divine truth and the will of God more clearly. We can only interpret divine truth with the help of the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus Christ was still on earth, his disciples cannot understand his teaching. Reflect on Matthew 16:21-23, ²¹Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. ²²Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” ²³Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Apostle Peter was very outspoken. He won’t hesitate to speak what he had in mind. Well, was it not very impressive that he want to save the Savior? “Never Lord. This shall never happen to you!” he said. Jesus declared that what Apostle Peter had in mind was merely human concerns, and not concerns of God.

When Jesus was arrested and interrogated, it became apparent that the concern of Peter was merely human concern. At the time, there were no apostles around Peter that he needed to impress, and he denied 3 times that he knew Jesus. We may interpret that Peter was scared; he’s concerned about his own safety.

Anywhere, people who do not believe God are very aggressive against Christianity. Many believers are scared and concerned about safety. And yet, we are mandated to witness for Christ. We are tasked to testify of how Christ has transformed our life. We need the Holy Spirit to inspire us to testify for his grace.

To clearly interpret our mission purposes, the will of God and communicate more clearly the gospel, we prayerfully desire the spiritual gift of prophecy. And when divine appointment presents itself, we should be ready to share the gospel.

2.  Ready

⁷Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 

Musical instruments have distinct and peculiar sound. Certainly, distinctive sound helps us identify its origin. String instruments, wind instruments, trumpets have distinct sounds. Trumpets were used as signals to get soldiers ready.

In the military academy, trumpets signal different activities like parade. And different military activities (flag-raising assembly) have unique trumpet sound signals. I am not sure if in actual battle, but perhaps inside military campground, they still use trumpets to signals soldiers to get ready for any activity or battle.

Similarly, when communicating divine revelation, we need signal from the Lord. The spiritual gift of prophecy helps us clearly understand the will of God.

Again, the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues can be beneficial to the person who speaks in tongue; it edifies, educates and trains not other people but the self, except when someone interprets what had been spoken in tongue.

But with spiritual gift of prophecy, divine truth is communicated to listeners more clearly. To clearly understand divine message, it evokes positive response.

Nehemiah

Other nations were not amused, and they tried to discourage the Israelites from their work when Nehemiah led the Israelites restored and built the wall of Jerusalem. Together, let us reflect on what it narrated in Nehemiah 4:18-20.

¹⁸Each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. ¹⁹Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ²⁰Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

To warn the Israelites of possible attack, Nehemiah told them that trumpet sound will be their signal. Nehemiah was very confident that God will fight with them. Accordingly, restoration of the wall of Jerusalem was completed in fifty-two days. Wow! The Lord must have sustained the Israelites with determination and strength to finish the wall despite threats from oppositions. What do you think?

We also face oppositions to accomplish our responsibilities, as we wait for the return of Christ to take us into heaven. So prayerfully ask the Lord to grant you spiritual gifts, and desire specifically for the gift of prophecy, why?

How do we know when there’s divine opportunity to share the good news? The spiritual gift of prophecy helps interpret and communicate the message of God for us, and also to realize his will for us and for potential believers of Christ.

  3.  Realize

              ⁹So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. 

I pray that you share the gospel of Christ regularly. Realize that confidence in sharing the gospel of Christ should come from the Holy Spirit and not from experience. Prayerfully ask God for the spiritual gift of prophecy to interpret and communicate divine truth. We need intelligible words to explain the good news.

We should always rely upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when we tell potential believers about our hope to live with God in heaven. He provides us intelligible words to say. Christ assures us in Matthew 10:19-20, ¹⁹Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

If argument may happen, how do we explain that God sent his precious Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross as ultimate demonstration of his love for us? Skeptics may argue, “If God allowed his precious son to die on the cross, it’s also possible that he allows anyone to be crucified.” How should we answer them?

This is when agape love from the Holy Spirit is much needed. We need patience and kindness to deal with opposition and not envious of material success; not boastful of our knowledge of God; not proud that we are saved by grace; not dishonor those who are not religious; not self-seeking for recognition; not easily angered when insulted; keep no record of wrongs. So, prayerfully ask God to help you realize 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails.

Agape love inspires us to rejoice with divine truth, that Christ will return; it protects us from possible confusion and helps us trust that God uses anything for his great purposes; it causes us to always hope for rewards God reserved for us; it enables us to persevere as we explore how agape love of God never fails.

So, how do we approach life as Christian? What could we prioritize in life?

5,000

Together, let us reflect what happened when Jesus Christ fed the 5,000 as it narrated in John 6: 8-13,  ⁸Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” ¹⁰Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about 5,000 men were there). ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹² When  they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

Jesus Christ miraculously multiplied the loaves and fish, and everyone had enough. He instructed the leftovers to be collected, why? It practically shows that God cares about overflows. Similarly, when we pray for grace and love of God to overflow in our life, we should pray for spiritual gift of prophecy, why?

Anytime could be divine opportunity to clearly communicate and explain to potential believers about the grace and love of God. When God signals to share his grace and love, the gift of prophecy is useful to interpret and communicate his divine message to listeners. The Holy Spirit provides us intelligible word to say.

Additionally, the Holy Spirit inspires us to discern potential believers as recipients of God’s grace and love whom we may invite to attend the church.

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