Decently And In Order

"Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order."

1 Corinthians 14: 39-40

There are a lot of things that go on in a church service, there are a lot of “moves of the Holy Spirit” aligned with shouts of praise and adoration… Even though these things are apparent, it’s imperative that we come to understand and realize today that “…all things be done decently and in order…” We intentionally examine these verses from back to front knowing that we serve a God of order… We all desire to please God and walk in the gifts that He has bestowed upon us; however, it is of the utmost importance that in walking in our gifts we travel the path that has been laid before us instead of putting the cart before the horse… There is nothing wrong with prophesy or speaking in tongues; however, there is a correct order in which these things are to be carried out… I can recall a story that my father has shared with me several times; this particular story depicts a woman who attended his home church in Washington D.C. Every Sunday at the same time this individual would catch the “Holy Ghost” and begin to shout… One Sunday, at the appointed time this lady jumped up, swung her hand out and knocked another ladies hat off of her head… 

To my knowledge, no fights broke out or words were exchanged; however the following Sunday the lady who had her hat knocked off confronted the lady with the “timed praise” and told her that she better not touch her hat again… Wouldn’t you know when the clock struck her appointed time to shout, she lifted her hand up ensuring that she would miss the ladies hat… I recall this story today to highlight the importance of sincerity within our praise… The Holy Spirit flows without a timetable; however, there are some people in the church who want to display gifts that God has not given them and so when they do this they are not “done decently and in order…” I have been to a lot of churches and have been turned off by what I gathered as stumbling blocks of praise… A lot of people have been mislead or are being mislead by the gift of speaking in tongues, this is not for everyone nor is it to be done at any given time… The bible says that there is a time and place for everything and I believe that this rule applies as well in Paul’s letter to the church of Corinth… Again, our God is a God of order, He desires for things to be done in a (n) organized manner and conduct… If we don’t align our desires with the will of God things will always be chaotic… It is good to want to be all that God will allow you to be, it’s good to want to reach all the levels God has in store for you; however, it is most important that you make the choice today to take it one step at a time instead of trying to run or leap from point A to point B… 

This is what was going on in Corinth, there was so much indecision and personal desires that Paul states to them “this is why I gave you milk, you weren’t ready for meat…” Your life is flipped upside down because you are trying to prophesy off of milk… You are trying to speak in tongues off of milk and because of this nothing is working out right… A baby takes milk for the first 6 months, as they grow the food changes… How can you take on bigger goals in life if you are still in a nursing stage…? The Church of Corinth was a church that was polluted with all sorts of things… Earlier in this letter Paul had to clear up the fact that it was neither Apollos nor him that could save or increase… There were more problems in the Church of Corinth than we have time to discuss; however it is critical that we see and understand the message Paul is conveying… Jesus came to this earth at a pre-recorded time and was upon this earth completing the task that His father had sent Him to do; however Luke 2:52 tells us that from his childhood until the time He started His ministry that “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”The piece we must remember in the life of Jesus is the growth that took place leading up to His ministry and the utilization of His gifts… Paul is instructing the church of Corinth about the importance of growth, time and organization… Speaking in tongues isn’t a bad thing, prophesying isn’t a sin, but understand that in all things God is to be glorified and His name is to be exalted (not yours)… Be careful to lift up the name of Christ and help others to come to know Him, don’t be sporadic in your praise because babies in Christ will be lost and confused and you will be held accountable…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!