The Holy Spirit’s Three Gifts of Utterance, Volume 4 of the Spiritual House Series

By J. R. Goodwin

Chapter One, The Gift of Prophecy

In this final volume in the Spiritual House Series we shall deal with three more gifts of the Holy Spirit, as recorded in the twelfth chapter of I Corinthians. These three gifts are called the utterance gifts because they say something. They are the gift of prophecy, the gift of kinds of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues.

First of all we will deal with the gift of prophecy, which is a supernatural utterance inspired by God in a known tongue. In other words, the person is speaking in a language with which he is familiar. Yet he is speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God. It is the same Spirit which anoints a person to speak in tongues or to give the interpretation for a message in tongues. The only difference is that the person speaking uses his own language. It is not something which he speaks of his own mind. It is something he speaks at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I Corinthians 14:3-4 tells us, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and com fort . . . he that prophesieth edifieth the church.” The purpose of this gift is to edify (to build up and strengthen), to exhort (admonish and teach), and comfort (encourage) the body of believers. Note that there is no mention of prediction in this scripture. The element of prediction comes only through the office of the prophet of God and is not at all included in the simple gift of prophecy.

Usually more than one of the gifts of the Spirit is in operation in the life of a prophet, enabling him to tell things that he would not know otherwise. If the facts he reveals pertain to the future, then the gift in operation would be the gift of the word of wisdom. (See Chapter One, Volume II of the Spiritual House Series.) If the prophet’s statements relate to facts of the past or present, then he would be exercising the gift of the word of knowledge. (See Chapter Two, Volume II of the Spiritual House Series.) In any event, the gift of prophecy is not the vehicle for prediction. It is simply for “edification, and exhortation, and comfort.”

There are many examples in the Bible of this gift of prophecy. One in particular is found in II Chronicles 15, and was given to Asa, king of Judah, by Azariah, the son of Oded. Oded was evidently a prophet that ministered prediction, but Azariah seemed to be a young man who ministered the simple gift of prophecy. He gave words of edification, exhortation and comfort.

“And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (II Chron. 15:1-7).

Here we see Azariah’s simple words of prophecy—of sweet comfort and encouragement—to the king. He admonished him to be strong and not weak, to seek the Lord and not forsake Him, and his work would be rewarded.

Asa started out well as he ruled the people of Judah. “And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods . . . And commanded Judah to seek the Lord God . . . and the kingdom was quiet before him” (II Chron. 14:2-5).

When he was besieged by the host of Ethiopians, he cried out to the Lord, “It is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, 0 Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. 0 Lord, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee” (verse 11). God came to Asa’s aid and smote the Ethiopians until they fled from before them. Asa won a great battle and a mighty victory.

It was as a result of Asa’s humble attitude of heart and complete reliance upon God for guidance, that God anointed Azariah to speak such words of comfort and encouragement to him. Azariah did not give Asa any advice about the future. He did not have the mind and purpose of God about what lay ahead for Asa. He merely told him that he had done well, he had been obedient to the Lord, that the Lord was pleased with him and would reward him for his faithfulness. And there was peace in the land for a number of years.

The peace was to come to an end, however. “In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and built Ramah, to the intent that he might let none go out or come into Asa, king of Judah” (II Chron. 16:1). The peace and tranquility had lulled Asa into a false sense of security. Basking in the glories of past victories, he quickly forgot that these victories had been the Lord’s instead of his. He followed the path of man down through history and became confident in his own might rather than in God. Therefore, when Baasha, the king of Israel, rose up against him, instead of crying out to God for help as he had done in the past, Asa made an alliance with a neighboring king.

“Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Benhadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league between me and thee, as there was between my father and thy father: behold, I have sent thee silver and gold; go, break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me” (verses 2-3).

Asa made another mistake. Not only did he trust in man rather than in God, but he also took the silver and gold from the house of the Lord and gave it to the heathen king. Anytime we take that which belongs to the Lord, we are headed for trouble.

Again God sent a prophet to Asa, but this time with an entirely different message. The prophecy of Hanani was of a higher order than the prophecy of Azariah and carried a prediction of the future in it.

“And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars” (verses 7-9).

The prophet Hanani told Asa what lay ahead in his future—and it wasn’t a very pretty picture. The sword of battle was to hang over the land for the rest of his reign.

Instead of humbling himself before God in the face of such an ill-fated prediction, Asa became enraged with the prophet and had him thrown in prison. How often this is repeated in our churches today. When a preacher decries the sins of the congregation, the people often find it easier to put away the preacher than to put away their sins. They would rather fill their pulpit with a man who will preach about the social problems of the nation than about the sin problems hidden in their own hearts.

This king who had started out so well, of whom it had been written “did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord,” failed God in the final analysis. Despite the prophet’s prediction, he willfully continued to trust in his own might rather than the Lord’s. In a very short time he fell seriously ill, “yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians” (verse 12). Even in desperate personal circumstances he looked to man for help rather than God. And man could not help for he died soon thereafter.

In this we have seen a Bible example of both the simple gift of prophecy in operation as well as that prophecy, given by a true prophet of God, which carried prediction in it. The first prophecy given to Asa by Azariah was a message given by the power of the Holy Spirit of edification, exhortation and comfort. The prophecy brought by Hanani, however, told what lay in Asa’s future.

Jehoshaphat, who succeeded Asa as king of Judah, looked to the Lord and listened to His prophets for guidance in times of trouble. In II Chronicles 20 we read of a time when the people of Judah were besieged by the Moabites. Jehoshaphat feared and “set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (verse 3). He knew to trust in the might of the Lord rather than in his own strength.

He prayed a very moving prayer (verses 6-12), at the conclusion of which he pleaded with God, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (verse 12). Although weak in themselves, they did not dwell upon their own deficiencies but rather looked steadfastly to the mighty power of God.

Then a prophet of God by the name of Jahaziel stepped forth with words of exhortation, edification and comfort. He said, “Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, 0 Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you” (verses 15-17).

In these words of the prophet Jahaziel we see all three facets of the gift of prophecy: edification, exhortation and comfort. Notice that first of all he said, “. . . Be not afraid nor dismayed . . . for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” These are words of edification, building up their faith in God. Then he went on to give them specific instructions, exhorting them, giving them guidance. Then he again encouraged them with the words, “Fear not, nor be dismayed for the Lord will be with you,” comforting their hearts in the Lord.

The people of Judah accepted the words of the prophet with rejoicing, and they “fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord” (verse 18).

The next day as they prepared to face the enemy, Jehoshaphat stood before his people and said, “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (verse 20).

Then, as he had been instructed to do by the Lord, instead of sending warriors forth to meet the enemy, “he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever” (verse 21). Imagine an army laying down its weapons and marching to battle empty-handed, singing praises unto the Lord! But they were not going in their own strength, they were relying solely on God, so they had no need of weapons anyhow. God had told them that the battle was His, and they took Him at His word.

Did it work? Did God keep His promise? “And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Arnrnon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (verse 22).

Many times we try to fight our battles against the devil in our own power. However, we need not war against Satan with carnal weapons. “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:4-5).

The gift of prophecy is not something which one speaks of his own mind. It is given by the Holy Spirit. Many times when a message in prophecy is given, some in the congregation are not aware that it is an operation of the gifts of the Spirit. While the minister is preaching, the gift of prophecy is suddenly ministered through him, but because there is no break of any kind, some people do not observe that it is a manifestation of this gift. Most Spirit-filled believers who are attentive to the moving of the Spirit would notice that the preacher had started speaking under the anointing of the Holy Spirit in prophecy for exhortation and comfort.

It is my feeling that the person used of God in this manner should somehow indicate—possibly through a break in his sermon—that what he is about to say is not of his own thinking but comes from the Holy Spirit. We know when the Lord moves upon us in this way and, therefore, we could just stop, perhaps change the tonal quality of our voice so that the prophecy could be identified, and pause again at the end. Then it would be clear to the congregation what was happening.

We believe very strongly in good church government and teach regulation in our church. I realize that some people say, “I do not believe in governing the Holy Spirit.” We do not either! In fact, you and I cannot govern the Holy Spirit. But we can govern ourselves. If it were not possible to govern ourselves, to have some control over our conduct, the apostle Paul would not have admonished us, “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (I Cor. 14:12).

In a classroom of students there are some who work harder than others. They carefully prepare their homework.

They spend hours in study. They seek to excel. They want to impress their teacher. They want to be at the top of their class. They are setting an example for scholastic achievement. A Christian should certainly aspire to no less. If we are zealous of spiritual gifts, then we should seek that we may excel to the edifying of the church. Paul told Timothy to be “an example of the believers” (I Tim. 4:12).

We once knew a fine Christian young man who had gotten in with a wrong group and was beginning to become like them. We cautioned him about this, telling him that although he should seek to bring them to Christ, he should not take on any of their worldly habits. Neither should he display an attitude of superiority, of being “holier than thou.”

He later told us that as he was reading his Bible one day, the Lord seemed to point out this scripture in a new way, “. . . Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Tim. 4:12). He saw that Paul didn’t tell Timothy anything about being an example to the unbelievers. The man said, “Here I am trying to be an example to the unbelievers, to act like them, look like them. However, “I’m supposed to be an example of a believer, and to bring the lost to Christ.”

We cannot bring others to Christ by exalting ourselves, or by acting spiritually superior. But we can surely bring them to Christ by humbling ourselves, by preaching the true gospel in the power of His Spirit, by living a Christ-honoring life. Our attitudes, our spirit, our words and actions should exemplify Christ at all times.

We see in Mary a sweet spirit as she was anointed of the Spirit with the gift of prophecy and said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47).

We see the gift of prophecy also in operation through Mary’s cousin, Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary, who had just recently learned that she was to be the mother of the Promised One, entered the house of her cousin, Elisabeth spoke forth in prophecy. “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears,, the babe leaped in my womb for joy” (Luke 1:41-45). These were simple messages of exhortation, edification and comfort, as well as prophecies of prediction.

Jesus often spoke under the inspiration of the Spirit. As we read through the gospels we can detect this when He would speak out something that was a dynamic utterance in a higher spirit and voice than what He gave in His ordinary teaching.

In Paul’s ministry we see the gift of prophecy in action. He also encouraged young ministers to prophesy. He told Timothy, “. . - Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (I Tim. 1:6).

Even the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy a giving forth, a telling forth. “. . . For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10). It is the spirit of prophecy. It is not prophecy per se or the work of a prophet, but the testimony of Jesus Christ. When we receive Him into our hearts, we become new spirits. The apostle Paul said, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (I Cor. 6:17). When we have Jesus Christ, we have the testimony that is the spirit of prophecy—giving out, telling these things that are comforting, edifying, that will exhort us, and will give us help as we go along in the Christian walk.

And so this gift of prophecy is much needed in the church today just as it was in the churches of the New Testament. Had this gift not been in operation in Paul’s time, he would not have written to the church of Corinth as he did in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of I Corinthians. It was very much in operation then, and this is why Paul spent so much time giving instructions for its proper use. We will look more closely at Paul’s instructions concerning the regulation of all three of the utterance gifts in the third chapter of this volume.

In these times when the Holy Spirit is being outpoured in abundance, when multitudes are being filled with the Spirit, the first thing that many people want to do is to start prophesying. But that is not the point. What we want to do is to live for God, produce the fruits of the Christian life, and then let the Holy Spirit use us as He wills. And if He uses us to give a prophetic utterance in edification, exhortation and comfort, then that is the way in which we will serve.

I remember some young men who came to our church. They had been filled with the Spirit and they all wanted to be prophets. They were trying to prophesy, but their prophecy was not good. I talked with them and showed them what the Lord wanted first. I said, “He doesn’t give these gifts to novices. These things come to those who are more seasoned in the faith and have had experiences in Jesus Christ.”

When I finished talking to them, one young man said, “I see what I need. I must go back and study the Word of God and produce fruit first. Then if the Lord sees fit to use me, I’ll be thankful.”

When the gift of prophecy is used wrongly, people can get into trouble. There are those who are prophesying to people, telling them what to do; and when the people try it, it doesn’t work. But regardless of how many people may be missing the mark, the person really used of God in the operation of this gift does not miss the mark. His prophesying and prediction will come to pass.

The gift of prophecy, used properly and in line with the instructions set forth by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians, is a great blessing in the church today. It is a divine utterance in a known tongue, giving forth God’s message to His people.

Chapter Two, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues

In the last chapter we dealt with the gift of prophecy, one of the three utterance gifts. In this chapter we shall study jointly the next two utterance gifts, tongues and interpretation of tongues, as they work together. Neither of these gifts would be of any use without the other. We would need no interpretation of tongues if no tongues were spoken. And tongues without the interpretation do not edify the body of Christ (I Cor. 14:2).

Writing to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul said, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom . . . to another prophecy . . . to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (I Cor. 12:7-11).

The word “divers” in the King James Version of the Bible simply means “kinds.” The word “kinds” appears in the original text and means tongues of various nations, or just any kind of language. I understand that there are more than five thousand different languages and dialects in the world today; therefore, any one of them could be used of the Holy Spirit in this manner.

The gift of tongues is a supernatural utterance inspired by God in an unknown tongue. The interpretation of tongues is a supernatural utterance, inspired by God, which interprets the unknown tongue.

Here we are talking about tongues and interpretation of tongues as a ministry. We are not talking about speaking in tongues in private worship to God. We are not talking about praying in tongues. We will deal thoroughly with that in the next chapter when we study the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians. Here we are talking about a ministry in the church, just as the gifts of the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge are ministered in the church. These are ministry gifts. They operate because the Holy Spirit chooses the vessel and the message.

The gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues have different applications and purposes from the gift of prophecy.

Had they not been different, these two gifts would not have been given to the church. God would not waste time with something that was not of importance.

I realize that some people believe that these are two of the least gifts. Yet these two gifts are the only ones unique to the New Testament era. The other gifts, such as healing, working of miracles, etc., were manifested through the Old Testament prophets. We see many examples of them in operation all through the pages of the Old Testament. But God saw a need for tongues and interpretation of tongues in His New Testament church and supplied them.

I cannot believe that He would give spiritual gifts to the Old Testament saint or prophet, yet save back the most insignificant and unimportant gifts to be outpoured in the church of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly God wouldn’t give to the church of His Son the very least of the spiritual operations.

The gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues are equal with the other gifts of the spirit. They are just as important as the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. They serve their purpose just as the gifts of healings and working of miracles. If any of the nine gifts were more important than the others, it would no doubt be the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues since these are relevant to the New Testament dispensation and the New Testament church is more perfect than the Old Testament church.

The book of Hebrews tells us that this is the new covenant and it is the best order that God has had with man since Adam fell. The old has passed away and God has instituted this church of His Son. This is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ, and you and I are born into that body. The Holy Spirit baptizes us into this body when we accept Christ as Saviour and we are born again. It is Jesus Christ Himself who baptizes us into the Holy Ghost. You and I receive Him, the Holy Spirit. We do not receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit is a person; the Baptism is an act. So, we are baptized in the Holy Ghost.

This word “with” is translated many more times as the English word “in” than it is the English word “with.” Therefore, it is really “in” the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost in us, a marvelous working of God.

In the thirteenth chapter of Acts we see the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues in operation. “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia . . .“ (Acts 13:1-4).

Although the scripture does not specifically say that a message in tongues was given and interpreted, it says, “. .‘. the Holy Ghost said . . .“ I think we can rightfully assume that the message came through tongues and interpretation.

The Holy Ghost said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” They had already been called into the ministry. The Holy Spirit was just giving them specific instructions on where and how to go.

The Bible doesn’t teach that anyone would be called to the ministry through a message in tongues and interpretation of tongues or through a prophecy. A person is called into the ministry by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in a direct relationship between the man and the Lord. If one is not called to the ministry in this manner, I do not believe he will succeed until he does know that he is chosen of Him. And when God chooses you, you will certainly know it.

Not many people realize the importance of the workings of the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues. The Bible tells us that tongues are for a sign to the unbeliever. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not . . .“ (I Cor. 14:22). Anytime someone speaks in tongues, it gets the attention of everybody. A person may stand up and give a prophecy, yet many people will never detect what it is. They may hear it with their ears and may even be blessed by it; but do not realize that it is a prophecy inspired by God.

However, when someone speaks in tongues, everyone realizes that this is an inspired utterance, and they listen and believe. Anyone who believes the Bible at all realizes that this is a divine utterance from God because someone is speaking a language that they do not know. Then someone stands and by the same Spirit gives an interpretation in the known tongue of the hearers. The interpretation is always exact. It will always prove true by the scriptures.

Just as we mentioned in our study of the gift of prophecy, so is it true in regard to the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues: we are not to seek to minister in tongues and interpretation. However, if the Holy Spirit chooses to minister through us, and if we yield to Him, then we will minister through the Spirit in this manner. “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (I Cor. 12:11). The apostle Paul did tell us, however, to “covet earnestly the best gifts” (verse 31).

In the early days of our ministry together my wife often spoke in tongues and gave messages in tongues. Occasionally the Lord would give her the interpretation of her message in tongues, hut not always. She prayed and sought the Lord with all her heart that He would give her the gift of interpretation of tongues that she might always interpret her messages in tongues. She stood on the scripture, “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret” (I Cor. 14:13). However, she never did receive this gift, and later we understood why.

As we will see in our next lesson when we go into the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians in more detail, although it is good for one person to give a message in tongues and then interpret it, it is far better for the interpretation to come from another person. In this way two people are used and blessed of God for ministering His gifts.

My wife was called and chosen of the Lord to preach the gospel just as I was. While I am the pastor and head of the church, my wife is co-pastor. She has preached a lot and served God in the ministry. After studying the scripture in more depth and reaching a clearer understanding of the way these gifts should operate in the church, her prayer changed and she asked the Lord to give to her husband, the pastor and head of the church, the gift of interpretation of tongues in order that he might interpret the messages in tongues. We have seen this combination of gifts work beautifully in other couples who share in their ministry together, and we longed for the Lord to use us in this way.

Some time later a message was given in church, and the interpretation came into my spirit. I just opened my mouth and the words rolled out and I heard them. It was so wonderful and thrilling to me. For a while after that I continued to give interpretations. Then it ceased. I couldn’t give an interpretation. My wife and I talked about it, wondered about it and prayed about it. We wondered if perhaps I had become fearful. I would sometimes secretly wonder if I had somehow grieved the Holy Spirit. But I knew of no sin or disobedience in my life. All I knew was that the gift of interpretation was no longer operating through me.

One day, just as suddenly as it had left, I received the interpretation to a message in tongues again. And since that day I have been able to give the interpretation to any message spoken in tongues.

My wife and I work together, and we do a lot of personal ministering through tongues and interpretations. Some people say, “Oh, I’m afraid of that.” I would be, too, if I didn’t know it was from God. God has given us this ministry, and I know He is using a lot of other people in the same manner.

Many times the Lord will use one or more of the spiritual gifts to point out sin in a person’s life in order to correct him and bring him back to the Lord. We have seen this many times as we have ministered the gifts of tongues and interpretations to individuals. The Holy Spirit knows the secrets in the hearts of men and reveals these to His servants as He deems necessary. “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I Cor. 2:10). “And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth” (1 Cor. 14:25).

One time two mothers came to us and asked us to pray for their boys. Both boys had been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. They had been brought up in Christian homes and had been trained well in Christian ethics and godly principles of living. But they had gotten away from the Lord. As we prayed together, the Lord moved upon us in messages in tongues and interpretation, and the mothers recorded these messages on tape. The Lord revealed in these messages some of the things that the boys were doing wrong.

When one of the mothers tried to talk to her son about getting back to the Lord and giving up some of his worldly practices, the boy denied any wrongdoing. The mother asked, “Would you believe the Lord on this?” He said that certainly he would believe the Lord. Then she told him about our prayer meetings and proceeded to play the tapes for him.

Then the boy and his mother came to us to pray with them and again the Lord dealt with him through messages in tongues and interpretations. The message was so clear and convincing, the Holy Spirit’s power of conviction so strong, that the boy admitted his sin. He said, It is no use for me to go against God,” and he repented and got right with God.

Will the Holy Spirit really do that? Certainly if the Lord moved upon the Old Testament prophets to go to individuals such as King David and confront them with their sins, He will do the same thing today. God has not changed. He does not change. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8).

I do not believe that anyone who just speaks out a short, simple little message all the time, repeating two or three lines, has a ministry of tongues and interpretation. A person can allow his own spirit to get into these things and mislead him.

Once a woman who thought she was a prophetess came to our church. She would get up and take over the service, and all that she ever had was a message of judgment. It seemed as though she was trying to find fault with the leadership of the church.

Eventually I saw that I was going to have to do something about the situation. I had a talk with her and told her not to do this anymore in church. She said, “But what if the Lord tells me to?”

I said, “He won’t tell you to. That is not of the Lord, that is of yourself.”

“Do you mean that I can’t come to church here anymore?” she asked.

“Of course you can come to church here all you want, but just don’t take charge of the service in this way anymore,” I told her. “It is not scriptural.”

When she saw that she couldn’t control things here, she dropped out. I heard later that she and another woman who were working together had ruined a church in a city some two hundred miles from us. A lot of people do this kind of thing in their own flesh and it is very destructive. However, when anyone is in the true Spirit of God, he will not be destructive to anything except the works of the devil.

As we said earlier in this chapter, the purpose of the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues is for a sign to the unbeliever. It is a proof of the greater miraculous work of God when someone speaks in other tongues. And we are not without absolute proof of the speaking in other tongues being real and the interpretations of tongues being in agreement.

While we were ministering at the Southwestern Assemblies of God College in Waxahachie, Texas, the head of the Language Arts Department and one of his teachers, both Spirit-filled men, were carefully observing our work. They highly commended our ministry to the president of the college and his wife, who was my niece.

A few years later we were ministering at a church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. One of these same men whom we had met earlier at Southwestern was now head of the Language Arts Department at the University of Kentucky in Bowling Green, and he attended the church where we were ministering.

One Sunday morning my wife gave a message in tongues that had several English-sounding words or expressions in it. At the end of the service we talked to this professor again, and since he was an expert on languages I asked him if he recognized the language that my wife had spoken that morning when she gave a message in tongues. He replied, “I certainly did. She spoke in German.” Then he began to explain some things about languages, especially of the Teutonic system. I told him that I had noticed that sometimes in a message in tongues there were words that sounded like English words. Yet when the interpretation *as given, they had not been English words at all. He explained that while they might have a phonetic sound similar to our English word, the meaning could be entirely different.

I did not ask anything about the interpretation, but he said, “I observed the interpretation also.”

“How was it?” I asked.

“It was perfect,” he said. “The interpretation agreed exactly with the language that she spoke.”

The operation of the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues work together for a marvelous and wonderful endowment of rich spiritual blessings in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter Three, Regulation of the Gifts of the Spirit

As we come to this final chapter in our study on the gifts of the Spirit, we will look at the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians. We have studied how the Holy Spirit chooses a vessel for His use, a person who is yielded unto God, and how the Holy Spirit chooses the message which will be brought forth through this vessel. We will look now at how these vessels should be used and how we should conduct ourselves in the operation of the gifts of the Spirit.

Paul was always insistent that there was a right way to handle the spiritual operations in the church, that order in the church was of supreme importance. “Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you” (I Cor. 11:2). He even gave explicit instructions with regard to the matter of the way the communion service should be conducted in the church (I Cor. 11:20-34).

It seems that the Corinthian Christians had been using the occasion of the Lord’s Supper for a time of feasting and fellowship rather than for commemorating the Lord’s death and resurrection. Everyone had been bringing their own meal to the church—what we today might call a covered-dish supper—and then hurriedly gobbling it all up without waiting to share with their brothers and sisters in Christ who had nothing to bring to eat.

They were bringing shame to the house of God, “For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken” (verse 21). Therefore it was necessary for Paul to establish rules and ordinances pertaining to the observance of the Lord’s Supper in the church.

Then he said, “And the rest will I set in order when I come” (verse 34), indicating that there were still some things that needed to be dealt with that the church might have order. Paul was a man who firmly believed in order in the church.

There are those who think that we should not have any order in church but should just let everything go. They say, “The Holy Spirit won’t make a mistake.” I agree one hundred per cent that the Holy Spirit will not make a mistake. But you and I can surely make them! Otherwise, Paul would not have seen fit to tell us how to act when we are under the anointing of the Spirit. He saw a need to regulate the operation of the gifts even in those vessels chosen of the Lord.

Not only does the apostle Paul admonish Christians in the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians as to how they are to conduct themselves in church, but he is also talking about the Christian life in general. He is telling us that wherever we are, whether we are at home in our private prayer life, whether we are with a group of friends, or whether we are working on our jobs, wherever we are, whatever we do, we must live a life that will edify the church and will glorify Christ. We must conduct ourselves in such a manner that we will not bring reproach to the church and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The misuse of some of these gifts can bring harm and reproach to the church just as quickly as the practice of sin can.

Paul begins this chapter with the words, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” The twelfth chapter of I Corinthians, which is a general exposition on the gifts of the Spirit, is concluded with the words, “But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way” (verse 31). Then he went on to talk about love, the highest form of love, “agape” love, in the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians.

The word “covet” which Paul used here really means “desire.” In this instance it does not mean to covet in the sense that we want to receive something for ourselves from a purely selfish motive. Many people do not properly understand this and therefore think that they are to “covet” in the selfish sense of the word.

Therefore, they beg and plead, “Oh, God, please give me a gift,” when this is not God’s way at all. We are to look to the Lord and say, “Lord Jesus, we want these spiritual workings that you prepared for your church. We want to be subjects that you can use as you see fit.”

Remember, these gifts are not outpoured according to our will, but as the Spirit wills (I Cor. 12:11). But we are to desire, to seek that these gifts might be used in our midst to bless and encourage, to teach and strengthen the body of Christ.

Verse two of I Corinthians 14 says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” Whenever we speak in other tongues, whether in our private devotions or in public usage, we are speaking unto God. As we minister these gifts through the power of the Spirit to the church, we are God’s channel of blessing to man.

Then Paul went on to say in verse three, “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” In Chapter One of this volume we saw how prophecy edifies a church. We saw various Bible examples of this gift in action. We saw how God used it to “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” to King Asa following a great victory which he had won as a result of completely trusting in the Lord (II Chron. 15:2-7). And in Acts 15:32 we see it used in the lives of two apostles. “And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.”

Comparing the gift of prophecy to the gift of tongues, Paul said, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church” (verse 4). The reason the one who prophesies edifies the church is that the church can understand what he is saying. When one speaks in tongues, unless it can be understood by the hearers, it would profit them nothing. So we see here that Paul wanted them to do that which would be understood and be of blessing to those who heard it.

This is certainly not to say that he did not favor speaking in tongues, for he went on to say, “I would that ye all spake with tongues . . .“ But he expressed a preference for prophecy. “. . . But rather that he prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying” (verse 5). Paul stressed the importance of edification of the church.

Enlarging on this, Paul went on to say, “Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?” (verse 6). Paul was saying, in effect, “How can I help you if I am speaking words you don’t understand? But if I speak to you plainly, telling you the things that God has revealed to me, telling you the things that I know from learning and experience, speaking to you by the gift of prophecy, and preaching to you the great truths of God’s Word, this is what will edify you and help you.”

Then Paul illustrated his point by likening this to such inanimate objects as musical instruments. “And even things without life-giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (verse 7-8).

Certainly no one would recognize the tune that a flute or harp were playing unless each note is sounded clearly. If a musician were to play a jumble of discordant tones, who would know what song he was playing? There would be no melody, no harmony, and no sense of enjoyment or inspiration to the listener.

And if the army bugler plays the wrong notes, the soldiers won’t know that they are being summoned to battle.

Paul is bringing us to the point that we must have sounds that are true, sounds that will cause us to know what is being done. “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air” (verse 9). He said that unless we speak words that can be understood, unless our message is clear to the hearers, we might as well be talking into thin air. We might as well be addressing an empty room.

“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me” (verses 10-11).

Paul is saying here that there are many different languages in the world, each of which is important to those who understand them. But if a person doesn’t understand the language that another is speaking to him, they are strangers—barbarians—to one another.

Therefore, Paul suggests that we seek the best of the spiritual gifts, the ones that will edify the church, that will be understood clearly by all who hear. “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (verse 12).

Whatever we do, let us make sure that it edifies the church. Let’s not have just a “Sunday religion.” Let’s see that our lives glorify Christ and bring honor to His church all through the week.

There are some Christians who seem quite holy and sanctimonious when we see them in church on Sunday. But during the week their lives are contaminated with all kinds of sin. On the job we could not tell that they are Christians at all. There is nothing in their lives that even remotely resembles the Lord Jesus Christ, yet they claim to be a follower of Him.

If we are really a Christian, we must produce fruit wherever we are—on the job, in the home, in our business. The Christian is not underhanded in his business dealings. He does not lie or falsify his word in any way. Some have said that an automobile dealer couldn’t sell his cars if he didn’t lie about them. But any Christian on the top side of the earth can sell automobiles without telling a lie. God will bless the man who is honest in business. And this will bring honor to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Paul continues his teaching of the subject of speaking in other tongues, he says, “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret” (verse 13). If we assume that this verse of scripture refers to speaking in tongues as a ministry gift, we will run into a seeming contradiction in the scriptures when we come to verse 27 of this chapter. For the sake of clarity, we will wait to comment on this verse until we come in our study to verse 27, rather than jump ahead at this point.

Then Paul said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (verse 14). Notice that he says when we are praying in tongues, our spirit is praying. He dealt with this subject in his epistle to the Romans saying, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26-27).

When we do not know how to pray exactly as we should, the Holy Spirit will pray through us. He will pray for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. God, who searches the heart of man, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

This is perfect prayer. This is giving yourself in the Spirit, praying in the Holy Ghost, when in yourself you do not know how to pray. Many times when praying in tongues we might be praying for deliverance for someone in China, Russia or anywhere in the world. Or perhaps you might be praying for your next-door neighbor or even the one who is kneeling beside you in prayer. We can pray in tongues for that need, whatever it may be, in the perfect will of God.

When we pray in tongues, it is our spirit praying, communicating directly with God, not out of our own mind or thinking or reasoning, but praying “what is the mind of the Spirit . . . according to the will of God.”

In the next verse Paul asks, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also . . .“ I am so glad that the little word “also” is there. Many people have tried to change this verse of scripture to mean that we can pray with the Spirit only when we are praying with the understanding. But it doesn’t say that. Paul said he would pray with the spirit and he would also pray with the understanding. He was saying here that sometimes he will pray in other tongues and at other times he will pray in a language that is understood.

He also said, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (verse 15). I know of nothing more beautiful than for a group of Spirit-filled Christians to gather together and start singing in the Spirit, singing in other tongues.

Paul then said, “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?” (verse 16). Paul is still talking to the Corinthians about the importance of being understood. He says it is well and good to be spiritually enriched yourselves, but what about that one in your midst who doesn’t know what is going on? How is he going to be helped if he doesn’t understand what you are saying? How can he join you in giving thanks if he doesn’t even know that you are giving thanks?

For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified” (verse 17~. Paul hastens to make it clear that it is good to praise God in this manner, for he said, “thou givest thanks well.” He would not in any way want to leave the impression that they should not speak in tongues. In the 39th verse of this chapter he said, “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.” He is merely urging the Corinthian Christians to set proper priorities. He does not want them to indulge themselves in spiritual wealth while others sit in spiritual impoverishment.

If I were to take you out to dinner, and the whole time I sat there speaking in tongues, you would not know what I was saying. Furthermore, we would have no flow of communication between us. There would be no common bond of understanding. You would not be enriched by what I had to say, no matter how much I might be anointed by the Spirit.

“But if an interpreter were present, wouldn’t he be able to interpret what was being said?” someone might ask. Most likely this wouldn’t be a message in tongues, but rather worshipping and praising God in tongues. I would be edifying myself in the spirit, being blessed of the Lord, while you sat and looked on. You would not be blessed or edified at all. I would be the only one who would be edified. However, if I were to talk to you of the things of the Spirit in a language that you could understand, then we would both be spiritually uplifted.

We must see to it that everything we do edifies the church. Let it be said that people who are with us at work during the day, people whom we meet socially, people whom we deal with in business, will see that we have the Spirit in our lives in an orderly, disciplined manner. Too many people claim that Pentecostals go “wild” on this speaking in tongues. If we follow the teachings of the scripture, this will not happen. I realize that there are a lot of young converts and some who will not be taught who go to extremes with regard to the spiritual gifts. We find some of these people in all the churches, not just in one particular denomination or church organization. Let us be careful that our lives shine forth to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then the apostle Paul said something that no theologian can erase from the pages of the sacred scriptures. “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all” (verse 18). At no time did Paul suggest that they should put away and not operate these high spiritual gifts. In fact, he said that he himself spoke in tongues more than all the rest of them.

This man who was brought into the fellowship of Jesus Christ by being halted on the road to Damascus by a bright light and a voice from heaven, said, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all.” After his Damascus Road experience, Paul was carried into the city, where he tarried for three days and nights until Ananias came and laid hands on him to receive his sight and to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:1-18). Although the scriptures do not specifically state here that Paul spoke with other tongues when he was baptized with the Holy Spirit, he testifies to the fact that he spoke with tongues “more than ye all.” We know he had to start sometime, and it is reasonable to assume that he started speaking in tongues when he was baptized with the Holy Spirit, just as those before him had done.

We come now to verse 19 in our study of the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians. From here to the end of the chapter Paul’s teachings specifically apply to the order and regulation of the gifts in public worship in the church. The preceding verses could apply either to private or public worship. Paul said, “Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”

If when Paul went to a church to preach he spoke only in other tongues, he could not teach that congregation anything unless someone stood by to give the interpretation. No converts could be won to Christ because the gospel message would not go forth in a way that would be understandable to the hearers. New Christians could not be strengthened in the Word. No one would be edified. It is important that what we do in church should edify the others.

I once had a good friend at the plant where I worked, and we would talk a lot about the Bible even though we disagreed on some church teachings. He did not believe that the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues were for the church today.

One day he came to me saying that he had found out what the Lord was referring to when He charged His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every cr1eature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues . .

(Mark 16:15-17). My friend said, “You know, I learned what these new tongues are.”

“What are they?” I asked him.

“It is the new language that the Christian speaks after he is converted,” he told me. “After a person is saved he does not use that same old language anymore. He has a new language.”

“That is wonderful,” I told him. “But I wonder how the apostle Paul could have gotten so mixed up when he wrote in the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians, ‘Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding (old language) that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue’ (verse 19).

“According to your logic,” I told him, “Paul would rather speak five words in his old language that he had used as a sinner than ten thousand words in the new language he spoke as a Christian.” My friend had no answer to that. And I doubt that he ever used this argument against speaking in tongues with anyone again.

In verse 20 we read, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” They were not to be childish in their understanding of these spiritual operations, but were to be mature men of intelligence.

Then verse 21 says, “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.” Referring to the written Word of God, Paul reminded the Corinthian Christians that the prophets of old had foretold this phenomenon of speaking in other tongues. “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, “This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear” (Isa. 28:11-12). And truly this experience is refreshing to the hungry heart who seeks after the deeper things of the Spirit.

We cannot remove this experience from the New Testament church and still have a church left. If these things are taken out of the church and we no longer have the moving of the Spirit in our midst, we have only a society. We just get together and play church. If the Spirit of the living God is not moving in the church, it is simply not a church.

One time a man told me about a meeting in his church. He said, “You know, you could tell the Holy Spirit was there because we were all in such unity, such agreement.” However, some of the things they had agreed upon were anything but Christ-like.

I said, “There is a good spirit among people who meet in worldly societies, too. By your same reasoning they could easily say that the Holy Spirit was in their midst because they get along so well. They might be drinking and dancing, carousing and making merry, but there is a spirit of unity, of agreement there.”

No, the fact that people are in agreement is not proof of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their midst. When the Holy Spirit is present there are spiritual manifestations, and God’s people are being ministered to from the Lord.

The twenty-second verse says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not - . .“ Notice that Paul said that tongues are for a sign to the unbeliever, not the believer because believers should already understand about tongues. Naturally, I know that there are many Christian believers who have never been filled with the Holy Ghost. I wish they were all filled. However, if they are really genuine, born-again Christians who are studying their Bibles, they will say, “I know it’s in the Bible even though I do not have the experience.”

A young Catholic girl came to our church and was saved and filled with the Spirit. Later she was talking to the priest at her church and in the course of their conversation she said, “Father, I have spoken in tongues.”

“Well, that is in the Bible,” he told her. He did not deny her experience for one minute, and instead of opposing her, he encouraged her by saying, “I have a book on speaking in tongues that I would like for you to read. One of our parishioners has received this experience.” One of the greatest outpourings of the Holy Spirit of our time is among the Roman Catholic people today and many of them are being filled with the Spirit.

Paul said that tongues were for a sign, not to the believer but to the unbeliever. Then he said, “But prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe” (verse 22). Prophecy was for a sign to the believer, whereas tongues were for a sign to the unbeliever.

“If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all” (verses 23-24). Paul said that if an unbeliever were to come to a church where everyone was speaking in tongues, he would think they were all crazy. But if he were to come into a church where they were prophesying, speaking in a language understandable to him, he would be convinced of his sin and his need for a Saviour. Wherever the Holy Spirit moves, there is conviction of sin.

“And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth” (verse 25). Here we see the core of the purpose of these spiritual gifts—the unveiling of the hearts of lost men and women that they might fall down before God, humbling themselves before Him and acknowledging Him as Saviour and Lord.

The term, “falling down on his face,” seems to indicate a dramatic response to the call of the Spirit. In too many churches today when a lost person responds to an altar call he is just handed a card to sign and extended a hand shake, with no heart-felt tears of repentance being shed, no sobs of joy at being born into God’s heavenly kingdom.

I remember a disappointing experience I once had when I went forward as a young man to accept Christ as Saviour. I had started attending a church which was pastored by a young theology student from Southern Methodist University. Following the sermon I was under conviction and went forward to be saved. I gave my hand to the preacher, along with some eight or ten others who had gone forward.

They sat us down on the front pew, took our names and addresses, and then stood us all up and gave us the right hand of fellowship. But as I stood there, I was still broken and tears filled my eyes. I wanted to pray, but there was no opportunity to seek God. As I looked out over the congregation, I thought they would think me a sissy if they saw my tears, so I held them back.

I failed to get an experience with God that day. It was eight years later before I came into a place where I heard the Word of God that went deep into my heart and brought me to a full surrender to Him.

Churches make a big mistake by merely adding people to their membership rolls. There are plenty of churches today that would accept Nicodemus without telling him, “You must be born again.” At many churches Nicodemus might say, “I know God is with you; you could not do these things if it were not from God,” and he would be handed a card to sign. Too many of us fail God by not asking, “Have you had a real experience with Jesus Christ?”

In verse 26 Paul went on to say, “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, bath a tongue, bath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” Paul said that whether you have a song or a sermon, whether you have a message in tongues, a prophecy or an interpretation, let all be done to the edification of the church.

The next verse is a crucial one in Paul’s system of order in the church, and is one about which there is much controversy and division. “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret” (verse 27).

Many believe that this means that no more than three utterances should be allowed in one service. However, let me show you the entanglement we would get into by following this line of reasoning. First of all, if this refers to three utterances, then only one utterance could be interpreted. Then, following this same thinking, the person who was speaking utterances would violate another scripture, “But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (verse 28). So if he gave three utterances and he gave them by course, how could he give them any other way? He couldn’t speak all three at one utterance.

One of the most exact translations of this verse from the Greek reads, “If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and in turn and let one interpret.” Then this translator’s footnote reads, “And let not more than two or three speak at the same meeting.”

It seems more reasonable, to me to think that Paul was referring to individuals rather than utterances. In other words, “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two (persons). or at the most by three (persons), and that by course: and let one interpret’.”

In our church we have regulation of the gifts of the Spirit. We have all the things Paul has taught us here that we should have in the church. In some services there are no messages in tongues: in others only one or two persons will have a message in tongues. But only three individuals at the most will give a message in tongues. There might be ten utterances in all. but only three different people are used of the Lord in this way.

When Paul said in verse 28. ‘But if there be no interpreter. let him keep silence in the church, and let him speak to himself, and to God,” it would seem to contradict his words ‘in verse 13: “Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unkown tongue pray that he may interpret.” However, we must keep in mind that in verse 13 Paul was referring more to a Christian’s individual prayer life whereas verse 28 refers to public ministry. Paul does not teach that anyone should automatically get up and give the interpretation to the message he has just given in tongues. That is not good order in the church. If no interpreter is present, then we should not give a message in tongues but instead should speak in tongues quietly to ourselves and to God.

Someone might ask, “Why then would the Holy Spirit move upon someone to speak in tongues if no interpreter were present?” Many times when the Holy Spirit moves upon us in this manner it is not for public ministry but only for personal edification and blessing.

Verses 29-30 say, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.” Two or three may prophesy, Paul says, and the others are to judge. Who is going to judge a prophet? Just anybody? No, one would have to be a prophet to understand prophets. It is the other prophets who would judge the prophet who is speaking to see if his prophecy coincides with the Word of God. We have no other standard by which to judge a prophecy except the Word of God.

The prophet Jeremiah judged the work of other prophets one time. When some self-appointed prophets prophesied peace to Israel, Jeremiah told them that if God was speaking by them, then He certainly hadn’t spoken to him. For God had revealed to Jeremiah that sorrow and destruction would be the destiny of the people of Israel because of their disobedience to God. The Bible tells us that we are to judge the work of the prophets.

If while one is speaking or preaching a revelation should come “to another that sitteth by.” inferring that this is another prophet, then the first one should stop and allow the second one to say what the Lord has laid upon his heart. In our church my wife and I work together in the ministry. We also have an associate pastor and his wife. If one of them should stand with a message from the Lord while I am preaching, I hold my peace. This is exactly what the Bible tells us to do.

In a further word to the prophets Paul said. “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” (verse 31). Here Paul states again the purpose of prophecy in the church which he mentioned earlier in this chapter—that prophecy is for “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (verse 3).

Then he tells them, “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (verse 32). I have heard people say, when they are called down for being out of order in a service, that they just couldn’t help it, that the Spirit made them do it. However, that is contrary to the scripture, for Paul said that we are in control, that the “spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”

Repeating his plea for orderly worship in the churches, Paul says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints (verse 33). And he concludes this chapter with the admonition, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (verse 40).

And so let us strive to follow God’s pattern for orderly worship which Paul has set forth in the Word. It is then that our ministry will be truly effective and we will have a dynamic, Spirit-filled church reaching out to lost men and women in these closing days of time.

Table of Contents

The Holy Spirit’s Three Gifts of Utterance, Volume 4 of the Spiritual House Series

Chapter One, The Gift of Prophecy

Chapter Two, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues

Chapter Three, Regulation of the Gifts of the Spirit

Table of Contents

The Holy Spirit’s Three Gifts of Utterance, Volume 4 of the Spiritual House Series

Chapter One, The Gift of Prophecy

Chapter Two, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues

Chapter Three, Regulation of the Gifts of the Spirit