1 Corinthians 14 (3)

Pray Psalm 96.1-4.
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.

Sing Psalm 96.1-4.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Sing to the LORD! O, bless His Name! All nations tell His glory!
Salvation’s tidings loud proclaim; let earth rehearse His story!
For God is greatly to be praised; His throne above all gods is raised!
Fear Him and sing His glory!

Read 1 Corinthians 14.1-25; meditate on verses 20-25.

Preparation
1. How should we not be like children?

2. How should we be like children?

Meditation
Paul established that the Corinthians were “babes in Christ” because of their penchant for divisiveness and other behaviors unbecoming the followers of the Lord. Add to that flaunting their presumed spirituality by abusing the gift of speaking in tongues. Using this gift—or any of God’s gifts—for selfish purposes is not a mark of maturity. Even the gift of tongues must be used for building others up in the Lord, or it must not be used at all.

The Corinthians must stop being like children in their thinking (“I, me, mine!”). Instead, they must become mature in their thinking, and that means seeking to prophesy more than to speak in tongues and focusing on the edification of the church rather than on one’s own interests. Then they would properly be like true children of faith, relating to one another without malice or mere self-interest (v. 20).

Besides, Paul continued, speaking in tongues without interpretation makes the church look foolish to the world (v. 23). But speaking words of encouragement, exhortation, and conviction—the work of prophesy, which only believers can do (v. 22)—unleashes the Word to reach the hearts of those who need it, whether believers, that they might increase in sanctification, or those who have no faith in Christ that they might be “convicted by all”, their sinful hearts exposed, and they may come to true knowledge of God (vv. 24, 25).

Believers have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2.16). We must learn to think like Jesus so that we will in all things act like Him.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Because Paul had already said to the Corinthian church, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11.1), he felt no qualms about using himself as an example: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13.11). He was appealing to their ability to think linearly: “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature” (1Cor. 14.20).

Paul wanted them to know that childlike thinking in malice is to be desired; but childishness in understanding God’s Word, His Law, and His desires for mature behavior, is to be put away and thoroughly grown out of.

God’s disappointment with us, His people, is clearly stated then by Paul:
“With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people;
and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me” (1 Cor. 14.21; Is. 28.11, 12).

God speaks to us in our own language, at our various levels of maturity; yet for all that kindly condescension,
some still refuse to hear Him. And that is a dangerous stance to take, for willful immaturity is wickedness.

David summed it up this way:
“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones?
Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?
No, in heart you work wickedness;
you weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent;
they are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,
which will not heed the voice of charmers,
charming ever so skillfully” (Ps. 58.1-5).

And Who could ever charm more skillfully than God?

We must mature in Christ—we have His mind—knowing that it is within the realm of possibility (1 Cor. 2.16; 3.16). God would never ask us to do anything that He had not gifted or strengthened us for (Ps. 18.1; 2 Cor. 12.9).

If we need an occasional rest from the rigors of adulthood in Christ, we can always set aside some time to “be innocent babies when it comes to planning evil” (1 Cor. 14.20 TLB). In fact, when you think about it, we should do that every day! What a relief. Feels good to just let that go, doesn’t it? We never have to plan one more evil thing, ever (Matt. 10.16).

Now that we have freed up some extra time for good, we can knuckle down on the things that matter: Love, speaking prophetic words about Jesus to everyone in our Personal Mission Field, and doing the good works God “prepared beforehand that we should walk in…” (Eph. 2.10).

Infantile, Mature, Followers and Leaders—Oxymoronic Christians. IMFLOC. It’s a compliment.

We listened, we heard, we heeded, and we followed our Skillful Charmer.

For reflection
1. Why is it so hard to make progress in maturity as a Christian?

2. How can believers help one another in this important work? Whom will you encourage today?

3. What do you consider to be your greatest challenge in becoming more mature in the Lord?

Love always remains firm and stable, unchanged and unchanging. Christians should be like children, void of guile and malice; yet they should not be unskillful as to the word of righteousness, but only as to the arts of mischief. Matthew Henry (1662-1714),Commentary on 1 Corinthians 14.20-25

Pray Psalm 96.8-13.
Offer yourself to the Lord this day as a living sacrifice. Ask Him for opportunities to show His love to others and to encourage them in or tell them about His salvation. Let the creation around you today prompt you to praise the Lord out loud.

Sing Psalm 96.8-13.
(Mit Freuden Zart: All Praise to God, Who Reigns Above)
Bring off’rings sweet to Him, our LORD, in holy garments praise Him!
Tremble before Him, all the earth; among the nations raise Him!
The earth is fixed, it will not move; the peoples will His justice prove.
Exalt the LORD and praise Him!

Let heaven sing with lusty voice; let earth and sea sing sweetly!
Let fields and trees in Him rejoice, for He is coming swiftly
to judge the world in righteousness, the peoples in His faithfulness.
He comes; exalt Him greatly!

T. M. and Susie Moore

The Church in Corinth was in need of revival. But there was much to be done before that would happen. The Church today is in need of revival, and the same is true for us. Our book, Revived!, can help us to discern our need for revival and lead us in getting there. Order your copy by clicking here.

Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.