In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers,while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

How often do we use Christianese, code words whose meaning is apparent only to believers? I have attended worship services in the Netherlands, conducted in the language of the country, Nederlands. Unintelligble to me. I did not suspect that my cousins were out of their minds, but it is the closest example to help me understand this passage.

My relatives understood; they were able to enter into the worship, but I, the non-Dutch speaker, was lost for much of the service. I was cast in the role of the non-believer.

Today's readings in the Psalms:

Morning: Psalm 48

Mid-day: 119:73-80

Evening: Psalm 124

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