In this passage Paul addresses some practical problems that were plaguing the worship services in the congregation at Corinth. The house church attendees were showing up eager to participate and share what God was saying to them. They were, however, getting carried away with enthusiasm, were fond of hearing their own voices, and were creating a chaotic environment where no one could understand what was being said.
So Paul lays down the law under four main headings:
1. Worship must be understandable. You can't speak in a language that nobody understands unless you have an interpreter.
2. Worship must be humble. What happens at worship must strengthen the congregation and not just strengthen the reputation of the speaker. Self-promotion is off limits
3. Worship must be orderly. Paul set limits on how many people could speak and insisted that they take turns and not speak on top of each other.
4. Worship must be accountable and open to feedback. Not every message you share comes from God. The community at large must verify that the things said in worship are accurate and not heretical.
These guidelines were given to address a specific situation that no longer exists today. But the guidelines still have validity in our services.
1. The words of the sermon, prayers, and music must be understandable.
2. The people singing, praying, and preaching need to be humble and not use their gifts in a slef-serving way.
3. The services we create should not degenerate to the extremes of dull, boring, predictability or chaotic spontaneity. Instead we should be shooting for spirited order or ordered spontaneity.
4. Everything we do is open to feedback from the congregation. Neither the pastor nor the worship team is the ultimate authority. Jesus is.
Related passages: Acts 2.3, Acts 10.44-46, Acts 19.6, 1 Corinthians 12.7-11, 2 Corinthians 12.20, James 3.16
Pastor Jeff, I have a question on the topic of our Stewardship Campaign. Is a tithe based on net or gross pay? Thanks for helping me better understand.
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