{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"328 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14 :26","description":" Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Hello again, and welcome to Talk 5 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. Today we\u2019re going to be seeking to identify the key principles underlying our key verse for this series, 1 Corinthians 14:26: What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.   I see three key principles in this verse, Participation, Variety, and Edification. Paul wants everyone to participate in the meeting. This will happen in a variety of ways. And the purpose of it all is to strengthen or edify the church. Participation Paul hardly needed to recommend that the Corinthians participate in their meetings. That was something they were doing already. The problem was not lack of participation, but too much participation in things that did not edify the church, like speaking in tongues without interpretation, and everyone speaking in tongues at the same time. But despite these problems, Paul still wants them to participate. He just wants them to participate in the right way \u2013 for the strengthening of the church. As we saw from chapter 12, every part of the body is needed. There should always be opportunity, whenever we gather, for the expression of the many gifts and graces that the Spirit has imparted to the members. This should be easy enough in home groups, even if it\u2019s not always possible in church. But even there, I believe there should always be opportunity for them to do so And they should be encouraged to do so. People are more likely to participate when time is specifically allocated for this, and it\u2019s made clear that participation is welcome. If we really want people to participate, we must make room for it. Variety Paul refers to: a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. These are, of course, just a representative sample of what might happen in a meeting, but they suggest three main areas: \u00b7      The musical dimension (a hymn) \u00b7      The doctrinal dimension (a word of instruction) \u00b7      The supernatural dimension (a revelation, a tongue, etc). We have already dealt with the supernatural dimension at some length. So we will confine our attention to the musical and doctrinal dimensions. The musical dimension \u2013 everyone of you has a hymn The first thing Paul refers to in 14:26 is a hymn. Actually, the word in Greek is literally a psalm, and everywhere else in New Testament it refers to one of the Psalms in the Old Testament. However, a psalm has been defined as a song or poem used in worship, so the translation hymn is quite appropriate. But what exactly did Paul mean by having a psalm? At the very least, Paul is saying is that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the worship by having a song. But how do you have a song? This must mean more than joining in the songs chosen in advance by the worship leader! So does he mean that everyone should have the opportunity to sing a solo?! Clearly not! So how can we put Paul\u2019s recommendation into practice? Well, one way would be to do what we used to do years ago. We could give opportunity for people to choose a hymn for everyone to sing, or, in a time of open worship, to spontaneously start singing a well-known hymn or chorus for everyone to join in \u2013 but please don\u2019t do that if you\u2019ve got a voice like mine! It\u2019s not your ministry! I realise that this may not easily fit in with modern styles of worship where the pursuit of excellence in performance is important, but I do know from experience what a blessing it can be when someone in the congregation spontaneously has a song in one of the ways I have just suggested \u2013 and this should be easy enough to make room for in home groups . But now I want to look at the only other reference to singing in 1 Corinthians 14, where in verse 15, talking about singing in tongues, Paul says: I will sing with my spirit (in tongues), but I will also sing with my mind (in a language I understand). We\u2019ve already seen that this is part of what Paul is recommending for the use of tongues in private, but this raises the question as to whether singing in tongues is appropriate in public. There may be a reference to this in Ephesians 5:19, where Paul mentions spiritual songs along with psalms and hymns. KJV is more literal than NIV when it translates this as speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord\u2026 We know from 1 Corinthians 14 that speaking in tongues is one way of speaking to ourselves and to God (28) and that in doing so we are praying or singing with our spirit (14-15). However, in Ephesians 5:19 it\u2019s unclear whether Paul is envisaging a public or private situation. The reference to heart rather than hearts might suggest that he is speaking to them as individuals, whereas speaking to yourselves (plural) could be taken to refer to when they are gathered in worship.     Perhaps he intends both. At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit both collectively and individually.  And we need, both as a church and as individuals within it, to keep on being filled with the Spirit. If I can sing in tongues privately to maintain the fulness of the Spirit, cannot the church do so collectively? I confess that I was once rather concerned about this, especially when unbelievers were present, on the basis of what Paul says about them thinking we are mad (14:23). But then something happened that made me think again. During part of the time when I was Principal of Mattersey Hall Bible College, the college chapel was across the road from the main part of our campus, and the students\u2019 worship could easily be heard by anyone passing by. There would often be times when everyone was spontaneously singing in tongues to worship the Lord, and I wondered what the local residents might think of it. But I was greatly reassured when I heard that one of them had asked: What is that beautiful singing I sometimes hear when I walk past your chapel? It\u2019s so unusual, and it gives me a great sense of peace. The Corinthians were undoubtedly out of order in the way they were exercising the gift of tongues and clearly needed the strong warning that Paul gave them. But perhaps today he might be encouraging some churches at least to move in the opposite direction! As at Pentecost, there will always be those who criticise the moving of the Spirit, but if we are able to give an explanation of what\u2019s happening, as Peter did, there may well be more who are persuaded by our message than those who oppose it. The doctrinal dimension \u2013 a word of instruction The Greek word translated in NIV as a word of instruction is didache, which literally means teaching. It can also mean doctrine. Paul says relatively little about this in 1 Corinthians 14, but in verse 19 he stresses the importance of teaching when he says: But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. And of course, most of the contents of Paul\u2019s letters were written to instruct the churches in the truth and to expose false doctrine. What we believe is of vital importance and every genuine experience of the Spirit finds its foundation in the truth of God\u2019s word. There are many scriptures that emphasise the importance of doctrine. In WYCT Chapter 8, for example, I refer to Matthew 15:9 and 16:12, John 8:32, Colossians 2:22, 1 Timothy 4:13, 16, 2 Timothy 3:16, Titus 1:9 and 2:10, and 2 John 7-10. The sound exposition of the Scriptures is essential whenever we come together. The teaching of the Word of God shouldn\u2019t be neglected in favour of other things. As we\u2019ll see later, there needs to be balance in our meetings. Edification This is the major theme of the whole chapter. If love is the dominant theme of chapter 13, in chapter 14 edification is the way that love is expressed in the context of the gathered church. That\u2019s why Paul says everything must be done for the strengthening of the church. We have already looked at Paul\u2019s specific teaching on tongues, interpretation, and prophecy in some detail, but now we need to consider the key principles that underly that teaching and see if they can be applied more widely than the specific issues Paul was addressing in Corinth. As we do so, we will discover five principles that need to be applied if our meetings are to be edifying. Putting other people first This is the principle underlying Paul\u2019s teaching in verses 1-5. There he is saying that in church prophecy is more valuable than tongues because when you speak in tongues you edify only yourself, but if you prophesy you will edify others. He picks up the same theme in verse 17: You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. The principle underlying this teaching is putting others first. And that principle can be applied far more widely than the issue of speaking in tongues. For example, it\u2019s good that I have the freedom to stand and worship the Lord while others are sitting down, but if by standing I prevent the person behind me from singing because they cannot see the words on the screen in front, I may be \u2018giving thanks well\u2019, but the other person is not edified. We need to be considerate to others in the way we worship the Lord. And perhaps those of us who frequently lead in prayer, and sometimes several times in a meeting, might consider holding back to make space for others so do so. As my old pastor, Alfred Webb, used to say, Please don\u2019t take more than your fair share of the cake! Intelligibility Another of the ways we can build up our fellow Christians is by making sure they can understand. In verse 9 Paul says: Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? Of course, he\u2019s talking about the futility of speaking in tongues in church unless it\u2019s interpreted. It\u2019s pointless unless people can understand it. But that\u2019s true of everything we do in church. Not everything we say in English is easy to understand \u2013 but it should be! This applies to our preaching, our prayers, the songs we sing, our praise and worship \u2013 everything. In verse 16 it\u2019s clear that Paul expects that everyone present should be able to say Amen to whatever we say, but to do that they must first understand it, \u2026how can one who\u2026 does not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? For example, how can I say Amen to someone\u2019s prayer or praise if I can\u2019t make out what they\u2019re saying because the people around me are making too much noise, or if the background music is too loud? Saying Amen means expressing your agreement with what\u2019s been said, and you can\u2019t do that if you haven\u2019t heard it properly. Responsibility As we saw in the last talk when discussing prophets and prophecy, Paul says that The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets (32). This implies that both prophets and those who have the gift of prophecy are responsible for what they say and how they use their gifts. But the need to take responsibility for our actions goes far wider than the gift of prophecy. If God has entrusted us with any spiritual gift, we are responsible for how we use it. For example, the Holy Spirit does not force us to speak in tongues. He enables us to do so. We are responsible for when, how often, and how loudly. This principle applies to everything we do in church. We are to follow the teaching of Scripture and of our leaders (37-38) and we cannot make the excuse: I couldn\u2019t help it. The Holy Spirit made me do it. And, as we have already said, the very fact that Paul gave us instructions on how these gifts should be used shows that we are responsible for how we use them. Order Paul says that God is not a God of disorder but of peace (33), and it\u2019s our responsibility to see that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way (40). In the context this meant ensuring that speaking in tongues should be done one at a time and that only one person should interpret each utterance (27). And the same principle applied to the use of prophecy (30). Paul\u2019s specific teaching on this still applies today, but the wider principle holds good for everything we do. Everything should done in a fitting and orderly way. Balance Finally, it\u2019s clear from Paul\u2019s teaching that there needs to be a measure of balance in our meetings. In Corinth there was too much speaking in tongues. In another church it might be too much music, or even too much teaching! If there is to be the variety of which Paul speaks in verse 26, and if each member is to have the opportunity to contribute, leaders need to ensure that there is a healthy balance in each meeting. But that is not to say that there cannot be special occasions when an entire meeting is given over to teaching, or to prayer, or to worship, for example. Such occasions are not to be confused with our regular meetings, where preserving a measure of balance will be essential to the edification of all God\u2019s people.     Summary 1.     There are three principles underlying Paul\u2019s teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:26 \u2013 participation, variety, and edification. 2.     Our meetings should include the supernatural, the musical and the doctrinal. 3.     Most important of all, everything should be done for the edification of the church. 4.     That will be achieved by: a)     putting others first b)     making sure that what is said is intelligible c)      taking responsibility for our actions d)     preserving order and balance in our meetings. That\u2019s it from me for today. Now over to group leaders for questions for discussion.   Questions for discussion   1.     How could we implement Paul\u2019s recommendation to have a song in our meetings?   2.     How much time should be allocated for teaching in our home groups?   3.     How can we show more consideration for others by what we do in our meetings? Consider different ways of putting other people first.   4.     How can we ensure that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way?   5.     How can we encourage those who rarely, if ever, say anything in our meetings to participate more, and those who participate regularly (and maybe a bit too much?) to participate less? Which category do you come into?     ","author_name":"Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts","author_url":"https:\/\/www.davidpetts.org","html":"