Useful Bible Studies > 1 Corinthians Commentary > chapter 14
Paul intends these verses to be a brief statement of the most important matters in 1 Corinthians chapter 14.
(1) Many church members in Corinth were speaking in tongues (unknown languages). Paul believed that they had received a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit. He too had received this gift.
Paul said that those Christians should continue to use that gift. However, in the future, they must be more careful about where and when they used it. In particular, they should be careful not to confuse people who were not yet Christians.
(2) In public meetings, the gift of prophecy was a better gift, because other people could learn from the messages. Of course, nobody can speak a genuine prophecy by their own power. A prophecy is a message from God that a person speaks by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, Paul urged the Christians in Corinth to pray for that gift.
(3) In every church meeting, people should always behave in a proper manner. They should not dress in a manner that offends people. They should not behave in a manner that frightens people. They should be quiet when someone is speaking. They should respect the decisions of the person who leads the meeting. They should not argue during the meeting. They should not shout for attention, and they should not have conversations then. They should behave in a polite, kind and humble manner.
In everything that they do at their meetings, Christians should respect God.
Next part: Remember God’s good news (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.