August 22
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ORDER IN WORSHIP FOR EDIFICATION OF CHURCH
26 What is the outcome then, brothers and sisters? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. All things are to be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it must be by two or at the most three, and each one in turn, and one is to interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he is to keep silent in church; and have him speak to himself and to God. 29 Have two or three prophets speak, and have the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, then the first one is to keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.
– 1 Corinthians 14:26-32
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According to bibleodyssey.org, the Corinthian church was a mixed-gender group. 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 reveals that women were fully involved in church life, participating vocally in gatherings for worship by praying aloud and prophesying. The article says that it isn’t easy to know the size of the Corinthian church, but scholarly estimates range from 40-150 persons. It is assumed then when the “whole church” came together for worship (1 Corinthians 14:23), it did so in a believer’s home, but Paul’s distinction between church and home in 1 Corinthians 11:22, may suggest otherwise. The meeting place may have been a rented dining hall, a large garden or some other venue.
In this letter, Paul gives the Corinthian church a guideline to use for church gatherings. Because of the predisposition of the Corinthian believers to misuse the spiritual gifts they have received; he gives them direction how to go about the order of using such gifts when they meet. Can you imagine if they are meeting in homes, halls or gardens and they were all praying aloud all at the same time and prophesying simultaneously? It would be chaos.
He reminds them in verse 26 that all must be done for the edification of the church. How often does our flesh interfere in the growth of the whole body of Christ? Our selfish nature wants to point to our gifts and forget the reason why it was given to us in the first place. He clearly instructs them in verses 27-32 how to go about giving each other room to speak in tongues, prophesy, exhort, pray aloud and interpret. In verse 33, he reminds them that they serve a God of peace, not of chaos or confusion. It is sad to watch many churches today not following the order that Paul spoke about in this letter.
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REFLECTION
• Why is order in a church worship very essential in a church?