By Pastor Dave Farmer 

Topic #23 Out Of Control Church - Part 3A

   An out-of-control church needs regulations to control the factious and contemptuous circumstances in worship. This is surprising. The prophetic staff is out of control.

1 Corinthians 14:29-31 

29]  Now let two or [at most] three prophets communicate, and the others must discern.

30]  and if another [prophet] receives a revelation while he is seated, the first must keep silent.

31]  For you see you can all prophesy in turn in order that we may all learn [Bible doctrine] and that we may all receive encouragement. 1

   The final section of 1 Corinthians 14 includes verses 26-40.  I have divided it into five parts.  The common theme is Paul's instructions to the Corinthians on straightening out the disorder and confusion in the worship service. This is why I have entitled the entire section "An Out Of Control Church Needs Regulations."  The first group in the church that was placed under the Apostle Paul's rules for the good of the order were those exercising the gift of tongues.  We resume now with the regulations for the second group, the prophets--those exercising the gift of prophecy.  Due to the length of this study, we will cover these verses in two articles:

An Out Of Control Church Needs Regulations - Part 3A

1.  In the first article, Topic #23, will examine 1 Corinthians 14:29-31.  It will contain the four regulations and a statement on the reasons for and the benefits of these regulations.

2.  The second article, Topic #24, will examine 1 Corinthians 14:32,33.  It will contain Paul's appeal to self-control, a fruit of the Spirit, and a statement regarding the Standard Operating Procedures for all the Churches, without exception.

THE FOUR REGULATIONS

The First Regulation - A limited number of speakers.

   Now, let two or [at most] three prophets communicate during the worship service, which is Paul's admonition.  From these instructions, we can assume that in the Corinthian church existed many teachers, at least four.  They all wanted to speak. They had all received a message from God, which was to be given to the congregation.  This was the ministry of the New Testament prophet.

   For us to understand the authoritative tone that the Apostle Paul used, as he gave them these rules, we will need to understand the imperative of command.  These are not just good suggestions; they are commands.  In our context, there are three uses of the imperative of command: to communicate, discern, and be silent.  This imperative is used when a superior commands an inferior or a boss addresses an employee.

   Paul is flexing his apostolic muscles.  He is an Apostle.  Apostles held the highest rank in the church.  They were commissioned by the Lord Jesus personally and had authority over all the churches.  Paul is representing the Lord Jesus Christ and, in His stead, draws up the conditions for ministry in the Church.  He puts his foot down.  He sets the policy:

1 Corinthians 14:37 

If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.

1 Corinthians 14:38

But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

What would be considered a great blessing to the church became a disaster.  Paul reprimands the church for its factious nature in the first chapter:

1 Corinthians 1:11 

For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.

1 Corinthians 1:12

Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

   Imagine worshipping in a congregation that has at least four pastors.  There is one congregation, and all four pastors want to speak.  What a blessing!  I'm sure it could be.  I'm confident their spiritual maturity and bond of love for each other keeps them unified and working together as a team to bring blessing to the congregation.  Apparently not at Corinth.  Paul does not single out the prophets by name; instead, he provides the solution. The regulations that are now given.

Application and Warning.

   There are always two concurrent factors present in the work of the Lord.  Whether we are talking about the church staff, pastors, deacons, or the congregation, we must all be alert to the dangers of discord.  These dangers are from two sources:

Our External Enemy

   The first source is Satan, who has mastered the art of sowing conflict.  His techniques of destroying the harmony within the fellowship of believers are impressive.  Look at the state of Christianity today! Very few churches have a continuous record of harmony.  Somewhere in their past, a goggusmos [ a sullen and chilling reverberation of discontent] arose, leading to a period of disorder and tumult.  Even the first church of Jerusalem succumbed to conflict and strife.

Acts 6:1 

Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint [goggusmos] arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.

   Every church is vulnerable, and we must all guard against the devil's wiles.  These men must work together and never allow Satan a foothold or cause a schism in the work of the Lord.  The prophets at Corinth have failed in this regard.

Our Internal Enemy

   Satan has been successful because inside of each of us is the Old Sin Nature.  Its sinful trends of pride and approbation lust, rivalry, and inordinate competition may become its fruits rather than the existence of peace, harmony, and loving one another, which is the fruit of the Spirit.  A factious and contemptuous spirit has arisen at Corinth, and the fire must be extinguished.

   We have already seen in this chapter how Paul exposed a weakness within the Church at Corinth; they lacked love for one another.  When a Christ-like love is absent in the fellowship, discord will follow.  Remember the passage in the proverbs which reveals the seven things that God hates most:

Proverbs 6:19 

A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.

   We must love what God loves and hate what God hates.  If you are ever faced with a choice to join a group who are dissatisfied and grumbling about something in the fellowship, remember these words, " God hates...anyone who spreads strife among brothers."  Church splits should never happen!  I remember preaching a sermon on "How To Leave The Church Without Getting In Trouble With The Lord."  There are Biblical methods for settling differences. They must be followed.  When the challenge comes, be a reconciler rather than a retaliator or a rioter. 

The Second Regulation - Verification of the truth

The second regulation says, "and the others must discern."  Who are "the others?"

   (1) It could be referring to members of the congregation in general; that is, the believers who are listening and being taught.    I think we all have the responsibility to discern what we hear from the pulpit or any source, for that matter.  We need to ask is it true or false?  Does it line up with Scripture? For instance:

1 Thessalonians 5:20,21 

20) do not despise prophetic utterances.

21)  But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

   Although allos means "others of the same kind” and could mean, in general, "other believers," the article that modifies this adjective indicates he is addressing a group of discerners.

(2)  The generic use of the article indicates that Paul is talking about a special class or group within the church.  Not the prophets but those who were gifted for the ministry of discernment.  In the list of gifts that Paul gave us [1 Corinthians 12:10], the gift of discerning spirits came after the gift of prophecy.  DIAKRINO, to discern, is used in both passages.  This was a gift related to the church's ministry of the Word of God.  Like the gift of tongues, which had a complimentary gift called the gift of the interpretation of tongues, the gift of prophecy was coupled with another spiritual gift, the gift of discerning spirits to protect the church from false teaching.  This enabled believers to discern whether or not the alleged prophet spoke the truth.  There was a need for a quick, accurate evaluation of a  message in the pre-canon period of the church.  Can those with this gift say Amen to the message? 

   The prophet's gift was to deliver God's message to the people-to reveal truth.  For the message to be substantiated, someone with the gift of discerning spirits must confirm they are telling the truth.  I should say something about "spirits."  This is one of those special uses of the word PNEUMA, meaning "teachings or teachers of doctrine" as in 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 John 4:1:

1 John 4:1 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit [teacher] but test the spirits [their teachings] to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 Timothy 4:1 

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits [false teachers] and doctrines of demons,

   The concept of verification is extremely important.  In the pre-canon period, determining truth from error depended upon a spiritual gift or the Apostles and those they trained in doctrine, like Timothy, Titus, Epaphras, etc. However, with the formation of the canon of Scripture, the gift of prophecy ceased along with the gift of discerning spirits.  The Written Word, also called the prophetic word in 2 Peter 1:19, would now determine truth from error.  A new standard now exists, the inscripturated Word of God.

   I often think of the noble Bereans. Although they were a group of Jewish unbelievers, they were praised by the Apostle Paul for their discernment.  Paul went to Berea, spoke to a synagogue of Jewish unbelievers, and gave them the gospel.  The Bereans went home, looked at their Bibles, and found that Paul was correct.  These noble unbelievers trusted in Christ that day.  They discerned the message of Paul by means of the Old Testament Scriptures. They determined that Paul spoke the truth. 

The Third regulation - Courtesy and Good Manners

30]  and if another [prophet] receives a revelation while he is seated, the first must keep silent.

The picture here is that while the seated prophet is listening to the message of the communicating prophet, he receives a revelation from the Spirit of God for the congregation, so he stands up.  This is a signal for the one speaking to close and to turn the floor over to him.  The first speaker is to keep quiet.  Good manners and thoughtfulness of others are to prevail.

The Fourth Regulation - One by One.

31a]  For you see you can all prophesy in turn.

   The chaotic atmosphere is limited by each speaker taking a turn.  When the preposition KATA plus the accusative is used, it connotes a norm and standard.  The standard of conduct is for all to speak in an organized way.

THE TWO PURPOSES FOR THESE REGULATIONS

31b]  in order that we may all learn [Bible doctrine] and that we may all receive encouragement."

When things are done decently and in order, a twofold blessing flows to the congregation.  There are reasons for these regulations, not just good reasons but God's reasons. 

1.         The First Blessing - We Grow Spiritually.

   This concept appears so often in the New Testament that I am embarrassed that some pastors don't get it.  Paul has written this chapter with one thing on his mind: to protect the priority of worship in the local church so that the people will be spiritually strengthened.  This requires a pastor who will teach the Word and a congregation who will listen and learn. 

   Sometimes, the verb to teach, MANTHANO, means to learn something through instruction and sometimes by example [1 Corinthians 4:6] or through experience [Hebrew 5:8; Philippians 4:11]; here, it is to learn through the instructions given by the face-to-face teaching of the prophets.  This is how you grow spiritually--listen and learn, not go and do. You are to make it a habit to listen to the pastor's message so that you may learn what the Christian life is about and how to live it. 

2.         The Second Blessing - We Are Encouraged.

   The second benefit comes from Bible teaching.  As the Word Of God is taught, we are encouraged.  We are helped, comforted, and encouraged by the Word of God.  PARAKALEO 2 has a wide variety of meanings.  In this passage, the teaching ministry of the prophets provides for the believer an inner resource to encourage them through its counsel:

Hebrews 13:22 

But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.

Romans 15:4

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

   And strengthens them through its power:

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

   The testimony of God's people has been validated time and time again that when facing great difficulty, God's Word comforts them. 

A sad commentary, what has changed?

   The switch to the subjective mood [we may learn and be encouraged] is important because it reveals a sad truth at Corinth: a lack of appreciation for the Word of God.  This spiritual sickness has spread and infected the church throughout its generations.  Why is it that so many Christians don't learn and aren't encouraged by Bible teaching?  Pastors bear some responsibility but are not to be scapegoated for our own failure to grow spiritually.  The Scripture speaks of this numerous times, so much so that an entire category of doctrine can be developed from them.  Some call it "Backsliding," some call it "Lukewarmness," I prefer "The Arrogance of Negative Volition." 

   The arrogance of negative volition 3  explains why born-again believers can go to church all their lives and never grow.  How can a believer hear the wonderful words of life and be unmoved and unchanged by them?  Paul's use of the subjunctive mood indicates this heartrending truth, when the seed is sown, some falls on stony soil.

__________

ENDNOTES

1  See the exegesis of these verses.

2   ibid.

3  A brief excerpt from the doctrine:

Definition

Negative volition may be defined as apathy or indifference toward the Word of God.   You may concede that the Bible is truth, but you are not interested in it for the most part.  This is best described by the words and phrases found in the Bible:

2 Timothy 4:3 

For the time will come when they [born again believers] will not endure [negative volition explained as holding up; that is to count as valuable, to highly regard] sound doctrine; but according to their own lusts they will gather around themselves [it is their decision] teachers ticking the ear [say to them what they want to hear].

Hebrews 5:11

Concerning him [the Lord Jesus Christ] we have much to say [to say is the communication of the Word of God now the object of their negative volition], and it is hard to explain [The communication of the Word of God is now the object of their negative volition. Some doctrines are hard to grasp - hypostatic union, two nature of Christ] since you have become dull of hearing [negative volition].

   This is written from the standpoint of the communicator of doctrinal teaching. The congregation is face to face with him. He has been pounding away, explaining the doctrines about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, he stops. He senses that the congregation was indifferent and apathetic toward the teaching of the Word. It is a sad circumstance when this happens.

Literally - Concerning Christ, we have many doctrines to communicate and hard to explain [it was hard because they didn‘t care!] because you have become apathetic in the sphere of hearing (negative volition].

1 Timothy 4:1

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away [negative volition] from the faith [the object of their negative choice], paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Literally - The Holy Spirit communicates specifically that in the latter times some shall depart [negative volition] from doctrine [The object of their negative choice].

The arrogance part of this concept comes from the fact that the believer has refused the design that God established for the church. They know best!

The Norm and Standard Or The Base Line, Ephesians 4:11-16.

1. God's plan for the believer after salvation is to grow spiritually, 2 Peter 3:18.

2. This is the desire of every born-again Christian, 2 Peter 2:2. 

3. This must be given priority.  It is the number one or the most important thing that a believer can do to please and honor the Lord, Hebrews 11:6.

4. God's plan is for the believer to listen and learn from the face-to-face teaching of their pastor, Hebrews 10:25.

5. This takes place in the local church as they are gathered for worship.  There is no substitute for God's design. 

   Arrogance occurs when we decide to do something different because we know better. The pastor, who is face to face with the congregation, teaches the Word of God, God's design for worship. This is the best hope for personal transformation and national revival.  For the positive pastor, it means to study and teach.  For the positive believer, it is to listen and learn and then apply the Word to your life and circumstances.