1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 14.
The Use of Spiritual Gifts in Public Worship. 1 Cor. 14, 1-40.
Strange tongues may become dangerous: V. 23. If, therefore, the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
V. 24. But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all; V. 25. and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
The apostle now shows the disastrous impression which the exercise of the gift of tongues is bound to make upon men that are in no way connected with the congregation: This being the case, if the entire congregation is assembled together at one place and all be speaking with tongues, and men, unversed, unfamiliar, with conditions, or unbelievers, come in, will they not say that you are mad, that you have all taken leave of your senses?
The picture is not a bit overdrawn, but can well be imagined under the circumstances as they existed in Corinth, or as those that were anxious to possess the gift of tongues would have made them: A regular service, with teaching, praise, and prayer; all the Christians busily engaged in prayer and praise in strange languages; Gentiles that were unversed with the situation coming in, or unbelievers, — what was more natural than the supposition that these men were all talking in madness? For it was but proper for such visitors to expect a clear exposition of some Christian doctrine, and not an endless, incoherent, heterogeneous babbling.
Note: This thought might be applied to many a congregation today, where the preaching service has become a fruitless babbling on half-digested topics, only remotely, if at all, connected with the doctrine of Scriptures.
But altogether different is the effect of the gift of prophecy: But if all prophesy, and there enter any unbeliever or uninitiated person, he is convicted by all, he is judged by all. The gift of prophecy included clear and unmistakable explanation and exposition, in ordinary language, of the Word of God, with proper application to the existing circumstances. And therefore any chance visitor to the service, or someone that was lying in unbelief, would be convicted by the testimony of Holy Writ as applied to his case, he would be made conscious of his sin and unbelief.
And, incidentally, he would be searched by the words of omniscient wisdom, the secret things of his heart, the hidden sins would be revealed.
And the result might very well be that such a one would fall upon his face and worship God, openly admitting that God was in the midst of the Christian congregation.
Nothing is more powerful than the living Word of God, by which He searches hearts and minds, Heb. 4, 12, discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Thus the gift of prophecy would result not only in gaining souls for Christ, but also in giving glory to the Lord.