How many of you can finish this statement? “You cannot eat that piece of candy unless you have enough for…” The missing word is “everyone”. I remember hearing teachers say this on the first day of school along with the other rules we needed to remember. As a child I often wondered why we couldn’t chew gum or enjoy a piece of candy alone.
Of course now I understand what a distraction that would have been. The teacher would have had to compete to get the classes attention because all eyes would have been on the student doing their own thing.
Our scripture passage today has a similar rule. When speaking in tongues during a corporate worship service, there should always be someone present who can interpret what is being said so that the entire community can participate.
Although worship can be a very private experience, the focus should always be on God. If we do anything to remove that focus from God and put it on ourselves it’s like a teacher who has lost her classes attention.
Don’t get me wrong being moved by the Holy Spirit should not be stifled, but scripture says that God will send an interpreter if the one speaking in tongues is truly moved by the Spirit. God wants us to live as a community of believers not as isolated individuals. We all need to learn from each other and that doesn’t just happen when we study the word, it also happens when we worship and pray together.
Read today's passage at Biblegateway 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
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