(1Co 14:24) “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: (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.”  When we come before the Lord, He speaks to our individual hearts. Most do not like nor want this. So, they search out a church whose aim is to make the sinner as comfortable as possible. In other words, they do not speak nor deal with the subject of sin.

(1Co 14:23) “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?”  Imagine: you enter a church and during the service, here and there people pop up speaking various languages. You ask, “What did they say?” Answer: “I don’t know.” Since it did not profit anyone, of course you would think, ‘Why would any sane person come to be a part of this?’” 

(1Co 14:22) “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”  The prophecy (v.21) proves the purpose of this gift; to reach lost souls. Its use within the church was therefore wrong. Unlike what we so wrongly think: the gathering of God’s people are for their edification; not for the reaching of the lost. Each member is to seek the souls of the lost, lead them to Him, and then bring them into the fold of the church.

(1Co 14:21) “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.”   That verse is true to this day. Though the historical Book of the Bible, the Book of Acts, never once shows this gift as a language of unknown origin, yet people today still ignore His Word. They choose to put what they desire it to be over what it is. We find this practice to be true in a lot of different areas of Scripture. True fear of the Lord moves our hearts to put His Word over our desire.

(1Co 14:21) “In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.”  This speaks of other languages of other people groups. Truth: We are to judge experiences by the standard of the Word of God. We are not to interpret the Word of God by our experiences, but the other way around.

(1Co 14:20) “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” What does it mean, “Howbeit in malice be ye children”? Answer: Treat it as if  you are ignorant to what it is. Do not acknowledge such a thing nor act on such a thing: (1Jn_3:18) “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

(1Co 14:20) “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” It seems there was a struggle over ministry, who would get to do what. The “gifts” were at the center of the conflict. Spiritual adults accept Bible instruction and put others before self. “Malice” is from the word “bad”, therefore evil, naughtiness. You can count on it, where this is, at least one person has their mind on self, not others.

(1Co 14:18) “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: (19) Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.”  Whether he is referring to his own natural ability or the gift is beside the point. The point is that in the assembly the purpose is to minister to the hearers.  That would include our conversations.

(1Co 14:16) “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? (17) For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.” The gifts given then and those given now, have never been for the purpose of uplifting the recipient. They have always been for the good of others, a demonstration of God’s love for them.

(1Co 14:14) “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. (15) What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”   One possessing this gift would not be satisfied of heart in praying a prayer they did not understand. Everyone has needs that we must be sure have been presented before Him. This example revealed to them how wrong it was to expect such an utterance to be acceptable in the church.