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Ambassador Baptist Church
1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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   You Are Here: Bridge / Galley / Pastor's Pen / Pathways Through Paul
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Pathways Through Paul Daily Devotional
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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional

August 24
Click on verses for Full Scripture
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Today's Pathway:


 I Corinthians 14:12-19
  1. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
  2. Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
  3. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful
  4. 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.
  5. 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?
  6. For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
  7. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
  8. 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.

His Majesty's Service

 We concluded yesterday with Paul's statement in verse 12 that the believers needed to "super-abound" in edifying their fellow church members. Because of this fact, he writes in verse 13 that since a person who speaks in tongues does not edify the church because he can not be understood by the church, that person needs to ask God to allow him to interpret what he has said for the benefit of the congregation. Henry Morris commented,

"Paul stresses here again that speaking in a foreign tongue was of no value if no one could understand what the speaker said. The gift of interpretation enabled its possessor to translate what someone of another nation was saying, an ability which would have particular value when trying to communicate with 'barbarians' (verse 11). If there was no such person present, however, then the responsibility apparently fell to the one who would presume to speak to the congregation in a foreign language, and then also to translate it for them."

 Paul now discusses praying in tongues. In verse 14 he states that if he prayed in a language that he did not understand, his spirit might be doing something, but he would not understand it and therefore his prayer life would be unproductive and meaningless. So Paul then says in verse 15 that when he prays he will choose to pray with his spirit, but he will make sure that he understands what he is praying about. He then makes the same statement concerning singing. Then in verse 16 he adds that if he blesses something, he wants to make sure that people understand what he is saying. The word translated "bless" is the word from which we get our English word "eulogize", and means "to speak well". Therefore, if some Christian wants to speak well of the Lord in church, how can the rest of the congregation agree with him by saying "Amen" ("So be it") if he is speaking in a language unknown to them. When Paul mentions the "room of the unlearned" in that verse he is not being insulting at all. He is simply saying that the room is filled with people who don't speak the language that the one who is blessing the Lord is using. So Paul writes in verse 17 that the man who is giving the blessing may be doing an excellent job of it, but it serves no purpose because no one else understands it, and therefore they are not being edified by it.

 In verses 18-19 Paul gives testimony to the fact that he had personally spoken in tongues more than anyone in the Corinthian church had. He was a well educated and well traveled man, and undoubtedly spoke several languages that he had learned, plus it is possible that he was given the supernatural ability to preach to those whose language he did not know through the gift of tongues. Albert Barnes wrote,

"It is reasonable to presume that he was able to speak the language of any people to whom God in His providence, and by his Spirit, called him to preach. He had been commissioned to preach to the Gentiles, and it is probable that he was able to speak the languages of all the nations among whom he ever traveled."
The Bible never specifically speaks of this taking place, but in light of Paul's comment there is no reason to doubt it. However, he then writes that he would much rather be able to speak five words that he could understand rather than ten thousand words that he couldn't understand. He wanted to teach, and it would be almost impossible to carry out a successful teaching ministry, even with the gift of tongues, if he did not know what he was saying.

 Paul's focus in the church was always on edifying his fellow believers. Is that your focus also?

Pastor Mark J Montgomery

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His Majesty's Service
Home of Ambassador Baptist Church
1926 Babcock Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412)477-3210
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