verse of the year

in last sunday morning's sermon at york baptist church, revd gary patchen introduced our verse of the year, Ephesians 4:16 (NIV). (incidentally, york cu is doing Ephesians in small groups this term.) he highlighted the phenomenon of drive-in churches in the US, where people drive into an area, listen to the speaker and band, then drive out of the area without actually leaving the car. that is not going to church. that is going to the movies.

let us not think that we are not prone to that in other ways. it is possible to walk into a church, listen to the speaker and band, then walk out of the church without actually having fellowship with other believers and edifying the church. we are not spectators or even supporters, but servants of the church!

if my main purpose of going to church is to listen to the speaker, then i might as well stay at home and listen to the speaker (or even better speakers) online. if my main purpose of going to church is to listen to the band, then i might as well stay at home and listen to the band (or even better bands) online. no, my main purpose of going to church is to have fellowship with other believers and edify the church.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." - Acts 2:42 (NIV)

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

excursus: the gift of tongues

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." - 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)

the gift of tongues (ie. languages) is to be administered in public, not in private. praying to God in a private "language" may or may not make sense, but in any case it is not the gift of tongues.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." - 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)

i suggest that Paul is using hyperbole in 1 Corinthians 13:1. the point is not that since we can 'speak in the tongues of angels', therefore we should have love. the point is that since we cannot 'speak in the tongues of angels', therefore how much more should we have love!

"He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified." - 1 Corinthians 14:4-5 (NIV)

i suggest that Paul is being sarcastic in 1 Corinthians 14:4-5. the point is not that since 'he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church' - therefore we should speak in a tongue when we want to edify ourselves, but prophesy when we want to edify the church. the point is that since 'he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church' - and the gift of tongues is not for us to edify ourselves - therefore the gift of tongues is not properly administered unless it is interpreted, 'so that the church may be edified'.

[likewise, i suggest that Paul is being sarcastic in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35:

"I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs - how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world - how he can please his wife - and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world - how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 (NIV)

the point is not that we should be single so that we can 'live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord'. the point is that whether or not we are single, we should 'live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord'.]

'groans that words cannot express' are not tongues

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." - Romans 8:26 (NIV)

whether or not the gift of tongues is valid today is open to question, but in any case Romans 8:26 cannot be used as a prooftext. in the first place, Romans 8:26 is not about the gift of tongues, but about the labour pains as the first creation gives way to the new creation. in the second place, Romans 8:26 is clear that words cannot express the groans of the Spirit. if we attempt to express the groans of the Spirit with words, then we are opposing God's revealed will.

'inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell' are not tongues

"And I know that this man [this is Paul referring to himself] - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows - was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." - 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 (NIV)

again, whether or not the gift of tongues is valid today is open to question, but in any case 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 cannot be used as a prooftext. in the first place, 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 is not about the gift of tongues, but about the inexpressible things which Paul heard in the third heaven. in the second place, 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 is clear that man is not permitted to tell the inexpressible things which Paul heard in the third heaven. if we attempt to tell the inexpressible things which Paul heard in the third heaven, then we are opposing God's revealed will.