Preventing Helter-Skelter Worship

“God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:33

Church services in the early Christian church looked a bit different from our services today.

 

1 Corinthians 14:26-33 gives us the earliest written record of what a Christian worship service was like in New Testament times. In verse 26, Paul writes: “Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation.”

 

Did you notice that there’s no mention of a pastor? Most of those early services were led by regular, everyday Christians. And because there was no New Testament yet, the Holy Spirit blessed ordinary Christians with extraordinary gifts, so that they all could contribute to the worship service.

 

But there was a problem. When the Corinthian Christians came together to worship, the services were chaotic. The tongue-speakers were clogging the airwaves, speaking over each other, often without an interpreter. As a result, the Christians weren’t edified because they couldn’t understand anything the tongue-speakers were saying. So, at the end of verse 26, the Apostle Paul tells them: “Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”

 

To make sure all Christians are edified by the service, Paul lays out three basic rules for tongues and for prophecy. The first two rules were the same for each gift:

 

Rule #1: No more than two or three tongue-speakers / prophets are allowed to speak in a church service (vs. 27 & 29).

 

Rule #2: Tongue-speakers / Prophets must speak one at a time (vs. 27 & 30).

 

Rule #3 has slight variations for tongue-speakers and prophets:

 

Rule #3 for tongue-speakers: If there’s no interpreter, he must keep quiet (v. 28).

 

Rule #3 for prophets: Other prophets should use the established truth of Scripture to carefully judge what is prophesied (v. 29).

 

Since Paul has established that ALL church ministry must be edifying, understandable and orderly, these rules make complete sense. Without them, the service would turn into a jumbled mess. In verse 40, Paul summarizes the overriding principle of his message to the Church: “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”

 

Whether it’s a Sunday morning service that is highly structured and led by a pastor, or if it’s a Bible study, a prayer meeting or another ministry that is less structured and is led by everyday Christians, ALL church ministry should be edifying, understandable and orderly. To God be the glory!

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

What Is the Gift of Prophecy?

“The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:3

There’s a lot of confusion in the Church today about the spiritual gift of prophecy. What is it, and are there prophets alive today?

 

The first man in the Bible to be called a prophet is Abraham. In Genesis 20:7, Abraham is described as a man who has a direct line of communication with God. And as the Old Testament unfolds, it becomes clear that Jewish priests spoke to God on behalf of the people, while prophets spoke to the people on behalf of God.

 

In the New Testament, the spiritual gift of prophecy is shown as the God-given ability to communicate divine revelations for the education, encouragement, and comfort of the Church. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul emphasizes prophecy because in his day — before the New Testament books had been written — God delivered His holy Word directly to prophets, and the prophets proclaimed it to the Church. Prophecy was the primary way for Jesus Christ to speak His word to His Church.

 

How about today? The primary way that Christ speaks to His Church is through preaching and teaching of the Bible … the written Word of God. So, as prophecy was to the church in Corinth, preaching and teaching God’s Word are to churches today. As a pastor, I’m a teacher of God’s Word as it’s revealed in Scripture — as opposed to a prophet, who receives fresh revelation from God.

 

So, is the spiritual gift of prophecy still active in the Church in 2026? Because God’s revelation to mankind was made complete in the New Testament, I believe the answer is “No.” It seems clear that the spiritual gift of prophecy was vital in the early years of the Christian Church, before the New Testament was assembled. But biblical and historical evidence indicates that this gift is not active in today’s Church — at least, not in the same way it was active in the early Church.

 

Since preaching and teaching are for Christians today what prophecy was to Christians in Paul’s day, it is the preaching and teaching of God’s Word that must be at the center of ALL ministry … both to Christians within the Church, and for the evangelism of unbelievers outside the Church. As the Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:12: “The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

 

Whether it was through gifted prophets in First Century Corinth, or through preachers, teachers and evangelists today, God’s #1 tool for building up Christians is the Word of God.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

What Is Speaking in Tongues?

“For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God.” – 1 Corinthians 14:2

There’s a lot of confusion and disagreement about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. So, just what is this gift?

 

As always, the best place to get answers about pressing spiritual questions is the Bible. In Acts 2, the Bible presents the gift of tongues as it happened on the Day of Pentacost, just 10 days after Jesus ascended into heaven. In this instance, the Christians were “filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (v. 4). And when a crowd gathered to hear them, each person heard the Christians speaking in their own language (v.6).

 

The gift of tongues is mentioned two times later in the book of Acts, and again in 1 Corinthians 12-14, but the only clear description we’re given is in Acts 2. That’s why many conservative Christians today are skeptical of Christians who claim to have the gift of tongues but are not speaking a language that anyone understands.

 

Based on what we find in the Bible, I believe that the gift of tongues that Paul teaches about in 1 Corinthians is NOT the same gift of tongues that’s described in Acts 2. In 1 Corinthians 14:2, Paul writes: “For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.” Unlike the tongues of Acts 2, which were heard as understandable human languages, the tongues mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14 seem to be languages that NO human can understand.

 

So, is the spiritual gift of tongues still active in the church today? In light of the biblical record and the writings of church leaders in the first few centuries of Christianity, it appears that the gift of tongues wasn’t active in the church once the apostles died. And it remained inactive for the most part until the early part of the 20th Century, when the practice of tongues played a key role in the birth of the Pentacostal movement.

 

What do we do about an issue where many Christians disagree so sharply? Pastor Chuck Swindoll gives us 2 beautiful insights about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues:

 

Insight #1: “Any authentic gift of the Spirit must conform to the Bible’s prescription for its use. Without dispute, every gift of the Spirit … was given for building up the church, not puffing up the one with the gift (14:12). The edification of the church is to result in unity and love, not disunity and conflict (Eph. 4:11-16).” If a Christian’s exercise of his/her spiritual gift leads to disunity and conflict, that’s a red flag. Either it’s a counterfeit gift, or it’s a real spiritual gift being used in an unloving way. So, when we exercise our spiritual gifts, let’s make sure to do it in love to unify and build up Christ’s Church.

 

Insight #2: “We don’t all need to AGREE on the issue of spiritual gifts…. Some believe speaking in tongues today is a valuable prayer language. Others think it passed away in the first century. Nevertheless, Christians can still enjoy unity and fellowship over the essentials of the faith without agreeing on all the details of disputed issues.” The Restoration Movement of the early 1800s had this motto: “In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things love.” In other words, Christians can disagree on nonessentials like speaking in tongues – and still remain completely unified in our faith and our mission to lead people to Christ.

 

Always remember that as Christians, we are united in our most important beliefs: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. And when we disagree on less vital doctrines, we must show each other grace. Above all, we must continue to love one another with God’s agape love.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Love Never Fails

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul shows us how beautifully Christ’s selfless “agape” love behaves. And in verse 8, Paul tells us in no uncertain terms that “agape” love NEVER fails.

 

To understand what Paul means, it’s important to look at this verse in several other good English translations: “Love never ends” (CSB, ESV & HCSB); and “Love will last forever” (NLT). It turns out that Paul is not saying that “agape” love is always successful. He’s saying that “agape” love never dies. Agape love is eternal.

 

In other words, agape love is not a magic key or spiritual formula that guarantees success. Like Jesus, if you love the people around you with an “agape” love, they may STILL spit in your face; they may STILL slander you; they may STILL crucify you and think they’re doing everybody a favor. But if you love those around you with an “agape” love, your love will outlast all of the world’s shenanigans.

 

Verse 13 puts a final bow on this beautiful chapter: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” In eternity, faith will become sight. So faith—at least in the sense of trusting in One who we cannot see—will become a thing of the past. And in eternity, all hope will be realized. In heaven, there will be nothing left to hope for. So, even faith and hope have an expiration date. But “agape” love doesn’t. Agape love is an integral part of the character of God. So, just like God Himself, agape love will last forever. Faith, hope and love will remain until this world passes away, but in eternity, only agape love will remain. Therefore, “the greatest of these is love.”

 

Pastor Chuck Swindoll suggests asking ourselves these 3 questions after studying this life-changing chapter:

 

Question 1: “Do you consider ‘agape’ love essential in your ministry? Is ‘agape’ love the single most important aspect in your relationship with others?” It’s easy for our love to grow cold when it’s not “agape” love. We start going through the motions. We put on a smiling face. We perform the tasks we’re supposed to do, but there’s very little love in it. You could be the most gifted and talented Christian in the church, but if you don’t have “agape” love, God’s Word says … it’s nothing. Why? Because EVERYTHING – LOVE = NOTHING.

 

Question 2: “Does your love fade in and out? Is it fickle—hot and cold? Even though ‘agape’ loving isn’t safe or easy, it must be unconditional and consistent.” We might THINK we’re loving others with an agape love, but if your love fluctuates based on how other people respond to it, that’s not “agape” love. “Agape” love isn’t based on your feelings. Agape love is a verb, an action rooted in a conscious decision to love those around you. Our love must be like Christ’s love: selfless, unconditional and consistent. 

 

Question 3: “Does ‘agape’ love come to the surface of your life more than any other virtue? In Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit, love comes first (Gal. 5:22)…. If those around you were to identify one virtue to describe you, would it be LOVE?” Honestly, I don’t know the answer to this question. People who know me tend to describe me as dedicated and hard-working. But would “loving” be on the tip of their tongues? I’m not sure it would. So, the Holy Spirit and I have some work to do on me. And you and the Holy Spirit have some work to do on you.

 

It’s easy to talk to people about how much Jesus loves them. But we must roll up our sleeves and start showing them Jesus’ selfless, sacrificial, unconditional “agape” love.   

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services at 9am: at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville, or at 9 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.