TO SPEAK OR NOT TO SPEAK

1 Cor 14:39-40
39 Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. 40 But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner. NASU** Three things Paul ends up with through this chapter. 1 Everyone desire to prophesy. 2 You can’t tell people not to speak in tongues. 3 In all this prophesying and speaking in tongues, do it properly and in order. When you read the 14th chapter of 1st Cor. You must see it for what Paul is presenting it. He is explaining certain differences between personal devotional tongues (what everyone receives when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit and according to Paul everyone should speak in tongues) and then there’s the congregational tongues (the gift of tongues for the church body that should be controlled and in order and not used more than 3 times during a gathering of the church people). You notice that Paul moves from one gift to the other as he explains the proper way to exercise the two gifts. Now days the churches have almost completely done away with the gift of tongues during their services. My thought would be that they either saw someone or heard of someone abuse the gift or misuse the gift of tongues and decide that it will not happen in their church. And something that was meant to be so good has now been abandoned. I would rather have every gift of God in operation and have to deal with people who are self centered and out of order once in a while than to not have the gift in operation at all.