1 Corinthians 14:21-40

Tongues seems to invite bedlam in the church. 1 Cor. 14:22 follows a quote from Isaiah 28:11-12 and gives the purpose of tongues. If someone will recognize what he hears as a fulfillment of the prophecy -- tongues is appropriate. Someone who doesn't make that O.T. connection will think you a maniac (literal translation of the word).

Bottom line: God is a god of order, not of bedlam.

The focus of worship is not the outsider, but the outsider must understand what is going on. Religious slang and church jargon may be just like a foreign tongue to outsiders. How can worship be both more meaningful and more intelligible to the outsider?

I will not quickly get over 1 Cor. 14:25. What a result for someone visiting a church!

• His heart will be revealed.
• He'll fall on his face and worship.
• He'll say, "Surely, God is among them."

Oh, that such a thing would happen frequently in our worship services!