First Corinthians 14:1, “Desire these spiritual gifts, desire, rather that you prophesy.”  Why?  “Because greater is he that prophecies than he that speaks in an unknown tongue except he interpret.”  Both of these gifts are for the purpose of the edification of the whole, the community.  “And when these prophecies go forth, they’re to edify, exhort and comfort.”  Edify, build up.  Exhort, stir up.  Comfort, cheer up.  And these are the results of this ministry working in our midst.  “Now, he that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself; but he that prophesies edifies the church.”  We’ll see as we go through this fourteenth chapter.  There are people today that say we shouldn’t speak in the church in tongues at all unless it is a message of tongues.  That’s not what Paul preaches.

There’s nothing wrong with sitting in service, in prayer time, prior to prayer, speaking in tongues if you’re speaking under your breath to yourself.  You’re edifying yourself, you’re ministering, it’s not bringing any attention to you.  It doesn’t catch our ear as though the Spirit’s trying to say something to us.  Paul says, “Just speak to yourself and to God,” in this chapter.  But if we’re going to speak forth to where it catches the ears of everybody among us, then it necessitates an interpretation.  You’re never to speak forth to the community if an interpreter is not present.  He says, “Be ready at all times.  Then if you speak, believe God, that you yourself might have the interpretation.”  In so many churches it happens like it does everywhere, but people fall into different kinds of habits and ruts, et cetera.  You get into church and for the last 20 years, brother so‑and‑so will prophecy and sister so‑and‑so will give the interpretation.  Every one of us should be being involved in these gifts of tongues and interpretations, that we may all learn and be used of the Spirit of God and bring forth this ministry severally as He wills.

Let’s go on, “I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.”  That the church might receive edifying.  I mentioned that I hope you’ve read through this chapter a few times.  He goes on and then reemphasizes the fact that, verse 6, “I’m profiting you nothing, except I would speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge, or by prophesying or by doctrine.”  There’s no edification if we haven’t been able to grasp with our understanding what the Spirit might be saying at this particular time.  So, make sure, then, in your midst that there is this communication, both supernaturally inspired utterances that edify, exhort, comfort, prophecy, a speaking forth.  The fundamentalists today misinterpret the Scriptures here.  They say that this gift of prophecy is actually the speaking forth or the teaching of the Word of God and that’s what fulfills “prophecy” in the church today.  That’s not what Paul is speaking toward here.  He’s speaking toward supernatural, specific, unction to the community in time and space for this moment, to bring about or address a want or a need in our midst at that particular time.