Understandable & Edifying Corporate Prayer and Worship: 1 Corinthians 14:13-17

This sermon explains various issues about tongues and the need for intelligibility in corporate worship. We deal with the human mind and spirit in worship, Paul’s personal, hypothetical example, and the key answer which is conducting public meetings in the common vernacular. We also discuss singing in the congregation which is grounded in terminology and practice found in the Psalms and elsewhere. We are to declare the mighty deeds of God.

The most glorious mighty deed is God brining about Messianic salvation for Jews and Gentiles through the finished work of Christ. Christian meetings should not only be in the common vernacular, but be focused on the true needs of the redeemed.

Paul’s call for edification of the church is not met by those who design services for so-called seekers who do not know Christ and have little interest in the Biblical details of the salvation which all believers have experienced.

Those who know Christ are then pushed aside and ironically placed in the “place of the ungifted” which Paul mentions. This should not happen. God should be glorified and believers edified when we gather for worship.