Let All Things Be Done Decently And In Order (Part 1)

(1) Firstly, only two or three prophets should speak at any given worship service (very similar to tongue-speaking, only two, and at most three). Paul would not have given this command, unless there was a problem in the Corinthian church. So, one can imagine how the worship service was very chaotic. There were multiple people all speaking at the same time; people speaking here and there, talking over one another, and it was all out of control. In order to stop the chaos, Paul said, “No more than three persons should prophesy or preach.” But it was not only to stop the chaos because when everybody is speaking, then who is listening? Nobody! And when one is not listening, then he or she cannot be edified.

But there was another problem; when everybody was speaking, then who was judging what was being said whether it was true or not? That is where the second principle must come in.

(2) Secondly, And let the other judge. Most likely, Paul meant, “let the other prophets judge” because he was speaking about the prophets, and the other prophets would have the spiritual maturity, understanding and discernment to judge what was being said. So, as two or three prophets took turns to speak the Word of God in the common language of the people, the other prophets who were not appointed to preach on that day would examine or judge what was being said. If someone preached something wrongly, the leaders of the church (the prophets), they had the responsibility to correct those erroneous teachings.

How can we apply this biblical principle in our time? It would be the responsibility of the elders! They have to listen very carefully to what is being said, and if there is anything contrary to the Bible, they need to address it immediately. Having said that, it is not easy to correct a person when he preaches wrongly; one not only needs knowledge but also boldness and courage, and he needs to know how and when to do it. Let’s say, when a visiting minister preached something wrongly, should the pastor and elders immediately address it after the message, or wait until the speaker has left the church or in the next worship service, so as not to embarrass the speaker? But what about those people who only attend that particular service and not the subsequent service, they would leave believing in the wrong teaching? So, one needs to consider all these factors, and pray for the wisdom and discernment to know what to do, how to do it and when to do it as well. It is not an easy task, therefore we need to pray for the pastor and elders!

(3) Thirdly, there ought to be no competition. The prophets were not competing amongst themselves as to who got to preach and who did not get to preach. If the prophesy was truly given by God, then it was His prerogative to decide when He wanted to reveal His truth, and who He chose to use to reveal His truth. Verse 30, If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by. Let the first hold his peace. In other words, as the prophet was preaching to the church, if there was another prophet who was sitting down and he received a new revelation from God (in those days, God was still revealing to the people new revelations as the Bible was not completed yet), then the one who was preaching would stop and give to him the opportunity to speak to the church because he recognized that God wanted to speak directly, so everyone should listen, including himself.

Verse 31, For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. Again, not all at the same time, but one by one. One prophet was preaching, and if God gave new revelation to someone else, he stopped and let the other person speak. Why should it be done in such an orderly and harmonious way? It was not just for the purpose of respecting one another, or out of humility, or for the sake of giving others the opportunity to speak, but rather so that the church would be able to learn and be comforted (or exhorted). Preaching is not about satisfying ourselves, or to draw attention to ourselves, or to compete with one another. It is always for the purpose of edification, so that the people would be encouraged and strengthened.

(4) Fourthly, there was self-control. Verse 32, And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. Here, the word spirits is a reference to the prophets themselves, not the Holy Spirit (similar to the usage in verse 14), which means the prophets were in control of the use of their spiritual gifts. The one who was gifted by God, was not someone who is out of control, he was able to exercise subjection or self-control.