**Sermon Text: ** 1 Corinthians 14:1-25
Church, we must approach the spiritual gifts—particularly the gift of tongues—with the sober understanding that God’s primary mandate for our corporate worship is the building up of the body. Throughout history, the church has been plagued by spiritual pride and misunderstanding regarding these manifestations, often leading to either chaotic abuse or a cynical rejection of the Spirit’s power altogether. We must reject the spirit of the age that seeks to divide us over secondary issues, yet we must also refuse to tolerate disorder in the house of God. Whether one holds to cessationism or continuationism, the litmus test for any gift is its usefulness: if a manifestation is not intelligible, if it does not instruct, and if it does not glorify Christ in a way that builds the church, it has no place in the corporate gathering. The purpose of our gathering is the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the saints, not the pursuit of ecstatic experiences that serve only to confuse the outsider. When the church functions in disorder, we become a stumbling block; when we function in the truth, we become a light that convicts the heart of the unbeliever. You are called to be mature in your thinking, not childish, and to test all things by the authoritative revelation of God’s existing Word. Be unified in the essential doctrines of our faith, and show charity toward your brethren in matters where the text leaves us with mystery. Our task is not to win debates, but to reap the harvest and advance the crown rights of King Jesus through the clear, intelligible power of His Gospel.
Watch the Full Sermon below