1 Corinthians 14:26, Let All Things Be Done Unto Edifying

1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

The guiding principle for the exercise spiritual gifts is that it seeks to build up the body. It must be out of love. Therefore, in the sharing of a psalm, in the propounding of a doctrine, in the speaking of a foreign language, a prophetic message, in the interpretation of God’s Word, the body of God’s people is strengthened.

The purpose of sign-gifts is not for the “wow” factor, a spectacular and sensational display of a gift for the gift’s sake. It is not for the entertainment. This is particularly relevant in a movie world that began in the beginning of the last century as silent movies in America. Remember Charlie Chaplin (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977), the English comic actor and director of silent films. It is interesting how the silent movies were termed “the American Tower of Babel” that gels the migrants coming to America speaking different languages. Inadvertently, it provides an escape from confronting a life without knowing the living and true God and the true state of our depravity. [1] The church service must not be like the entertainment of the world.

Rather, it must seek to build up the faith of the believers. As such, the Apostle Paul is seeking to instil some form order that will help move the church forward to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

[1]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin.