Daily Devotional for Sunday, August 17

Orderly Worship

“Let all things be done decently and in order,” 1 Corinthians 14:40.

Clear communication in worship is extremely important. God’s people need a message that is understandable so that they will be able to apply the message in their lives. Unclear communication creates confusion.

A three-year-old boy was eating an apple while riding in the back seat of a car. The boy asked his dad why his apple was turning brown. His dad gave him an accurate scientific answer to which the boy asked, “Daddy, are you talking to me?”

Paul commanded the Corinthians to strive to prophesy because prophesy was the method that God had chosen to clearly communicate His message to His people. Paul reminded the Corinthians that the gifts of prophesy and tongues were useful gifts during the early stages of the growth of the Lord’s churches to communicate the message to the people. Prophecy was the gift that built up the people spiritually, while the misuse of the gift of tongues sometimes caused confusion.

When the gifts were misused, people became prideful considering themselves better than others. All gifts originated from God for the purpose of building up the Lord’s churches. The gift of prophecy was designed for the particular result of building up the people of God. The gift of tongues was designed to reach people of other language groups who were lost for the purpose of pointing them to Christ.

THOUGHT

Strive to present the gospel message in an orderly, understandable way so people will understand their need for salvation through Jesus Christ.

Jason Rutherford