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Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts

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by Dr David Petts - Pentecostal preacher, former AoG Bible College Principal

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Dr David Petts is an international speaker and author who is best known for his 27 years as Principal at Mattersey Hall Bible College and his in-depth but easily understood teaching on the Holy Spirit. Now retired, he enjoys preaching locally and sometimes further afield. These podcasts are your opportunity to experience Dr Petts' teaching first hand!

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July 1, 2026

328 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14 :26

Talk 5 Key Principles in 1 Corinthians 14:26 Hello again, and welcome to Talk 5 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. Today we're going to be seeking to identify the key principles underlying our key verse for this series, 1 Corinthians 14:26: What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. I see three key principles in this verse, Participation, Variety, and Edification. Paul wants everyone to participate in the meeting. This will happen in a variety of ways. And the purpose of it all is to strengthen or edify the church. Participation Paul hardly needed to recommend that the Corinthians participate in their meetings. That was something they were doing already. The problem was not lack of participation, but too much participation in things that did not edify the church, like speaking in tongues without interpretation, and everyone speaking in tongues at the same time. But despite these problems, Paul still wants them to participate. He just wants them to participate in the right way – for the strengthening of the church. As we saw from chapter 12, every part of the body is needed. There should always be opportunity, whenever we gather, for the expression of the many gifts and graces that the Spirit has imparted to the members. This should be easy enough in home groups, even if it's not always possible in church. But even there, I believe there should always be opportunity for them to do so And they should be encouraged to do so. People are more likely to participate when time is specifically allocated for this, and it's made clear that participation is welcome. If we really want people to participate, we must make room for it. Variety Paul refers to: a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. These are, of course, just a representative sample of what might happen in a meeting, but they suggest three main areas: · The musical dimension (a hymn) · The doctrinal dimension (a word of instruction) · The supernatural dimension (a revelation, a tongue, etc). We have already dealt with the supernatural dimension at some length. So we will confine our attention to the musical and doctrinal dimensions. The musical dimension – everyone of you has a hymn The first thing Paul refers to in 14:26 is a hymn. Actually, the word in Greek is literally a psalm, and everywhere else in New Testament it refers to one of the Psalms in the Old Testament. However, a psalm has been defined as a song or poem used in worship, so the translation hymn is quite appropriate. But what exactly did Paul mean by having a psalm? At the very least, Paul is saying is that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the worship by having a song. But how do you have a song? This must mean more than joining in the songs chosen in advance by the worship leader! So does he mean that everyone should have the opportunity to sing a solo?! Clearly not! So how can we put Paul's recommendation into practice? Well, one way would be to do what we used to do years ago. We could give opportunity for people to choose a hymn for everyone to sing, or, in a time of open worship, to spontaneously start singing a well-known hymn or chorus for everyone to join in – but please don't do that if you've got a voice like mine! It's not your ministry! I realise that this may not easily fit in with modern styles of worship where the pursuit of excellence in performance is important, but I do know from experience what a blessing it can be when someone in the congregation spontaneously has a song in one of the ways I have just suggested – and this should be easy enough to make room for in home groups . But now I want to look at the only other reference to singing in 1 Corinthians 14, where in verse 15, talking about singing in tongues, Paul says: I will sing with my spirit (in tongues), but I will also sing with my mind (in a language I understand). We've already seen that this is part of what Paul is recommending for the use of tongues in private, but this raises the question as to whether singing in tongues is appropriate in public. There may be a reference to this in Ephesians 5:19, where Paul mentions spiritual songs along with psalms and hymns. KJV is more literal than NIV when it translates this as speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord… We know from 1 Corinthians 14 that speaking in tongues is one way of speaking to ourselves and to God (28) and that in doing so we are praying or singing with our spirit (14-15). However, in Ephesians 5:19 it's unclear whether Paul is envisaging a public or private situation. The reference to heart rather than hearts might suggest that he is speaking to them as individuals, whereas speaking to yourselves (plural) could be taken to refer to when they are gathered in worship. <span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; color: black; border: none; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Perhaps he intends both. At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit both collectively and individually. And we need, both as a church and as individuals within it, to keep on being filled with the Spirit. If I can sing in tongues privately to maintain the fulness of the Spirit, cannot the church do so collectively? I confess that I was once rather concerned about this, especially when unbelievers were present, on the basis of what Paul says about them thinking we are mad (14:23). But then something happened that made me think again. During part of the time when I was Principal of Mattersey Hall Bible College, the college chapel was across the road from the main part of our campus, and the students' worship could easily be heard by anyone passing by. There would often be times when everyone was spontaneously singing in tongues to worship the Lord, and I wondered what the local residents might think of it. But I was greatly reassured when I heard that one of them had asked: What is that beautiful singing I sometimes hear when I walk past your chapel? It's so unusual, and it gives me a great sense of peace. The Corinthians were undoubtedly out of order in the way they were exercising the gift of tongues and clearly needed the strong warning that Paul gave them. But perhaps today he might be encouraging some churches at least to move in the opposite direction! As at Pentecost, there will always be those who criticise the moving of the Spirit, but if we are able to give an explanation of what's happening, as Peter did, there may well be more who are persuaded by our message than those who oppose it. The doctrinal dimension – a word of instruction The Greek word translated in NIV as a word of instruction is didache, which literally means teaching. It can also mean doctrine. Paul says relatively little about this in 1 Corinthians 14, but in verse 19 he stresses the importance of teaching when he says: But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. And of course, most of the contents of Paul's letters were written to instruct the churches in the truth and to expose false doctrine. What we believe is of vital importance and every genuine experience of the Spirit finds its foundation in the truth of God's word. There are many scriptures that emphasise the importance of doctrine. In WYCT Chapter 8, for example, I refer to Matthew 15:9 and 16:12, John 8:32, Colossians 2:22, 1 Timothy 4:13, 16, 2 Timothy 3:16, Titus 1:9 and 2:10, and 2 John 7-10. The sound exposition of the Scriptures is essential whenever we come together. The teaching of the Word of God shouldn't be neglected in favour of other things. As we'll see later, there needs to be balance in our meetings. Edification This is the major theme of the whole chapter. If love is the dominant theme of chapter 13, in chapter 14 edification is the way that love is expressed in the context of the gathered church. That's why Paul says everything must be done for the strengthening of the church. We have already looked at Paul's specific teaching on tongues, interpretation, and prophecy in some detail, but now we need to consider the key principles that underly that teaching and see if they can be applied more widely than the specific issues Paul was addressing in Corinth. As we do so, we will discover five principles that need to be applied if our meetings are to be edifying. Putting other people first This is the principle underlying Paul's teaching in verses 1-5. There he is saying that in church prophecy is more valuable than tongues because when you speak in tongues you edify only yourself, but if you prophesy you will edify others. He picks up the same theme in verse 17: You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. The principle underlying this teaching is putting others first. And that principle can be applied far more widely than the issue of speaking in tongues. For example, it's good that I have the freedom to stand and worship the Lord while others are sitting down, but if by standing I prevent the person behind me from singing because they cannot see the words on the screen in front, I may be 'giving thanks well', but the other person is not edified. We need to be considerate to others in the way we worship the Lord. And perhaps those of us who frequently lead in prayer, and sometimes several times in a meeting, might consider holding back to make space for others so do so. As my old pastor, Alfred Webb, used to say, Please don't take more than your fair share of the cake! Intelligibility Another of the ways we can build up our fellow Christians is by making sure they can understand. In verse 9 Paul says: Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? Of course, he's talking about the futility of speaking in tongues in church unless it's interpreted. It's pointless unless people can understand it. But that's true of everything we do in church. Not everything we say in English is easy to understand – but it should be! This applies to our preaching, our prayers, the songs we sing, our praise and worship – everything. In verse 16 it's clear that Paul expects that everyone present should be able to say Amen to whatever we say, but to do that they must first understand it, …how can one who… does not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? For example, how can I say Amen to someone's prayer or praise if I can't make out what they're saying because the people around me are making too much noise, or if the background music is too loud? Saying Amen means expressing your agreement with what's been said, and you can't do that if you haven't heard it properly. Responsibility As we saw in the last talk when discussing prophets and prophecy, Paul says that The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets (32). This implies that both prophets and those who have the gift of prophecy are responsible for what they say and how they use their gifts. But the need to take responsibility for our actions goes far wider than the gift of prophecy. If God has entrusted us with any spiritual gift, we are responsible for how we use it. For example, the Holy Spirit does not force us to speak in tongues. He enables us to do so. We are responsible for when, how often, and how loudly. This principle applies to everything we do in church. We are to follow the teaching of Scripture and of our leaders (37-38) and we cannot make the excuse: I couldn't help it. The Holy Spirit made me do it. And, as we have already said, the very fact that Paul gave us instructions on how these gifts should be used shows that we are responsible for how we use them. Order Paul says that God is not a God of disorder but of peace (33), and it's our responsibility to see that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way (40). In the context this meant ensuring that speaking in tongues should be done one at a time and that only one person should interpret each utterance (27). And the same principle applied to the use of prophecy (30). Paul's specific teaching on this still applies today, but the wider principle holds good for everything we do. Everything should done in a fitting and orderly way. Balance Finally, it's clear from Paul's teaching that there needs to be a measure of balance in our meetings. In Corinth there was too much speaking in tongues. In another church it might be too much music, or even too much teaching! If there is to be the variety of which Paul speaks in verse 26, and if each member is to have the opportunity to contribute, leaders need to ensure that there is a healthy balance in each meeting. But that is not to say that there cannot be special occasions when an entire meeting is given over to teaching, or to prayer, or to worship, for example. Such occasions are not to be confused with our regular meetings, where preserving a measure of balance will be essential to the edification of all God's people. Summary 1. There are three principles underlying Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 14:26 – participation, variety, and edification. 2. Our meetings should include the supernatural, the musical and the doctrinal. 3. Most important of all, everything should be done for the edification of the church. 4. That will be achieved by: a) putting others first b) making sure that what is said is intelligible c) taking responsibility for our actions d) preserving order and balance in our meetings. That's it from me for today. Now over to group leaders for questions for discussion. Questions for discussion 1. How could we implement Paul's recommendation to have a song in our meetings? 2. How much time should be allocated for teaching in our home groups? 3. How can we show more consideration for others by what we do in our meetings? Consider different ways of putting other people first. 4. How can we ensure that everything is done in a fitting and orderly way? 5. How can we encourage those who rarely, if ever, say anything in our meetings to participate more, and those who participate regularly (and maybe a bit too much?) to participate less? Which category do you come into?

June 24, 2026

327 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 4 The Right Use of the Gift of Prophecy

Talk 4 The Right Use of Prophecy Hello again and welcome to Talk 4 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. In our last two talks we were looking at Paul's teaching on tongues and interpretation. Today our subject is the gift of prophecy. We will consider what it is, its value and purpose, its limitations, and how it should be used in our meetings. What is prophecy? People sometimes confuse prophecy with foretelling the future, but its basic meaning is speaking on behalf of someone else. In the Bible it's usually used to refer to speaking on behalf of God. And obviously, if you're going to speak on behalf of God you need to hear from him first. This happens by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times and right up to Acts 2 in the New Testament, the Spirit was given to relatively few people, but from Pentecost onwards the gift of the Spirit was made available to all God's people. So prophecy in the New Testament worked rather differently from how it worked before Pentecost. There are now three different ways in which we may be said to prophesying: 1. When we tell others about Jesus we are speaking on God's behalf and so there's a sense in which we're 'prophesying'. This is something all Christians can, and should, do. 2. If we have received the spiritual gift of prophecy, when we use it we are prophesying. But this gift is not given to everyone. See 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Romans 12:6). 3. If we have the ministry of a prophet, our prophecies may well contain supernatural revelation about the future. See, for example Agabus (Acts 11:27-28, 21:10). Not all Christians, and not even all who have the gift of prophecy, have this ministry. There isn't time to go into all these three ways in these talks, but if you want more on this you'll find it in WYCT Ch. 7, and Body Builders Chapters 9 and 12. In this series we'll be limiting our attention to the spiritual gift of prophecy, because that's mainly what Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 14, where he describes it like this: … everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (v3). It's listed among the supernatural gifts Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. So, perhaps we could best define it as: The supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to speak to others on behalf of God by the direct   inspiration of the Holy Spirit  for their strengthening, encouragement   and comfort . So, it's not the same as when we bring a brief encouraging word during an open time of prayer or worship. It's only when there's a distinctly supernatural element that such 'words' are really the gift of prophecy. The value and purpose of prophecy Paul valued prophecy very highly indeed. He begins 1 Corinthians 14:1 by saying: Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. This is the main theme of the chapter. And he ends the chapter as he has started it: Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy… (39). And we've seen in previous talks why he values it so highly. It's because it edifies the church (1 Corinthians 14:4-5). That's why he wants to us be passionate about it! Because …everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (v.3). This, in the context of church worship, is the practical outworking of Paul's teaching about love in chapter 13. We are to love our fellow Christians, and if we love them we will want to be a blessing to them, to strengthen, encourage, and comfort them. And that's what prophecy does. But that's not all. Prophecy can also have a powerful effect on unbelievers who may come into the church. 24 …if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25 and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" So, prophecy is to be valued very highly, not only because it strengthens, encourages, and comforts believers, but also because of the powerful effect it can have on people who do not yet believe. But having said that, prophecy is not without its limitations. In 13:9-10 Paul says: For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. This is because at present our knowledge is incomplete. We see but a poor reflection as in a mirror (12). Our prophecies are imperfect because they are our prophecies, and we are not perfect yet. That's why in 14:12 Paul tells us to try to excel in it. If our use of God's precious gifts were perfect, we would not need to try to excel in them – in fact all Paul's instructions about their use would have been unnecessary! And that's why we're told in 14:29 that we should weigh carefully what is said. But that brings us to how prophecy should be used in our meetings. The use of prophecy in our meetings Perhaps the first thing to say about the use of prophecy in our meetings is that we should always bear in mind its purpose, which is to strengthen, encourage, comfort, and edify God's people (3-4). There is no suggestion that it should be used to rebuke them, or even to give them guidance. Paul tells us in Romans 8:14 that it's our privilege as God's children to be personally led by the Spirit . Guidance received through prophecy should simply serve as confirmation of something that God has already spoken to us about in our hearts. A good example of this is found in Acts 13:1-3 where the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch were told by the Holy Spirit to set Barnabas and Paul apart for the work to which he had already called them. Similarly, in Acts 21:1-15, Agabus predicts what will happen to Paul, but he does not tell him what to do. Paul's specific teaching (29-32) 29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. Two or three prophets should speak (29) Paul may be using the word prophet here to refer to people like Agabus, or he could be meaning those who exercise the simple gift of prophecy. Either way, the principles he is teaching apply to both. The first of these is that, although prophecy is to be encouraged, its use is to be limited, and it needs to be judged or weighed carefully. The others should weigh carefully what is said (29) The verb translated weigh carefully is the same as is used for distinguishing between spirits in 12:10. The clear implication is that every prophecy needs to be evaluated. It's not infallible. However, despite its limitations, Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 that it's not to be despised. But even that may indicate the possibility of human weakness in the operation of the gift. This could be why the Thessalonians had been despising it! So prophecy needs to be judged or weighed carefully. But this raises two questions. The first is: Who is responsible for judging it? Looking at the immediate context, Paul seems to mean the other prophets. The things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned (2:14), and those with a prophetic gift are more likely to weigh a prophetic revelation accurately. But surely the others may be applied more widely than that? Certainly, pastors or teachers have a special responsibility here, and in the context of a small group perhaps the group leader has too. We need to be alert for anything that might mislead God's people. But it's not just leaders who have this responsibility. We all have! We all have the capacity, and the responsibility, to weigh prophetic words. But that leads us to the second question: How is prophecy to be judged? There are two areas of importance here, its authenticity and its application. By authenticity I mean, first of all, its conformity to Scripture. Paul is very clear in verse 37 that what he is writing… is the Lord's command. All prophecy must be judged in the light of what the Spirit has already said in the Bible. But judging is more than an intellectual exercise based on our Bible knowledge. There is a spiritual dimension to it too. A 'word' may be in line with Scripture, but it may not be what the Spirit is emphasising to us right now. By application I mean that we need to consider to whom the prophecy may apply. Is it for me? Is it for the whole church? How do we apply it in practice? These are decisions that we all must make after hearing a prophecy. Clearly, we cannot judge it until we have heard it! However, in some churches people who feel they have a prophetic word to bring are expected to share it with the church leadership before bringing it publicly. The church leaders evaluate it before it is given. The advantages of this are twofold: · It prevents any unauthentic or inappropriate prophecy being given in public. · Those who are inexperienced, but eager to prophesy, feel more secure in having their prophecy confirmed by the leaders before bringing it. We sometimes encourage this in our church, but at the same time we don't want those who have a proven track record in prophecy to feel they have to consult the church leaders before they prophesy. Their prophecies should be judged after they have delivered them, which is clearly what Paul had in mind in the verse we're looking at. What's more, to insist that leaders must be consulted before prophecies are given seems out of keeping with the encouragement Paul gives in verse 26 for all to participate, and with the spontaneity implicit in his teaching on the matter in verse 30. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop (30) This shows: · the spontaneity that Paul envisages in Christian meetings – there was no set liturgy · prophecy may also contain an element of revelation · the importance of making room for others. For you can all prophesy in turn (31) This doesn't mean that everyone in the meeting can prophesy, because not everyone has the gift. And I think it's unlikely that he means that everyone with the gift can prophesy in every meeting! Like tongues and interpretation, he limits prophetic words to two or three (v29). There's good sense in this, because if we get too many people bringing too many 'words' we can't possibly take it all in! The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets (32) All the gifts God gives us are under our control. This is clear from the fact that specific instructions are given for their use. If the use of the gifts were only dependent upon the Holy Spirit   himself, such instructions would be both inappropriate and unnecessary. That's why Paul   teaches that we are able to: · regulate the number of prophetic utterances in any one meeting (14:29). · cease prophesying if something is revealed to someone else (14:30). · prophesy   rather than speak in tongues  if unbelievers are present (14:23-25). Our ability to control the gift  of prophecy also implies that we are responsible for the way we express the message God has given us. I may believe that God has given me something to say, but I am not God, and I should not talk as if I were! And neither should you! So please, prophesy, but don't say 'I'. For example, it would be better to say The Lord loves you... than to say, I love you. Avoid giving the impression that you are God! But that now brings us to the final verses of 1 Corinthians 14. Note that verses 34-35 relate to women asking their husbands at home. It does not relate to women praying or prophesying in meetings, which Paul clearly allowed subject to the social conditions prevailing at the time (11:5). In verse 37 he insists that what he is writing is the Lord's command. Paul was a church leader and he was writing Scripture. Anyone who is truly spiritual will submit to the authority of Scripture and respect their church leaders. Finally, prophecy is to be encouraged, and tongues should not be forbidden (39). And whatever happens, everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (40). That's it. That's all from me for now. Thanks for listening. Now, over to group leaders for questions for discussion. The Lord bless you. <span style= "font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; color: #ee0000; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> Questions for discussion 1. From what you've heard, how do you think we can distinguish between a brief encouraging 'word' and the gift of prophecy? 2. Why do you think Paul wants us to be eager to prophecy? 3. How can we encourage the use of this important gift in church and in our home groups? 4. Might a group discussion be a good way to evaluate a prophetic word? 5. You feel that a prophecy might be specifically for you, but you're not quite sure. What should you do?

June 17, 2026

326 NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings Talk 3 The Right Use of Interpretation of Tongues

Talk 3 The Right Use of Interpretation of Tongues Hello again. Welcome to Talk 3 in our series on NT Guidelines for Small Group Meetings. Last time, our subject was speaking in tongues and its right use in our meetings. We saw that we should not speak in tongues loudly unless it's for interpretation and that it must only be spoken loudly if someone is there to interpret it. So today we'll be looking in more detail at the important gift of interpretation of tongues. Apart from two references in chapter 12 (v10 and v30), our main source of material for understanding this gift is found in 1 Corinthians 14, so it would be good to have your Bible open there. In this talk I will: · Examine the references to interpretation of tongues · Discuss certain practical issues that arise from this · Finish with a brief summary. A.  References to interpretation of tongues 1 Corinthians 12:10-11, 30 10 …and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? These verses make clear that not everybody has this gift. Each gift is given as the Holy Spirit determines. (By the way, speaking in tongues in verse 30 refers to its use in church, not to its private use as prayer with one's spirit). 1 Corinthians 14:5 The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless they interpret so that the church may be edified. This verse reveals the purpose of the gift – the edification of the church. As we saw in our last talk, prophesying is preferable to speaking in tongues because prophecy edifies the church whereas speaking in tongues does not, because no one can understand it (2). However, if speaking in tongues is interpreted, it can edify the church, in which case it is as valuable as prophecy. But this need not mean that it's necessarily the same as prophecy. We will discuss this in more detail in a moment. 1 Corinthians 14:13 In verse 12 Paul tells the Corinthians to try to excel in gifts that build up the church. This gives the reason for what he says in verse 13. Anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret… Why? Because the only way that speaking in tongues will edify others is if it is interpreted. Notice too that the verse does not mean that all interpretations should be given by the person who has spoken in tongues. The interpretation may very well be given by someone else. To allow someone other than the speaker in tongues to interpret means that more people are participating in the meeting, something Paul is keen to encourage, as the next passage makes clear. Verses 26-28 26 What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. Verse 26 is the key verse upon which this series is based. It gives clear guidance on the sort of things we should expect in our meetings. Notice that tongues and interpretation are included in what Paul is recommending. But note the use of the word if in verse 27: If anyone speaks in a tongue… This shows us that Paul does not automatically assume that there will be speaking in tongues in the meeting. The things mentioned in verse 26 are not obligatory ingredients for every meeting. They are the kind of things to expect, but not necessarily in every meeting. The manifestation of spiritual gifts will vary from meeting to meeting as the Spirit leads. The main point is that whatever is taking place, everything must be done for the strengthening of the church. So, if anyone speaks in tongues, what should happen next? Paul is quite clear on this: If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be by two or at the most three people. And let one person interpret (my translation). This doesn't refer to private use of tongues in church, which is allowed, provided it's done quietly, speaking to yourself and to God (28). It refers to the use of tongues for the purpose of interpretation, because Paul says, Let one person interpret. So, during the course of a meeting, no more than three people should speak in tongues with a view to interpretation. Another practical issue that we will need to consider in due course is how to understand and apply the final part of verse 27, which NIV translates as, Someone must interpret, but which KJV translates this as, Let one interpret (my emphasis), which is the literal translation of the Greek word that Paul uses here. That's why, in the translation I offered earlier, I translated it as Let one person interpret. But this doesn't mean that Paul is saying that if there are two or three utterances in tongues, the same person should give the interpretation for all of them. But more on this in a moment. Finally, Paul's use of the word interpreter in verse 28 is interesting. He says: If there is no interpreter, the speaker (in tongues) should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. The term interpreter clearly indicates that those who exercised the gift of interpretation were seen as permanently possessing the gift. If that were not so, how could the speaker in tongues know whether there was an interpreter present or not? A person who has interpreted once can be expected to do so again. So, if we want to speak in tongues publicly, we need to check that there's an interpreter present. And if there is, we are free to go ahead. Obviously that places a serious responsibility on the interpreter to be ready to interpret at any time, because we do not know when someone is going to speak in tongues. To know more about receiving spiritual gifts, you might like to visit my website (<a href= "http://www.davidpetts.org">www.davidpetts.org</a>) and listen to two short podcasts I gave in February 2019 (podcasts 018 and 019). B. Practical issues arising from Paul's teaching  i. The form the gift should take – prophecy or praise? There's no time to go into much detail about this now, but I have said a bit more in WYCT pp77-79 and more still in Body Builders pp141-144. However, the short answer is this. As we saw last time, tongues can take the form of prayer or praise or giving thanks. So, if the gift of interpretation enables us to understand what is being said when someone speaks in tongues, it follows that the interpretation should take the same form as the tongue, whether prayer, or praise, or thanksgiving etc. But what about 'messages' in tongues where the interpretation sounds like a prophecy? Those who take the view that interpretation should take the form of a prophecy base their argument on 14:5 where Paul says: The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless they interpret so that the church may be edified. The argument goes like this. Prophecy edifies the church. Interpretation edifies the church. Therefore, the interpretation of tongues equals prophecy. But there is a logical flaw in this argument. It's like saying, Tea is a drink. Coffee is a drink. Therefore, tea equals coffee! Paul says that both prophecy and interpretation edify the church, but that does not necessarily mean that they do so in the same way. If, for example, interpretation were to take the form of praise, rather than prophecy, wouldn't it edify the church? And who is not edified by the psalms of praise? I have personally been greatly edified by both forms of interpretation. However, other people insist on praise interpretations and base their argument on the NIV translation of 14:2, which reads: For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him… So, it is argued, if the tongue is to God, the interpretation must be to God, in the form of either praise or prayer. However, a more literal translation would be: For the person speaking in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him… (my translation). This makes clear that the reason for saying that speaking in tongues is to God is that no one can understand it. When the disciples spoke in tongues at Pentecost, did it not speak to men? And why was this? Because they understood what was being said. It follows, therefore, that if tongues in church can be understood through the use of the gift of interpretation, it can most certainly speak to us. So in my view both praise and prophecy style interpretations are legitimate manifestations of the gift, and we should accept and encourage both.  ii. Two or at the most three… The meaning is clear, but what should we do if someone brings a fourth utterance in tongues? Should it be interpreted? Of course, this is unlikely to happen if the church has been taught how spiritual gifts should be operated in our meetings. However, if it does happen, what should we do? My view is that it should be interpreted because this would be more edifying for the church which is the basic principle behind Paul's teaching in this passage. For more detail on this, please see WYCT pp79-80.  iii. 'Let one person interpret' (v27) I said earlier that the Greek in verse 27 is best translated as, Let one person interpret. This in fact reflects how the Authorised Version translates it and, as a result, some churches have taught that, if there are two or three utterances in tongues, the same person should give the interpretation for all of them. This is a valid application of what Paul is saying, but I think it more likely that his intention is to say that each utterance in tongues needs only one person to interpret it. The unruly members of the Corinthian church needed to hear this. C. Summary 1. Everything we do in church should be edifying to others. 2. Tongues edifies you, but it doesn't edify others, unless it's interpreted. 3. So, the purpose of the gift of interpretation is to edify the church. 4. Tongues may take the form of prayer or praise or prophecy, so interpretations may take any of these forms. 5. We should not speak loudly in tongues unless there is an interpreter there. So we need to be sure there's an interpreter there before we speak out loudly in tongues. 6. If we speak in tongues aloud in church, we should pray for the gift of interpretation, bearing in mind that it's not given to everyone. 7. If you have the gift of interpretation, you have a responsibility to interpret. 8. Tongues and interpretation should occur no more than two or three times in each meeting. 9. Only one person should interpret each message, but it doesn't have to be the same person each time. 10. Since it's so important for tongues in church to be interpreted, we should all wait for the interpretation to be given before doing anything else (like leading in prayer etc.). D. Questions for discussion 1. Why do you think we should all wait for the interpretation to be given before doing anything else? 2. Someone speaks out loud in tongues, but no one else interprets it. You have interpreted tongues in the past, but you don't feel you have the interpretation of this time. What should you do? Hint: See my personal testimony about this, in WYCT pp.81-83 or Body Builders, Ch. 8. 3. Do we need to alter our group's way of doing things to make way for the operation of gifts like tongues and interpretation (and indeed other gifts of the Spirit)?

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What is Great Bible Truths with Dr David Petts?: Dr David Petts is an international speaker and author who is best known for his 27 years as Principal at Mattersey Hall Bible College and his in-depth but easily understood teaching on the Holy Spirit. Now retired, he enjoys preaching locally and sometimes further afield. These podcasts are your opportunity to experience Dr Petts' teaching first hand!
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