1 Corinthians 14:26-33
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 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 to God.
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.33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
There is an Instagram channel that I have been following called the Holy Nope. In each episode it shows a man getting ready to go to church and worship God and being confronted with different chaotic situations. They range from tele evangelists to revival meetings. Sometimes it is the teaching that seem off and other times it is the environment. At the end of each episode he says ‘nope’ and closes the door.
Not all his criticism is fair or healthy. However, his critique of the chaos that can be found in many churches is challenging. The church in Corinth had got out of control in the name of the Holy Spirit. No one could understand what was happening and everyone was fighting for the spotlight. There was no order or plan and it was justified by saying that it was God that was leading them. However, God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit and following him, we do not suddenly lose our control. We are not forced to act in certain ways or shout over one another. The Holy Spirit is just as present in an orderly service as he is in a prayer meeting. He moves in power through us and there can be all kinds of reactions to his presence but (importantly) he never removes our free will or leads us into chaos.
Some churches tend to lean towards chaos but the opposite can also be a problem. Where our services restrict the work of the Holy Spirit. In many places people come to church looking to receive something rather than to contribute. The church becomes a restaurant with chefs and waiters serving people fine meals, rather than a family table where everyone gets stuck in and shares the experience. Paul says that we all should come with a hymn, prophecy, word or tongue. God speaks to each and every one of us and we are all to bring something to the community to share and build up others. This is one of the amazing things about church, everyone gets to play.
