Let everything be done for edification

I want to invite you to go to First Corinthians, Chapter 14, let's go to verse 20 to 33. I am going to read this word, pay attention to it while you read it because at some point in the message I am going to go into an exposition of that word and the my introduction is based on that word. And I want to continue with the series of sermons that we interrupted for Christmas and other things that intervened, that series of sermons that I titled 'Complex Faith', in the spirit of continuing to explain what we believe, what I believe as a pastor of this Congregation, and why we do things the way we do them and why we don't do them the way we don't do them, and why sometimes it's difficult to locate ourselves, if we are Pentecostals, if we are 4-by-4 evangelicals, what is who we are and why sometimes it is difficult to locate ourselves where we are. And I hope it is because we are within the complexity of the word of God, which is complex.

Listen to how Paul reasons, because we have to learn through the Holy Spirit, he is reasoning. And you say, well, if the Holy Spirit leads Paul to reason like that, then I have to learn to reason also in my own life and in things of the spirit. Verse 20 says:

“…brothers of León de Judá and of those who listen to me through the internet and on the radio as well, brothers, do not be children ─ in other words, do not be immature ─ in the way of thinking, ─ of reasoning, of studying the word, to analyze the word of God ─ do not be children in the way of thinking, of reasoning the Bible, of living the life of the spirit, but be children in malice…”

There are some in the church who have a doctorate in malice, but need to go to kindergarten in terms of spiritual wisdom. Excuse me if you feel alluded to, but if you feel alluded to, it's because you need something there, because I'm not telling anyone in particular.

"... but be children in malice, but mature in the way of thinking..."

There you have what I pursue, what I want our church to be, that's why the crown classes, the discipleship classes, everything we do with social justice work with our youth. It is that we want to produce a culture of mature Christians, balanced, not only with a false Pentecostal fire, but with the totality of the word of the Lord, mature people, balanced people, sober people.

And Paul says, he is now reasoning and illustrating what he just said. Because he's talking about tongues and the use of tongues, but in that Chapter 14 it's more than tongues. I see there a way of conjugating things of the spirit in general and that is what interests me. This is simply an administrative case with languages, of something much broader than that.

“…In the law it is written, ─ that is, in the Bible that they knew to be the Torah, the Old Testament that we call the Old Testament ─ … in the law it is written in other tongues and with other lips, I will speak to this people and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord…”

That's found in Isaiah 28, by the way, from 11 to 12. He's quoting a text from Isaiah.

"... In other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people..."

He is saying, tongues were already prophesied by Isaiah, what we are now practicing…he is talking about a Pentecostal church, Paul. Pentecostal Paul, speaks to a Pentecostal church in Corinth.

“…And even then they will not hear me, says the Lord. ─ then look at the conclusion, when he studies this biblical passage he says ─ … so tongues are a sign not to believers but to unbelievers….”

Because? Because what he just quoted, even then they won't believe me. That is, they are unbelievers and that is why the Lord speaks to them in tongues so that they believe him. So Paul says, well, if that's the case, then it seems like tongues are a sign not to believers, but to unbelievers.

“…But prophecy ─ there is a difference in Paul's mind between tongues and prophecy ─ but prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers….”

Now, in Paul's mind the word prophecy meant many things. Essentially what we see from what we can understand in the Bible, the word prophecy is a word that comes directly from the mouth of the Lord for a person, for a community. That word can be something about the future, but it can just be a word of correction, or a word of encouragement, but it comes directly from the mouth of God for a particular person.

Because sometimes we think that prophecy is only predicting the future. It is not only prediction, it can also be correction, confrontation. Some prophets wrote and there's nothing there about the future, it's just a confrontation about sin, about injustice in the nation or whatever. The difference is, says Pablo, that the language, among other things, is… I speak a language that is sometimes not understood, but prophecy is a word in Spanish, in our case, in English, for an English-speaking community. So,

“…Prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. If, then, the whole church gathers in one place, as in this cult, and everyone speaks in tongues ─ everyone is speaking in tongues, there is no prophecy, only tongues ─ and the unlearned or unbelievers come in…”

What are the unlearned? The immature, the raw people in the Gospel. People who are not learned, not instructed in the word of God, who do not know much about the Bible. Like in our church, there are many people who are just entering the Gospel. They are still searching, trying to find their course, their place in the Gospel.

If uneducated people come in, people new to the Gospel, or unbelievers, people who are simply there because someone brought them or because the wife pulled him off and threatened to divorce him or not cook for him anymore if they didn't come to church that Sunday, or they're just like searching, but they have not yet made a decision in favor of the Lord, if unlearned or unbelieving people come in and they see you all in a mess outside shouting and speaking in tongues and there is no order, everything is a mess outside, a disorder. Says,

“… They will not say that you are crazy ─ how many people have gone to a church and say, I went to that church and left there with a headache, and I said, I will never return. There are people who wake up one morning with a burning desire to seek God and where do I go? Ah, a little church there in the neighborhood. They go there and leave scandalized because they did not understand what was happening and what they saw was something that `rather scared them. Yes or no? That happen. And of course, when people leave there, ah, that's a wicked person, the wicked don't know about God, the Lord rebukes them, let them go to hell because we are the real ones. Here we are the marines of faith, etc. he is simply excusing spiritual incompetence.

That is why I asked the Lord this morning, Father, help me to be restrained in what I say, not to hit people, not to let myself get too intoxicated by words.

“…Won't they say they're crazy? But if everyone prophesies ─ if everyone speaks in an understandable, edifying, coherent way, with something that can be understood and that has digestible spiritual matter ─ but if everyone prophesies and an unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convinced by all, he is judged by all …”

Look at this precious moment here when these brothers were here, and for now the spirit moves me... because I had told Omar, Omar, 10 minutes or so on Wednesday at the pastors' meeting we are going to pull the bows you and I . But I am there listening and something happens here and in me the spirit is inflamed and I say, no, how is it possible that among believers... I understand... look, I understand very well, I am not alluding to anything in this regard, but I I mean, if we are here and we are growing in the Lord, how is it possible that someone cannot give a testimony, of course they can.

And then this sister Bethany Esther. Then Betania begins to talk about her life. She is in a sense prophesying because she is speaking in the spirit, it was not something that was prepared or anything, but spirit moves spirit. She talks about her life, she talks about her experience. Then another sister also testifies, another brother here, moved by what God has done in his life, another talks about the difference that crown has made in his life and how he has changed and talks about prudence in finances. How God has built your life. That is prophecy, brothers, say amen even if you don't believe it.

That is prophecy, because prophecy is not, so says the Lord, people of God, oh, I feel the spirit right now… that is necessarily prophecy. Prophecy is a word that comes out of the spirit of God, passes through the spirit of a man, a woman, and arrives freshly baked into the lives of the children of God. That is prophecy.

For me, that was a prophetic moment. Now, think of a person who comes from outside, is sitting there, a coherent, thinking person, listens to all of this, don't you think you will be moved? Or is he dead or God has already destined him for hell, or is he going to leave here touched by the spirit? Yes sir.

“…He is convinced by all, he is judged by all…”

What does judged mean? Convicted. Listen, why am I not involved in this too? These people are so beautiful that you see. Look how they talk. Look how God is blessing them and I just came from a club last night, drunk and I'm here hung over. No, I need to do something with my life. He is judged by all, he is convinced by all, confronted, rebuked, edified, there is a blessing. Amen.

That is what Paul is saying. Brothers, frankly I prefer that. If I have to choose, because the good thing is that you don't have to choose between one thing or the other. I prefer that to a language that nobody understands and everyone pulling and pushing and falling, and there is nothing. A lot of dust and then everything stays the same. I prefer transformation of lives, than a spiritual party that I enjoy but that leaves nothing. Yes or no? That is the difference.

So, Paul is saying to these people, “…it is judged by all when there is prophecy. But if everyone prophesies and an unbeliever enters, he is convinced by all, he is judged by all, the secret of his heart becomes manifest..."

Listening to all this people… there is something here that comes to light. Now I understand, now, of course I do. He is confronted.

"...And so, falling on his face, he worships God, declaring that truly God is among you..."

Who can deny that God is among this body of people? Who can deny that the church that is making this possible has the spirit of the Lord within it? That is what Paul is saying. You understand? And so it is that one has to judge things of the spirit, brothers.

It's not just the flashy, the mystical, the spectacular, the loud, fire and brimstone. It's, what's left when the dust comes down, what's left? When we went home and the devil is there waiting for us outside with three demons smoking a cigarette, waiting for us to come out and fight. Did you come out stronger than when you entered? That's what really counts, not how much you jumped, how much language. No, no, you came out edified, strengthened, better prepared to live the Christian life, to evangelize others, to be an example to your community, to bless your family. That's the difference, brothers.

Then Paul says, “…What then, brothers, when you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation…”

In other words, it refers to, look at everything that we have done in ourselves in this service, there has been adoration and praise, music, testimonies, announcements, preaching, who knows what other things, offerings and tithes that have been taken. There has been a little bit of everything, hymns, revelation from God, I believe that here there was even a little revelation. Says;

“…Let everything be done for edification…”

Say with me, let everything be done for edification. Say again, edification. That is what we look for in everything that the church does, it has to ask itself in the end, was there edification? Was there growth? Was there instruction? Was there progress? I always ask that. Our community, these beautiful people who are gathered here, is there a difference between what it was 5 years ago and what it is today? I think so. I already see, like the Gadarene, many demons that have left and the people are already sitting in their seats, sane and well dressed. God is doing the cleansing work. Our children are growing up, they are worshiping the Lord better. Our young people are studying, they are disciplining themselves, they are getting into things, with a few jogs from time to time, but they keep going in the name of the Lord. There is building. I always ask that. How much noise was made this Sunday in the service, but how much building was there? Because the devil doesn't care how many leaves the fig tree has, but how many fruits you have. And neither does God. God cares about fruit, blessing, growth. So, do you understand how the word of God judges and reasons?

"...If someone speaks in a foreign language, be it by two or at most three, and in turn, and one interpret, and if there is no street interpreter in the church, and speak for himself and for God..."

There are many times that languages are for your edification directly. It is like for you to go home and take out two balls of shortbread and eat it calmly so that no one sees you. That is to say, many times the languages, if there is no interpretation, God will feed you intravenously, directly, he will give you food.

Now, if there's a service here, for example, there's a little sister starts speaking in tongues, I say, little sister, sit down please, because I'm prophesying and the spirit of God is speaking through me so wait your turn. . Come sometime and say, pastor, God has given me something, a message, and I want to share it with the church. I tell you, sister, yes, tell me. And then I judge in the spirit, I wait, and then I determine... Things have to be done in order. Understands?

Now, does that contradict the spirit? In no way. It is that the things of God are coherent. Now every now and then there might be an exception, something weird might happen. Amen. and we also have to be open to discerning the spirit at that time. But normally there is an order, there is a coherence in that things are done when the Holy Spirit, and there is understanding of the word of God.

“…In the same way, the prophets speak two or three and the rest judge, ─ that is, they interpret, examine, measure whether it is from God or not ─ … and if something is revealed to another who is seated, be silent first because you can prophesy everyone one by one so that everyone learns and everyone is exhorted and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace…”

You have to tell me when I try to put some order in something, in some manifestation, that is why the Holy Spirit no longer manifests itself in this church. And they want to blame me, because you are not a Pentecostal, you do not know if it is in the spirit. No, sometimes we believe that for the spirit of God to manifest, there must be disorder. And it is not like that. Things in the spirit are in order, there is a pattern that is followed.

I violated my own purpose of not getting into exegesis of the Bible while reading it. But it's okay. What I want to talk about, brothers, is a spirituality that has its sights set on things of the spirit but also has its feet on the ground. It is both.

What I see here is Paul, a man filled with the spirit, he has all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he wrote two thirds of the New Testament, he ascended to the third heaven and heard things that even he was not worthy to tell others, he knew of the Lord in a tremendous way. Jesus Christ appeared to him several times, he was chosen from the foundation of the world, also speaking with an order, a coherence, an impressive sobriety. He has his feet on the ground. This is a man who has planted many churches, he is a Pharisee, he has studied in the best universities and seminaries of his time. He has traveled, he is a citizen of the most powerful country, Rome, although he is also a Jew. He is a man who has seen it all. Been there, done that, as it says and bought the tee shirt, inclusive.

And he already knows what is true and what is not. He has been to all the churches, he has seen everything, and as a mature man, writing for the Lord, he knows what is truly important and what is not, what is straw and what is solid, what is good, yes. it has other elements, but it is not necessarily good in itself, simply because it is.

And that is what I want to form in you, my brothers. A spirituality that at the same time lives in the world of the spirit, but also has its feet on the ground. As a pastor, I want to give birth to a practical people, with a healthy spirituality, which allows them to prosper and live a wise and prudent life.

Listen to me, where are those worshiping brothers missing out on these jewels and these pearls of teaching that I am giving? Tell them if they can come over here for a little while and sit where I see them. Excuse me, brothers. I told the Lord, Father, have mercy on me this morning. I assure you I did not fight with the woman, I had a good breakfast, I am not in a bad mood.

A practical people, with a healthy spirituality, that allows them to prosper and live a wise and prudent life. Have you noticed something, brother? That in the evangelical world there seems to be a division into two parts. On the one hand, there is the Pentecostal world, with much apparent anointing and much apparent power, but many times poor, relatively ignorant, with little impact on the world and society, with small and weak churches. Forgive me, I speak as a Pentecostal, but is it true or not? those who supposedly have the great anointing and the power and the gifts, you see that their lives financially, their marriage, their family life, honestly when you look at it objectively, they do not have the supposed blessing and prosperity that they preach so much, that we preach , rather.

On the one hand there is that world, and I know that bugs are going to fall on me when all this is broadcast on the radio, on the internet, but know that I speak it with love and because I love, I speak the truth.

On the one hand, there is that Pentecostal world that is a living contradiction between what it professes and preaches and what it ultimately lives. And there is the non-Pentecostal evangelical world, the Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, this whole group that although they are not supposed to emphasize as much the gifts and the power of God and the anointing, and all these things, they are usually more prosperous, more orderly and disciplined, with long-standing churches, well-educated, financially successful people, with more impact on the culture, than those of us who have the knowledge of the gifts and the Holy Spirit.

Because? It is because there is a contradiction in us, on the one hand the anointing of the spirit enters us and on the other there is a big hole that leaves everything, and we waste what God has placed in our hands. We talk about prosperity, oh the Lord prosper us and then we go about our lives totally devoid of that prosperity. And these evangelicals who don't even believe in electric light, many times, get into their Mercedes Benz and go to their neighborhoods, to a house of 500 thousand dollars. I say, well, Lord, are you failing on your promises or is there something we're not doing that we should be doing?

Do you forgive me? So, I think, for example, look at Park Street Church, it's a non-Pentecostal church, there not even a nime sounds when there is worship. It's all well ordered, three hymns or two at the most, and not even a chorus. In the afternoon they have contemporary music, they call it. I love Park Street Church, I respect its pastor, a man of God, Gordon Hughenberg, an educated man.

But look, that church, despite the fact that there is nothing supposedly about the gifts and all this, recently celebrated its 200th anniversary. I believe I have said this before, 200 years ago that church was there in the very center of the City of Boston, next to Boston Common. Billy Graham has preached there, the pastor of that church, in the 50s of that church, helped to raise the Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and Christianity today, a very powerful magazine here in the United States, comes out of that ministry as well. They have had a national impact. It is a historic church and 200 years they have had there keeping the word of God alive, they have not liberalized. And it's a thriving church, a church that's impactful in the city.

And yet there are so many other churches that supposedly have the gifts and the Holy Spirit and don't even make a slight move on the culture's radar. And the Pentecostal churches last 20, 30 years, 40 years and then they dissolve and disappear. They don't have the longevity that many of these evangelical, supposedly non-Pentecostal, churches have.

Where is the contradiction? Look at another case. There are two magazines that for me are like an illustration of this horrible contradiction, Carisma Magazine, and Christianity Today magazine. They are two magazines that for me are like two examples of what happens in the charismatic world and in the non-charismatic world.

Christianity Today is an evangelical magazine, solid, journalistically of great excellence, solid articles, tremendous writers, with a multimillion-dollar budget, very scrupulous in what they teach and the ads they put, a number of things that this magazine throws at any religious magazine of the world, solid, but evangelical, not Pentecostal. And sometimes they teach things that bother me myself. I read it because I like to read everything, but sometimes I come out with indigestion. But also a lot of very good things in it.

And then there is Carisma Magazine. How many have read Charisma magazine? It is a Pentecostal magazine. It is the representative magazine of the Pentecostal world. And the truth is that it is an inferior magazine, written by I think sometimes by high school journalism students. What they do there is cut out articles from books and other things and for me it's a cash cow, excuse me, it's like everything goes into advertisements and makes money for the owner of the magazine, who is from a for-profit family . And it is an inferior magazine. I have already canceled the subscription twice and for some reason I come back again and put it on and then I get annoyed again with what I see, and I come back and cancel it. It's a love-hate relationship I have with her.

And I say, what a pity that a magazine that supposedly recognizes the anointing of the spirit and that is dedicated to exalting the gifts, is inferior to one that is unfazed by those things. Where is the contradiction? Something's wrong. I say there is something...

Look at this, I am not necessarily interested in the type of evangelical spirituality that I am pointing out, not charismatic, I believe in the gifts and I would not exchange a worship like the one we had this morning for anything in the world. I believe in the gifts and that is why I am speaking in this way. It is to disturb people, to declare God's truth.

I respect that non-charismatic evangelical spirituality, but the point is, brothers, that we do not have to choose between one thing and the other. We can have the best of both worlds, that's what I want to point out to you. And that is what God wants. God wants the mentality of Paul, which is a spiritual mentality but also thinking. it is a spirituality aware of the mysterious and the supernatural, but also with the mind of Christ that thinks clearly, systematically, strategically, coherently.

And I tell you, brothers, if we manage to maintain these two elements of Christian spirituality as a church in tension, this church is going to explode one day and the roof is going to fly everywhere because the glory of the Lord is going to manifest itself in one extraordinary way. We are going to see our church progress, grow, our children prosper, the chevrolets are going to change for Cadillacs and Mercedes and the houses, the little apartments are going to become big, luxurious houses, for the glory of the Lord.

Now, let's not lose love for the Kingdom of God, yes. Because God prospers his people. Our children will be better than us, more spiritual and prosperous, more blessed, more thinking than us. We are sowing for the future.

That is why I tell you, sow for the glory of God, sow in the long term, sow with a vision. You see non-Pentecostal churches building churches for 40, 60 million dollars. We have to be taking every penny from the people to build a temple that we build for the glory of the Lord, because he gives us wisdom, but that temple would cost a fortune. But where is it? Do unbelievers have more of God's anointing than we do? Can those who only know a part of the Kingdom of God do more than those who have the whole of the Kingdom of God? it is impossible. Something's wrong.

And that is why we have to tell him, Lord, have mercy on us. Help us to think about the way your word reasons. So far are you following me? Have I said something scandalous or false? I do not believe.

That is what I want, brothers, that people understand why I speak as I speak, think as I think and practice the Christian life as I do. A healthy, balanced spirituality is required, a spirituality that has passion and anointing but that also takes advantage of reason and the wisdom that is in the word of God, thinks sanely, uses all the principles contained in Scripture, and does not only the tastiest and most striking part. Balance. He knows the word and knows how to take a subject and break it down in the light of the Old Testament, the New Testament, he knows how to think theologically, systematically.

And he doesn't just stick to a little verse and with that he tries to manipulate God and force him to do what one wants him to do. We are with the little piece of paper to the Lord, look, here it is... no, did you read everything else I said in the Bible? And that is why our prayers are sometimes not effective. And that is why we talk, talk and talk and there is no product because we are falsifying, violating the word of God.

My pastoral methodology seeks a healthy balance between both extremes. That's why it's hard to understand. The super spiritual don't know why they say, no, this man is not Pentecostal, this church says… but they are not Pentecostal because they are used to a superficial type of spiritual reasoning.

Super spiritual people are not going to understand Lion of Judah. And some are in our church, I say this honestly before the Lord. By the way, what is a super spiritual person? I would say in this way, someone who only pays attention to what is supposedly, to what is superficially spiritual and does not qualify his judgments and decisions with prudence, the totality of the word, the observation of human behavior and the rules of human coexistence, common sense, theological reflection. Everything is spirit, spirit, spirit. And I don't know, but if there is someone here who is a spirit, spirit, spirit, it is a ghost and we are going to rebuke him in the name of Jesus and we are going to send him back to the place where he came from. Because I believe that here we have, body, mind, intellect, spirit, everything inside of you.

And this is a spiritual church but it is also an institution and until now God has not made us only spirit. We have a building, we have to put heating and air conditioning in it in the summer, and we sweat and a lot of things that we don't like but they are reality, we are human.

So the super spiritual person kind of ignores the body, ignores the flesh, and believes that everything is spiritual, spiritual, spiritual. By the way, I like that image of when Jesus is resurrected that he arrives before the disciples... I once preached about it on an Easter Sunday, and they think it's a ghost. And the Lord tells them, hey, find me a little fried fish with two plantains, let's see what happens? And the Lord takes the knife there and puts in his fish and his little bit of salad and they see that it goes in and doesn't come out like Casper, the friendly ghost, everywhere. And they say, look to see if a spirit does that?

In other words, it was a body, the Lord's body was a real body, he was not a ghost that is floating around in a robe that reaches down to his feet. No, the Lord is body. Up there in heaven he has a glorified body and it still has the marks of the cross on it. Because the church is not simply a ghost, it is not a disembodied thing, it embodies reality. It is a corporation, it is a legal institution, it is a teaching school, it is a place of discipline, of confrontation. You have to pay bills, it's a reality. And the principles of the Gospel have to incarnate in that body.

But super spiritual people only live up there in the air, with two so-called little wings, flying through the stratosphere and wanting services that are simply spiritual, in quotes. And when they are confronted with order and discipline, and the system they don't know what to do with it.

There is total silence. I see brothers in the church of Jesus Christ who have fallen into this error of super spirituality. They want to please the Lord so much that they become mystics and everything is spirit, prophecy, gifts, ecstasy, trans, revelation, superficial holiness, and they forget the practical considerations of the Gospel, the limitations of marriage, family, congregational life, the limitations of the physical body, the duties of work, the daily obligations. You understand?

A wife, for example, has children, has a husband to report to and vice versa, but if that wife... no, I have to serve the Lord, and she comes home every day at midnight because she was preaching the Gospel and going to the discipleship class, and preparing for the ministry, and when she gets home what she finds is a grumpy husband, eager to divorce her, swearing about the Gospel, because where is a woman when he needs her? And the children shoulder to shoulder and the house all messed up, because she is supposedly serving the Lord. You have to be prudent, brothers. Yes or no?

You have to think sanely. The Gospel has to land on the earth. And that does not impoverish him, on the contrary, it impacts the land. So, the salt for salting has to be mixed with the substance. If it is outside only being salt, and it does not mix, it does not salt. Yes or no? To the good understanding few words are enough.

As the Lord says, whoever has ears to hear, let him hear. There are many churches where everything is a service here, a service there. Seven days a week service so that people do not have time to sin. But you know what? That is the opposite. The meat is not killed so easily, and that is why there are divorces, scandals in the church, young people who do not want to know about the Gospel, little product because attention is not being paid to other things in life. We need a balanced spirituality, a healthy spirituality, a biblical spirituality.

There are believers who live witnessing at work, all the time they are at work. Testifying, because supposedly you have to preach the Gospel at all times. And what do they get with that? They carry the ill will of the people, the condemnation of the bosses, and a farewell slip. And then they blame the unbelievers, instead of their own lack of prudence and wisdom.

If you are working, work. And once in a while, on your lunch break, why, preach. But what good is it for you to be preaching and stealing money from your boss? That man doesn't even believe in electric light, so he won't understand that. Better give him what he is paying you, be the best worker possible and that will be a testimony to him and everyone around you. Amen.

There is a spirituality, brothers, that does not judge things properly. And what we are looking for is a balanced, coherent, harmonious, solid spirituality and that is what we are dealing with.

I've already preached the sermon and I'm still missing the text I told you I was going to look at. Give me one more moment. In this passage, in First Corinthians 14, we have an example of sound wisdom as characterized by the Apostle Paul.

What happens in this passage? There was a controversy among the Corinthians. The super spirituals said, let's not sadden the spirit, let's give the gifts total freedom in the cult, put them there until the place explodes. Don't worry, we're going forward, we're going to do everything here, because this is the spirit. Let everyone speak in tongues freely and do what they feel in the spirit supposedly, as the spirit leads them.

So, each cult was a question… there was no order, there was no coherence. Because if there is coherence that is not supposedly from the spirit. If there is a time to start, if there is a well-organized service, that is supposedly not from the spirit. And that seems to have been causing tension in Corinth.

But there were others in the church who were perhaps wiser and more prudent, more thoughtful, who noticed that visitors came to the church and left upset. People entered, but did not come. The church with a lot of prophecy, a lot of things happening, but it doesn't grow, it doesn't prosper, it can't pay the bills, because it can't buy a temple, they are renting a building over there in a tiny place, where no one even knows that the church is , and there is no progress, despite the fact that all this is supposedly happening, a lot of language, a lot of talking, a lot of questions.

Those visitors left in disgust, alienated by what they perceived as a lack of order and harmony in Christian worship and a sense that we don't know what's going on here. A language only but there is nothing with which we can identify ourselves.

I think that perhaps for a moment, for a while, everyone in the church enjoyed that disorder, that tasty atmosphere of great intensity. But over time they realized that this unbridled spontaneity was rather impoverishing the evangelistic work of the church. Instead of blessing the people and having growth, the church was made up of an elite club, of a few people who, like drunks, talked to each other and understood each other but no one else around them could understand what they were saying.

Because this is very important, brothers, the long-term work of the church requires strategic parameters, it is necessary to enter into a strategic way of acting. It is not only the moment, but we have to think in the long term, how we can conquer our city, how we can conquer the youth and retain them, how we can impact the government house, how we can make a change, a dent in this world governed by the devil.

So, there was this fight in the Corinthian church, they emailed Paul, and they said, Paul, give us some advice about this. And Paul wrote to them and sent them Chapter 14 of First Corinthians to advise them pastorally.

And then Paul calls them in that teaching to be mature in the way of thinking and that is what is lacking among so many Pentecostal believers: maturity, complexity, balance, sobriety. And I'm speaking as a Pentecostal. For this reason, by the way, brothers, I tell you, many did not understand Paul, in Corinth itself, and did not accept his apostolate.

They compared him to other Super Apostles, with that striking, mystical spirituality, and when Pablito went there to teach them a Bible study, an expository sermon, with three points, they said, oh, no, we thought it was something else. So much talk about Paul and look here giving a Bible study. We want red meat, we want people to drop it, to speak with a thunderous voice, to eat children raw. That's what people wanted.

Then Paul would come, teacher, pastor, church planter, strategic thinker, theologian, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to instruct, to teach to build, and they said, we don't want that. We want a plantain with two fried chops on top and don't come to us with all those questions.

And that bothered. Because there are many times brothers, people confuse, they believe that anointing is all this raising dust. And that is necessarily anointing, that is manipulation many times. Sometimes it is. I believe, brothers, I believe in the gifts of the spirit, I believe that many times God motivates us, moves us to put aside a sermon and everything else and simply reach out spiritually. But that cannot be the practice of every Sunday.

Life is much more complex than that. The church life is thousands of years old on earth and it needs something…edification, teaching, celebrating the things that God is doing in God's people. You can't always party all the time. That tires anyone, it burns the nervous system of the prettiest, brothers.

Long to explain, but Pablo suffered from this problem, that they said, no, this man is not anointed. We want the great Apostles. For your edification, let me read just two verses, Second Corinthians 10, verse 10 to 13. That's why I tell you this is teaching, this is not for you to go home with a burnt-out nervous system. No, the brain burned but no. Paul says here:

“…Because the people say the truth, the letters are hard and strong ─ speaking of Paul, ─ but his presence is weak and the words contemptible ─ as there is nothing admirable in the word of Paul ─ … this keep in mind Such a person realizes that just as we are in words by letter, being absent, we will also be so in deeds, being present, because we do not dare to count ourselves or compare ourselves with some who praise themselves but they, thus measuring themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, they are not judicious…”

And that continues, read after Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, verses 3 to 6:

“…And I think that in no way have I been inferior to those great Apostles… ─ he says cynically, ─ because although I am rude in words I am not so in knowledge, in everything and for everything we have shown you…”

Paul is defending his ministry style. Because it is that throughout the history of the church, it has always been the same. The people who believe that if there is only solid teaching and good, nutritious preaching, that this is not an anointing. What people want is relaxation, many times, in the services, brothers, and if you give them solid food, they say, no. tell people about the second coming of Christ, about demons, about healing, prosperity and they are happy. 4 hours remain. But talk to him about the fruit of the spirit, the transformation of the self, the true consecration to the Lord, all these solid things of the word and they say, another day we will hear you. We are not interested in that, we leave that for Wednesday nights. And they don't come on Wednesdays then.

It's like that, people are like that. People want bread with butter and jam. They are often not interested in the solid food of the word of God and that is one of the great problems of the Pentecostal world, and that is why we are as we are. That is why we do not grow and we are not blessed. We have to be more mature than that, brothers.

In verse 22 Paul brings the church to the word, here it says.

"...So tongues are a sign not to believers but to unbelievers, but prophecy not to unbelievers but to believers..."

If you examine the entire passage from First Corinthians Chapter 14, you see Paul struggling, okay, what does the word say? Let's understand what the word says. Paul discovers that tongues in corporate worship are a sign primarily to those who do not know the Lord, to visitors, not to believers. He is saying, read on the word, what does it say? What are languages for? And what is the purpose of tongues?

So apply it that way. It is not for believers, it is for visitors, it is for those who do not know the Lord. The use of tongues should reflect their original, scriptural purpose.

What I want you to look at is Paul's reasoning. It is a reasoning, worth the redundancy, reasonable. It is sober reasoning. And so we must examine the use of the gifts as well. Paul is being practical, brethren, and that doesn't make him less spiritual.

If people come from outside who are not initiated into things of the spirit, and they see the disorder, says Pablo, they will think we are crazy. We must, therefore, qualify the use of gifts and adjust the practical considerations of institutional life to the purposes of Evangelism and the conquest of the world for Christ.

Look at how Paul reasons in verse 18 and 19:

“…I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you ─ Paul is Pentecostal, he is anticipating those who say, no, because this man has no anointing, he does not believe in the gifts, he is not anointed, etc. no, I speak in tongues more than all of you put together ─ but in church, ─ say everyone, in church ─ in church, in a congregational meeting like this, in a time of corporate worship, he says, I prefer to speak five words with my understanding to teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown language..."

Say glory to God. Paul is saying, look, it's not that I don't believe in tongues, on the contrary, I practice them more than everyone else, I believe in their product, I believe in their benefit, but, brothers, when we are in a congregational meeting we don't It is necessarily the time to have a language, but it is a time to edify the body of Jesus Christ.

Now, understand me, I am not saying that it is not important and good to speak in tongues from time to time. There are times when the Lord directs us in that. I sit there many times speaking in tongues because I need to strengthen myself in the spirit. I believe in that. Now don't say that Pastor Miranda said that you can no longer speak in tongues on Sundays in the service. No. What I'm saying is that we do it has to be conditioned by considerations of why we come together.

What are we looking to do ultimately? Look, when you practice any gift and there are people around you, ask yourself what I am practicing, is it being a blessing to my brothers or a stumbling block? Am I serving myself or am I serving the Lord and my brothers?

Because what good is it for me to have a big party and get drunk and scandalize people, taking them out of the Kingdom of God, creating confusion in their minds and putting on a show. Who does that glorify but myself? I'm saying, hey, I'm going to enjoy myself and let everyone go to hell, that's their problem. If they don't like it, don't eat it. That is what we are saying. Instead of saying, no, what I am doing should bless the people of God, it should glorify, exemplify the harmonious, merciful character of service of Christ Jesus.

The gifts are not for you to serve yourself, and fill yourself up. The gifts are for the blessing of others. At least, in the congregational context. Now, when you're at home, close the door, shut the window tightly and shout all you want, take off all your clothes, if you want, ruffle your hair. It doesn't matter, it's you and the Lord. Amen. Glory to God.

But if you are in harmony with others then you have to discipline your spirituality. Look, Paul still uses aesthetics to reason, because human knowledge is not foreign either, nor is it often foreign to spiritual reasoning. Look at verses 7 to 9, I'm already landing, the bottom wheels have already hit, now only the front ones are missing. Says the Apostle Paul;

“…Certainly inanimate things that produce sound ─ that is, all inanimate things, for example, a trumpet, a piano, ─ inanimate things that produce sounds such as the flute, or the zither, the guitar, if they do not distinguish between voices, how will you know what is played on the flute or on the guitar?”

Think about it. If there are 17 guitarists, each playing their own tune, how are people going to know what they are playing? He says, no, look, in the world of aesthetics there is an order. So he says;

“…and if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound in battle, who will prepare for battle?”

If there are 8 trumpets blowing, over there, over there and over here, where do the soldiers gather to defend themselves against the enemy? There has to be an order. And when the church meets it is for war, it is to strengthen the soldiers. If everyone is doing what they want, there is no building, there is no blessing. So he says;

“…So you too, if through your tongue you do not give a very comprehensible word, how will what you say be understood? Because you will speak on the air…”

And he continues with his very interesting reasoning. Let's learn from reasoning, brothers, and then you must apply that to all other areas. Paul puts building above all else. And that is a good question that we always have to ask ourselves. In what way what I am supposedly doing in the spirit edifies the other brothers, my family, my own life, my spiritual growth? How does this advance the Kingdom of God? What is the use of having a great spiritual party in worship if it leads to scandal and confusion for others.

Where is the supposed benefit? We have to judge what we do in light of all the values of God's word, including love, mercy, compassion, kindness. If I am scandalizing my brother, I am not exercising kindness and love towards him.

I am going to close the Bible to resist the temptation to continue. The last thing, now yes, you can play a little bit to inspire people. You have to distinguish the spirit. Listen to this, I want you to see how these principles apply to many different situations in life.

Let's come now, for a moment, to First Corinthians, Chapter 11, when Paul talks about the sacrament and he says, the sacrament is something sublime, something through which we remember the body and the sacrifice and the cross. of Jesus Christ. And Paul says, and there are many of you that when you come to celebrate that beautiful rite, what you do is that you come to boast, because the holy supper at that time was a complete meal, don't think it was a little piece of cookie with juice Welsh. No, that was a total meal. There was rice with pigeon peas, pupusas, everything. Pupusas without beef, they were vegetarian.

And then they all came to eat together and each one brought their food, it was a padlock supper, and each one brought their little things around here, I supposed that they all ate at the same time, waiting for each other, how do people eat? Waiting for each other. When you go to a restaurant, when they bring you your food first, do you start eating right away and the others are waiting there, the poor, for them to bring you theirs? No, you wait and then everyone eats together.

So, Pablo says, look, when you celebrate the sacrament there are many of you who come here and start eating right away and forget about the rest and one of you is bragging about rice with chicken, and salad, and lots of good things, and There are other little brothers with a tortilla with salt, and a little bit of refried beans on top, and you eat and you don't care about that little brother, instead of sharing what you have with them.

And if they didn't arrive on time, you come and eat because you're hungry. And Paul says, that's an insult to the Lord's table. Because you are not discerning the purpose for which it was given, your performing the ritual is nothing, on the contrary, you are eating and you are eating poison because love is not governing what you are doing. They have to wait for one another, they have to have mercy on one another, they have to honor the body of Christ that was bruised and beaten out of mercy and love and service to others.

And you cannot eat the body of Christ in contradiction to what that body represents. And if you do, there is a structural contradiction that leads to disease and death.

And I believe that for this reason many churches, which supposedly practice the gifts, but do not allow themselves to be qualified by the other elements of the word, are committing judgment against themselves and that is why they do not progress and are not blessed. Because they are not doing it in the spirit of Jesus Christ and the word of God.

Now, if you know all the word, all the advice, and seek to apply it all, including the gifts, then those gifts are going to bless and prosper the church and the people who practice them.

Do you see how the reasoning of the word is so real, so true? And I could take any text of Scripture, or any human situation and put it together and examine it in the light of the elements of the word of the Lord and one could clearly see how these principles are universal. Wear it in your life. How is my spirituality blessing my family? How is my testimony blessing the work where I practice my work? How is my testimony edifying? How do my God-given gifts result in advancement for the church, edification for others, conversion of unbelievers, and edification of the body of Jesus Christ? That is the question.

And that is what I call healthy and balanced spirituality. May the Lord bless us. Let's stand up, brothers. Let's examine each one as the Apostle Paul says, each one examine himself before participating in the blessings of the Lord.

I ask the Lord, Father, help me, help this church, help our spiritual leadership, to reflect the harmony and coherence of your healthy word. Give us a spirit of understanding, a spirit of sanity and wisdom in all that we do. And that in everything, Lord, we can exemplify and express the character of Christ Jesus. That is what we ask for this church, and for this people whom we bless in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen.

Brothers, may the grace of the Lord be with you. Amen.