Shall we open our Bibles, please, to the
11th chapter of 1st Corinthians?
We had two very sincere questions, really three
questions, in the question box.
And I think tonight we'll consider two of
them because they are relevant to the subject
which we closed with last night, that is,
the women's head covering.
And there is another question, too, in regard
to Scripture and Timothy, 1st Timothy, that I
think we'll not take up tonight, but rather
tomorrow night.
And we'll be able to give our attention
more to the subject matter we have tonight.
But since this question is related to the
subject of what we considered last night, I
think perhaps we should consider it first.
The first question, what makes up a meeting
of the church?
Some have said that it is when all
parts of the church are represented, elders, brethren,
sisters, and so forth.
Others say that it is simply when two
or three are gathered together in his name.
If it is the latter, does that mean
that women have to keep their heads covered
whenever two or three are gathered together in
his name?
How far should this practice be carried?
Now, I have a very quick answer for
that, but I'm not going to pass it
off with this quick answer.
But I'm going to say, if you can
be assured that no angels are present, forget
the head covering.
It doesn't seem to be whether or not
it's a meeting of the church.
It's whether or not the angels are looking
on.
Now, I tell you, I've not read all
the question yet.
Let's read it all.
Since the church is not the building, is
it logical to assume that women must cover
their heads at camp meetings, informal Bible discussions,
chapels at a Christian college, and so forth?
This is a real sincere question, and a
real problem, I may say.
If girls are to wear their hats in
the presence of the Lord, would that mean
that they would be required to wear them
at every meeting gathered in his name, no
matter the place?
Now, this is sincere.
I wish I could answer in a positive
way.
There are, I think, probably differences of opinion
on this, but I would say this, that
we have excused these things.
We have begged the question, we have bicepped
the question by saying that it's not necessary
for sisters to wear their hats, except at
a meeting of the church.
And that, of course, permits the camp.
That permits, because that is a designated age
level, and therefore is not a meeting of
the church.
Now, for instance, if everybody there is in
his team, very obviously that's not a meeting
of the church.
And they have excused it in Bible colleges,
that's not a meeting of the church.
Well, it's not a meeting of the church.
That's true.
But there is a situation in verse 5
of the 11th chapter of 1 Corinthians that
we must consider.
It says there, But every woman that prayeth
or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her
head, for that is all one, as if
she were shaven.
Now, when does a woman pray, and when
does she prophesy?
When the men are present?
Definitely not.
Now, we read that in the 14th chapter
of 1 Corinthians.
We might notice that in connection with this.
We get to it sooner or later, but
it is in connection with this.
Verse 34 of the 14th chapter of 1
Corinthians.
Let your women keep silence in the churches,
for it is not permitted unto them to
speak.
But they are commanded to be under obedience,
as also saith the law.
And if they will learn anything, let them
ask their husbands at home.
And if they don't have a husband, then
let them ask some other woman's husband.
Well, that's my italics.
For it is a shame for women to
speak in the church.
What, came the word of God out from
you, or came it unto you?
Now, it seems that the apostle anticipated that
this was going to be a moot question.
So he said, what, came the word of
God out from you, or came it unto
you only?
Did you write it?
Well, I didn't write it, you know.
And I don't have to apologize for it
either.
I just have to teach it that's all.
The spirit of God is the writer, not
me.
And so the apostle anticipates an objection right
here.
And he's had it, hasn't he, throughout probably
the most of Christendom today.
This has been questioned.
I've heard an explanation that in those days
the women sat on one side and the
men sat on the other side.
And the women would ask questions and answer
them and cause a disturbance in the meeting.
Now, where all this information comes from is
more than I can tell.
I'm not that good a historian.
And I think that perhaps they're, well, I'm
not going to cast reflections on anybody's veracity,
but I wonder if they've ever read it
either.
But nevertheless, we have a condition here where
the women are not permitted to speak.
And I don't think that you have any
difficulty here in this connection at all.
But very obviously, it says, let your women
keep silent in the churches.
Now, that is very obviously a church meeting.
And here in the 11th chapter of 1
Corinthians, it does say in verse 5, but
every woman that prayeth or prophethieth with her
head uncovered dishonoreth her head.
Now, she isn't doing it in a church
meeting.
You can be sure of that, because that's
forbidden.
She's doing it undoubtedly among a group of
sisters.
And even under these conditions, she's to keep
her head covered.
That's what the word of God says.
Now, that's all I can tell you is
what the word of God says.
So there it is.
If every woman that prayeth or prophethieth with
her head uncovered dishonoreth her head, for that
is even all one as if she were
shaven.
Well, certainly here is a condition where there
are no men present.
And the sister is still expected to keep
her head covered.
Now, some have said, well, do the other
sisters need to keep their heads covered?
I wish I had access to the Urim
and the Thummim.
But since I don't have the access to
the Urim and the Thummim, about all I
can do is take the the Urim and
the Thummim, this one here, and that's all
I can do is just rely on the
word of God.
Well, this is what the scriptures say.
I'd not be legal about these things.
I'm glad that I don't have to decide
these things.
But I do say this, that if there's
any doubt in a sister's mind as to
whether her head should be covered or not,
give the Lord the benefit of the doubt.
And not those that are around you.
Now, I know that you sisters are very
gregarious in your natures.
You don't like to be different.
And I know that in many instances, in
many Christian circles, a head covering is not
worn.
And you don't like to be an oddball,
do you?
Who wants to be an oddball?
And who wants to be a person of
that nature?
Well, now, who are you going to please?
Men don't have any trouble.
I'm so glad they don't.
Wherever a man is in his prance, off
comes his hat.
And I don't care where he is.
I don't have any trouble that way at
all.
Well, I say, don't I?
It depends on how fast the situation arises.
If I'm driving the car, there are times
that I've prayed with my hat on.
But, ordinarily the men don't have any trouble
with the head being uncovered at all.
I'm glad for that.
I'm glad I don't have you sisters' problems
in this respect.
My hat comes off and that's all there
is to it.
A man wouldn't think of praying with his
hat on.
Well, he wouldn't think of it.
Certainly not in public.
I don't know whether I've answered this or
not.
I think that we are ruled by principles
and it takes faith to apply principles.
Wouldn't it be nice if we were just
simply ruled by legal dictates, victims, and
just say, have it specified for every situation.
Have every situation covered.
Now, that can't, off or on, either way.
And at this situation, this situation, this situation,
wouldn't it be fine if we had something
like that?
We don't have it at all.
But I'll tell you, you do have a
sphere in which you can exercise your conscience
and you have a sphere in which you
can obey the Lord, to please him.
Now, there's something that disturbs me a little
bit in here.
If it is the latter, does that mean
that women have to keep their heads covered?
Now, isn't it a matter of having to
keep our heads covered against perhaps our desires
or our will?
I don't know that that's even implied in
this question at all.
Must we do it?
That seems to be the thought.
Must we do it?
Must we do things to please the Lord?
Now, that is the question.
I'm not going to dictate.
I'm not going to say, in this connection,
I'm going to leave the Scriptures with you
and I'm going to let you apply them.
That's certainly easy, isn't it, for me.
But it isn't easy for you, I'll tell
you that.
But I'm indicating to you that it's because
of the angels.
And of course, that's the easy way out.
If you can be sure there aren't any
angels present, your problem is solved.
If they are present, isn't it nice to
show the sign of authority on your head?
I can't say that I'm in agreement with
everything that is done in our circles, but
I'm not going to disrupt, as far as
I'm concerned, the word of God or the
work of God because of my own convictions
about these matters.
I'm not going to be a troublemaker about
it.
I grieve at times, I'll grant you that.
But I could wish that we could just
read these Scriptures just as plainly as we
can and do what we do to please
the Lord.
I was at a conference once.
They asked me the question, or I got
the question.
There was a panel up there and they
just passed the question on to me and
I was the last one on the line.
How big should a woman's hat be?
And also, how long should her hair be?
I said, I refuse to be a judge
of such matters.
But I said, you don't want to be
big enough for an angel to see.
Sometimes it takes the angels to see them,
I think.
This was the way we answered the question.
If you're wearing your head covering to please
the Lord, that head covering is bigger regardless
of its geographical area that it covers.
That head covering is bigger in my estimation
than the sister who may be wearing one
of these, you know, despising the very hat
she's got on her head and despising the
very act and doing it in redundancy because
she's not doing it to please the Lord.
The main thing is to please the Lord.
That should solve the question so easily.
Please the Lord.
How long should the hair be?
That's the question.
Now that could be relative, you know.
But I would say this in that connection,
and here I'm answering questions I don't even
have to answer.
I say this, it would be nice if
you had the opportunity of washing the Lord's
feet with your tears and drying them with
the hairs of your head that you'd have
enough hair to dry his feet.
Not too sure.
I think that'd be nice, don't you?
If you had that opportunity to lay your
glory at his feet.
I'm not going to set down any number
of inches.
I know better than that.
And I'm not going to be the judge
of these matters.
But do what you do to please the
Lord.
Do it with a single eye to his
glory.
And don't chafe under the clear commands of
scripture.
Don't chafe under them.
Do what you do to please the Lord.
He'll be pleased, I'm sure.
He so appreciates anything that we do do
for him.
Now I don't know whether I've answered this
or not.
I probably haven't given you the answer.
You probably wanted me to give you an
answer so you could dismiss it like that.
Say, Ken Baird said it.
That settles it.
And that doesn't settle it.
You be sure to please the Lord.
There's a second question on here, a very
sincere question.
And don't think that we have dismissed this
first question lightly either.
I've answered it advisedly.
I've gone just about as far as I
can in answering the question.
And I trust that this will help the
questioner to really settle the matter in his
own mind.
The second question on this sheet.
If a stranger enters the chapel on Sunday
morning without a letter but professes to be
saved, should he be allowed to participate in
the Lord's Supper?
Now this is a question that has been
a great trial.
It has been a great question, it's a
moot question.
It's been a great question to even to
the point of dividing the people of God
in certain places.
Now I would say this, that we cannot
be legal in any answer in this area,
because there are times when you might be
disposed to receive a stranger something about his
testimony that really rings true.
His church background might have something to do
with that, because you could tell by his
church background as to how much teaching he
had and what he stood for.
There might be something to, for instance, if
he came in late, came in the door
late, and he just said, I'm a Christian,
and we'll say now he doesn't ask to
remember the Lord.
Are you going to say, well just come
right on and remember the Lord with us,
and act on behalf of the whole oversight?
I don't want that responsibility myself.
It's the meeting that receives to the Lord's
table, not a brother.
Perhaps time won't be given for the oversight
to come together on the matter.
I would say, if it could be done
without a fan, that you ask them, tell
them now we're going to remember the Lord.
Would you like to observe?
Would you like to watch us?
Have you ever observed a meeting like this?
Would you like to watch us?
Now, the way that the person comes in,
if he's coming in expecting to remember the
Lord, if he knows something about the history
of the meeting, then that would have a
bearing on it.
But we just can't build a chute and
then just shove everybody through that chute.
Even here we must be dependent upon the
Lord for his leading and guidance.
We should act in faith.
Now, I will say, I will add this,
that that scripture that says lay hands on
no man suddenly is not a verse for
reception.
That is a verse for commendation to the
work of the Lord.
Now, it does say, as we noticed in
Romans chapter 14, let's look at that, please.
Him that is weak in the faith receive
you, but not to doubtful disputation.
See, if he's weak in the faith and
it seems to be a matter of reception,
receive you, but not to doubtful disputation.
Now, there are other verses.
I thought I could look right at it,
but I don't seem to see it at
the moment.
Verse 7 of chapter 15.
Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also
received us for the glory of God.
Receive ye one another.
Now, I have not answered the question.
I will say this.
Offense has been given, and I think the
Christians have been stumbled because they were not
received.
Some fear that if he is received, you
may be importing false doctrine into your assembly.
Well, I say this.
If he is received, and you find out
he has false doctrine, straighten him out on
it.
And if he isn't, won't be straightened out
on it, then treat him just like anybody
else of those false doctrines.
He must be denied fellowship.
It's not irrevocable to receive a person into
your meeting and find out you haven't got
what you thought you had.
This happened in Boulder.
A man and his wife came in, and
we found out that they were ultra-dispensationalists
after they were received into the assembly.
We had some discussions about it, and they
decided that they could not propagate their doctrine
there, and they left quite voluntarily.
And our problem was solved.
But it's not irrevocable.
It's not irreversible.
And these scriptures to me would indicate him
that is weak in the faith, receive ye,
but not with doubtful disputation.
Not with reservations either.
Extend your love to him.
I would say that if he came to
you knowing what you held and wanted fellowship,
I don't see him, and he says he
saved and gives a good, clear testimony from
what you were able to talk with him,
and you find that he has no false
doctrine, how can you do anything else but
receive him?
If he belongs to Christ, how can you
do anything else?
Must you tell him, no, you can't come
here.
And yet at the same time, this is
not a matter, this is not a matter
that can be settled the same way for
everybody that comes in the door.
It's a matter of faith, it's a matter
of prayer, it's a matter of wisdom, and
I think that God will guide.
You know, God has an interest in his
assembly, and if we look to him, surely
he will have something to do in shaking
the certain stances of those who do come
into fellowship, pardon me.
Now I'm not trying to hedge on this
question, I say receive him if you have
a reasonable assurance that he belongs to the
Lord and that he doesn't hold false doctrine.
A few questions can help in this matter.
Turns out that he has false doctrine, turns
out that he's morally wrong, you can correct
that.
You can correct it in a hurry, the
Oversight Brethren can take care of that matter
in a hurry.
Not irreversible at all.
Now I trust that I have not cast
a snare on anybody, and I've not given
you, well I have given you my opinion,
very obviously, but I hope that those opinions
are based on the word of God.
May God help us ever and always to
help a weak Christian, especially a young Christian.
Now, tonight, with the help of the Lord,
in the 11th chapter of 1 Corinthians, we
want to consider that lovely meeting of the
church, the worship meeting.
We read in the 11th chapter of 1
Corinthians, verse 17, now in this I declare
unto you, I praise you not, that ye
come together, not for the better, but for
the worse.
For first of all, when ye come together
in the church, I hear that there be
divisions among you, and I partly believe it.
For there must be also heresies among you,
that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you.
When ye come together, therefore, into one place,
this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
For in eating, every one taketh before his
own supper, and one is hungry, and another
is drunken.
What have ye not houses to eat and
drink in?
Or despise ye the church of God, and
shame them that have not?
What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you in this?
I praise you not.
For I have received of the Lord that
which also I delivered unto you, that the
Lord Jesus, the same night in which he
was betrayed, took bread.
When he had given thanks, he breaketh and
said, Take, eat, this is my body, which
is broken for you, this do in remembrance
of me.
After the same manner also he took the
cup.
When he had supped, saying, This cup is
the new testament in my blood, this do
ye, as often as ye drink it in
remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do show the
Lord's depth till ye come.
Wherefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink
this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and blood of the
Lord.
But let a man examine himself, and so
let him eat of that bread, and drink
of that cup.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body.
To this cause many are weak and sickly
among you, and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should
not be judged.
But when we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord, that we should not be
condemned with the world.
Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to
eat, tarry one for another.
And if any man hunger, let him eat
it whole, that ye come not together under
condemnation.
And the rest will I set in order
when I come."
This meaning that the Lord's Supper is brought
before us because of certain irregularities at Corinth.
They were making a love feast out of
the Lord's Supper.
And they were making a literal feast out
of it.
And it's not to be a literal feast
at all.
It's all celebrated in the presence of the
Lord.
He says in verse 34, If any man
hunger, let him eat it whole.
Now very obviously when we come together for
the Lord's Supper, we don't come to take
sizable portions of the bread or sizable drinks
of the cup.
If a man hunger, let him eat it
whole.
That ye come not together under condemnation.
And the rest will I set in order
when I come.
It's a token feast.
Therefore, we just take a pinch of the
bread and a sip of the cup.
If you're hungry, well, eat it whole.
But they weren't doing that.
They were making a love feast out of
it.
Which meant, of course, that some of the
Christians didn't have anything to eat and others
were gorging.
Even to the point of getting drunk.
They were drinking to the point of getting
drunk.
This makes it difficult for those people who
hold that the contents must be unfermented grape
juice.
It's a difficult portion for them.
Because these people were getting drunk on it.
Now, the Lord speaks of the, the Apostle
speaks of this as having been given to
him of the Lord.
I have received of the Lord that which
I also delivered unto you, that the Lord
Jesus, the same night in which he was
betrayed, took bread.
Isn't it lovely that our Lord Jesus gave
this to the Apostle Paul by a very
special revelation?
Because I think it's a very special meeting.
It's a meeting where we're just gathered together
to remember the Lord only.
And to pour out our hearts in worship.
Now, he doesn't say, worship me.
He says, just do this in remembrance of
me.
But how can we call to mind the
death of our Lord Jesus for us?
The love that led him to that death.
How can we call to mind those precious
scenes and not worship?
To me, it's so lovely that the Lord
doesn't demand our worship.
He just says, do this in remembrance of
me.
Just do it in remembrance.
And is that asking too much?
To just remember him?
But of course, when we remember him, the
worship comes forth.
Now, this certainly is a gathering in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I think it's our most holy spot on
earth when the saints are gathered together around
the Lord Jesus, the emblems reminding us of
his love, of his broken body and his
outpoured blood.
It's the nearest spot to heaven.
We're gathered around heaven's center.
We are heaven's people engaged in heaven's occupation.
Worship.
Now, only the thin veil of time and
sense separates us from heaven.
And that thin veil of time and sense
means nothing to our Lord Jesus as far
as he's concerned we're there.
And I think sometimes as far as we're
concerned we're there.
I don't think it's going to be too
much difference when we are in heaven than
when we meet around the blessed feet of
our Lord Jesus in the remembrance feast.
It's the most precious meeting of all.
I have said, and I'll say it again,
that if everything else and fundamental Christianity were
equal, which I'm afraid it is not, but
if everything else and fundamental Christianity were equal,
I'd still be where I am, ecclesiastically speaking.
If it were for nothing else than the
remembrance feast, that alone would keep me where
I am.
It's a precious, precious time.
It's a misunderstood time.
Sometimes the accent in fundamental Christianity many times
is on service.
God bless their service.
It's on evangelization.
God bless their evangelization.
But you know, God puts emphasis in his
word on worship.
God's portion must come first.
I can't quite understand why, in fundamental circles
today, that that feast doesn't hold the place
that it does in the assembly.
Now, I trust I'm not being sectarian by
employing language like that.
I don't mean to be.
But would the God that it were such!
I wish they knew the pleasure of sitting
down in the presence of the Lord Jesus
and pouring out one's heart just to be
occupied with what he has done.
Just to be occupied with his sweetness, the
sweetness of his love, and to fellowship with
the saints of God.
To me, it's heaven on earth.
I don't think that that feast can be
duplicated.
Now, there is a special significance to this
feast, and the Corinthians were finding that out.
And this is the significance, the special significance
of this feast.
Many of them were coming into the presence
of the Lord Jesus.
Now, he says, where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I
in the midst of them.
Now, the Lord Jesus is certainly keeping that
promise at the feast of the Lord's Supper.
These Corinthians were seeming to forget that, and
they were bringing unconfessed sin into the presence
of the Lord.
And the judgment of God was visited upon
them.
Now, all sin is done in the presence
of the Lord for his omniscience.
But bringing that sin to the Lord's table,
it seems that God sets that table apart
in his own precious thoughts to the extent
that to do it, to bring unconfessed sin,
and you know what happens if you bring
unconfessed sin into the presence of the Lord,
there's only one thing you can do with
it, and that's judge it.
God can't do anything else with unconfessed sin
that's brought into his presence.
He's got to judge it.
These Corinthians were not judging themselves before they
came to remember the Lord, and the Lord
had to do it.
Now, he says very, very plainly, for this
cause many are weakly and sickly among you,
and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should
not be judged.
I remember of a servant of the Lord,
and I think it was right here in
Omaha, the city of Omaha, that I heard
him say this many, many years ago.
Thirty years ago at least.
And he said, he said, my mother used
to tell me, now Charlie, C.W. Ross,
I want you to wash and mind behind
the ears.
Because she said, if you don't get clean,
I'll have to do the job.
He said, I knew what that meant.
I meant that was a mess.
In her left hand a great big soapy
rag, and she'd get me behind the nap
of the neck, and when she got through
with me, I'd be clean.
But she gave me the opportunity to do
it first.
And God gives us the opportunity of judging
sin.
We won't do it.
He will do it.
And those Corinthians were finding out that it
was very, very dangerous, shall I say, to
bring unconfessed sin into the presence of the
Lord.
At this meeting especially.
This is the only time that it's mentioned.
Now I'm not inferring by this.
Don't, please don't put two and two together
and say that I said, or infer that
I said, that this is the only meeting
where the Lord is in the midst of
his people.
He says, where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them.
But I do say it is mentioned in
connection with this meeting, and we better take
notice.
That when we come into the presence of
the Lord, on this special holy occasion, it
seems to me that it sets apart the
remembrance of the Lord Jesus in that simple
manner of his.
It sets it apart in a very, very
special way.
Because this is the only time that I
can recall that this truth is brought before
us in connection with a remembrance feast.
Now, I want to talk more about this,
perhaps tomorrow evening, when we talk about the
functions of the church.
That is, the worship, and the witness, and
the government of the church.
So I think that, in the mind of,
I think in the will of the Lord,
we'll just pass on now.
Now, in the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians,
we have the gift mentioned.
He says, in the first verse of that
chapter, Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would
not have you ignorant.
Then he goes on to say, in verse
4, Now there are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit.
There are differences of administration, but the same
Lord.
There are diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all.
But the ministration of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal.
For to one is given by the Spirit
the word of wisdom, to another the word
of knowledge.
By the same Spirit to another faith by
the same Spirit.
To another the gifts of healing by the
same Spirit.
To another the working of miracles.
To another prophecy.
To another discerning of spirits.
To another diverse kinds of tongues.
To another the interpretation of tongues.
But all these worketh that one and selfsame
Spirit dividing to every man severally as he
will.
That is, as the Spirit will.
The Spirit is absolutely sovereign in these gifts.
Now notice, please, Romans chapter 12.
Verse 6.
Having been gifts differing according to the grace
that is given to us, and the Spirit
of God gives that grace, whether prophecy let
us prophesy according to the proportion of faith,
or ministry let us wait on our ministering,
or he that teacheth on teaching, or he
that exhorteth on exhortation, or he that giveth
let him do it with simplicity, or he
that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy
with cheerfulness.
Now God wants us to keep within our
sphere of gifts.
He has given each of us individually.
He has given us generously gifts to be
used for Him.
Now there's no Christian that does not have
gifts.
I don't know what it is in many
instances.
But every Christian has been given a gift
by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Now perhaps He gives some more of the
gift of, well, the ostentatious, the showy.
The gift that we can see.
And we think of that as being superior
to the gift perhaps of faith, or the
gift of giving.
No, God's gifts I don't think can be
greater.
They're all from His gracious hands.
And I don't distinguish in any order of
them whatsoever.
God has given to His people liberally.
What is our gift?
What does He want us to do in
the Church of God?
We do have something to do.
Now we have some special gifts there in
the 10th verse of the 12th chapter of
1 Corinthians that I don't want you to
think that I'm going to ignore the diverse
kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation
of tongues.
We'll get to it in due course of
time.
We're not going to ignore it.
It is not faith to be afraid of
the Word of God.
And it isn't faith to take your Bible
and turn fast past a certain portion either.
You don't have to do it.
You don't have to just get past that
portion as soon as you can.
Understand it.
And seek the knowledge from the Lord.
And it isn't faith to get through the
12th and the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians
as fast as you can either.
We don't have to, we don't have to
skip them.
We don't need to be afraid of them
either.
Now God gives these gifts.
And they are for the purpose of the
edification of the assembly.
Now we've mentioned them and that's all we've
done is just mention them.
But I do encourage us in each and
every instance to think of what our gift
is.
Now it's not what we choose to excel
in.
It's what the Spirit of God has given
us.
And it's our business to get before the
Lord and find out what that gift is.
You say, I don't know what it is.
Well many times I think the people of
God sometimes will recognize gifts that are within
us that perhaps we don't even see ourselves.
Now they're not spiritually ignorant, the people of
God are not.
And often times they can see what is
our gift better than perhaps we can ourselves.
I do think that gifts should be encouraged
where we find it.
But I think that with a little introspection
and a little prayer we can see what
our own gift is.
But I say this, don't ever say that
God hasn't given you a gift.
He has.
That's for you to determine.
If I see it, perhaps I'll even mention
it.
But be sure that you get before the
Lord in the matter of gifts.
Because he has given gifts to all of
those that are in the church.
There is another verse that I may want
to, let me check on it just a
moment.
I don't know whether it fits at this
particular moment or not.
I think perhaps it would.
Ephesians 4, 7.
I'll just refer to it and then we'll
pass on quickly.
Ephesians 4 and 7.
But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift
of Christ.
It's unto every one of us.
Now, there are some specialized gifts in verse
11.
And they are persons.
But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift
of Christ.
And, of course, the Spirit himself is the
giver of those gifts.
Christ working through the Spirit.
Now, in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians
we have the love chapter.
It's to be the very atmosphere of the
church.
We have the gifts of the church.
In chapter 12 we have the body of
the church, which we've already considered in the
latter part of the chapter.
But in verse 13 we have the very
atmosphere of the church itself.
And he says, Though I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, and have
not love, I am become as a sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And I'm sure that we could do without
that, couldn't we?
To have somebody in here with a couple
of great big cymbals slamming them together.
Well, one might as well do that as
to speak in the most gifted way without
his motive being love.
And though I have the gift of prophecy,
certainly exercised within the framework of the church,
and understood all mysteries and all knowledge, and
though I have all faith so that I
can remove mountains and have not love, I
am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and though I give my
body to be burned and have not love,
it prompts me nothing.
Love suffereth long in its kind.
Love envieth not.
Love vomit not itself is not up.
We have this lovely, lovely chapter.
The very atmosphere of the church is to
be love.
And when love is the atmosphere of the
church, everything will be in order.
Everything will be peaceable.
Because love does not behave itself unseemly.
It won't give offense.
It is not self-seeking.
It's not easily provoked.
It doesn't put the worst construction upon things.
It puts the best construction upon things.
And it rejoices when the truth is spoken.
It bears all things.
It believes all things.
Certainly, this is to be the atmosphere of
the church.
And now the 14th chapter of Corinthians.
Those gifts of speaking in tongues, which have
been such a trouble to some Christian circles
in this day and age.
Now, in this matter of speaking in tongues
in our day and age, I think if
we read the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians,
it would settle the whole matter within the
limits of the chapter itself.
But certainly, we can bring other verses to
bear on it later.
Why was the gift of tongues given?
It was given as Pentecost.
And the Jews heard in the language of
the nations where they were born from whence
they came.
They heard the wonderful story of the gospel
at Pentecost told out in their own language.
I couldn't think of a thing that would
be more definitely miraculous than for me to
start out right now.
And we're going to do it.
Start right now talking in German.
If I could just start reeling off German
right at this moment, I'd say it was
a miracle.
And I think you'd say it was a
miracle, too.
Think of what happened there at Pentecost.
Galileans, speaking in all the various languages of
all those people that had come up to
Jerusalem at that time.
It was a miracle.
And they recognized it as a miracle.
And I don't think anything would be easier
to recognize than a miracle as a miracle
than this very thing that took place.
But it had a very definite purpose.
It connoted to these people.
It brought the message of the gospel to
these people.
In their own language.
Better understood.
Now, God tells us in the 14th chapter
of 1 Corinthians why the gift of tongues
was given.
It says, well, let's read verse 18 of
the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians.
We're going to skip a lot of ground
here.
I thank my God I speak with tongues
more than ye all.
Now, if it weren't for this verse of
the New Testament, you'd never know that the
Apostle Paul spoke in tongues.
He certainly didn't make much of it.
But he says, I thank my God I
speak with tongues more than ye all.
Yet in the church I had rather speak
five words with my understanding that by my
voice I might teach others also.
And the thought of ministry in the church
of God is edification ever and always.
And it was not to be done unless
edification was the result.
He said, yet in the church I'd rather
speak five words with my understanding that by
my voice I might teach others also than
ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
Well, I fancy that some people would rather
speak ten thousand words in an unknown tongue
than five words with their own understanding.
That's just turning around the word of God.
Now, I can speak five words with my
own understanding, thank God.
Now, he says, brethren, be not children in
understanding.
Howbeit in malice be ye children, but in
understanding be men.
I think the reason he says this was
because they were taking a childish delight in
this gift.
And Paul says, don't be children.
If you want to be children, be children
in the matter of malice, because children don't
hold malice.
You can be children that way.
But don't be children in this respect.
And then he goes on to say, In
the law it is written, with men of
other tongues and other lips will I speak
unto this people.
And yet for all that they will not
hear me, saith the Lord.
Why, tongues have been prophesied in the Old
Testament.
It's an actual fact.
In the Old Testament, God prophesied that people
would be speaking with tongues.
And then he goes on to say, Wherefore
tongues are for a sign, not to them
that believe, but to them that believe not.
But prophesying serveth not for them that believe
not, but for them which believe.
Now this is to be a sign to
whom?
To Israel.
Because it says, with men of other tongues
and other lips will I speak unto this
people.
And the prophecy was made to Israel.
So tongues was a sign, and the Jews
require a sign.
They require it, and God says, I'm going
to give it to you.
And he gave them a sign in these
tongues.
And this was prophesied in the Old Testament.
That God would speak to them in this
matter.
All right, are tongues for today?
Are they for our day and age?
I heard of a man saying, Now these
are the gifts of the Spirit.
So the one is given by the Spirit
a word of wisdom, to another the word
of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another
faith by the same Spirit, to another the
gift of healing by the same Spirit, to
another the working of miracles, to another prophecy,
to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse
kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues.
Now these are the gifts of the Spirit.
Now which shall we arbitrarily rule out?
Shall we say, well, let's rule out the
tongues.
Throw them out.
Well, that's quite an argument, isn't it?
Which are you going to arbitrarily dismiss?
The tongues?
Well, that might give you a little trouble
if you thought very long on it.
But I would counter by referring them to
the 16th chapter of Mark.
Notice it with me, please.
Mark chapter 16.
And verse 17.
These signs shall follow them that believe.
Mark 16, 17.
In my name shall they cast out devils.
They shall speak with new tongues.
They shall take up serpents.
And if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them.
They shall lay hands on the sick.
They shall recover.
These signs shall follow them that believe.
Now, if they insist that I keep the
category in the 12th chapter of 1 Corinthians
intact without throwing anything out, I'm going to
insist that they keep the list in Mark
16 without throwing anything out.
And they're going to have trouble with those
snakes and with that poison.
That's going to give them a little bit
of trouble.
I'm not picking up any cobras.
And I don't think they are either.
But God did act in a wonderful way
at the beginning of this dispensation.
And Paul was bitten by one of these
vipers.
And it had no effect on him.
I don't know about the poison.
I don't know if there's any historical instances
in it or not.
Are tongues for today?
Tongues were given.
Tongues were given as a special sign to
the Jews.
And in the early days of the church,
it was composed of Jew and Gentile, but
it's largely Gentile today.
And even if it were for our day
and age, I still wouldn't be interested.
I say if.
Don't misunderstand me.
If it were for this day and age,
I still would not be interested because I
still can speak the English language and I
can still make myself understood through the Lord.
I can praise Him with the one language
that I do know and I can communicate
with you.
Now those that really believe that they have
the gift of tongues, I suppose that this
means that if they go to the mission
field, they don't have to go to language
school.
Oh, let's not bring that up.
Let's not bring that up.
As a matter of fact, they do.
They have to go to language school.
Whether they've got the gift of tongues or
not, I don't believe it.
I'm not interested in it, in the gift
of tongues, because I can still speak those
five words with my own understanding.
And Paul says I'd rather speak five words
with my own understanding than 10,000 words
in an unknown tongue.
I could talk on them indefinitely, but I'll
say this, that those people that I have
seen take up this practice are highly subjective
in character and in the end, if you
really will analyze the thing, they are occupied
with their own experience rather than with the
Lord.
They take a childish delight in something that
the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians about.
Now don't be like children in understanding.
Be like children in battle.
But don't take a childish delight in something
like that.
Now, we could possibly say more, but our
time is up and we want to observe
the time for the sake of those who
are, have young people here tonight.
So may God bless these few considerations for
His glory.
Mr. Raymond Rogers, would you please close the
work session?