Paul writes in I Corinthians 14:1-5, “Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy. For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.  But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church. I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up” (HCSB).

The word “prophesy” here means to tell forth, or to speak forth. Specifically, in this context it means to speak forth something for Christ, something that the indwelling Holy Spirit has given you and instructed you to speak to the church. It may be only five words, but if it is five words given to you by the Holy Spirit it will be used by the Spirit to build up the church.

In this brief passage, there are several important points that Paul is trying to make. First, he is stressing the supreme importance of prophesying. He says, “Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.” The reason he says, “Above all that you may prophesy,” is so that the church would be built up. “He who prophesies builds up the church.” For Paul, the ultimate goal of the Christian life is that the church, the body of Christ, would be built up, that it would be “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and blameless,” “like a bride adorned for her husband” (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 21:2, HCSB).

Paul continues in I Corinthians 14:26-33, “What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification. If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.

“Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, since God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (HCSB).

Notice that Paul says, “You can all prophesy one by one.” For a believer to prophesy does not require some special gift. You don’t have to be a prophet in order to prophesy. You simply need to be sensitive to the speaking of the Holy Spirit as He gives you something to speak and be diligent to obey and boldly speak forth what you were told to speak.

In addition to prophesying that the church might be built up, Paul also encourages the saints to “pursue love and desire spiritual gifts.” This is consistent with his overriding desire that the church be built up. Brothers loving one another is a basic foundational requirement for the building up of the church. Without the brothers loving one another, the church cannot be built up. It is for this reason that Jesus gives the church a new commandment in John 13:34. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

In keeping with his desire for building up the church, in addition to his encouragement to the believers that they may prophesy and pursue love, he also instructs them to desire spiritual gifts. His reason for this is obviously the same as his reason to encourage them to prophesy and to pursue love, that the church be built up.

What are these “spiritual gifts” that Paul encourages the saints to desire?  In I Corinthians 12:4-10 Paul identifies several spiritual gifts. “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.  A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of languages, to another, interpretation of languages” (HCSB).

In Romans 12:6-8, Paul mentions other gifts. “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness” (HCSB). All the spiritual gifts Paul lists have obvious uses for the building up of the church, by teaching, by exhorting, by encouraging, by increasing faith, by caring, helping and loving one another.

In I Corinthians 12:27-31, Paul goes so far as to rank some of these gifts in order of importance in the church. “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it. And God has placed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, managing, various kinds of languages.” He also makes it clear in this passage that none of the gifts is possessed by every believer. “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in other languages? Do all interpret?” (HCSB). The obvious answer is “No, not all are apostles, not all are prophets, etc.” There is not one gift that is possessed by all or required to be possessed by all.

Notice also that Paul does not ask here if all can prophesy, but rather he asks, “Are all prophets?” Clearly all are not prophets, however, as Paul stated in I Corinthians 14:31, “You can all prophesy one by one.” Again, to prophesy does not require that you have the gift of being a prophet. All born-again believers can prophesy, speaking in obedience to the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Paul concludes saying, “But desire the greater gifts.” Yes, we should desire the greater gifts, that of apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, healing, helping, and managing. Notice that the last gift mentioned, and by implication, the one that we should desire least is that of various kinds of languages. The reason for this is clear. “The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church.” It is much more desirable that our focus be on building up the church, rather than on building up ourselves.

If our purpose is to build up the church, the body of Christ, where are these gifts in the church today? As we look about, we notice that most of these gifts seem strangely absent. We must ask ourselves the reason why. What happened to the gifts that we are told that we should desire?

There is a teaching that has been propagated within some churches based on an interpretation of I Corinthians 13:8-12.  “Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.”

The teaching states that “when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away” refers to the completion of the Scriptures. So, they say, when the New Testament was completed, the perfect had come, and there was no longer a need for these gifts of the Spirit. This, however, is not consistent with the context of the passage of Scripture from which this is taken. If we examine the context, we see that an entirely different interpretation is indicated.

The passage continues, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” Here Paul is saying that “now we see in a mirror dimly” referring to the time he was writing this letter. “Then” refers to “when the perfect comes.” Then he will see clearly, face to face. He says, “now I know in part, but then,” when the perfect comes, he will know fully as he also has been fully known.

Can any one of us honestly say, “I see face to face,” or “I know fully just as I also have been fully known?” If we say these things, then we are saying that we see more clearly than Paul did, and that we know more fully than Paul did. As for me, there is no way I could even begin to think, much less say, these things.

It becomes clear that “when the perfect comes” refers to Christ’s return. It is only then that we will see face to face or know as we are fully known. It is interesting that there is another passage that has been misunderstood in a very similar way.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” In conjunction with the misinterpretation that we just examined of I Corinthians 13 and the cessation of the gifts of the Spirit, this passage in Ephesians has been interpreted saying that the apostles and prophets are no more.

The natural conclusion of the teaching that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased and that which is perfect is the completion of the Scriptures, is that people serving as pastors, teachers, evangelists are not the result of the Spirit’s gifting, but of the training received in Bible colleges and seminaries. The teaching that results is that there are no apostles or prophets today. They were only needed for the establishment and foundation of the church, but now that we have the completed Scriptures, they are no longer needed.

However, if we examine the context of this passage of Ephesians, we will notice that it tells us clearly how long these gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers will continue. It says, “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Again, I would simply ask, have we attained? Have we all attained to the unity of the faith? What about all the divisions in Christianity? Have we matured and grown into the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ? I believe the answer is clearly, “NO!”

It is clear that the gifts of the Spirit have not ceased. They are desperately needed today for the building up of the church. These false teachings have produced a heart of unbelief in some churches, especially as regards the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. Instead of trusting the Holy Spirit’s gifting of the members of the body of Christ for the building up of the church, we have come to trust the teachings of man and the training of man by the institutions of man.

John 5:44 says, “How can you believe? While accepting glory from one another, you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God.” We must be those that believe the Scriptures, accepting what they say, not trying to twist them to fit our doctrines and desires to exalt ourselves and receive glory from one another. We need to seek the glory that comes from God.

This level of unbelief reminds me of Matthew 13:58, which says, “And He (Jesus) did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Also, Mark 6:5, which says, “So He was not able to do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He was amazed at their unbelief” (HCSB). Perhaps the absence of the gifts of the Spirit in some churches is due to the unbelief that has resulted from these false teachings. We need to believe the Scriptures and we need to believe that gifts of the Spirit have been given to each believer to produce that which is beneficial for the building up of the body of Christ.

Let us not be like the servant that received the one talent and, because of fear and unbelief, went out and hid his talent, burying it in the ground. When his master returned, he called him a wicked, slothful servant, and had him cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Rather, let us be like those that received talents and immediately went out and put their talents to work. When their master returned, he said to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:14-30, WEB).

May we be those that understand that a demonstration, a gift, of the Spirit has been given to each believer and that we are expected to use that gift. These gifts are not to be used to exalt the individual, but for the building up of the church and to glorify God.

“Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.” “He who prophesies builds up the church.” God has given each believer a spiritual gift according to their measure of faith. “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts.” Let us be diligent to use that which has been entrusted to us that God may be glorified through all we do and say!

Writings By Jon von Ernst

The Lord of All Things Series - A Trilogy of Truth 
Books in this series:
Book 1 - The Gospel of the Kingdom
Book 2- The Victorious Christian
Book 3 - Walking in the Light  -  Following in His Steps

*- Audio of these books are available free of charge at thepureword.net.