I Corinthians 14
Dear RTB’ers,
… edification, exhortation, and consolation … (v. 3b) Paul speaks of uplifting activities – just the opposite of divisiveness or quarreling or judgmentalism. He also mentions edification twice more in the next few verses (vv. 4, 5). It’s a lesson we could all take when discussing church matters, whether in personal conversations or in small groups or in larger settings. Paul is seeking unity in the Corinthian church, something that he senses is lacking there. I daresay that God would have us speak edification, exhortation, and consolation to just about any church body in the USA!
Here in Slovakia Carol and I attend one church regularly (unless we are traveling). The entire service is in Slovak – the music, the prayers, the sermons, the announcements. We have a translator and headsets, but my weak hearing still leaves me far short of all that is sung or said. Today’s verse 11 rings true to me, in church and out in the general public: So if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be unintelligible to the one who speaks, and the one who speaks will be unintelligible to me. It’s difficult being the minority!
Blessings!