The Holy Spirit in Action in the Christian Part 1 — Billy Strachan

The Fruit, Walking, Renewing, and Strengthening of the Spirit

Continuing our outline, we are on section D, the Holy Spirit and the Christian. Number 1, beginning in the Spirit. Number 2, under that was the indwelling of the Spirit. Then we looked at the sealing of the Holy Spirit, number 3.

And 4, the earnest of the Spirit, before our last lecture, where we dealt with number 5, the filling of the Spirit. Now, continue that outline. Number 6, the fruit of the Spirit. And put this verse down, Galatians 5, 22 and 23.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And please note that it is the fruit of the Spirit, one fruit containing all these qualities that are made evident in the life of a Christian by the Holy Spirit.

Number 7, walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit, Galatians 5, 16. This I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Now, note the order in which it is expressed.

It doesn't say try not to walk in the flesh and you'll end up walking in the Spirit. It says positively, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. The Holy Spirit is in your life to enable us to learn to walk as a Christian, as we walk in the Spirit.

Number 8, renewing of the Spirit. Renewing of the Spirit, Titus 3, 5. One of his offices is to renew people with the Holy Ghost, with God in their lives. Number 9, strengthening of the Spirit. Strengthening of the Spirit.

Ephesians 3 and verse 16. Ephesians 3, 16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. He's there to strengthen you. Number 10, sowing in the Spirit.

Sowing, Leading, Sanctification, and Supply of the Spirit

Sowing to the Spirit, beg your pardon, sowing to the Spirit. Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8. Galatians 6, verses 7 and 8. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Sowing to the Spirit. Number 11, leading of the Spirit. Leading of the Spirit.

Romans chapter 8, verse 14. Romans 8, 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The leading of the Spirit. Number 11, 12. Sanctification of the Spirit. Sanctification of the Spirit.

1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace, be multiplied.

Sanctification, setting apart of the Spirit of God. Number 13, the supply of the Spirit. The supply of the Spirit. Philippians 1, 19. Philippians 1, 19. For I know that this shall come to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1, 19. Number 14. Number 14, the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit. Now, under this, we are going to put four things. Number 1. Number 1. The enumeration of the gifts. The enumeration of the gifts, or the number of gifts that there are.

The Enumeration of Spiritual Gifts

The enumeration of the gifts. And then we'll turn to, please, 1 Corinthians, chapter 12. At last we're there. 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 1 and 8 to 11. Verses 1 plus verses 8 to 11. Now, at long last, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant, which is the majority case in many lives.

They are totally ignorant. Whenever I've gone to a church and they've asked me to speak on the charismatic movement, I've made my reading for the evening, chapters 12, 13, 14 of 1 Corinthians. And I've made the church sit absolutely stop still while I've read the entire three chapters.

And they think it's most unfair, I should just jump in to one verse, take it out, and use it. But I don't. There demands, because of the chaos, a careful reading of these three or four chapters in this epistle very, very carefully.

Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Verse 8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom. To how many is given the word of wisdom? To many. What's it say?

One. Let me hear it. To how many? One. Oh, good. To another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. The word of knowledge to whom? Oh, not the same one. Oh, how frightfully unfair. Oh, bang on. Isn't that a swizz?

We should think that a Christian should have all the gifts, really. Hmm, most interesting. Verse 9. 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 everybody. Diverse kinds of tongues. Oh, sorry. Oh, what I was saying, I mean, I've been hearing for years that it's the criterion for saying you even have the Holy Ghost.

That the one hallmark of knowing you possess the person of the Holy Spirit is that you speak in tongues. Paul, you better go back to school. Your theology's warped. Because you've dared to say that to another diverse kinds of tongues.

To another interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit dividing to every man as the Christian see fit. Oh, sorry. Dividing to every man severally as he, the Holy Spirit, will.

Gifts Distributed According to the Spirit’s Will

So there we have the enumeration of the gifts. To the individual. To the individual. These are there for your particular benefit. Because wherever we have a body local of believers, that constitutes the body local.

And the Holy Spirit very, very wonderfully makes sure that within the local body of believers, he equips that church to be a healthy body in that district in order to minister Christ to that community.

Therefore he will put into every body local those who have these gifts for the benefit of the believers in order that they can be a benefit to the community. Now there's nowhere where it says that we have all of the gifts in one man.

And that is also one of the reasons why evangelism ceases to be in many churches, in many communities. Because we have a sort of funny idea, particularly a number of pastors, that if anybody's going to be converted in my church, it's got to be through me.

God, it's unfair if you use somebody else and not me because I'm the minister. And therefore I should be the one that teaches, I should be the one that preaches, I should be the one that's the evangelist, I should be the one that governs, I should be the one that heals, I should be the one that does everything.

And God, it'll be a sort of letdown to my reputation if I have to call in an outside speaker to do the evangelism. Why don't you do it through me? I'm the minister. But you see, that's nonsense. A man might be a good pastor and leader of a flock and not necessarily be a teacher or a preacher or an evangelist.

It'll be the Holy Spirit's business if he gives the man more than one gift. That'll be his business. There are pastors who are real evangelists in their church, but their people never get teaching because he's not a teacher, he's an evangelist.

There are preachers who are great teachers, but they'll never make evangelists. Nor could the leader of a flock. And one has to be prepared to understand that it's the Holy Spirit's discretion that induces on the local believers the qualities of gifts just right for that individual, but not so that the individual can say, I've got it, I've got the gift.

And I can do this, that, and the other thing, but if you have the gift, you have the responsibility to exercise it in that community. To exercise it and to use it. And again in that section we see that we have no mandate for going into that section and pulling out one gift in particular and saying that that is the criterion for spirit-filled life.

For a spirit-filled life. That is nonsense, it's not there. And he makes that very plain in this illustration that follows. Verse 12,. For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that body being one, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews, Gentiles, born free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, because I am not of the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body?

And if the ear shall say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole body were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set members, every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour, and are uncomely parts of more abundant comeliness.

For are comely parts of no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part, which lacketh that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.

And whether one member suffer, all members suffer with it. Or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members in particular. You are all the body of Christ, but members in particular.

The Body of Christ and the Necessity of Every Gift

Just liken the body of Christ to your own physical body. Every human being has different members that comprise his physical being. One of the most difficult parts of the human body to photograph, for a photographer, is the feet.

It's very difficult to photograph, photographers will admit it, it's difficult to photograph great big toes, and make them look pictureque, you know. And yet the amazing thing is we need big toes. You take the big toes and the thumbs of people's hands, as they did in the Old Testament times, there was a king that made it his hobby, and everybody he conquered, he cut off of their kings, their toes and their thumbs.

And they actually had to crawl around his palace floor, like dogs under his table, and eat the crumbs. You cut any other finger off, and you'll still manage to do things. Cut the thumb off, and you're in difficulty.

Cut the big toes off, and you lose your balance. I mean, if you imagine your human body acting the way that people act today, with regard to the gifts of the Spirit. Imagine the sort of body entering the kitchen, first thing in the morning, after a long hungry night.

And the nose says to the eye, smell it. And the eye says, pardon? I said, smell it. What smell? Oh. You don't mean to tell me, eye, that you can't smell the bacon, eggs, and mushrooms? And the eye says, no, I can't smell.

You can't smell? Boy, what you're missing. I says the eye, but I can see them. Pardon? I can see them, with the fat just bubbling over those juicy mushrooms. And the little yellow yolk showing through the top of the egg.

And that crisp bacon, crinkling in the pan. And the nose says, are you mad? No, why? There's no such a thing as yellow. It's only the smell. No, no, says the eye, I see, but I don't smell. Mmm. You see, everything needs to be different.

And yet all the qualities of the nose, the eyes, the ears. Can you imagine the ear coming into the conversation and says, what's all this nonsense about smelling and seeing? Rubbish. I hear it frying.

But put all three together, and boy, you get a tremendous reaction when you come into the kitchen, and the nose does its job, and the eyes does its job, and the ears do their job, and boy, it makes the thing all that much more real.

And nobody would ever think of insisting that a body should consist of one member. And just as people say, it is the tongue that qualifies the fact that you are gifted with the Holy Ghost. That's rubbish.

If everybody insists that the whole body should be tongues. I mean, can you imagine a woman giving birth to a nine-pound nose? If we should just have one member, and that the criterion for being a body and in the body is that we are a nose.

Let's just make sure the whole Christian body is one big nose. And all the rest are of no consequence. Look how ludicrous it would be. Imagine a nation of noses walking around. I am just so thrilled that the Creator decided to give me more than the hooter I've got.

Me with this nose of mine that marches before me by quarter of an hour. It's compensated by eyes, ears, legs, arms, body. I am just so glad there's more than the nose. And you know, we see this illustration.

It's there in the scriptures as plain as the nose on your face. And yet people ignore it. It is impossible to have a healthy body comprising of one member. And insisting that the one member is more important than the other.

Everything fits together and we need all of it. So I believe wholeheartedly in the gifts of the Spirit to the believer. And I will not go in there and say some of them are not for today. Just as I won't let you go in there and say one of them is more important than any other for today.

They're all there to be used properly. With an emphasis on the proper. A proper use of the gifts. So they're all in, they're all there. They're all for today. And if we move in and start saying some are not for today, we must throw them all out.

It's a lovely union shop rule this. All in or all out. No in-betweens. It's impossible. Now number two, the bestowing of the gifts. The bestowing of the gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 verses 28 to 30. Now those first series of gifts were to the individual in the body.

But now there is the bestowing of ministries and gifts for everybody to benefit from. The others benefit yourself and then through you to others. But this one is particular gifts and ministries to people to benefit constantly the whole body in a community.

And God hath set, how many? Some in the church. First apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing. Helps, helps, helps, helps. Sorry the record got stuck.

Helps, governments, diversities of tongues. And that little one helps. Boy I like that. And it's the one we've all forgotten. There is a tremendous gift that the Holy Spirit can give to a man in a community of the body.

To benefit the body. And it's the ministry of helps. It may be a man that could never get up and give his testimony. He can't read or write so it's no use making him the church secretary. He can't preach.

He can't teach. He's no evangelist. And this poor fellow is sitting there knowing he belongs to Christ, the Holy Ghost in his heart. He has yielded. How could I fit into the body local and be part of serving the body?

And suddenly the Holy Spirit says I'll endure you with a gift of helps. And so this man finds a complete fulfillment in putting hymn books on the chairs. Stoking the furnace. Cleaning the windows. Tidying up after the meeting.

Putting the glass of water down for the speaker. And he finds that through this he has a sense of being. A sense of oneness with the body. A sense of serving. An utter satisfying fulfillment in himself.

Now there's not very many of those around today because we see the pastor doing it all. He ends up tidying up after the congregation have fled. He ends up doing the janitor work. All of it. You would be amazed at the churches I go to where the pastor is doing it all.

As the congregation busily engage themselves in finding a parking spot for their Rolls Royce and their Jaguar and their big cars. To come into the nice cozy one building and have a meeting. With not one thought about who lit the fire.

Who switched it on. And so few ever thought of ever moving in. If you want to move in and make a gift more important than others. Why not pick that one? Make it the criterion for spirituality. The ministry of helps.

You see if you move in and take any one of these gifts out of their place you make a mess. Could you imagine sitting in a meeting at the end and you come up to go out of the door. And a brother comes forward to you and he says.

Evening. And you say oh good evening. And he says I just wondered if you wouldn't mind fellowshipping with me a minute. And you say well that's perfectly alright. He says I just noticed you haven't been before.

No I haven't. Well I was just wondering have you got it? Got what? The gift. What gift? Hymn book putting. And you say pardon? Hymn book putting down off. He says no I haven't. You mean you've never had the thrill that surges through your being as you put a hymn book on a chair?

No I haven't. Oh you want to try it brother. If you've never really done the old hymn book bit you're not in. You're not really filled. You're not really full. You're not really satisfying. You haven't really obtained the best.

Why don't you try it? It's great. Putting hymn books on a chair. Oh what it did for me the day I put my first hymn book on a chair. You'd think he was loopy. But he's not. But he's been absolutely sincere with regard to his own experience.

With regard to his own life it is his fulfillment. But it's stupid for that man to make his gift the criterion for every believer after that. To say that everybody should be a member of the body that does the hymn book putting.

And that qualifies spirituality. That's rubbish. Just as much rubbish as someone that says my gift should become everybody's gift. That's rubbish. He gives all these different things to different people to benefit the body.

Verse 29. Are all apostles? What's the answer? No. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Are all workers of miracles? No. Have all the gifts of healing? No. Do all speak with tongues? Of course.

It doesn't say that. So don't you say it. Do all have the gift of tongues? No. Do all interpret? No. But covet earnestly the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way than wrapping your nose up in all the gifts.

Love as the More Excellent Way

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels. And have not love. I am become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge.

And though I have all faith so that I could move 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 profits me nothing. Love suffers long. And is kind. Love envieth not. Love vaunteth not itself. Sticketh not its nose in the air and saith I have something you don't have. Is not puffed up. Proud. Does not behave itself unseemly.

Seeketh not her own. Is not easily provoked. Thinketh no evil. Rejoiceth not in iniquity. But rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things. Believeth all things. Hopeth all things. Endureth all things. But where there be prophecies they shall fail.

Whether there be tongues they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come. Then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child I speak as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass darkly. But then face to face. Now I know in part.

But then shall I know even as I am known. That I shall be in love with him. These three. But the greatest of these is love. Follow after love. And desire spiritual gifts. Desire them. But rather than you may prophesy.

It is as plain as anything kids. The people that wrap themselves up in the gift. You will find. That very often they cannot display love. You see I have found in my experience. Of the people that have chased me for years.

Gifts that they're more concerned about me having everything than they are in having it themselves. Because I see some of the things they don't have. Manners, kindness, consideration, toleration. And yet I have found that very often the gift of tongues, for example, is endued by the Holy Spirit on the kind of person that has always doubted their salvation.

It's been their major doubt that they're saved. And they seem to get this gift in particular because it's so directly linked with the physical and the emotional side of your heart. And it gives a feeling and a sense of, well, there is someone in there because I'm not doing this by myself.

And having received that gift, they ought to be so full of assurance that, yes, this proves that Christ is in by the Holy Spirit, that they would then stand up and say, now my ministry is to allow myself to be so yielded to the person of Christ through the Holy Ghost that I will magnify him from now on.

I will occupy the rest of my living days making Christ known. But what do we find? They get all wrapped up in the gift and forget the giver. And all they do from there on in is hog the gift. Their whole ministry is the gift.

And they've never occupied one moment in talking about the giver of the gift. And you find that that's all they can talk about is their gift. What I've got, and you've got what I've got, and what I've got everybody should have.

And that's nonsense. Utter nonsense. And I admit there are many Christians that have never even bothered to find out what gifts they have received from the Holy Spirit, nor are they exercising them. And they are just as naughty in not reading those scriptures and realizing that the Holy Spirit's business is to give you gifts to equip you for the body and for yourself to be sure to go out and minister Christ.

And there are many Christians that have never even bothered to look and find out what God has endued them with. And that's just as naughty as the person that knows what their gift is and absolutely makes their gift God instead of the God of the gift being their God.

And that's imbalance as well. And the people are always tugging my ear and pulling my sleeve at meetings and saying, do you have the gift? Do you have gifts? Have you got this gift and that gift? Can you speak in this?

Can you speak in that? And when they're so busy wrapped up in telling you about their gifts and the Holy Spirit, I know they're not under the control of the Spirit. But I'll tell you this much. I have met over the years some wonderful believers who are filled by the Spirit of God, who know they have gifts.

And in many cases they have the gift of tongues, but it's being used properly. There was a young man joined me in the States years ago, Dennis Johnson by name, and he was a trombone player. And he traveled around the meetings playing the musical side of the program before I would teach and preach.

And we had known each other for five or six years. Many times when I was over, he'd link up with me and travel with me. We'd slept in motels together. We'd showered together. We'd eaten together. We knew each other that well.

And I think it was about the fourth or fifth year of our friendship when I was beginning to compile my notes and all these things. But I suddenly said to him one night in the motel, Dennis, have you ever spoken in tongues?

And he turned right around to me and he said, now remember, you asked me. And that was so entirely different from the crowds that attacked me at the end of meetings to tell me they've got it. And if I haven't got it, I'm useless.

And here I was showering with a fellow, swim, eat, travel, minister. And all I ever heard Dennis do was talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, magnify and glorify Christ in meetings. And I had to ask him before he ever told me.

And he said, now remember, you asked me. Yes, I did. I didn't even seek, but I was always doubting that the Lord had really come into me. And one night in my own private prayer session in my own bedroom, I experienced this gift.

It's never been repeated. He said that was enough for me. I knew Christ was in. Once and for all, I had proof that I'd always looked for. And I've gone out ever since to magnify Christ. That is the proper use of that gift.

It's the proper use of any gift. And always be wary of the man that runs around shouting, I'm filled. I'm filled. And the man that shouts, it's my gift. It's the criterion for being spiritual. There's no qualification for such a move in the word of God.

Gifts According to God’s Will and Their Proper Use

You can't do it. Just put down alongside those scriptures, Hebrews chapter two, verses three and four. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that he had him.

God also bearing them witnessed both with signs, wonders with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost. According to his own will, he gives the gifts according to his own will. Put number three down there, the using of the gifts, the using of the gifts.

It's got to be according to the word of God. Got to be according to the word of God. Fourteen, one Corinthians, 1439. What for brethren covet to prophesy forbid not to speak with tongues, let all things be done decently and in order.

They have to be used according to the word. Tongues are to be exercised, but governed by the laws laid down in this very chapter. Let's look at it. One Corinthians, 14 follow after love, desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God for no man understandeth him.

How be it in the spirit? He speaketh mysteries, but he that prophesyeth speaketh unto men to edification, exhortation and comfort. And it's very plain from those verses that the gift of tongues in particular is more beneficial to you as an individual than it is to the body.

But all the other gifts are helping other people. So it would appear that the gift of tongues can become quite easily a selfish gift, self-centered. It's what I get that all the other ministries are outgoing to other people.

And I find that the people that make the gift of tongues the criterion, they stop being Sunday school teachers. They withdraw from the communion table. They cease to be active participants in the government and running of churches.

And they're just sitting at home in little special meetings looking for a reenactment of the gift. They become totally useless in service. It's all inward self and self-beneficial. Verse four, he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifyeth himself, but he that prophesyeth edifyeth the church.

I would that ye all speak with tongues, but notice it's a comma that's after that. I have so often found little cards, they glow in color with the print on it, handed to me by those kinds of people. I would that ye all speak in tongues, full stop.

And it's a lie. It's not a statement from scripture. It's part of a statement from scripture. I would that you all speak with tongues, but rather than that you all speak with tongues that ye prophesy.

For greatest is he that prophesyeth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret that the church may receive edifying. Now brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you except I shall speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge or by prophesying or by doctrine?

And even things without life-giving sound, whether pipe or heart, except they give a distinction in the sound, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world and none of them without signification.

Therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, for as much as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

Underline that, if you will. Seek to excel, to be absolutely excellent in helping other people in the body of Christ and not wrapped up with your own spirituality. Wherefore, let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also.

Else, when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what ye are saying? For thou verily givest thanks well that the other is not edified.

I thank my God I speak with tongues. And it doesn't say a full stop there. Now I've had that handed to me on a card. The Apostle Paul said, I thank my God I speak with tongues. More than you all. Yet, yet, in the church, says Paul, I had rather speak by words with my understanding than by my voice I might teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.

And I know there are five words I would rather speak to some of these meetings where they're all babbling all over the room. What good did it do? That's the five words of understanding I'd like to say to them when I sit in their presence.

What good did it do when they're because it didn't do me any good. It doesn't do a lot of unbelieving people any good either, nor themselves, because they can't go and live. They've got to come together and get it all over again.

Brethren, be not children in understanding. How be it in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. In the law it is written with men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto the Jews.

Note that if you've never noted before. One of the reasons for the gift of tongues is that it's assigned to unbelieving Jews. How many unbelieving Jews are ever in the meetings that exercise this audibly?

And yet for all that they will not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. And yet the funny thing is most churches I go to, the tummy meeting is an after meeting when the pagans have gone home.

It's a believers tarrying meeting, a meeting for believers to get deepened once the pagans are out of the way in case they misunderstand what we're doing. So we have the gospel service and get rid of the unconverted.

Then we have a special believers meeting. That's not according to the book. There should be unconverted there. They'll soon tell you if you're mad or if it's a miracle. They're not easily duped, just the Christians.

Wherefore tongues are for a sign to them that believe, but to them that believe not. But prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. If therefore the whole church be come together in one place and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that you're mad?

But if all prophesying there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all. And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest. And so falling down in his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth.

How is it then brethren when you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most three in any one meeting.

Two, or if you must stretch it, three. And that by course, one after the other, not a jumble together. And let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself and to God.

And so as soon as it breaks out, somebody must stand up and say, have we an interpreter present? And if there's no interpreter, you just say, sit down and keep quiet brother. Just sit down and keep quiet.

Let the prophets speak two or three and let the other judge. If anything be revealed to another that's sitteth by, let him first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted.

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. That's important. Remember this. Nobody has to stand up and say, I couldn't help it. It just had to come out. You are in control of your gift.

Your spirit is subject to your permission to exercise itself. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in churches. And then notice where this comes in girls, right in the midst of a discussion about the exercise of the gift of tongues.