The order of conduct of the services in various churches differs, depending upon the type of church you visit. Many churches follow a very rigid format for their services, but a few are quite loose and allow different things to develop rather spontaneously. Most of the larger denominational churches follow a program that includes some singing of hymns, the pastor’s message and an altar call, never deviating from that program from one service to another. A few of the smaller nondenominational or Pentecostal churches, might start off with a prayer and after that just let the service progress in any type of fashion, with testimonies, prophecies, singing or whatever, without any set order of the services at all.
Paul the Apostle must have encountered just such a church as the latter was described, in the church that was at Corinth
In the 14th chapter of 1st Corinthians, Paul says to them: How is it, when you all come together, every one of you sings a song, has a doctrine, speaks in tongues, has a revelation you want to tell and has an interpretation of his own?
1 Cor “How is it then, brethren? When you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, and has an interpretation.”
Well, without a doubt, I’m sure Paul was happy that all the members of that church were Spirit-filled believers and wanted to do their part in glorifying God, but the way they were conducting the services, they were not following any order and consequently the church was not being edified.
Paul spoke of the spiritual gifts that believers receive and were to be manifested in the church for edification of the church and for the body of Christ to profit. He spoke of the gift of “the word of wisdom,” “the word of knowledge,” “faith,” “gifts of healing,” “the working of miracles,” “prophecy,” “discerning of spirits”, and “tongues and interpretations” (1 Cor 12:8-10).
But Paul told the Corinthians that these gifts should be used in the church in a decent and orderly manner or the church would not profit from their manifestation (1 Cor ).
Unfortunately, most of the churches of today fail to see any of these Spiritual gifts in operation during their services and if some of them encountered it occurring, I’m convinced that they would do whatever they could to stop it because most of them do not believe in them for this day and time.
Paul told the Corinthians that they had to put some order into their services. He said that everyone has to wait his turn; respecting the operation of the gift that someone else has and limit the number of participants during any one service.
Paul said if there was those who spoke in tongues, limit it to two or three persons, and only if there was an interpreter present and keep it in order, taking turns.
1 Cor 14:27-28 “If any man speaks in an unknown tongue let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.”
Paul also spoke about those who had the gift of prophecy, saying that the spirits of the prophets are under the control of the prophets, so they should respect each other and take turns speaking, limiting it to two or three during a service (1 Cor 14:29-32).
In the 29th verse of 1st Corinthians, where Paul addresses the prophets, some clarification needs to be made. The way it reads is that when a prophet is speaking, the others should sit in judgment of what he is saying. I do not believe the original scriptures meant for this to read the way it does and the translators of the Bible have not used the best interpretation for the words in this verse.
The verse is quoted as follows:
1 Cor “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.”
There are six Greek words in the New Testament that the translators have translated into the English word “judge,” but each one of them has just a little different meaning.
Four out of the six can be translated into some use of the word “judge,” such as, “a judge, to make a judgment, a person that judges, and to determine or discern something.” Number five of the six speaks to “a rule” or “a determining factor” which would be a criterion rather than a person who sits in judgment.
But the sixth word, which they translated into judge in this 29th verse, is about as far away from referring to a judge as night is from day. This Greek word “diakrino” should have been translated into “wait his turn,” “hold his peace” or “come after.”
Instead of it saying, “let the other judge,” it should say something like “let the others come after” or “let the other wait his turn,” or “let the other hold his peace.”
No man can sit in judgment over prophecy until it has had an opportunity to come to pass, for the prophet Moses said that if a man prophesied something and it came to pass, then God has spoke to that man and if it doesn’t come to pass, then do not listen to that man (Deut 13:1-3).
It would not have been proper for any man to sit in judgment while another was prophesying. Paul intended this statement to help bring some discipline and order to their services, which is what it would have done, if it had been translated as follows:
1 Cor “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other wait his turn.”
In order for a church service to be conducted orderly and not get out of hand, a certain time should be designated for members of the congregation to speak as the Spirit moves them, just as the singing of hymns, preaching and praying for the healing of the sick has its allotted time.
The Lord has put these spiritual gifts in the church and they should be allowed to operate for the edifying of the church. That is just exactly why Paul told the Thessalonians not to quench (suppress) the Spirit, whether it is the individual or the church that does it (1 Thess ).
Even the Apostle Paul, when he knew that he would not be able to watch over the church at Ephesus, gave no instruction to change the order of the services (Acts 20:25-38). The free operation of the gifts was God’s will and Paul wanted it to continue even though he knew that someone could come in and by manifesting certain spiritual gifts, try to draw away disciples after them from the church.
Some churches today do not believe in the present day operation of all the Spiritual gifts. Some do believe and go to excess in the operation of some of them during the services, specifically the gift of speaking in tongues and the word of knowledge. Then there are other churches that do believe in the operation of the gifts, but hinder the operation of those gifts during the services, saying that they should be judged true or false in private before being given in open church. This is wrong and not the will of God.
One of the most misused and confusing things allowed in some churches, is the supposed gift of talking in other tongues. Some services proceed with the whole congregation speaking in tongues at the same time and others have the pastor constantly speaking in tongues throughout his or her message.
Paul the Apostle made it perfectly clear, and he said that what he taught he received from the Lord (Gal 1:12), “if there is no interpreter in the church,” translating what the person is saying in tongues, “the person speaking should keep silent” (1 Cor 14:28).
Paul told the churches that he had founded, in order for them to be kept from being tossed about from place to place with every new doctrine that would be taught (Eph 4:14), God has set prophets, apostles and teachers (1 Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11), to preach and teach His Word, which will bring them all into the unity of the faith (Eph 4:13).
If God has truly set these teachers in the churches, they would be preaching and teaching His Word. What they would teach would line up with and agree with the Scriptures. If this was happening, all the churches would be teaching the same thing and we would not be tossed about from place to place, looking for the truth. Remember He said: “only God’s Word is the truth, and man is a liar.”
Spiritual gifts have been imparted to all who are in the body of Christ and should be in operation in the church. More than this, they that have these gifts should be encouraged to use them. Too many church services today are so structured in their format, that the members are not given the opportunity to use their gifts, so the church is not edified. Our church congregations are like spectators, sitting quietly in their seats watching the minister perform. The whole body of Christ is not functioning in these services and a body in which all the members do not function is ineffective and not capable of glorifying God in its fullness.
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