EPISODE 759 – EDIFY YOURSELF

EDIFY YOURSELF

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.” 

1 Corinthians 14:4 (NKJV)

In the previous episodes, I admonished you to BE HELPFUL to others.

As I explained, being helpful is being selfless; that is how God’s love works.

Furthermore, every helper must be strengthened to continue to be a consolation of help to others. This sometimes is the reason people emphasize self-love.

The way of the kingdom doesn’t emphasize self-love. The concept of self-love is with an ungodly motive of putting your self-interest ahead of others.

In the Kingdom, even your “self-interest” must be focused on being a blessing to others. By the way, in love, whatever you do for yourself is essentially for the benefit of others.

You consider your well-being because of others. Did you get it?

Your well-being is not for your selfish interest. Your personal well-being is for you to be in a good state to continue to help others. Don’t fall for the world’s subtle way of nurturing you to be self-occupied and self-pleasing.

The moment you submitted your life to Jesus, you made a choice to also live beyond your personal interest.
This matter I am discussing with you is not a complex phenomenon, but the reality of the love of God.

God is more interested in your well-being and wholeness than you are in yourself. To ensure you are enabled with the resources to continue being a blessing to others, the Lord gave you the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues-speaking.

There are some people who have refused to accept the reality of tongues-speaking. Some of these people even make a mockery of this special gift of the Spirit given to all believers.

Some think because the tongues believers speak are not understandable they are useless and mere gimmicks.

There are people who think the prophecy is more important than tongues-speaking.

None of these two is more important than the other. Prophecy benefits the Church. Most of the time, these Prophecies are (direct or indirect) interpretations of a tongue spoken.

Tongues-speaking helps the individual believer.

Read the opening verse again:

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.”

From the verse we see the clarity of the difference:

1. Prophecies edify or build up the Church. It benefits all the saints. It is for others.

“But [on the other hand] the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification [to promote their spiritual growth] and [speaks words of] encouragement [to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God] and [speaks words of] consolation [to compassionately comfort them]” 1 Corinthians 14:3 (Amplified Bible)

2. While tongues speaking edifies the one who speaks.

Tongues speaking is the communion between the one speaking and God. To speak in tongues is to speak mysteries.

“For one who speaks in an unknown tongue does not speak to people but to God; for no one understands him or catches his meaning, but by the Spirit he speaks mysteries [secret truths, hidden things].” 1 Corinthians 14:2 (Amplfied Bible).

Those who argue that tongues speaking is merely speaking another language must cut out this chapter from the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 14, the Apostle Paul’s main concern was that the believers should pray and speak in their understanding when they are among the congregation. Or interpret the tongues through prophecy because tongues speaking will be understood, unless interpreted. He even calls tongues speaking gibberish or unknown language. Whenever you speak in tongues, it may sound as a coded language to those who will hear you.

But you must speak it because it is for your personal edification.

In recent times, Churches have encouraged members to speak in tongues more in Church meetings because believers must be conscientize to pray in tongues for personal edification. Most declarations or prophetic utterances which are made during tongues speaking in the Church are summaries or interpretations of these tongues. (It is just that Churches must be intentional about having a session of tongues interpretation during public meetings).

When all believers meet and speak in tongues in a meeting, they are actually edifying themselves individually.

These mysteries, when spoken release spiritual currents of power and unleash energies from the Spirit to the entire being of the one speaking in tongues.

Tongues speaking is one of the quickest means by which a believer experiences personal edification.

Don’t ever undermine the benefits of tongues speaking.

Paul the apostle said, “I thank God that I speak in [unknown] tongues more than all of you” 1 Corinthians 14:18 (Amplified Bible).

Awesome!

If tongues speaking wasn’t beneficial to Paul, why would he speak in tongues more than his spiritual children?

“So, my fellow believers, long to be prophets so that you can preach God’s message plainly; and never say it is wrong to “speak in tongues” 1 Corinthians 14:39 (TLB).

Did you see that instruction from Paul?

Never say it is wrong to speak in tongues.

Don’t go a day without speaking in tongues.

Get to it now!