26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
1 Corinthians 14: 26
1 Corinthians 14 touches on another subject that has divided Christians through the ages, speaking in tongues. The technical word is xenoglossia. It can refer to a spiritual gift where the speaker suddenly talks in a language unknown to the person or it can refer to praying in a heavenly language unknown to anyone else. It is a kind of ecstatic experience. Paul clearly says that the purpose of xenoglossia is to build the church, to help others, and for personal prayer use at home. As Paul has said through the whole letter to the Corinthians, whether we are identifying with a certain evangelist or whether we are pondering what we can eat or now, how we can speak, the general rule is to do that which harms no one else’s faith and do that which builds the fellowship of believers.
It seems to me that when another speaks to me in truth and love, whether that is an affirmation or a reprimand, I can receive the truth and grow. It is when I feel like an outsider that I withdraw from fellowship. Other words to describe the use of the tongue that builds others is integrity or transparency. James 3 talks about the tongue and describes good use of the tongue:
17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
May the words of my mouth be helpful to others today.
On the Way to Wonder 