PORTIONS OF LIFE STUDY OF FIRST CORINTHIANS

MESSAGE SIXTY-TWO

DEALING WITH THE GIFTS

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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 12:4-31; 14:1-25

THE PROBLEM CONCERNING

TODAY’S TONGUE-SPEAKING

In dealing with the gifts, Paul emphasizes six matters: speaking, the
Spirit, the Body, God’s administration, love, and the superiority of
prophecy for the building up of the church. In chapter twelve Paul
speaks of the Body again and again, at least eighteen times. But in
chapter fourteen he speaks of the building up of the church. Thus, in
chapter twelve we have the Body and in chapter fourteen, the church.

THE BODY AND THE CHURCH

The Body and the church are synonymous; both refer to the same
thing. The Body is the church, and the church is the Body.
Nevertheless, in chapter twelve Paul emphasizes the Body, and in
chapter fourteen he emphasizes the church. There is a distinction
between the Body and the church. The Body is an organism for Christ
as the believers’ life to grow and express Himself. The church is an
assembly for God to operate His administration. Christ as life is the
essence of the Body as an organic entity. This organism is not for
organization; it is for living to express Christ. Christ is the essence of
His Body, and His Body is an organic entity which lives, grows, and
matures with Himself until it eventually expresses Him.
In 12:12-27 the main thought is not activity or enterprise. It is that
the Body is an organism to live, grow, mature, and express Christ as
the inward essence. For this reason, verse 3 tells us that when we say,
“Lord Jesus,” we are in the Spirit. It is the Spirit who brings us into
the Body, for the Spirit is the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit of life, not
merely the Spirit of God as found in Genesis 1:3. We have received
the Spirit who brings us into the Body organically.

In Romans 10:13 Paul says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.” We need to put this verse together with Acts
2:21: “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.” Here in Acts 2 to be saved is to
receive the initial gifts of the Spirit. To receive the Spirit as the initial
gift is equal to being saved. This takes place not only by believing, but
also by calling on the Lord. Everyone who truly believes in the Lord
Jesus will also call on Him and say, “Lord Jesus.” If we say, “Lord
Jesus,” the Spirit will come into us, and we shall be in the Spirit. The
Spirit is the pneuma, the breath, the air, for us to breathe. It is
impossible for us to breathe without taking air into us. When we
breathe, the air is in us, and we are in the air. Likewise, when we call
on the Lord Jesus, we are in the Spirit who gives life and brings us
into the Body.

According to 12:13, in the Spirit we have been baptized into the Body.
The water of baptism is a symbol of the fact that we have been
baptized into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19) and baptized into Christ
(Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). When we were baptized into Christ, we were
baptized into His Body and became part of this organic Body. First
Corinthians 12 clearly reveals that we have become members of the
organic Body of Christ. Hallelujah, we are now in the Body! We have
called, “Lord Jesus,” and have been brought into the Spirit, the Spirit
has ushered us into the Body, and now we are organically in the Body.

After speaking so much concerning the Body in 12:12-27, Paul begins

to speak of the church in verse 28: “And God has placed some in the
church: firstly apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers; then
works of power, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various
kinds of tongues.” The church is for God’s administration. When Paul
mentions the church, his emphasis is not on an organic entity, but on
God’s administration. The Body is for the expression of Christ; the
church is for the administration of God. In chapter fourteen Paul’s
concept is not mainly related to organic growth, but to governmental
administration. In chapter twelve the emphasis is on life; in chapter
fourteen it is on government. Therefore, we may use the term
“organic expression” to describe chapter twelve and the term
“governmental administration” to describe chapter fourteen.
Furthermore, the building up of the church is for administration, but
the building up of the Body is for the expression of Christ organically.
To express Christ we need the Body; to carry out the divine
administration we need the church. For this reason, chapter twelve
emphasizes the Body organically for growth and the expression of
Christ, but chapter fourteen emphasizes the church governmentally
for the carrying out of God’s eternal purpose.

At this point I would ask a question related to speaking in tongues:

For the Body to grow organically and express Christ, can tongue-
speaking ever be helpful? We need to answer this question carefully.
It would be wrong to say that tongue-speaking could not be of any
help to the growth of the Body. Speaking in tongues is somewhat
related to the Spirit, and the Spirit is for the Body. For this reason, we
should not say that tongue-speaking could never be helpful to the
Body. The decisive factor concerns our realization regarding tongue-
speaking and our application of it. If you apply tongue-speaking only
for your self-seeking, this will damage the Body. But if you seek
tongue-speaking for the Body and if you take care of the Body, then
your tongue-speaking will be helpful to the Body. Some among us
have testified that tongue-speaking stirred them inwardly to seek
Christ. This is a fact which cannot be denied. Certainly to seek Christ
is by the Spirit and for the Body. However, those who are stirred up
by the Spirit through tongue-speaking to seek Christ may not realize
that their seeking of Christ should be for the Body. In such a case,
their realization regarding tongue-speaking is somewhat short. For
tongue-speaking to be helpful to the Body depends on the proper
realization and application.

Now let me ask another question: Is tongue-speaking helpful in the

building up of the church for God’s administration? The answer to
this question is a clear and definite no. Especially as practiced today,
tongue-speaking is of no help to God’s administration. On the
contrary, in case after case it damages the church, tears down God’s
administration, and overthrows the divine government.

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 REASONS FOR NOT
ENCOURAGING TONGUE-SPEAKING

My desire is to speak for Christ and to speak forth Christ. Nevertheless,

especially as a help to the young people, I am burdened to make it clear why
I do not encourage tongue-speaking. Although I do not oppose speaking in
tongues, I do not encourage it. My reasons are based on my experience and
observation.

I do not encourage today’s tongue-speaking because it can be compared to

opium or morphine. Medical doctors know that opium and morphine can be
useful in dealing with certain kinds of pain or illnesses, but the dosage has to
be limited and the use restricted. Used under proper direction with adequate
limitation, opium and morphine can be helpful. The danger is in becoming
addicted to these drugs. Once a person is addicted to either opium or
morphine, the result is dreadful. Many may practice tongue-speaking for a
period of time and then give it up. Others, however, become addicted to
speaking in tongues. They may become addicted to such an extent that when
they meet together they do not care for anything else. They are so much for
tongue-speaking that they are not concerned even if the so-called tongue is
not genuine.

Second, for the long run, tongue-speaking does not help believers to grow in
life. On the contrary, addiction to tongue-speaking may lead to the
indulgence of lust. Yes, some have testified that speaking in tongues stirred
something within them to seek after Christ. This is a proper result of tongue-
speaking. But those who become addicted to tongue-speaking care only for
their ecstasy. They do not care for sobriety. As a result, there are many cases
of fornication among them.

Third, those who have become addicted to tongue-speaking have no ear to

hear the word of the cross and the deeper things concerning Christ. They are
not interested in how the cross of Christ deals with the flesh and the self.
They do not care for such a sober word of righteousness. They are like a
piece of wood that has been ruined by poor carpentry and cannot be used in
making better furniture. They have no heart for the deep things of Christ or
the life in resurrection. For example, they would have no ear for all the
messages we have given on 1 Corinthians and on the four books that make
up the heart of the divine revelation—Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and
Colossians. Instead, they like to pay their attention to Acts 2, and 1
Corinthians 12 and 14. However, they misuse these portions of the Word.
They have no heart to hear a sober word.

Due to the burden I have received from the Lord and to His commission, I
am concerned that Pentecostalism may creep into the Lord’s recovery. If
this happens, the recovery will be damaged. This does not mean, however,
that I oppose genuine tongue-speaking. Genuine tongue-speaking is of God,
and I do not oppose it. Nevertheless, I do not encourage today’s tongue-
speaking. Furthermore, even the leaders in the Pentecostal movement have
made adjustments throughout the years. They realized that without certain
adjustments they would not be able to carry on their work. I have learned
that at the Assembly of God school in Springfield, Missouri, the students are
taught to emphasize teaching, not tongue-speaking, in congregational
meetings, and to encourage the people to speak in tongues privately.
Nevertheless, the practice of tongue-speaking has still frustrated many of
those dear saints in the matter of the growth in life.

Fourth, no other Christians are as independent and divisive as those who

promote tongue-speaking. Every tongue-speaker is independent,
individualistic, and divisive. Each one cares only for himself. By this we see
that the enemy creeps in to use something which may be of God to damage
God’s administration. In Pentecostalism and in the charismatic movement
there is no building, no Body life, no care for oneness, and nothing of the
divine administration.

Now we can understand Paul’s concept in 1 Corinthians and know the

burden in his spirit and on his heart when he was writing this book. Paul was
deeply concerned for the Body of Christ and for God’s administration. He
knew God’s heart and God’s plan. He knew that God’s purpose is to have a
Body to grow Christ and express Christ and also to have the church to carry
out the divine administration. Today’s tongue-speaking has been used by the
enemy to frustrate the growth of the Body and to damage the building up of
the church for God’s administration. Therefore, I cannot encourage this
practice. But I want to say again that I do not oppose genuine tongue-
speaking. I do not follow J. N. Darby in saying that speaking in tongues is
dispensationally over. No, it is still possible for there to be genuine tongue-
speaking, but this must be practiced in a proper way.

Tongue-speaking causes much more loss than profit. Each of the three times
we tried to adopt this practice in the church life, we suffered loss. Our hope
is that the Lord’s recovery will be preserved from the damage that can be
caused by today’s tongue-speaking and go on in a pure way of life, not
damaged by any mixture.