Twin City church of Christ Blog
“May 10, 2024 - Worship with Spirit and Mind”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsWorship with Spirit and Mind
Reading: 1 Corinthians 14:13-25
As he discusses the superiority of prophecy to tongues, Paul distinguishes between our minds and our spirits. “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also”(1 Cor 14:14-15). My spirit is my inner man, which aspires to worship God. My mind, meanwhile, is my intelligence and understanding. Tongues were evidently a remarkable spiritual experience, but not always understood by self and others. Paul wants us to worship with spirit and mind.
The implications are important. “Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of outsider say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?”(1 Cor 14:16). Others cannot benefit when neither we nor they understand. Paul also pictures a time when “outsiders or unbelievers” join our worship service. If all they hear is unintelligible tongues, “will they not say that you are out of your minds?”(1 Cor 14:23). “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you”(1 Cor 14:24-25). Such a person can be transformed by words from God and confirm God’s reality and presence—but only if he understands the message.
Proper worship does involve our feelings—our spirit—but it also involves thoughtful, intelligent understanding of spiritual truth. As we gather together to worship, it is important that we take time to articulate God’s message clearly so that others may benefit. Perhaps that means that we use less flowery language, jargon, or complicated arguments. Perhaps it means updating our songs or Bible versions so that outsiders come face to face with biblical truth. However we achieve it, the goal is for us—and others—to worship with both spirit and mind.
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One Thing to Think About: How can I be childlike in evil while mature in my thinking (v. 20)?
One Thing to Pray For: The conviction that comes from hearing God’s word (v. 24-25)
