Therefore, messages that are interpreted as unloving cannot be perceived as
coming from God. Spiritual gifts are to uplift the congregation. This is dis-
cussed in 1 Corinthians 14:3–4 as follows:
- But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening,
encouragement and comfort. 4. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,
but he who prophesies edifies the church.
As a matter of practice this means that the sound and tempo of tongues are
important, Messages that cause uneasiness, embarrassment, or discourage-
ment in the congregation are, as a consequence, judged as not emanating
from God. Thus, messages that publicly tear down the church’s leadership
do not edify the church and, therefore, are treated as not coming from God.
Finally, gifts of the spirit are supposed to be expressed in an orderly manner.
The example of social order given in the Bible concerns the number of the
people who may speak in tongues at any one time. Only two or three peo-
ple should deliver public tongues, interpretation, or prophecy, during a sin-
gle service (1 Corinthians 14:27). The relevant section of Corinthians concludes
with the following statement: “But everything should be done in a fitting and
orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
During interviews, pastors explained that this section of 1 Corinthians
means that services should not be chaotic, but orderly. The pastors believe
that each individual who is given Spiritual gifts is given some control over
their expression. They do not believe there would be a situation in which the
Holy Spirit would give a person a message that had to be delivered imme-
diately. If necessary, they believe the messenger would be given the ability
to wait until the appropriate time. 1 Corinthians 14:32–33 is used to support
this argument. It indicates that: “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
control of the prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” Thus,
there is Biblical support for perceivable social order in the enacted details of
sacred spiritual practices.
Practices: The Social Order of Legitimate Spiritual Expressions
What the beliefs provide is a context of accountability in which order, har-
mony and positive messages are paramount. What the beliefs do not spec-
ify is what this might look like in any actual case. Yet it is just this local order
that the beliefs treat as evidence of Spiritual presence. It is within local
Speaking in Tongues: A Dialectic of Faith and Practice • 267