“I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.”
~1 Corinthians 14:18-20
Paul was basically saying here: “It is true that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But when I come to church, I don’t think of how I’ll speak in tongues and show you guys that I speak in tongues; or that I have all the gifts of the Spirit; or that I can do all the things, and get every body to clap for me. I’m more concerned about the effect my word will have on you. I’m more preoccupied with the relevance and the impact of what I’m doing.”
This childishness that Paul discouraged in the Corinthian church is still with us today: In Christian gatherings, and on Christian television, it is normal to see preachers take their coat and throw into the crowd. The people just fall and then they get up and go back to their homes. If you are a deep and reflective mind, you are compelled to wonder, ‘After all these entertaining displays, what happens? Are there any significant and enduring changes in the lives of those that fell down?
Unfortunately, after all the displays, folks still go back to poverty. They go back to broken homes. They go back to disease. Yet you still hear comments like, ‘We had a wonderful time in church! The man of God is so anointed, he just threw his shoes and everybody fell all over the place. Oh amazing!’
But what lasting transformational impact do all these have on the life of these people, in their finances, careers and visions. In other words, whats the enduring significant transformational result of such spectacle? Are you just trying to impress? Or do you want to influence?
You have to take time and review what you do especially if you are in a position of authority over others.