Order

1 Corinthians 14:33 “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”

            Paul wrote both 1st and 2nd Corinthians to the church of Corinth. The church of Corinth was made up of house churches and everyone lived in close proximity to one another. This way the believers could function as a large family. But, as in all families, conflict arose and this was the reason for Paul’s writing the book 1 Corinthians to this church (1). Paul was also addressing some questions that this church had written to Paul. He spent some time with the church in Corinth; visited at least twice as it is recorded in Acts. So, he functioned as a leader or a mentor to the leaders of this church.

            In chapter 14, Paul discusses the division over spiritual gifts within the church of Corinth. The two most prominently discusses gifts are of prophecy and of tongues (1). Because of this division, Paul adds limits to these gifts. Prophecy should be in the form of worship, communicated to God. Those who wish to speak in tongues should be limited to only 3 people per service, one at a time, and there must be someone interpreting what is being said. This order is created to get rid of the division but also to get rid of any chaos that may have occurred during the service.

Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-33

            This order in the church service that Paul has created is in line with God’s character. Paul defends that point in verse 33 by saying “God is not a God of disorder.” It is necessary to have order to a church service so that all who are present may learn and understand all that is being presented from those who wish to share. No one should be left out of any part of what the Holy Spirit is communicating during a service. This is why order is necessary. The peace presented in this situation is calming peace and orderly.

            In church services today, there is an order to the service. It may look similar to this scenario: praise and worship in song, prayer, offering, sharing of personal testimonies, the sermon from the pastor, prayer, and a benediction. If there were no specific order to anything and no one was in charge of the service, multiple things could go wrong, many people would not understand what is happening or what they should be paying attention to, and there could be a lack of respect in who’s turn it is to speak or share. This order that Paul creates is still important today in that it keeps the peace in the service and with one another.

            Is there an area of your life that seems chaotic? What rules or order can you put in place so that it has a sense of peace or calmness? Is there a specific scripture that may help you in this organization?

1.Schenck, Kenneth. Jesus Is Lord!: an Introduction to the New Testament. Triangle Publishing, 2009.