Questions & Answers
Questions 119 (COD Page 563)
Now. First Corinthians 14:27, I believe that all messages should be interpreted and that not more than three messages in tongues should be given in any one service.
338 That’s the Scripture. I’ve got it wrote down here. Course, we’re not...We’re famliar with that and know that, you see. That’s...Yes, sir, it’s...should only be by the courses of three. That’s in First Corinthians 14, too. See? That’s right, “courses of three.” Now you watch that in your meetings, brethren. Now, you’ll–you’ll find that come up now, you’ll find out that a lot of people gets enthused. And don’t say they haven’t got the Holy Ghost, now. But, you see, Paul went down to set the Corinthian church in order. We all know that, don’t we? He had to put it in order. And he said, “All things be done decently and in order.”
339 Now, if you noticed, Paul, in going down, he always had trouble with the Corinthian church. You never found him that way in...He never said nothing about it to the Ephesian church, he could teach them Eternal security. There’s nothing about Eternal security in–in the Corinthian church. They were always babies, trying, “One’s got a tongue, one’s got a psalm.” Isn’t that right? See? And if you let your congregation get started on that...
340 Like Martin Luther, he got so filled with the Spirit till he spoke in tongues. He said, in his diary, he said, “I spoke with tongues,” he said, “but if I teach my people that” said “they’ll seek the gift instead of the Giver.” That was right, see, they’ll be seeking the gift instead of the Giver.
341 And that’s what people get, and then they get all flusterated and puffed up when they let them speak with tongues or something like that. And if it ain’t of God, then it won’t...it’ll be of naught. But we...
342 Now, the modern churches turn the whole thing out, but we don’t. We believe that it’s God’s gift and can be put in there by the Spirit of God. How about that, Brother Roy? That’s right. Yes, sir. Put in the church! It belongs in the church. The gift of speaking in tongues belongs there, see, in the Church of God.
343 Now, let’s see now exactly what his question was here. Said, that:
I believe that all messages...(that’s right)...should be interpreted, and that by the courses of three.
344 That’s right, see, because if you let the...Now let’s say, for instance, like you were having a meeting and we’re sitting in here and–and...Now, what good would it do to let him speak in tongues, him speak in tongues, him speak in tongues, him? Why, we’d be all so confused we wouldn’t even know what we was doing. See? By the courses of three, let...like, Hollin, he’s speaking in tongues, if he speaks in tongues...
345 And there must be also an interpreter. Now, there can be one interpreter unless you interpret your own tongue. Now, you... “Let him that speaketh in unknown tongues also pray that he may interpret.” He can interpret his own tongues which is just as–just as lawful as it is for some interpreter. But there must be one interpreter before tongues can be...If you got a bunch of people speaking in tongues and there be no interpreter, then pray yourself that you may interpret what you’re–what you’re saying.
346 Now, just don’t do it to puff yourself up, ’cause you’re just edifying yourself then, you see. Don’t do that. But speak in tongues that you might edify God, might edify the church. You see, it’s all for one big cause, brother. These gifts are to edify God, to edify the church, to bring people in to God, to let them know that God is with us. He’s not a dead God, He’s a living God working among us. See?
347 And we just have to watch that real close ’cause, boy, the devil hates that like everything, you see, to see real true gifts. Cause gifts are weak, and he can really go to work on those gifts. Man, oh, man, he can really impersonate every one of them. So that’s the reason...
348 Now, look, the difference between a gift of prophecy and a prophet, there’s just a million miles difference. Before a prophecy...A man with a gift of prophecy can even be told before the church, two or three has to discern that and say “that is true.” That’s right. But not a prophet. See? A prophet is an office. Gift of prophecy is a gift. A prophet’s born, has THUS SAITH THE LORD, brother, right on and on. There’s nothing in that, you see. That’s a prophet. But a gift of prophecy, that’s a gift, you see. One’s an office of God, the other one’s a gift of God. See? And that’s the difference.
349 Now, the messages, say, now, for instance, here’s the way it would be. Now, we’ll say, like Brother Junie, tonight, he interprets. We know that he’s an interpreter. Brother Neville’s an interpreter, see, interprets tongues. We know that. Now, what if here we’re sitting tonight, oh, the Spirit of God just busting out to speak. My, goodness! And we’re not...we got to...we got...Wait, church is going to start in a few minutes. See, we’re–we’re meeting just before the church. I’m putting it in order like we’d have here.
350 Well, then, the first thing you know, up gets Brother Ruddell and speaks in tongues. Wait just a minute. See? Junie jumps up, “THUS SAITH THE LORD, ‘A certain-certain thing.’” All right, somebody over here, the scribes taking it down over in here, see, whatever was said; uh-huh, let’s just take it quickly, ’cause it...get it fresh, right what he said. All right, they...If–if it’s refused, then you–you just better let it go, see, tear it up. But if it’s not refused, it’s accepted by two people, then it’s wrote out here, they sign their name on it. See? That–that–that’s for your church. That’s...I’m telling you all for your benefit, see, I don’t know whether they did that in the beginning or not.
351 And the first thing you know, up jumps Hollin, speaks in tongues. Now, the interpreter might swing the same message, see, it might be the same thing, certain thing to take place, a prophecy; see, something that’s fixing to happen, or something you must do. Up jumps Brother Roberson, behind, speaks in tongues. All right. It could still be the same message, give the same interpretation, see, or it could be three messages.
352 Now, God ain’t going to put fifty messages out in one night. We know that, ’cause you–you couldn’t get them. You see? But whatever is oppressing the church, like...or something it’s doing, it’s for the edification of the church. See? Then I–I–I wouldn’t permit anymore than that, see, ’cause It said, “Let it be by courses of three.” See?
353 Just the course of three, then–then I’d say “Go ahead and write them down, and put them up there on the pulpit.” See? Then tomorrow night we meet again. See? And if there’s anything fixing to happen between now and tomorrow night, God will speak it in one of those messages. See what I mean? Let it be by courses of three. And I think now, Webster says, prophecy can...
Can a ques-...a message be called prophecy that does not foretell the future?
354 No. If it’s prophecy, it’s prophesying, foretelling something that’s coming to pass. That’s true, too.
355 All right, and I think...Now, this is the last one till we get to these here.