1 Corinthians 14:26-40

The Corinthians had turned their weekly gatherings into a chaotic competition, showing off their gifts and speaking over each other. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, Paul is bringing order into this chaos, not just for the sake of order, but because God cares about his people. Remember the church is the bride of Christ, the pillar and buttress of the truth, the body of Christ, the place where God’s children are to be cared for and shepherded. Therefore, God cares deeply about the gathering of the church where his people are to be built up. He didn’t leave us in silence about his desire for the church. This passage shows us that God desires well-ordered services so that his people can be built up and mature in the Lord. That, of course, leads to the natural question: Why? Why does a well-ordered gathering matter? Well, Paul lays out 4 clear and compelling reasons why God desires well-ordered gatherings and what those services should look like:

• Well ordered gatherings build up the saints. (26)
• Well ordered gatherings avoid chaotic confusion. (27-33)
• Well ordered gatherings guard godly gender roles. (34-35)
• Well ordered gatherings submit to the authority of Scripture. (36-40)