Orderly Worship

So do regulations and restrictions help or hinder authentic spirituality and worship? Is the spirit of God most pleased to work apart from any plans that we might make or limitations that we could impose? Or does he primarily work through them? What role should order play in our services? Well, I don't know about you, but I've often heard the phrase, we need to leave a little room for the spirit to work. For example, I found an article on churchleaders.com titled, Are You Creating Room for the Holy Spirit? And the author seeks to give advice for planning a worship service, and he asks, how do you balance tight plans and spontaneous encounters? How do you give space for the Holy Spirit to move? So it seems to be planning and then there's space for the Spirit to move. Or similarly, I found an article by Ed Stetzer titled, Leave a Little Room for the Holy Spirit in Your Life. And he emphasizes that we as Christians should try to have random and spontaneous encounters with other people. So he says, if you are a pastor, take a fellow pastor, maybe from another denomination, out for coffee. Show up at the workplace of someone from church. Just talk to a random stranger on a park bench and see what door that opens. Consider them divine encounters, if you will. And then he goes on to say, whether your lifestyle is like mine or not, we all have a tendency to get stuck from time to time. We need more than our regular routine. We need to receive and give outside of our bubble, leave a little room for the Holy Spirit. So again, there's this idea that the unplanned and the spontaneous, well, that's where the Spirit is really at work. Now, in fairness to Setzer and the first author, I don't think they mean to say that the spirit doesn't work through plans, nor that planning itself is bad. They're just trying to say, well, don't overdo that. But what's interesting to me is that the way that they stress, the language they use to say don't overplan is leave room for the spirit. And I think that says a lot about where they think the emphasis lies. Now Stetzer even calls unplanned meetings divine encounters. So the implication seems to be that the less we have to do with planning or orchestrating or controlling, well then the more whatever happens must be purely the work of God. Or another key phrase I've heard is beware of quenching the spirit. And the idea here often is, you know, beware lest by regulating or controlling things, you quench or limit or restrict a work of God's Spirit. So, for example, in the 1994 Toronto Blessing, which was a revival, at least some would call it that, there was this phenomenon that became known as holy laughter. Because during the services, there were these masses of people who were breaking out into hysterical, uncontrolled laughing. And some were questioning, well, is this really of God? I mean, should we be, you know, putting a stop to that? But advocates of the revival warned that, you know, to stop that or to speak against it would be to quench or even to blaspheme the Spirit of God. Because if the Spirit is doing this, well, we need not try to restrict it. Also, in the days of George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers, they witnessed a phenomena where people would just collapse and fall to the ground during services. John Wesley was convinced that this was of God. So he forbid anyone from discouraging it, lest the spirit be quenched. But Charles Wesley and George Whitefield concluded that this was not of God. So they forbid anyone from doing it. And there would be an announcement at the beginning of the service, if anyone falls to the ground, you will be removed from the service. And what's interesting about that is for Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, I mean, they seem to understand that the quenching of the spirit in that case was more likely to occur if they failed to impose order and actually restrict what was happening. Similarly, Martin Lloyd-Jones thought that services should be orderly, and he had very little tolerance for disruption. Ian Murray, his biographer, says that one Sunday evening, there was a visitor who had come, and he was up in the gallery, and he was boisterously amening and crying hallelujah during the service in an ongoing fashion. And so midway through, Lloyd-Jones sends the church secretary to deliver a message for him. And the secretary gets up there and he says, brother, I am sure you would like to see souls saved. And the man exuberantly replied, I would, hallelujah. Well, said the secretary, shut up. Ian Murray adds, the silence which followed confirmed Dr. Lloyd-Jones' opinion that the man's shouts had not been the irrepressible exclamations which may spontaneously occur when God stirs men's souls to their depths. You see, the question is, to what extent does order, regulation, and restriction inhibit worship or enable it? Well, today we come to a passage that has a great deal to say about this. And while it may not answer all our specific questions about how to structure and conduct a worship service, it does help frame the way we should think about them. Now, this is the end of Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts, which spans chapters 12 through 14 here in the book of 1 Corinthians. And this is where he gives some very specific and practical guidelines for practicing tongues and prophecy in the corporate service. Now, in previous weeks, we've seen that Paul has stressed, number one, that the gifts are for the purpose of building up the body. The Spirit does not give us spiritual gifts primarily for personal benefit, but for the common good. Number two, we've seen that greater than any of the gifts is love. Love is what should motivate our use of the gifts and love is what the gifts are meant ultimately to be promoting. And then number three, we've seen that the edification which the gifts are given for and which love should lead us to aim at, it happens through intelligible speech. So Paul has already set the framework to say uninterpreted tongues have no place in corporate worship because people can't understand them. It's not edifying to the body. It's actually God's word being understood in the mind, not just mere religious experience. That's the great foundation and source of spiritual life and growth. Well, today we come to the very end of Paul's argument, where he stresses one final principle for the way that tongues and prophecy and all other spiritual gifts should be used. And you see it right there at the end in verses 39 and 40. Paul says, so my brothers earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order. You see, the key principle and the main point today is this, worship should be orderly. So if you're taking notes, you could write that down. Worship should be orderly. Now, that doesn't mean that there's no place for spontaneity, nor does it mean that orderly worship in and of itself is pleasing to God. Worship can be perfectly orderly and still dead and dry and empty. But what it means is that order, planning, regulation, and even limitation are necessary components of corporate worship that's maximally pleasing to God. And we see that here because even in the use of miraculous spiritual gifts that are bestowed and enabled by the Spirit of God himself, well, even then, they must be planned, regulated, and limited in important ways. So how much more must everything else? You see, God commands orderly worship. And as we work through our text this morning, I want to point out three reasons why. And the first reason is this, because orderly worship promotes edification. It promotes edification. Look with me at verses 26 through 31. Paul says, what then brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there's no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. Now here Paul envisions the Corinthians coming to worship, each with something to share. He says, you know, one has a hymn, one has a lesson, another revelation, another tongue, another, an interpretation. And I think that's the way it should be. Now I hope when you come to worship, it's not merely to receive, but eager to contribute. You know, how great it would be if every time we get together, we're all eager to share something we read in the scriptures this week. We're all ready to share some testimony of God's work in our life, or some answered prayer. I think this is how we should come to worship, eager to contribute however we can. So Paul envisions the Corinthians coming eager to contribute, and then he says, let all things be done for building up. Right, and this is the great theme he's been stressing throughout, that the goal of corporate worship is edification, the building up of the whole body. And so the question is, how can the most people contribute in a way that will best build up the body as a whole? And Paul's answer here is order, regulation, limitation, and planning. He says, if any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there's no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Right, so he's trying to instill order for the way that tongues is practiced in the church. And as we've seen, tongues are only to be allowed when there's an interpreter. Because as we saw last week, it's not edifying if there's not one, and otherwise they should be restricted to private. Also note that Paul says, if any speak in a tongue. So he seems to view this as an optional element in the service. He doesn't think tongue should be forbidden, we saw that in verse 39, but he doesn't think they're necessary either. And then Paul limits the number of tongue speakers to two or at most three. So even with interpretation, limits are necessary. And this tells us that more and longer is not always better when it comes to edification. Just because there may have been five people this week who could have prepared a sermon does not mean that we should have five sermons this Sunday morning. I'm sure many of you are grateful for that. Just because some members would like to sing another 10 songs every week doesn't mean that we necessarily should. You know, Paul's saying that there should be order that imposes limits. And I think the reason why is because Paul recognizes, number one, that attention spans are limited, that time is limited, and that we have to balance various priorities. You see, every minute the church spends hearing and then translating tongues is a minute spent not doing something else. And if you don't impose limits, the whole church is just stuck to people listening to other people speak in tongues for as long as someone wants to keep that going. But order lets us prayerfully set priorities in terms of how to use our time, and that actually helps maximize edification. Also note that limiting them to two to three tongue speakers means that they had to do some planning, right? Because they either had to figure out ahead of time, you know, who was gonna be there to speak in tongues and who would be able to interpret it. Or on the fly, they had to, you know, agree on some way of deciding who would be able to speak and who would have to wait for next time. And the need for this planning and order becomes all the more obvious when you notice that little phrase there, each in turn. Because the strong implication is that the Corinthians were actually talking at the same time, perhaps speaking in tongues over top of one another, and you can just imagine what a confusing mess that created. Paul's saying you need to have the decency and the order to go one by one, because the goal is edification. The goal is for the whole body to be able to hear and understand and respond to the same truth, and that's not gonna happen if there's distraction. It would be better for you to let someone else speak, and then not speak yourself, than for both of you to speak at the same time, and for most people not to be able to understand either of you. So there needs to be order, and that requires humility, deference, and submission. Also, I find it noteworthy here that Paul doesn't try to solve this problem by just suggesting the church break up into smaller groups. I mean, it would seem like a simple way to allow maximal participation would be, well, we split into groups and then everybody can just speak in tongues, you know, in all their different groups. But there seems to be some priority to the whole body gathering together. And the whole body hearing what's being said together. You know, this is one reason why I actually like the fact that our corporate prayer service is all together. I'm not against splitting into groups. I think that can be good and appropriate at times, but there's something important about the whole body praying together and how wonderful it is to hear so many different voices all contributing during that time. So Paul's laid out an order here for tongues. Well, next he prescribes a similar order for prophesying. He says, let two or three prophets speak and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and all be encouraged. So again, Paul puts a limit on the number of speakers. And given how much Paul's emphasized the value of prophecy, this sort of further underscores the fact that longer services aren't always better. And again, he says, prophesy one by one. So as with tongues, it seems that there's this disorder in the church where people are talking over and interrupting or perhaps prophesying to different contingents in the church at the same time. So instead of everyone being edified and encouraged together, they're being confused and divided. And this also means that those who are eager to speak need to have the humility to also be quiet and listen. Paul says, if a revelation is made to someone sitting there, or you can also translate that, if another sitting should have a revelation, let the first be silent. So this first prophet shouldn't get up and just dominate the time or go on too long if there's another person with a revelation to share. And I think this challenges us. Are we just as eager to listen and learn from others as we are to speak ourselves? And then finally, notice that Paul says that whatever the prophets say, the others should weigh. Now, I think the others here aren't just other prophets. I think it would include others in the church, probably especially the elders and perhaps those with the gift of distinguishing spirits. And this weighing or distinguishing or judging has to do primarily with evaluating whether this prophecy and thereby prophet is really from God or not. And of course, the primary way you would test that is against scripture. Because we know if God is inspiring new words of prophecy, they are never going to contradict words that God has already spoken and have been inscribed in his word. Now, I also imagine that this time of weighing could have included some sort of discussion of the implications or interpretation of the prophecy as well. I think, for example, of Agabus' prophecy in Acts 21, that Paul would be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and delivered to the Gentiles. Well, what's interesting is that, you know, that prophecy in and of itself doesn't tell Paul or the Caesarean church what to do. In fact, it seems that the church was initially interpreting that to mean, Paul, you shouldn't go. You know, they tried to talk him out of it. Look what God's warning you is gonna happen. But Paul responds, no, I'm going. I mean, Paul is convinced it's God's will for him to go. And eventually the church comes around to agree. And it seems that God gave that just to say what would happen when he did go, and that is what came to pass. But the point is that prophecy is not necessarily, all the implications, they need to be fleshed out. So perhaps that was included in this time of weighing what was said. But the point is, whatever that involved, It was necessary to ensure that the prophecies being spoken were being done so in a way that was edifying and clear and that the church wasn't being led away by false teaching. And of course we can just imagine the confusion and the damage that could be done if false prophets were free to say what they wanted with no accountability for their words. There has to be this accountability in the church where when things are spoken, especially in the name of God, there are those who are weighing that and saying, is this really from God or not? Now, even though we don't have prophets here, I think it's equally important that we weigh whatever's being taught. I hope that you don't just passively accept anything that I or another preacher or teacher says, but I hope you test it by scripture. And that you would hold us accountable. I mean, how many whole denominations have skid off the rails because of leaders who became heretical? Whereas how many churches have been saved and protected by faithful members who stood firm on the word of God and held preachers and leaders accountable? And practically, this is one reason why we have service review every week. Any of you can give me feedback anytime, but service review is just a built-in way for at least some to give those who are teaching God's word feedback and to weigh and challenge anything that was said that was questionable. So again, the overarching point here is simply that order promotes edification. Order helps to protect against false teaching. It helps to prioritize our use of time. It helps to uphold decency and clarity and to enhance preparation. And even though order imposes certain limitations and restrictions, it's necessary so that the maximal number of people can contribute in a way that's edifying to all. Without order, if everyone brings a hymn, everyone brings a teaching, everyone brings a prophecy or a tongue, I mean, it's quickly gonna dissolve into a free for all with chaos and confusion. But if we submit to one another and we agree on an orderly way of doing things, then we can all contribute and we can all praise God together. We can thank God together. We can pray together and learn together. And that's what makes worship most edifying for all. So, our worship should be orderly to promote edification. Secondly, I want you to see here that our worship should be orderly because orderly worship reflects the character of God. It reflects the character of God. Look with me at verses 32 and 33. Paul continues, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Now when Paul says that the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets, I think he means that prophets can control their own prophetic utterances. They aren't overtaken with the spirit of prophecy in such a way that they become out of control and just have to speak whether it's their turn or not. Now I have no idea on what grounds the Corinthians may have been justifying that behavior of speaking over one another and not taking turns. But one passage that comes to my mind is 1 Samuel 19. Because there we read about Saul pursuing David. And, you know, Saul, he is on the way and he passes by Samuel and these other prophets. And it says that the Holy Spirit came upon him and Saul begins prophesying as well. And he even strips himself naked and lies there all day and all night. So Saul's pursuit of David is interrupted and it sounds like this spirit of prophecy overtakes him in an uncontrollable way. And so we might read that and think, well, wait a second, Paul, what do you mean that the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets? I mean, that doesn't sound like it was the case for Saul. Well, I think we always get into trouble when we take a story about an enemy of God trying to hunt down David to kill him and then just try to translate that into the experience of a Christian prophet in church. You see, I don't think Paul's point is that no one has ever been compelled to prophesy uncontrollably. I think his point is that that is definitely not what the spirit is doing in the assembly of the Corinthian church. And how do we know that? Well, it's because God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. God may do an extraordinary thing to save David's life, but God does not inspire prophets to speak over top of one another in church so you can't hear what either of them are saying. I mean, the whole reason God inspires prophecy in the first place is so that his people can hear his voice. And the work of the Spirit isn't to drive people into a place of reckless, clamorous shouting, but to fill us with power, love, and self-control. You see, if we see that God is a God of peace, it should be obvious that God doesn't inspire chaos and clamor, except perhaps as a judgment on his enemies. I mentioned in the introduction, the Toronto blessing and holy laughter. Well, a preacher named Richard O. Roberts explained that he had a friend who was actually there at the revival during that time. And his friend recounted that while someone was up front reading Isaiah 53, this holy laughter is sweeping through the assembly with such fervor that you couldn't even hear what was being read. Now why on earth would God inspire something that would prevent people from hearing his own word? And how in the world could laughter be a fitting response to a passage that's about the crucifixion of God's own son? You see, if we know anything about the character and the nature of God, we should know immediately that is not of him. Our God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. And that is why our worship should be orderly, as a reflection of Him. Friends, just think back to the very first page of Scripture, where we see God bringing order and beauty out of a formless, chaotic void. And then everything in God's created order, from cells to ecosystems to human bodies to galaxies in space, are stunningly beautiful and intricately organized. And all of it is a reflection of God, the creator. He is a God of order and peace and beauty. And then just think of the creation of man who is crowned by being made in the image of God. And what task are we given to do? To fill the earth and to subdue it. Or to go forth and be people who bring order and beauty to this world. And then think for a moment of sin. I mean, what is sin? But at the very essence, it is a disordering of God's design. I mean, sin is when we as the creature refuse to accept our position or our role, and we try to usurp the place of our creator. It's when we refuse to abide by God's limitations and boundaries. And when we become disordered in our affections, disordered in our lives, disordered in our society. And then think of why Jesus came. Jesus came and he suffered and he died on the cross. So that people like us who were alienated from God, right, who were enemies of God, through faith in him could be reconciled to God could be brought back to a place of peace before God. And so that God's created order might be restored. So the image of God in us might be made whole again. And so that we might go on and learn to serve God in the way we were originally intended to do. And brothers and sisters, we as Christians look forward to that day when when that perfect order is completely restored in a new creation, right, where everything is set right again by the God of order. But here and now, if there is anywhere where beauty and order, the beauty and order of God should be evidently displayed, it should be right here in the church, right here among the people of God who are gathered to worship Him who've been reconciled to Him. We are an outpost of the kingdom of God called to be an accurate reflection of and a compelling witness to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that means that people should be able to come here and see, just from our worship, that our God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. I mean, what a Muslim or a Hindu or an atheist, or someone who knows nothing about the God of the Bible, if they came and just looked at our worship, would we be giving them a clear picture? Would they be able to infer, these people serve a God of order and peace? Now, that doesn't mean that every church has to look identical. You could go to Africa or China, and there could be differences in the details of how services are conducted. That's okay. It doesn't mean that every church has to have a printed bulletin like we do. It doesn't mean that, you know, all of us have to do everything in worship exactly the same. You know, if you want to raise your hands while we sing a song, I mean, that's fine. You know, also, even though Martin Luther Jones may not like it, if you want to say amen while I'm preaching, that's fine too. But the point is, it should be evident in every Christian church that our God is a God of order. And then as we come together, we are gathering to do so in an orderly, decent way. So our services should be orderly because it promotes edification and our services should be orderly because it reflects the character of God. And then thirdly and finally, our services should be orderly because it honors the created order. It honors the created order. Look with me at verses 33B through 38. Paul continues, as in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized." Now, at first blush, it may seem like Paul is shifting gears here to talk about women in the church just in general. But as verses 39 and 40 make clear, this is still very much in the context of spiritual gifts. That's been the focus of this whole section, and I think Paul continues to have a more specific context in mind. Also, we should note that back in chapter 11, when Paul was discussing head coverings, Paul actually seems to allow women to pray and prophesy in church. He just takes issue with the Corinthian woman removing the customary head covering while they were doing so because that was dishonoring to their husbands and was sort of going against God's established gender roles. So there's an implied context here. And also we should note that earlier in these verses in 28 and 30, Paul has just told the tongue speaker and the prophet to be silent as well. And we don't just immediately assume, well, that means they can't talk at all, right? There's an implied context. Otherwise, are we to take this to mean that Paul intends to forbid women from participating in congregational singing or recitations? I don't think that's the case. Now, it's hard to be 100% sure what the implied context is. Because remember, Paul's responding to a Corinthian letter. So they have some context that we don't. But based on what we do have, I think the most likely context is the weighing of prophecies that has just been mentioned in verse 29. As I've said already, it seems that there was some time in the service for some kind of discussion and weighing and perhaps even some elements of exhortation and teaching. And it seems that the women were interjecting in that, perhaps by asking aggressive questions or making other statements. And by doing so, they were functionally taking a teaching role. And so Paul says that just like in all the other churches, during that time, they need to be silent. And if they have a question, they can ask their husband at home, or they could seek out a pastor in private. He's saying this part of the service, whatever context he means, I think it's the weighing of prophecies that is not an appropriate time for women to speak. And therefore, I think this closely echoes 1 Timothy 2, verses 11 and 12, where Paul writes, let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Rather, she is to remain quiet. So there's this principle that men are supposed to lead and therefore men should teach and women should not teach men in the church. Now why is this? And why does Paul command that? I think on many of our 21st century ears, this may not sit well. We're aware of ways that women have been undervalued, have been mistreated and silenced. So words like this might seem to us even dangerous, or at least sharp and blunt. So why does Paul say this and why should we listen to it? Well first, it's because God said so. And notice how Paul really emphasizes that here. Because he anticipates some pushback from the Corinthians, which is why he says in verse 36, or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? He's reminding them, you do not have a monopoly on the word of God. And then he says, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I'm writing to you are a command of the Lord. And Paul is saying, I am speaking for God. And therefore, if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. And Paul is saying, if you reject my words, you are rejecting God. And if you do that, then instead of Jesus recognizing and acknowledging you on the last day, Jesus will ignore you in the same way that you have ignored his words. And Paul is really raising the stakes here. I mean, he's saying you need to listen to me because I'm speaking for God, and that should settle it. I mean, if God tells women not to do something, or if he tells any of us not to do something, he doesn't owe us an explanation for why. And like Romans 9 says, will the clay talk back to the potter? Does God not have every right to command what he wills? And so I think this should be a reminder to us that there will always be issues in the Christian life, whether or not this is one of them, that don't sit well with us. There's going to be things that we face and we don't understand why. And at those points, the question will be, will we stand over and judge the Bible? Or will we let the Bible stand over and judge us? I think the fact is all of us are probably more influenced by our culture than we realize. And that means there will be times when our sense of justice and righteousness just isn't so. And we need to have the humility to submit to God's commands. Not because we always fully understand why, but just because a good and a holy God says so. And that should be enough. So the first reason we should submit to this because God says so. But Paul does give a second reason here. And I want you to look back at verse 34, where Paul says, women should submit as the law also says. Now, by law here, I think Paul means the Old Testament scriptures, and particularly the early chapters of Genesis. And though time prevents me from going into detail, the point is, men and women have a created order. From the very beginning, God did not create men and women to be the same in every respect. But there was an order to God's creation, and that corresponds to God's intention for men to have a certain leadership, a headship, and an out-frontness. And women were created to be, the woman was created to be Adam's helper, who submitted to and followed and assisted. And the idea here is that the order within the church should honor, reflect, and correspond to the order of creation. And therefore, men and women in the church should relate in a way that reflects God's original design. And that means that here, in the midst of this sin marred world, The church is supposed to be a place where people can see what godly masculinity and godly femininity looks like. It's supposed to be a place where from the family, to friendships, to worship services, men and women relate in a way that honors the created order. And Paul's saying that that means that there is a time, such as during preaching and teaching and the weighing of prophecies, when women should be silent. It also means that if you're a husband and your wife wants to ask you something at home, that you have a responsibility to be striving to be someone who's competent to answer. I think it also means that if you're a woman, much like the women who provided for and sustained and in many ways enabled the ministry of Jesus and his disciples. that you are uniquely equipped and enabled by God to come alongside the leaders and other men in this church as helpers and supporters that enable the work of ministry here in ways that would be impossible without you. And it means that if you're a man, you are called to exercise humble leadership in a way that denies yourself and seeks the benefit of others. And brothers and sisters, we could spend much time meditating on all the specifics of how we as men and women could better fulfill our roles in this church. And I think as we study scripture on this, we can grow to more and more appreciate the beauty and the goodness and the purpose of God's design here. But the overarching point is that our worship should be orderly because that honors God's created order. And God's created order helps define for us what orderly worship is. And that affects men and women's roles particularly. Now, I began with a question. Do regulations and restrictions help or hinder authentic spirituality and worship? And in light of what we've seen here in 1 Corinthians 14, I think the clear answer of scripture is yes, they help it. Now of course we could imagine bad regulations and ungodly restrictions that could hinder it, but the point is that generally speaking, order is godly and right. And I think far from not leaving room for the spirit by having too much planning and order, I think it's actually more likely that we quench the spirit by not having enough. Because at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit is going to make room for himself. But what matters is that we're faithful to worship our God, not as a God of confusion, but as he really is, as the God of peace. And he commands us to worship him in an orderly way, because that's what best promotes edification, That's what best reflects his character and that's what honors his created order. So brothers and sisters, earnestly desire to build up the body and to use whatever gifts you have to that end, but all things should be done decently and in order. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word And we praise you that you are the God of peace. The God who has made peace with us through your son. The God who has designed all the beauty and the order of creation. And the God who is redeeming the chaos of this world to make all things new in Christ. Lord, we pray that you would help us as your people to worship you in a way that reflects your character. We pray that you would be greatly honored and glorified through us today. In Jesus name, amen.