1 Corinthians 14 - EasyEnglish Bible 2024（EASY）

Chapter 14Clear messages from God help the church

1Always want to love other people. Also, want very much to receive spiritual gifts from God. More than anything else, want to speak messages from God.

2If someone speaks in a different language, he is speaking only to God. The people who hear him do not understand his message. God's Spirit is causing him to speak about secret things.

3But if someone speaks a clear message from God, he helps the people who hear him. He helps them to become stronger as believers. He helps them to be happy and strong when they have trouble.

4Anyone who speaks in a different language only helps himself. But a person who speaks a message from God helps the believers in the church to become strong.

5I would like all of you to speak in different kinds of languages. But even more, I want you to speak God's message clearly to people. Anyone who can speak a message from God is important in the church. He gives more help than someone who speaks in different kinds of languages. That person only helps the church if someone can explain what he says. Only in that way will his message help the church to become stronger.

6My Christian friends, if I come to visit you, I want to help you. But if I speak to you in languages that you do not understand, that will not help you at all. I would need to explain to you what God has shown to me. I would need to help you to understand something. I would need to speak a clear message from God, or to teach you something. Only that would help you.

7Think about how people make music with flutes or with harps. Those things are not alive. People have to use them to make the right sounds. If the sounds are not clear, nobody can recognize the music.

8For example, soldiers will not prepare to fight unless they hear a clear sound from the trumpet.

9It is the same for you. You must use your tongue to speak clearly. If not, nobody will understand what you are saying. You will only be speaking words into the air.

10There are many different kinds of languages in this world. They all mean something to the people who speak them.

11Perhaps somebody may speak to me in a language that I do not understand. Then we are like foreign people to each other.

12So think about what is best for you. You really want the gifts that come from God's Spirit. So you should want the gifts that will help the whole church most of all.

13So, if you speak a message in a different language, you should pray to God about it. Pray that you may be able to explain to people what the message means.

14If I pray in a different language, only my spirit is praying. I do not use my mind while I pray like that.

15So this is what is best: I will not only pray with my spirit. I will also pray with my mind. I will sing to praise God with my spirit. And I will also sing with my mind.

16If you are praising God only with your spirit, not everyone will understand. People who have not learned these things will not know what you are saying. They cannot agree and say ‘Amen’.

17You may be able to thank God very well in your spirit. But your words do not help those other people.

18I thank God that I speak in different kinds of languages more than all of you.

19But when the church meets together, I want to help other believers and teach them. So I would rather say five words that people understand than thousands of words in a different language.

20My Christian friends, do not continue to think like children think. Instead, think properly like men and women should think. The only way you should be like babies is to keep away from evil things.

21This is written in the Bible:

‘I will send strangers to speak to my people.

They will speak my message to them in strange languages.

But even when I do this,

my people will not listen to me.’

That is what the Lord God has said.

22So the gift to speak in different languages is a sign. It shows God's power to people who do not believe in him. It is not a sign to help believers. But the gift to speak clear messages from God shows his power to believers. It is not a sign for those people who do not believe.

23Think about what happens when the whole church meets together. Perhaps some people come in who do not believe in God. Or perhaps they have not learned much about God. If all of you are speaking in strange languages, those visitors will not understand. They will say that you are all crazy!

24But if all of you are speaking clear messages from God, a visitor will understand you. He may not believe in God. He may not have learned much about God. But he will hear God's message. He will understand that he has done wrong things. He will know that he is guilty because of all the things that you are saying.

25The visitor's secret thoughts will become clear. As a result, he will bend down low and he will worship God. He will say, ‘God is really here among you!’

Paul teaches about church meetings

26My Christian friends, this is what you should do when you meet together. Some of you may have a song to praise God. Some of you may have a lesson to teach about God. Other people may have something special that God has shown to them. Some people may have a message in a different language. Other people may explain what the message means. Do all these things in a way that helps the church to become stronger.

27If some people speak in different languages, it should only be two or three people. They should speak one person at a time. Then someone must explain what each person said.

28But perhaps there is nobody among you who can explain like that. Then, anyone who wants to speak in a different language must be quiet in your meeting. Instead, they should speak to God by themselves.

29When you meet together, two or three people should speak a message from God. Then the other people there should think carefully about each message.

30Someone who is sitting in your meeting may receive a special message from God. Then, the person who is already speaking should stop.

31In this way, each person can speak a message from God, one person at a time. Then everyone will learn something that helps them.

32All of you who speak messages from God are able to control your own spirits.

33When we meet together as God's people, he wants there to be peace among us. He does not want people to be confused.

This is what happens in all the churches where God's people meet together.

34The women should be quiet during the meetings. They should not speak. They should remember that they are under authority. That is also what God's Law teaches.

35If a woman wants to ask about something, she should ask her husband at home. Women should be ashamed if they speak in the church.

36Remember that God's message did not start from you in Corinth! You are not the only people who have heard it, either.

37Someone may think that he has the gift to speak messages from God. Or he may think that he has received other spiritual gifts. A person like that should agree with what I have written to you. He should recognize that it is a command from the Lord himself.

38If anyone refuses to accept this, you should not accept that person.

39My Christian friends, it is good when you want to speak clear messages from God. And if anyone has the gift to speak in a different language, do not stop them.

40But you must do everything in a proper way that helps people.