Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.
You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.
Carefully Think
- Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-5. What are the two commands that Paul gives in v. 1? How does the second of these commands fit with chapter 13?
- How would you define “pursue”? What would it look like for a congregation to pursue love in the use of spiritual gifts based on what we have seen in 1 Cor so far?
- Why would Paul tell the Corinthians to “earnestly desire” the spiritual gifts? What did Paul say about the spiritual gifts in 13:8-13? What did he not say?
- What specific gift does Paul say the Corinthians should pursue in v. 1? What is the gift of prophecy according to our study so far in 1 Corinthians? Why would Paul want the Corinthians to earnestly desire this gift especially? How does the rest of verses 1-5 answer this question?
- In order to help us understand what Paul means in v. 2 we must look to what follows. Read 1 Corinthians 14:6-25. Pay special attention to v. 9-12 and 21-22. Based on the context you’ve just read, what does Paul mean in v.2?
- What are the goals of prophecy Paul lays out in v. 3? How does this highlight the usefulness of prophecy over tongues? How does v. 4 highlight and summarize the superiority of prophecy over tongues?
- Why is the one who prophesies greater than the one who speaks in tongues? When is it the case that tongues is as valuable as prophecy?
- What is the purpose of the gifts that Paul highlights in v. 5?
Prayerfully Meditate
- Consider Paul’s argument in the book of 1 Corinthians so far. How does what he is teaching here add to that?
- Based on v. 1 and 5 what should be high on the priority list for Christians?
- Based on v. 3 what should be our goals when interacting with other believers?
- What is the tension in v. 4? How often are these two supposedly done at the same time? What are some modern examples in your life where you have seen this?