Book of Common Prayer

Priorities in worship

14 Pursue love; and long for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. ² Someone who speaks in a tongue, you see, isn’t speaking to human beings but to God. Nobody can understand such speakers, because they speak mysteries in the spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to other people, to build them up, to strengthen them, and to console them. ⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself or herself; but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

⁵ I would be delighted for all of you to speak in tongues, but I would be even more delighted to have you all prophesying. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in a tongue, unless they also give an interpretation so that the church may be built up.

Speaking clearly in church

⁶ Well then, my brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how am I going to bring you any benefit unless I speak to you either in a revelation or in a word of knowledge or in a prophecy or in teaching? ⁷ It’s the same with lifeless objects that make a sound, like a flute or a lyre. If they don’t give a distinct note, how will anyone know what tune is being blown or plucked? ⁸ Think about it: if the trumpet doesn’t make a clear sound, who will get ready to fight?

⁹ It’s the same with you. Unless your tongue gives a distinct message, how will anyone be able to tell what you’re talking about? You will be like someone speaking into thin air. ¹⁰ To be sure, there are all kinds and types of languages in the world, and none of them is meaningless. ¹¹ But if I don’t know the force of the words, I will remain a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me. ¹² It’s the same with you. Since you are so eager for spiritual matters, try to specialize in doing things that will build up the church.

Praying with mind as well as spirit

¹³ So the one who speaks in a tongue should pray to be able to say the same thing in clear speech. ¹⁴ If I pray in a tongue, you see, my spirit prays, but my mind remains fruitless. ¹⁵ Why is that important? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the mind as well. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind as well. ¹⁶ You see, if you say a blessing in the spirit, how can someone who isn’t one of the inner circle say the “Amen” to your prayer? They won’t know what you’re talking about! ¹⁷ You may well be giving thanks in fine style, but the other person isn’t being built up. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the assembly I would rather speak five words with my mind, to teach other people, than a thousand words in a tongue.

True greatness

³⁰ They went away from there and were traveling through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples.

“The ‘son of man,’ ” he was saying, “is to be given over into human hands. They will kill him; and, when he’s been killed, after three days he will rise again.”

³² They didn’t understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

³³ They came to Capernaum. When they got into the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”

³⁴ They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.

³⁵ Jesus sat down and called the Twelve. “If you want to be first,” he said, “you must be last of all, and servant of all.” ³⁶ He took a small child, and stood it in the middle of them. Then he hugged the child, and said to them, ³⁷ “If anyone welcomes one child like this in my name, they welcome me. And if anyone welcomes me, it isn’t me they welcome, but the one who sent me.”

Warnings about sin

³⁸ “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone casting out demons in your name. We stopped him, because he wasn’t following us.”

³⁹ “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus. “No one who does powerful things by my name will be able to say bad things about me soon afterwards. ⁴⁰ Anyone who’s not against us is on our side. ⁴¹ Anyone who even gives you a cup of water in my name, because you belong to the Messiah—I’m telling you the truth, that person won’t go unrewarded.