Would you take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Over the past several weeks we've been looking at spiritual gifts. Supernatural enablements given by God to his church to win the lost and to build up one another in the faith. They are truly gifts. They are graces of God offered to us. When a person puts their confidence and faith in Christ alone for salvation, the Holy Spirit of God moves within that person. He takes up residence in us. He takes possession of us. And with that, with his presence, he brings giftedness, certain abilities for you to use in Christian service. What happens when those gifts become What happens when giftedness takes the place that is only to be reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ? The possessor then becomes the authority. They become the influence. They become, in fact, the voice of God. Preacher of years gone by used to always say, everything rises and falls on leadership. I think the Bible begs to differ. If you put on the lenses of humanism and you look at God's Word, you'll only see people, and you'll only see character traits and qualities that they have themselves developed, and you'll miss God. And so it is true for us as we think about the subject of spiritual gifts, we can become so enamored with the gifts or the gifted ones that we lose sight of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who does the work. Everything rises and falls on obedience to God and his word. Pick up with me beginning at verse one of 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Paul says, follow after charity. and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth him, howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries, verse three. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself, but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all speak with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied. For greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret that the church may receive edifying. Let's bow for a moment in prayer. Open our eyes, oh Heavenly Father, to your truth. Guide us by your Holy Spirit. instruct us today. What I may say can easily be dismissed and forgotten, but what your word says is eternal. It has come from the throne room of God. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, men put pen to paper and wrote today what we hold in our hands. We understand this is not a suggestion, not an option, this is truth. And if it is truth, we must answer for it. So help us now in this hour, in Jesus' name, amen. Do you like to rate things? Stars, reviews? Some people really enjoy that. It seems like everybody wants to know your opinion. Products, services. Sometimes you might be asked, so how was your meal? And you may be like, meh. Could have been better. Don't you have Tabasco sauce here? Things that you could add. There's mystery shoppers. There's those people who make unboxing videos. You buy a Scrub Daddy to use in your kitchen and they have a whole video of unboxing a Scrub Daddy. Wow, how fascinating. It scrubs and it cleans. You can become famous by becoming a reviewer. The Church of Corinth had been raiding spiritual gifts. And some they saw as of a greater value than others, and that was a problem to the church. The Apostle Paul in chapter 14 is going to be contrasting two of those, the gift of tongues and the gifts of prophecy. By tongues, Paul means those foreign languages that were unknown by the speaker, which the Holy Spirit enabled them to use. There were gifts in the church. Next week we'll look at the end of the chapter at how those gifts, that gift was specifically to be used. Our Bible makes it somewhat confusing. The word understandeth, excuse me, not understandeth, the word unknown, where it says unknown tongue is repeated a number of times. And if your Bible is a King James Bible, it probably is an italics. It was supplied by the translators. was not in the original. And so that insertation there of the word unknown has confused a lot of people to make them think that this was some otherworldly, some angelic form of speech. But it's not there. Speaking of languages, people who were enabled by God for a point, for a purpose, for a time to communicate God's word to people in languages that they had never studied, they had never learned. It tells us back in chapter 13, in verse 10, he says, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. That perfect is two things. One, I believe it was the completion of the New Testament. When it was written, that gift would come to cease. And or, along with that, the maturing of the church. While they were immature, that was a signed gift that God had provided for them, but as they matured, as the word of God was completed, there was no more need for that. That's why it says in verse eight, it says, whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they shall fail, they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. And he says, there's coming a time when that will be. We believe, I believe, the word of God is complete. What God has to say to us is right here in this book. And the ability to speak in tongues is something you can learn. You can buy Duolingo. You could get a computer app. You can take a class. And there are people who are gifted. I know a man who was here two years ago by the name of Kevin Taylor. He grew up outside of Detroit in Warren, Michigan and he took some Spanish classes in high school and he went to Bible college and then Along the way, he took some Spanish classes, some more Spanish classes, and everyone was shocked. Like, how do you speak this so well? There were missionaries who had spent years and years learning the language, and Tevin was able to pick it up like that and speak it perfectly. It was shocking. I think he had a gifting, right? Maybe a talent, an aptitude for it. But it is possible to learn languages today. But these we're speaking about here, these were actual known languages, understandable, intelligible, to those who spoke those languages. The other gift is prophecy here. It's the foretelling of truth. In the Old Testament, we have prophets. Usually when we think of prophecy or giving a prophecy, we think of saying something that is unknown, not yet known, some future coming event. Most of the prophecies given to us in the Old Testament were not future telling, they were forth telling. It was giving the mind and will of God to the people. That New Testament gift continues. And those were given at that time before the Bible was completed, a word from the Lord, messages from God to reveal his will to people. And we have some explanation of how they did that. He says in verse three, unto men, to edification, to exhortation, and to comfort. It was presenting of the will of God with a point of decision. Some have likened it. It's very similar to what we would call modern day preaching. And so the contrast is between these two gifts and the church. It tells us there in verse four, he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself, but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. The word edify is to build up. It's a construction term. It's under construction. It's to add to, to grow, to develop, to help. And the concern that the Apostle Paul had for the church that was at Corinth was that they build up one another, not tear one another down. So the Church of Corinth had been raiding spiritual gifts. The more public, the more popular. The exotic, the more exciting. But in so doing it, they had discouraged other Christians from using their gifts. Back in chapter 12, Paul explains that God planned for that. He planned for some gifts to be more visible and some to be more hidden. He regulates this. In fact, it says in verse 24, for our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked. Look at verse 25, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. So God designed the church and he has gifted the church so that our gifts work together, that not one person takes all the limelight and gets all the attention and all the power of God, but that the body is evenly distributed in its usage of the gifts here. God really intended to greatly use the church at Corinth. It was a wicked city, an idol-worshiping city. They had serious temptations that these people were surrounded by, and they succumbed to many of those temptations. He tells us in chapter six that many of them came from vile and ungodly backgrounds. He says, but, but, chapter six and verse 11, and such were some of you, but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. There's no sin that God cannot forgive. Jesus Christ died on the cross. He paid the price for our sins. God's judgment, his wrath was poured out on him. That judgment that we deserve for our sin, he took so that we could be justified. And Jesus has put together then people who trust him, who believe on him. He puts us together, brings us together into churches to love him, to love each other, to serve him, and to serve each other. God intended to greatly use the church and had gifted them accordingly. They had a lot of gifts, it tells us in chapter one. There was no lacking there. They were very gifted as a body, as is this church. If you're saved, you are gifted, and we are very gifted. But God sought not to rate the gifts, but to regulate them. And he would do that through two things, love and logic in chapter 13, he outlines in the middle of this discussion of spiritual gifts, an explanation of what biblical love is. I mentioned last week, it's really a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, though his name isn't mentioned here. Jesus Christ perfectly lives out this self-sacrificing love. And the gifts were to be used within the body, within the church, and they were to be used with love. God's aim is to grow his church, and he does that with our gifts used in love. This isn't just theory, this isn't just some future thing, but right now as we speak, as we sit here together, God is using us and using our gifts to build up one another in the faith. This isn't something to be saved for next month or next year. This is something right now is taking place as you came in this morning, and as we fellowshiped, and as you met with one another, prayed with one another, and as you're thinking, some of you have heavy hearts this morning. There are people who aren't here this morning, and your heart is heavy, and you are praying for them right now. I don't blame you for it. Please do. You're exercising your God-given spiritual giftings to build up the body of Christ. God was very concerned that the gifts be used. In fact, it tells us back in chapter 12, verse one, that they weren't to be ignorant about them. He says, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you to be ignorant. So it's wise to know some things about what spiritual gifts are, how they are to be used, and to grow in your use of your gift. And the best way to find out what it is and get involved in using it is to jump in and serve where there's needs. You serve, and before long, you'll begin to find out some spiritual strengths that you have in the serving of the Lord Jesus Christ. So right now, God wants to do that. Now, I'm gonna just take a quick little walk through the chapter with you, at least through verse 22. In verses one through six, Paul unveils the topic. I'm gonna pick up at verse six here. He says, now brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall it profit you except I shall speak to you either by revelation or by knowledge or by prophesying or by doctrine? And Paul is just making a clear point. If you're in the church and you have this spiritual gift to speak in these other languages, if you're speaking to a group of people who don't know those languages, there's not gonna be any value to it. It's not gonna be profitable to you. In verse seven, he compares this discussion to music. He says in verse seven, and even the things without life giving sound, whether they be pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sound, how shall it be known what is piped or harp? And the music we've heard this morning, variation of notes and timing and rests, sometimes the most important part of a piece of music is the rest. Gives you a chance to catch your breath. And so, If there's not a distinction between the notes and the spacing, and there's no break in the line, you can't tell what it is. Verse eight, he says, if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle? And I don't know that trumpets or bugles are still used today, but they were, and those have been used here for thousands of years, and there were calls. This is, we're called to arms. Some of you have those cell phone ringtones that are like air raid sirens. I mean, imagine that's what happens on a bass today when there's something serious going on. But he says, if it's an uncertain sound, if it just plays one continuous note without any difference, you don't know what that means. What does that mean? There's been studies done and people pour thousands upon thousands of dollars into giving just the right tone and alert and warnings. One of the reasons that the, is it Seven Mile Island that was in New York? One of the reasons that disaster happened was because people couldn't distinguish the warning tones. And so it is in the church of God. It's important that we know what the Word of God is saying. Look what he says in verse nine. So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood. How shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air. Words matter. Words have weight. And if they can't be understood, they have no value. Verse 10, there are, it may be, many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore, if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. And the next one is the dialects. So he compares it to music, then he talks about different languages here. And if there's people that I know their language, I can speak with them, but if I spoke that language here, Most of the missionaries that we have come to our church, and they usually will come to the pulpit, and they'll say a few words to us in some other language, which none of us knows. What value is there in that? I have a friend whose father is a pastor, and my friend is Russian, and his father had visited our church years ago in Marysville, and He was a godly man, and I thought I would like to include him in the service. I said, I'm so glad you're with us today. Could I ask you to come up and lead us in prayer? He looked at me, and he looked offended. He said, why would you ask me to do that? And I said, well, you're a pastor, and I thought it would be a blessing to have you participate with us in the service and lead us to the throne of grace. He says, I only pray in Russia. It would do no value for me to pray for you. Okay, all right, I'll pray. I highly respect the man, and I appreciate what he said. Actually, he was fulfilling what the scriptures say. It wouldn't be any value to a room full of people who are non-Russian speakers to have them pray for us in Russian. It wouldn't help us to pray together corporately, would it? The Apostle Paul is pointing that out here. When there's a difference in dialect, you know, what's gonna happen. Then he says in verse 12 here. Verse 13. pray that he may interpret. And so we're going to look at the instructions next week. But an interpreter was necessary. And so if you're speaking to a group of people in a different language, and it was enabled by God, and there's no doubt it was something you didn't have God enabled you to do, one of the requirements is that there be an interpreter, somebody there who can help the people who don't know to understand. It's always a blessing to go to mission fields and preach the word of God and have someone communicate that to people who can't understand. That's a blessing, but it's also a difficulty. I was teaching a Bible Institute class several years ago in Uganda. And in that class, I was not only, I was teaching in English, there's a translator communicating to a group of men who spoke Acoli. And then there was also a group of deaf students. and the people who were translating to the deaf students only spoke a chole. So it was like a three-way translation project, but what a blessing. You can't say much, like a 10-minute sermon lasts an hour, but we did it. Look with me at verse 14. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. And we see here, Different types of speech. Verse 15, what is it then if I pray in the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also? I will sing in the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. He's just pointing out the fact you can have this gift, it's a genuine gift given to you by the spirit of God, but it may not be the best time to use it. If there's not a translator, there's not someone to communicate that, it's not gonna be helpful to the entire church. Look with me down to verse 18. He says, I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all. The Apostle Paul had the gift of tongues. He had this ability given to him by God. And he had used it much more than anybody in that church. But look at verse 19. Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue. I'd rather give a five second speech than speak for an entire hour and you not understand it. You think of five seconds, five words, all you need is Jesus. Five words took me five seconds. He says that is better than for me to preach. For 10,000 words is roughly, a quick speaker could do that in an hour. So he preached for an hour and the language you didn't understand, what help would there be in that? So the product, what would be the product then? Verse 20, he says, So let's look for a few moments this morning here at some logical limits for spiritual gifts. So the gifts that God's given to us are to be used but they're to be used under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. So the first one, the first limit we find, spiritual gifts must be used with charity. We go back to verse one, he says, follow after, pursue this, pursue love. And he said, it's right. If you desire to be used of God and to use your spiritual gifts, hey, go get them. That's a good thing, that's a valuable thing, but be sure. that your service for God is done in a spirit of charity, right? Not self-seeking, not self-promotion. It's for God's glory, and we do it out of love for God and out of love for others. People can tell whether you love them or not, whether you're just using them. Do you serve people, do you love people, or do you use people? We're to serve the Lord, we're to use our spiritual gifts with charity, not conflict. The church at Corinth had experienced a lot of conflict. They were divided between personalities, between gifts. They had all kinds of challenges and backgrounds that they were working through, but God wanted them united. And how did he bring them together? Chapter 11, we find he used communion. The Lord's table was not a time to divide them, but to unite them. Chapter 12, we're introduced to spiritual gifts. And he brings them together through community, like us coming together, gathering together, serving God together. That's how God intends us to grow. But also, chapter 13, through charity. God unites us through charity. Love is the lubricant. And if there's not the oil in the engine, you know what happens. Look what it says in chapter 13, verse one. Though I speak, with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal of no value. It's important for us to serve God out of hearts of love. Number two, spiritual gifts should favor clarity. They should favor clarity, not confusion. Look with me at chapter 14, verse two. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. For no man understandeth him, albeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. What value is it to other people? The goal of the spiritual gifts are to build up the body, to edify. It's a construction project, right? So they should be building us. And understanding is essential. Look what it says in verse nine. Except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? Understanding is so important. Verse 14. But my understanding is unfruitful, praying in an unknown tongue. It won't be of any value if people don't understand. It won't be of any value to anybody else. Look at verse 15. What then? While I pray in the Spirit, I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with understanding also. Now our special music, we usually have the words be up on the screen. Some of you never look at the people who are singing, you only look at the words. Don't forget to look at them, right? They're coming to minister to you. It's not just words and it's not just music. It's their lives they're pouring out to you. That's valuable. They're giving of themselves to minister to us. But I'm sure you've probably heard before, you've probably heard some special music performed or presented at some point and it was, It was in English, but you didn't understand it. I'm sure you've probably had that happen before. But what is he saying? Here's the goal. The goal is understanding. Spiritual gifts should always favor clarity, not confusion. Look at verse 19. Yet in the church I'd rather speak five words with my understanding. That's gonna be better, even if it's fewer words. And then verse 20. Brethren, be not children in understanding. Howbeit malice be ye children. but in understanding be men. Here's the goal, is to be maturing Christians, so we can understand what the Bible has to say. And it takes time. It's gonna take effort. It's gonna take not only coming to church, but also opening up the word of God throughout the week. It may require prayer of you. God, help me to understand what you're saying here. But the goal should be understanding. The second word, children, in verse 20 should be babies. It's the idea of, in your, interactions with other people, you have become experts, Paul was saying. You've become very mature at attacking one another, but you've not become very mature at understanding the Bible. That's key. He says, in regard to your conflict with others, be a baby, like be a novice. Be lousy at that. Be so sloppy that you can't help but make it right. But when it comes to understanding, he says, be a man, be full grown, be mature. grow. So spiritual gifts should favor clarity, not confusion. I was at a church a number of years ago in Tennessee, and before the service, I was invited by the pastor to come into a little room. It was at the front of the auditorium, and it was almost like a chair closet. It was long, and there were folding chairs lined up. almost so close that when you sat down, your knees just about touched the man across from you. I didn't know what we were doing, the service was getting ready to begin. He closed the door, pastor went and took his seat, bowed his head, all the men bowed their head at the same time, and they all began to pray, passionately, at the exact same time. Now, it was a little bit confusing. If you were trying to listen to somebody else's prayer, well, good luck with that, you're not gonna pick it up. But, I'll say this, I left that room, and it felt like the presence of the Lord was with us. What a fortunate pastor to get up and preach and have a room of men who had just cried out before the Lord, pleading with God to use their pastor as the end of the pulpit. Sometimes we pray privately, and it may not make sense to anybody else. Romans talks about those groanings which cannot be uttered. The Spirit prays for us. Sometimes all you can say is, Help, I need you, help me. And there are moments in life where you find yourself desperate, not just at the end of the rope, but you've let go and you've fallen into the hands of God and all you can do is say, God, help. But the spiritual gifts within the context of the local church as we gather together ought to be intended, they ought to favor clarity. Number three, spiritual gifts are for constructing. They're for building up the church. That's what's repeated in verses three and four and five and 12 and 17. You see that word edify. Paul said, I've got the gift of tongues and I have this ability, but the most important thing I can do for you is build you up. And so it's important for us as well to value gifts that are gonna build up, to make sure that in the use of our gifts that we don't lose sight of the fact that what's the most important thing is that the word of God is able to speak. I mean, what will come? What will come is we give God's word our attention. What happens is moms and dads, raised children, pointing them to the scriptures. What will happen? It'll be a lot like what happened to Timothy. 2 Timothy 1 verse 5. We find he had been so influenced. The apostle Paul was the one that Timothy called his spiritual father. Paul called Timothy his son. Timothy did have a dad, but he was not a believer as far as we know. But Paul would say 2 Timothy 1.5, when I call to remember the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that is in thee also. There was an impact that was happening in the home. Little did they know that all that God would do through this man who would become Paul's right-hand man, helping to further the gospel, pastor churches, we're blessed today as Christians because of the influence of mom and grandma who were told poured the word of God into their son and grandson. In chapter three, verse 15, 2 Timothy 3, 15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which were able to make thee wise into salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. They taught him the Old Testament and they pointed him to a coming Messiah. They gave him the scriptures And God used the word of God to get a hold of this young man. And Paul would invest his life in Timothy. And he would give him encouragement. Look what it says down in 2 Timothy 3 verse 14. He says, but continue, Timothy, continue in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. You learned it from mom and grandma, and you learned it from Paul. You hold on to the truth. What's valuable, he says in verse 16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, truly furnished unto all. Good works. God means to grow you, Timothy. Pay attention, don't forget what you've been taught. Cling to the word of God. Remember, all of the Bible is valuable for all of the church. God intends his word for you, and he wants you to grow with it, just like God wanted to grow Timothy with it. We grow with the word of God. Paul had also reminded Timothy, encouraged him to take heed to himself. It says back in chapter 1 Timothy, Chapter four, in verse 16, he says, take heed, Timothy, to thyself and unto the doctrine. That's the teaching of the word of God. Continue in them, for in doing this, thou shalt save thyself and them that hear thee. You and I are responsible for the truth that we hear, but we're also entrusted to give that truth to other people. The word of God is valuable. Psalm 19 reminds us that the word of God, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Then it says, more to be desired are they than gold, yet in much find gold. God's word is valuable. We're trusted to make it clear. We're entrusted with the precious word of God. That's what makes the difference. I wanna give you three or four or so points to conclude here. Couple wrap-up thoughts. Number one, look to the Lord Jesus to care for his church. All we need is him. The Lord Jesus Christ, by the cross, has provided everything we need. We have salvation in him. The gospel came by the cross of Jesus Christ. He died, he was buried, rose again. As a church, we've been provided through that cross, what? The Spirit came, gifts were given, we have what we need. We have his help and his power, but most importantly, we have his all-sufficient word. This is what makes the difference. Look to the Lord Jesus for the care of his church. Number two, grow your gifts in love. First Corinthians 8, one, we're told that charity edifieth. We use our gifts, but we use them the way God intended them to be used, right? In love. A genuine self-sacrificial love. Not bat your eyes and feel the breeze and watch the butterflies go by, not that kind of love. Self-sacrificial love, serving others, doing the least, going to the lost. That's the kind of love where to use our gifts, not promoting ourself, not serving ourself, but humbly serving Jesus Christ and others. Number three, be useful to the body. God's intended you to be used in the church. If you've got a body, you're a part of the body. If your body is saved, if you're a believer, God has a plan for you and he wants to use you in this church. He wants to use you in the lives of other people. So it's important to remember, you can be useful, you are useful. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 25, across the page, And then it talks about there be no schism. He says, but at the end of the verse he says, you should have the same care one for another. Do you genuinely act out of love in serving one another in the church? Verse 26, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. Or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Sometimes we pick and choose our favorites. Sometimes we have people who are on our prayer list, but there's people who are part of our church and you don't really know them. You don't know their name. You don't know what their life is like. You don't know what's going on. You have no idea. And God has put us together as a body. And it's right for us. It's right for us to, you know, extend care to those who ask for it. But there's people who will never ask for it, that they need your love and they need your care. In fact, you've been gifted by God to serve them. And maybe one of the reasons we don't serve them is because we don't really love them. The Lord Jesus Christ loved us and died for us and it's a privilege for us to be called his sons and daughters. But he's not just intended you to relish that fact, he wants you to serve him with your life and he wants you to serve one another to build up the body of Christ. Number four, remember Christ unites his church around the scriptures. not around personalities, not around programs, and not around preferences. Christ unites his church around the scriptures. Let's make sure that we know them, that we're in them, we study them, that we live them, that we give them. Let's be certain that the Bible is all that God intends it to be. Colossians 3.16 says, let the word of God dwell in you richly, excuse me, word of Christ, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, speaking and admonishing one another. We're to let God's word take up residence in our life like a house, like open the door and let the word of God in and let it decorate the walls, let it carpet the floor, let it cook the meals, let the word of God Be what consumes your life, dwelling in you, dwelling in me, richly. You and I are accountable to understand the word of God. If you have the Holy Spirit, you have the author. I'm not saying it's easy. I'm not saying it's not gonna take some time and thought and prayer and investment. But you have all you need. You have all that anyone has ever had to understand the word of God. better than any seminary education or Bible college training. You have the most important tool to understanding the word of God if you have the Holy Spirit of God. He wrote it. He inspired it. And if you're saved, you have it. Everywhere the president goes, the football goes. It's the presidential emergency satchel. It's always with him. in it is everything that's needed to enact a nuclear attack in minutes. It's often updated technology, resources, tools, names, numbers, everything that's needed is in that suitcase. When he's speaking, you look for where is he? Where's the guy? Where's the guy with the suitcase? They call it the football. It goes back to the Cold War. There was a code that they, had called Dropkick, I believe it was called. So that's where the term came from. But it's always with him. And it's only there for emergencies. Now, my friend, the word of God must always be present. This is our football. Where the church is, the word of God is. This is the most important thing. But it's not just for emergencies. It's for everything. The Word of God is what changes lives. It's what grows Christians. It's what unites the church. Without the Word of God, what do we have? Nothing. And so the church was called to be united. And they were to unite around clarity and understanding of the Word of God. A lot of things that happen in churches, a lot of excitement, a lot of interesting things that people do in the name of God. But my friend, if you would ever be led by God to go somewhere else looking for a church, make sure that this is the most important thing. Make sure that they don't just hold it and wave it, but they believe it, and they read it, and they preach it, and they teach it. It doesn't matter how much education they've had. If they're giving the word of God, if what they say is what this says, hallelujah. Jump in and help them out. And use your gifts to the glory of God. So participate in the body of Christ. and then appreciate the body. Understand, other believers sitting around you have gifts. Appreciate them for it. They didn't earn them either. They didn't win them in a prize. They trusted Christ and God in his sovereignty chose those gifts for that person to be in this church. God doesn't despise any gift and neither should we. We should value them. And our gifts should rally around the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost He is the living word and his written word. What will the spirit do? He'll equip us, he'll edify us, he'll energize us. It's important that we remember the centrality of the cross and the priority of the pulpit. The word of God is what changes things. Pastor, what's going to happen in the next generation? I don't know, but I'm praying that God would raise up those who would take hold of the word of God and feed God's people, that they would help to make the word of God clear. Because that's where lives are changed. That's where souls are saved. That's where families are reunited. That's where people who are deeply wounded find balm and healing and help. It's from the word. So let's hold on to it. Let's not sideline the scriptures. Let's seek to use our gifts to grow, and to grow God's church. God grows his church with gifts. How do we use them? With love and with logic. They're practical things that are important for us to understand how we use the gifts. Let's make sure that what we give, what we do, what we share is clear. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the clarity of it. What's hard for us to understand is not difficult for you. You are the author and finisher of our faith. I pray that we would prize you, prize your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and we would treasure your precious word. Help us to be faithful to it. Help us to use our gifts in a way that brings you glory. I pray, Father, that you would do the thing that we cannot. We can't change a person's heart. We ourselves can't bring the healing that's needed, but I pray that you would use us to apply your word to needs. And Father, as we've given your word this morning, if you thought about who you are, I realize there may be someone, some people here who have never trusted Christ to be their savior. It's not that they don't want to, it's just they have not yet done it. Today, you've put it upon their heart, they need to trust you. I pray, Father, in faith, they would receive your gift of salvation, that you died for them, were buried, rose again, and as they turn from their sin and trust in Jesus, you will save them forever. Help them to do that even now, in Jesus' name, amen.