Babbling!

The Bible has few references to speaking in tongues, yet 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 is a long passage with detailed instructions. It is amazing to me, that with these specific words from Paul, whom he himself could speak in tongues, so many members of many churches claim the ability to speak in tongues and they babble on for minutes on end. They did this often in the many churches I attended growing up. My own dear grandmother claimed the ability to speak in tongues and did so often, even in her home during prayer. I believe she was sincere, but that it was just an emotional gibberish, not true speaking in tongues. It appears in this passage, that Paul is addressing a problem in the Corinthian church where many members were speaking in tongues often and at length, but not doing much else. He points out how unhelpful this is! This makes so much sense! Even at church now, when someone prays or speaks in Spanish or Creole, I don't understand a thing. It does give me comfort to know that there are many other members who do understand what they are saying because it is their language, but this was not the case in Corinth. No one understood what the speaker of tongues was saying at all. Paul says, "I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." WOW! In my church growing up it was considered highly spiritual to speak in tongues, but obviously to Paul it was not worth much of you didn't interpret what you were speaking. He even says the church was being "childish"(vs. 20). At the end of the passage, Paul tells us what tongues really are supposed to be for, a sign for "unbelievers", not believers! He even says that if an unbeliever comes in to church and hears everyone speaking is a strange tongue he will think the church is out of their minds! When I think about that, I think back to the beginning of this passage. If done correctly, the few who could interpret what they were speaking would speak and interpret and this unbeliever may hear something amazing to him or he may hear someone address the very reason he came to church that day and be convinced that God was really among them.