Calvary Church

SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE

May 25, 2025 | Josh Reasoner | 1 Corinthians 14

Desire the Gifts: Tongues & Prophecy

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We’ll be talking about the Holy Spirit and the church through June 1.

A word about spiritual gifts: There are differing views about the sign gifts, specifically tongues, miracles, prophecy, miracles, healing, and discerning of spirits. In the sermon, Josh referred to these as “lanes”:

Your group may include people who embrace one of these views and people who don’t know or haven’t considered it. Galatians 5:20 mentions forming factions as one of the works of the flesh we’re warned against. As a church family – and part of the global church body – we can and should worship together in this knowledge: regardless of your view or your neighbor’s, we can agree that the gifts were and are given for the glory of Jesus, the building up of the body, and for carrying out the mission of the gospel. The points of agreement are of greater importance than the points of disagreement.

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• Remember that small groups are a place to practice loving each other: listen thoughtfully, speak gently, and be cautious of forming judgments.

• Have someone in your group read aloud 1 Corinthians 13:1-7. Then pray together asking the Holy Spirit to help you conduct today’s discussion – and all of your group interactions! – with his love.

• Take some time to talk about which of the views about the sign gifts best fits your own viewpoint, if you have not already had this conversation at a previous group meeting.  (It’s okay if you haven’t thought about or studied this theological difference; that’s a viewpoint too!) If you can, explain how your viewpoint was formed. 

• Have someone read 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 aloud and read the definitions below. Have you experienced someone say something prophetic into your life or about you? Have you been practiced the gift of tongues or experienced someone using the gift?

Prophecy, a message from God: Briefly defined, prophecy is to speak something that God spontaneously laid on your heart or brought to mind. It is a revelation that is consistent with Scripture, personally relevant to a person or group, and useful for encouraging, consoling, or building up the person/group it is intended for. In practicing this gift, offer it humbly, avoid interpreting or applying it, and encourage the receiver(s) to test it and follow the Holy Spirit.

Tongues, a prayer, praise, or thanksgiving to God: To speak or sing in tongues is to use a Holy-Spirit-inspired language. The sounds are neither recognized nor understood by the gift recipient. It is generally expressed in private prayer and worship, but it can be shared publicly in a gathering of other believers if someone is able to interpret. (The gift can also be given as a human language – unlearned by the speaker – but understood or interpreted by some who hear it.)

• Why does Paul emphasize the gift of prophecy over tongues in a public setting? What can we take from this passage into our own spiritual practice and into our church community?

• Have someone read the rest of the 1 Corinthians 14:26-33. How do the “guide rails” for using prophesy and tongue gifts publicly help maintain unity in a church family, especially when there are different views on whether those gifts are still in use and to what extent?

• For your prayer time today, how can we pray for you as you investigate what you have heard or consider new viewpoints? Read Ephesians 4:1-6 and pray that this “unity of the Sprit” prevails in your group and all of Calvary Church.