17. Your prayer of thanksgiving may be very good, but it doesn’t help other people grow.
18. I thank God that I speak in other languages more than any of you.
19. Yet, in order to teach others in church, I would rather say five words that can be understood than ten thousand words in another language.
20. Brothers and sisters, don’t think like children. When it comes to evil, be like babies, but think like mature people.
21. God’s word says,“Through people who speak foreign languagesand through the mouths of foreignersI will speak to these people,but even then they will not listen to me,says the Lord.”
22. So the gift of speaking in other languages is a sign for unbelievers, not for believers. The gift of speaking what God has revealed is a sign for believers, not for unbelievers.
23. Suppose the whole congregation gathers in the same place and you speak in other languages. When outsiders or unbelievers come in, won’t they say that you’re out of your mind?
24. Now suppose you speak what God has revealed. When unbelievers or outsiders come in you will show them where they are wrong and convince them that they are sinners.
25. The secrets in their hearts will become known, and in this way they will quickly bow with their faces touching the ground, worship God, and confess that God is truly among you.
26. So what does this mean, brothers and sisters? When you gather, each person has a psalm, doctrine, revelation, another language, or an interpretation. Everything must be done to help each other grow.