1. Love should be the goal of your life, but you should also want to have the gifts that come from the Spirit. And the gift you should want most is to be able to prophesy.
2. I will explain why. Those who have the gift of speaking in a different language are not speaking to people. They are speaking to God. No one understands them—they are speaking secret things through the Spirit.
3. But those who prophesy are speaking to people. They help people grow stronger in faith, and they give encouragement and comfort.
4. Those who speak in a different language are helping only themselves. But those who prophesy are helping the whole church.
5. I would like all of you to have the gift of speaking in different languages. But what I want more is for you to prophesy. Anyone who prophesies is more important than those who can only speak in different languages. However, if they can also interpret those languages, they are as important as the one who prophesies. If they can interpret, then the church can be helped by what they say.
6. Brothers and sisters, will it help you if I come to you speaking in different languages? No, it will help you only if I bring you a new truth or some knowledge, prophecy, or teaching.
7. This is true even with lifeless things that make sounds—like a flute or a harp. If the different musical notes are not made clear, you can’t understand what song is being played. Each note must be played clearly for you to be able to understand the tune.
8. And in a war, if the trumpet does not sound clearly, the soldiers will not know it is time to prepare for fighting.
9. It is the same with you. If you don’t speak clearly in a language people know, they cannot understand what you are saying. You will be talking to the air!
10. It is true that there are many different languages in the world, and they all have meaning.
11. But if I don’t understand the meaning of what someone is saying, it will just be strange sounds to me, and I will sound just as strange to them.
12. That’s why you who want spiritual gifts so much should prefer those gifts that help the church grow stronger.