Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.—1 Corinthians 14:1-4
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is pre-eminent. It is the greatest of gifts because God IS love and is therefore, enduring and eternal. Chapter 14 begins with Paul telling us that we are to eagerly pursue love as a goal. Beloved, love edifies...love never fails...it always has an effect.
Paul continues to speak on gifts here in Chapter 14 and emphasizes that we are to desire the gift of prophecy over the gift of tongues because prophecy speaks to men and tongues to God. The believer who speaks in a tongue speaks to God in praise and worship; but the believer who prophesies shares the Word with the church and helps those who listen. Prophecy entails both foretelling the future and speaking forth Gods words in teaching, exhortation and encouragement. Today the latter is more prevalent than the former.
The bottom line is that as members of the body of Christ we are to pursue those gifts that edify the whole body. The mistake the Corinthians were making was that they were selfishly focused on gifts that built themselves up and not their fellow believers. They were neglecting prophecy and giving a wrong emphasis to tongues.
I looked at the Corinthian error in emphasis as a lack of love problem. If they had been giving love the pre-eminence and pursuing it above all other gifts, than balance among the other gifts would have been achieved.
For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.—James 3:16
Dear one...pursue love...seek first God, who embodies love and His word and all else will fall into its proper place. Speak to others for their edification. Speak to them in a way that promotes spiritual growth. Speak words of encouragement that will uphold and counsel them concerning matters of God. Speak words of consolation to compassionately comfort them.
Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind—permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.—Colossians 3:16 AMP.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.—Ephesians 4:11-16
