It is an outstanding feature of Paul's missionary journeys that he mostly travelled with a prophet as a companion. By this means wherever they went the whole complement of gifts and ministries normally to be found in a local church were always available. Between them these two offices comprise the fullness of all that is needed to bring churches into being and establish them according to the will of God. That is why they are spoken of as foundations.
Reading scripture we notice in the Gospels that the Lord originally instituted the practice of sending out His apostles two by two, but in the early Church this soon gave way to the practice of combining prophet with apostle. In fact it seems that the last occasion when two of the original apostles travelled together was for the founding of the church in Samaria, This original formation was subsequently varied when, after the apostles Barnabas and Saul had teamed up for their first missionary enterprise, Paul later exchanged his companion for Silas, a prophet. There is no reason to suppose that although this practice became customary with these men, it became law in the Church, but it is an indication of the Church's estimation of the place and power of the prophet among them.
The Foolishness of God is Wiser than Men
There can be no doubt of the superiority of and preference for Prophecy above Tongues in founding, building and upbuilding churches, but because this is true, prophecy by no means outweighs or displaces its kindred gift. Paul indicates that Tongues with Interpretation can be of equal effectiveness with Prophecy in the Church. If we understand scripture aright, Tongues is not to be disparaged or slighted. Paul did not write against the gift, but against its abuse — a very different thing.
It was only that because of sin the Corinthians were behaving themselves childishly with the gifts, and for this reason he wrote as he did. The reason why he laid down his strictures upon the misuse of Tongues is because of all the gifts, Tongues can most easily be a cover for undetected sin and the flesh and the devil. Therein lies the greatest danger attached to the gift. Tongues can be an expression of childish nonsense or foolish pride; in fact they can be a manifestation and exhibition of almost anything or everything that dishonours God. Wrongly held and used the gift militates against the very reason for which God called us all in the beginning, which Paul plainly states in chapter 1 verse 29 — 'That no flesh should glory in His presence'.
Tongues is one of the 'foolish things of this world'; like the Lord who gave it, it is despised and rejected of men and has been placed in the Church by God for the purpose of destroying the wisdom of the wise. It is intended to accentuate the cross in the Body of Christ, and rightly used this is exactly what it accomplishes. Tongues requires the cross to make it spiritual in nature and powerful in effect. When used in the power of the cross, this gift, perhaps more than any other, reveals that the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption of God are wholly contrary to man and his pompous wisdom, which is just what God wishes to accomplish.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.