https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRBoukaxW-8
Welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries and our combined written and live Sunday sermon, which is normally broadcast every Sunday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the truth of God’s love, sharing the Word of God, the Spirit of Yeshu Ha-Notzri or in English Jesus Christ of Nazareth in a way that we believe embraces the ways Jesus taught us to manage. We bring His Word to the many as opposed to the few, in order to continue the legacy created by the ministry of Jesus Christ.
You will find us in the following location: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Rev. Laura’s other sites: Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & USAlife & YouTube & Twitch & TruthSocial & Instagram & Facebook
Wedding officiant page: Wedfolio & Wedding Chicks
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- We are still praying today for my dear friend JB who has finally been given limited ability to travel away from home two days per week for very short distances. Please keep JB in prayer for continued therapy, and continued doctor visits after her broken hip and upper leg.
- Evangelist Cal Jennings is home after rehabilitation after losing his fingertips to serious third-degree burns. He is still healing very slowly and has slow, arduous therapy for his remaining fingers in their shaping and movement. Please pray for his healing and that his pain is treated like it should be treated, not as an afterthought.
- We continue to pray for the family and friends of our sister Francine, who was memorialized yesterday with family and friends in the assembly. The ceremony was beautifully managed with music, prayer, Scripture and fellowship together.
- We continue to pray for my Mama who has had a lot of issues lately in her life. Please keep her in prayer for her anxieties, fears, and general well-being.
- Please pray for one of my sisters, who has a need for something new right now in regard to her career after frustration with a job she is currently within that did not turn out to be anything like it was portrayed to her.
- We continue to pray for a friend of ours, Alexis, who is in desperate need to improve her current situation and is seeking to sell things she owns to help her with this. If you want more information, send me a private message and I’ll pass on the information.
- We continue to pray for all sufferers and survivors of the various types of cancer, including several survivors of the disease, Evangelist Cal Jennings’ brother-in-law David Doyle, JB’s sister Debbie, Jerry, our friend Alexis, my Aunt Donna, and my friend Kelly.
- We pray for those who are in the path of dangerous weather, and other dangerous conditions, including wildfires, smoke from those wildfires, storms, flooding, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, worldwide like those in South America earlier this past month.
- We pray for the various outreach ministries we have joined with, with their leaders, Pastor Jared Otieno, Pastor George Ototo, Pastor Stephen Okoth, Pastor Simon Peter Javaji, Pastor Amir Aneel, Sister Santhi Swaroopa, Pastor Duke Moenga, and others in Kissee, Nairobi, and other places in Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
- We pray also for our American outreach ministries, including Rev. Lisa Tyler on the other side of Georgia from where I am and Rabbi Karen L. Hertzog with her ministry, Way Maker Messianic Jewish and Christian Center – USA as well.
* Happy Birthday to my mother, who will be 80 on Tuesday.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we have a great deal of things to pray for and a great many as well. We pray for family and friends of our dear sister-in-law Fran who are in need of Your everlasting comfort and care after her memorial yesterday. We pray for those in the path of the wildfires up north in Canada right now and for those affected by the smoke that is drifting for hundreds of miles. We pray for those who are suffering from severe flooding all over this world. We pray for the many who are injured and ill in our ministry, our friends, including JB, Cal, our family, and more. We pray for the homeless and the helpless around this world. We pray for the many victims of violence, prejudice, and terrorism in this world. We pray for those still under the thumb of slavery and oppression. We pray for the unjustly persecuted and prosecuted. We pray for the friends and family who have been fighting cancer. We pray for those who survived cancer, including Kelly, Alexis, David, and Debbie and many more, that they continue to remain well. We pray for the nations at war. We pray for all this in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Opening Poem: Missing Your Love and Laughter
Sermon: Today we are continuing Chapter 14 of 1st Corinthians. We will cover the next seven verses and there’s a lot to go over with this. Paul continues to caution the preachers and teachers there at the church in Corinth. He’s telling them that they must teach the Word in a way that EVERYONE understands, not in a way that is confusing, limiting, or distracting. Now, today I will be covering seven verses from this chapter. We’ll start where we left off last week with this verse.
1 Corinthians 14:9 KJV –So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
NIV – So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.
Being easily understood is vital when it comes to teaching of any kind. Any schoolteacher would say that if they don’t speak clearly and demonstrate with clarity in their words and actions, the students will not understand. The same goes with Scripture. The story of our Savior and Salvation are vital and that story began with Adam and Eve and carried through to Revelation. These four verses from the Old Testament would point this out.
Nehemiah 8:8 KJV – So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
NIV – They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Proverbs 14:23 KJV – In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
NIV – All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 15:23 KJV – A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
NIV – A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word!
Ecclesiastes 5:2 KJV – Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
NIV – Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Here are two New Testament references that point toward what it means to truly understand Scripture the way it was inspired into writing.
Luke 24:45 KJV – Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
NIV – Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Acts 8:30-31 KJV – And
Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said,
Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And
he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
NIV – Then Philip ran up to the chariot and
heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are
reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So
he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
The meaning behind the words would be more important than anything. That’s something Paul points toward here. It’s something we need to realize and recognize whenever we study and learn about what our Lord in Heaven is requesting of us and requiring of us as well. Whatever language we speak, it is best that we speak in a way that others understand when they surround us wanting to learn about His Word. This is what Paul has to share.
1 Corinthians 14:10 KJV –There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
NIV – Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.
Paul goes all the way back to the Torah with his references. Now, we did have this reference last week. It is regarding the Tower of Babel and the response that God had toward the foolish ambition of the Jews there. The problem is, that would only be one instance where ambition needed to be thwarted, as shared in the other Old Testament view from Zephaniah.
Genesis 11:7-9 KJV – Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
NIV – Come, let us go down and confuse their
language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and
they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called
Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From
there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
Zephaniah 3:9 KJV – For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent.
NIV – “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
Paul chose three New Testament gospel points from the writings of Matthew and John the Beloved with the Word as spoken by our Savior Yeshu Ha Notzri, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Matthew 5:18 KJV – For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
NIV – For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
John 3:11 KJV – Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
NIV – Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.
John 16:23 KJV – And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
NIV – In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Now, Paul adds something that makes complete sense in this letter written to the church there at Corinth. He points out that understanding the meaning is extremely important and that language barriers can literally get us lost in translation. This is what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 14:11 KJV –Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
NIV – If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.
Here are four Old Testaments point of reference for us to understand what Paul is sharing.
Deuteronomy 28:49 KJV – The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
NIV –The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand,
2 Kings 18:26 KJV –Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
NIV – Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
Isaiah 33:19 KJV – Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.
NIV – You will see those arrogant people no more, people whose speech is obscure, whose language is strange and incomprehensible.
Jeremiah 5:15 KJV – Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
NIV – People of Israel,” declares the Lord, “I am bringing a distant nation against you—an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.
Here are two additional references from the New Testament.
Acts 2:8 KJV – And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
NIV – Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Romans 1:14 KJV – I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
NIV – I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
Paul makes a great point with this next verse. He says that those who want to learn more and more and then want to share their gift for learning should do so to build up the church. That’s important. Our ultimate goal should be building up the church, building up the congregation, through faith, belief, understanding, and edifying our Savior’s Unconditional Love. This is what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 14:12 KJV –Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
NIV – So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
Paul shares references from his letters to Rome, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Lystra in the first letter to Timothy.
Romans 12:4-5 KJV – For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
NIV – For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Ephesians 4:16 KJV – From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
NIV –From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 KJV –Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
NIV –Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Timothy 4:14 KJV –Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
NIV – Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Interpretation is vital when it comes to faith and belief. Being able to interpret how we understand Scripture is vital for understanding that same faith and belief. This is what Paul shares in this next verse.
1 Corinthians 14:13 KJV – Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
NIV – For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
Here are six New Testament points of view that Paul references.
Mark 11:24 KJV – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
NIV – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Acts 2:4 KJV – And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
NIV – All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 10:46-47 KJV – For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
NIV – For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”
Acts 19:6 KJV – And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
NIV – When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Hebrews 12:1 KJV – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
NIV – Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
James 1:5 KJV – If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
NIV – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
We have to be invested in our faith and belief heart, mind, spirit, and soul, not separately, but combined. That’s what Paul refers to next here in his letter to the church there at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV – For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
NIV – For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
Paul has two Gospel verses from Matthew and Mark that speak through our Savior Jesus Christ portraying this perfectly here.
Matthew 6:7 KJV – But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
NIV – And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Mark 16:17 KJV – And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
NIV –And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Paul adds two more New Testament views from Peter and from the younger brother of Yeshu Ha Notzri our Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth, known as Jude.
2 Peter 1:8 KJV –For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
NIV – For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:20 KJV – But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
NIV – But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
Our final verse for today is this one. It points out that prayer and song are important, but the meaning must be included always. The understanding of that meaning is just as important as prayer or music. Tone is everything, and understanding is everything. Here is what Paul shares next.
1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV –What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
NIV – So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
Here are two references from King David in the Old Testament Scroll of Psalms.
Psalm 33:3 KJV – Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
NIV – Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
Psalm 47:7 KJV – For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
NIV – For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
Here are three Gospel viewpoints from Matthew, Luke and John the Beloved, who share the Word as spoken by our Savior Jesus Christ and the response from the others around Him.
Matthew 6:8 KJV – Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
NIV –Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Luke 3:10 KJV – And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
NIV – “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John 4:24 KJV – God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
NIV – God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Our final verses are from the Acts of the Apostles written by the gospel writer Luke and also one from the younger brother of our Savior, James the Just.
Acts 2:37 KJV – Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
NIV – When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Acts 16:30 KJV – And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
NIV – He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
James 5:13 KJV – Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
NIV – Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
Paul shows us something important about our faith and belief. He shows us that how we express that faith and belief is as important as having it in the first place. I have known many, many people who have portrayed their faith in amazing ways. I have seen, heard, and experienced His work through human beings in many ways, whether it is dreams, words, music, poetry, or any other ways possible. I have known it through so many points of view, whether well-educated or barely literate. Faith belongs to those who are willing to share with Him in ways that benefit them, and those around them. That’s the biggest, most important lesson we can learn. The best way we can bring more faith and belief together with others is by showing each other how faith and belief in God go hand in hand, and all of us have the opportunity to walk in the faithful steps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to do this requires us to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. If you are willing to do so, please leave me a note in the comments and I’ll be in touch. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus taught us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing Song: Amazing Grace
~ Shalom ~
Rev. Laura A. Neff
Blogspot & Twitter & Linkedin & Twitch & USAlife
Evangelist Calvin Jennings
Covenant of Hope Ministries Main Site: http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright ©circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press, The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2026 http://www.covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to
exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is
created through fear
together as the bringers of the
light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
