Paul returns from his celebration of love to the gift of prophecy, speaking truths, and tongues, utterances in other languages or unknown words. Paul says that prophecy instructs and consoles the Church while praying in tongues encourages the spirit. There are groups within Christianity today that either over-emphasize or deny the use of tongues in community worship. Paul has a balanced approach. He prefers prophecy unless the tongues has an interpretation, otherwise it is not useful to the larger group. He also does not want the mind to be disengaged while praying or singing. While he says he speak in tongues himself, he would rather five words that mean something than ten thousand that mean nothing to the listener.

Addressing the brothers and sisters in faith, Paul says that speaking foreign languages is a sign for unbelievers while prophecy is a sign for believers. He wants believers to build up the church. He mentions various parts of the service including: hymns, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation, with a limited of two or three with an interpretation. He said let the prophets speak and the others weigh what is said. Again there is no single leader with all of the gifts or one with total authority, but many coming to gather to share and consider what the others say. He wants them to take turns and not talk over each other because the spirit is subject to the person not the other way around. 

In the next paragraph, Paul says that women should stay silent in church and if they have a question they should ask their husbands at home. Some people have said that his section bars all women from leading or teaching, but it seems like he is talking about asking questions or interrupting rather than a universal ban. Paul refers to several women in leadership (Chloe, Junia and Lydia) in his letters, so it seems that there is no reason to believe that this is more than just talking too much in church.  There have been many prominent women in the history of Christianity through the last two millennia. Currently two-thirds of all missionaries are women, perhaps because the interpretation that keeps them out of local leadership.

Paul ends the section encouraging the believers to seek the gift of prophecy and do not forbid tongues as long as they are done decently and orderly. 

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33