¹³ Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ What is it then? I will pray in my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing praises with my spirit, and I will also sing praises with my mind. ¹⁶ Otherwise if you give thanks and praise in the spirit, how will one filling the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he has no idea what you’re saying? ¹⁷ For you certainly give thanks well, but the other person is not built up. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ However, in Messiah’s community I would rather speak five words with my mind, so I may also instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop being children in your thinking—rather, be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. ²¹ In the Prophets^[a] it is written,

²² Therefore tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers—but prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if Messiah’s whole community comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and uninstructed or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy? ²⁴ But if all are prophesying and some unbelieving or ungifted person comes in, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all. ²⁵ The secrets of his heart become known, and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring, “God really is among you!”^[b]