I'll go one more paragraph for the benefit of others. Rockrz seems to have bailed out on me.
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Paul starts out here giving an instruction to those speaking in tongues, that they pray to be able to interpret. He continues to say why, which is, "if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful". Well, not so bad huh? At least half-way good right? Not according to Paul because he goes on to pose the question "What am I to do?" and answers immediately "I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also". This completely discredits the gift of tongues as some private prayer language unless the speaker can also translate (still human languages folks). Paul is in fact instructing against it unless it can be understood intellectually. There is no benefit to the person otherwise.
He also brings up the point that not only is it unfruitful for the speaker, but also for outsiders for they cannot agree with something they don't even understand and it won't build them up (that whole love thing again). He then takes it back to the church and discredits its use in the assembly as well and brings back to light the benefit of the mind and understanding what is being said.
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Paul starts out here giving an instruction to those speaking in tongues, that they pray to be able to interpret. He continues to say why, which is, "if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful". Well, not so bad huh? At least half-way good right? Not according to Paul because he goes on to pose the question "What am I to do?" and answers immediately "I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also". This completely discredits the gift of tongues as some private prayer language unless the speaker can also translate (still human languages folks). Paul is in fact instructing against it unless it can be understood intellectually. There is no benefit to the person otherwise.
He also brings up the point that not only is it unfruitful for the speaker, but also for outsiders for they cannot agree with something they don't even understand and it won't build them up (that whole love thing again). He then takes it back to the church and discredits its use in the assembly as well and brings back to light the benefit of the mind and understanding what is being said.