Paul wanted the church in Corinth to understand that spiritual gifts were given by God to enable people to understand the gospel and live as disciples of Jesus Christ. They were tools and not toys. 'Speaking in tongues' held a fascination for some in the church. That gift either enabled the speaker to communicate in a foreign language that had not been learned or to make sounds, which nobody else understood, in praise and prayer to God. Regrettably, like the Pharisees, some used the gift to draw attention to themselves.
 

Most of the people in the church were adults, and yet Paul urged them to stop thinking as children and grow up. Strong, almost insulting words. It was because their worship meetings had become dominated by people speaking in tongues. God's Word took a low place and the enjoyment of their spiritual experience took over. It was like children playing with precious family treasures, without realising their full significance.
 

In the beginning, before God put order and meaning into the world, it was dark, shapeless and chaotic. It needed God's Word to bring it to life. And so God brought order out of chaos and provided His world with light and purpose (Genesis 1:1-5). He continues to do that in the lives of His people and His church (John 10:10). Confusion and disorder are not in God's nature and should not be a feature of God's church.

This chapter and the one before it are all about how to use God's gifts sacrificially in love. Every culture has a different way of doing things and it is usually wise to share the gospel within those limits – at least initially. For example, Paul who was a Jewish Rabbi would usually start his ministry in the synagogue of each town he visited (even though he was often later expelled); he circumcised Timothy, and on Paul's final visit to Jerusalem instructed four men in his team to undergo purification rites (Acts 21:20-26). All that was to remove cultural objection to the gospel.