<p>14:24- see on Heb. 11:7.</p><p><i>But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned- </i>Paul will later command that the gift of prophecy should be used by only two or three at any one time (:29). But he has earlier said that he wishes they would all have the gift of prophecy: &quot;I would wish that you all speak with tongues, but especially I wish that you should all prophesy&quot; (:5). He is so eager to go along with them as far as he can. They sought the Spirit gifts for the wrong reasons, but he runs with that and suggests they seek especially to prophesy. But he envisages here, for the moment, all of them prophesying. And he imagines the great positive impact this would have upon an unbeliever. Again, he thinks in terms of the good which could be done for the edification of others- which is the essence of his poem about love with which he has introduced this section in chapter 13.&nbsp;</p><p><i>He is reproved by all, he is judged by all- </i>The purpose of speaking forth God's word as intended was to lead unbelievers to repentance. &quot;Reprove... judge&quot; mean just that. The intention was to convict unbelievers of sin and lead them to repentance. Jabbering in unknown sounds would not do this. We are to note the intention of Gospel preaching- to bring others to repentance, to convict them of their moral need for the Lord Jesus. This is a far cry from the very tame profering of background Biblical information and other 'softer' approaches which characterize so much outreach work in our age.<i><br /></i><br />Paul warned the Corinthians that only a church which was manifestly united, with each member using his or her gifts in an orderly, sensitive and respectful way&hellip; only such a church could convict the unbeliever of Truth. And this was all building on the Lord&rsquo;s clear statements in John 17- that the united church would lead to all men knowing of His grace and truth. This is why the Acts record describes the spectacular growth of the early church in the same breath as noting the intense unity and &ldquo;all things common&rdquo; between the believers. The mass conversions stopped after the politics of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, and the division over welfare matters in Acts 6. While that incredible and genuine unity prevailed, converts were made by the thousand.</p>