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.
 
However Paul urged the believers, in their meetings, to concentrate on using gifts which would inform and build up the church, and not to surround their fellowship with mystery or confusion. There were plenty of confusing words spoken in Corinth. As a major seaport, it would have been buzzing with many accents, dialects and tribal languages, in addition to the official Latin and Greek. So how could those people clearly grasp the message of the gospel?
 
The task of gospel proclamation is always cross-cultural (from the kingdom of light to the kingdom of darkness), but communicating across language barriers makes it much more difficult. So the church should take care to avoid any other confusion which might get in the way. Certainly the church should be wary of a style of fellowship which makes unbelievers feel unwelcome, or that Jesus does not want to know them.
 
Although these verses primarily refer to 'tongues', the principle can be applied much wider. It is easy for a church to indulge in what makes them feel good. But if an outsider cannot understand what is going on, the gospel opportunity is lost. If newcomers feel a foreigner, there is something wrong. Instead, use God's gifts to speak truth clearly and accurately so that disciples will be strengthened, unbelievers converted, and back-sliders restored.