Speaking
in Tongues
Introduction
This is not the final chapter to be
written on the subject of speaking in tongues. Men (and women) will be having
their say until our Lord returns to settle this matter once and for all time.
It is difficult to say how, when and where the modern tongues movement began.
In the many pamphlets and books I have examined opinions differ. We do know
that the phenomenon of tongues-speaking is widespread, and it is likely that no
issue in Christendom has caused as wide a split in its ranks in modern
times as has speaking in tongues.
All Bible-believing Christians who
study the Word of God are in agreement that the gift of tongues is present in
the inspired Scriptures. In the New Testament two lists of gifts appear in
which the gift of tongues is included. In 1 Corinthians
12:8-11 “kinds of tongues” and “the
interpretation of tongues” are said to be sovereignly bestowed gifts of the
Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 “tongues” appears in the list of gifts. We call them
“spiritual gifts” from the Greek word charisma, suggesting that the gift
is a bestowment of God’s grace. It is not a natural ability that one might
develop, but rather a special gift as those appearing in the above mentioned
passages in First Corinthians.
The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the
distribution of these gifts. Following the listing of the gifts, Paul adds,
“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:11). No one person has all the gifts, nor are we to seek the
gifts. We must be careful that we do not confuse the Spirit as a gift to
the believer with the gifts the Spirit gives to believers. Every
believer has received the gift of the Spirit, but not every believer has
received the gifts which the Spirit bestows.
The
Meaning of Speaking in Tongues
In my travels many persons have
approached me with questions about tongues. Some of them ask about its meaning.
The term that is used to identify the tongues movement is “glossolalia,” made
up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalia (speech).
It therefore means speaking in languages or tongues. Glossology is that
department of anthropology which has to do with the study and classification of
languages and dialects.
The word glossa appears in
the Greek New Testament not less than fifty times. It is used to refer to the
physical organ of the tongue as in James 3:5; once in reference to the flames of fire shaped like
tongues (Acts 2:3);
at least once in a metaphorical sense when referring to speech as in the
statement, “my tongue (speech) was glad (joyous)” (Acts 2:26). As far
as I understand the remaining usages of the word it always means a language.
When our Lord predicted the gift of
tongues (the only mention of tongues in the four Gospel records) He said, “And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall cast out
devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). The adjective “new” (Gr. kainos) can only mean
they were going to speak in languages new to them, that is, languages they had
not learned or used until that time. If I say the Russian language is “new” to
me, I do not mean that I never knew there was such a language, but rather its
use by me is new to me because I can neither speak it nor understand it when I
hear others speak it. On the other hand the German language is not altogether
“new” to me because I can both read and speak it with a small degree of
understanding.
In Acts 2:4 Luke uses a different adjective when he says, “they began
to speak with other tongues.” The word “other” (Gr. heteros) simply
means that they spoke in languages different from the normal language they were
used to. The context substantiates this. Notice the surprised reaction on the
part of the hearers—“And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to
another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every
man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:7,8).
Every man heard them speak in his own language (Acts 2:6). Here
the word “language” is the translation of dialekto from which our word
“dialect” comes. The two words glossa (tongue) and dialektos
(language) are used synonymously, making it obvious that the disciples were
speaking in known languages other than the language native to them. In verses
9-11 the languages are then identified. It was a miraculous phenomenon which
enabled the disciples to speak in languages which they had never learned. Here
in this Acts passage we have tongues-speaking in its pure and unperverted form
as God gave it.
The following verses in the Book of
the Revelation should be examined carefully (Revelation 5:9;
7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15).
In each passage where the word “tongue” is mentioned it means one of the
languages associated with the various nationalities and races. I see no reason
why anyone should raise a question as to the tongues in those passages in Mark,
Acts and Revelation meaning languages.
But the more serious problems arise
in the interpretation of the twenty-one references to tongues in 1 Corinthians
chapters 12-14. There are those who tell us that the tongues in First
Corinthians are ecstatic utterances not known in any country on earth. They
base their conclusion on the term “unknown” which appears in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, and 27. But the reader of this chapter in God’s Word must
not fail to observe that the word “unknown” in every place where it appears is
in italicized letters, which means that it does not occur in any Greek
manuscript but was inserted by translators. The Holy Spirit did not direct Paul
to write that the tongue is unknown.
I find no warrant for changing the
meaning of tongues in First Corinthians. In every other place where the word is
used it means languages. Why then should the meaning be changed in First
Corinthians? I know of no textual license that will warrant changing the
meaning of the word. All the usages of tongues in Paul’s treatment of the
subject refer to foreign languages. “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the
tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for
ye shall speak into air” (1 Corinthians 14:9).
There is no reason for anyone to
speak except to converse intelligibly. The Greek word laleo means “I
speak.” The word is never used for mere sound or noise. Nor is it used for a
mere mumbling or muttering of unintelligible gibberish. The tongues-speaking in
the New Testament was in the native languages of hearing people. The
supernatural phenomenon which took place at Pentecost was the exercise of a
gift whereby many people from many countries, gathered at Jerusalem, heard
God’s message in their own language. This was indeed a miracle of God.
It would be an arbitrary and strange
interpretation of Scripture that would make tongues-speaking in the New
Testament anything other than known languages. There is no trace of Scriptural
evidence that tongues were ever heard by anyone as incoherent, incomprehensible
babbling.
The
Ministry of Speaking in Tongues
At this point in our study we shall
pursue an examination of the reasons why God gave the gift of speaking in
tongues.
First, to communicate the Gospel
message. With unmistakable clarity Paul
says, “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them
that believe not . . . ” (1 Corinthians 14:22). The word “sign” (Gr. semeion) in the New Testament
is often associated with the conveying of a Divinely-given message to
unbelievers. This is the emphasis in John 20:30, 31 where we read, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the
presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and
that believing ye might have life through His name.” The signs (miracles) were
never performed without purpose, but because of the message they communicated.
The true function of the gift of
tongues is “for a sign . . . to them that believe not.” To exercise the gift
when unbelievers were not present would be exercising the gift above the
purpose for which it was given. The gifts were never given for the
self-satisfaction or self-glory of the recipients. The one upon whom the gift
was bestowed was merely an instrument through whom God wanted to communicate
His message.
Because of the abuse and misuse of
tongues in the Corinthian Assembly Paul states its purpose. The spiritual
immaturity of the saints in Corinth called for instruction, so in the middle of
his discourse on tongues he writes, “Brethren, be not children in
understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Corinthians 14:20).
The Greek word for “men” (teleios) means mature. In their misuse of
speaking in tongues they were showing their immaturity, a behaviour pattern
which characterized the believers at Corinth. The Apostle reminded them that
they remained “babes in Christ” (3:1).
Their failure to grow up spiritually
resulted from their neglected study of the Scriptures. The Epistle to the
Hebrews stresses this point. “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye
have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles
of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For
every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is
a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who
by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).
Peter wrote, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye
may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2). One will find confusion and license where the study of
God’s Word is neglected.
Now let us return to 1 Corinthians 14:20.
Immediately upon rebuking them with the words, “Brethren, be not children in
understanding,” Paul adds, “In the law it is written . . . ” (Vs. 21), thereby
pointing out their weakness, namely, their failure to acquaint themselves with that
which was written in the Old Testament Scriptures. They had failed to study
God’s Word, therefore they had become victims of arrested development.
Speaking in tongues was a gift
bestowed by the Holy Spirit, but it, or any other gift, can be misused. Speaking
in tongues was no mark of spirituality, because the Corinthian church was
unspiritual, having manifested carnality (3:1-3) and even gross sin (5:1). And
so Paul points them to a Scripture they should have known, saying, “In the law
it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this
people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord” (12:21).
Paul is here referring to a prophecy
God had given through Isaiah. The nation of Israel had failed to heed God’s message
which He gave through their own prophets, so the Lord told them that at a
future time they will hear His message through tongues (languages) other than
their own. “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this
people “ (Isaiah
28:11). Thus Paul sees in this Isaiah prophecy the gift of tongues
as a sign to Israel. The words “this people” in Isaiah 28:11,
in its context, can refer only to Israel. The abuse of tongues-speaking in
Corinth did not arise from the belief in speaking in tongues, but rather in the
neglect of the Scriptures which teach its proper use.
This purpose of the gift of tongues,
namely to communicate God’s message to Israel, is verified in the three
passages in Acts where speaking in tongues is mentioned. In Acts 2
tongues-speaking was used as a missionary or evangelistic tool in fulfillment
of Isaiah 28:11.
There was no need for the disciples to learn other languages before they could
communicate the Gospel. God overcame the language barrier through the miracle-gift
of tongues. On the day of Pentecost there were “Jews out of every nation under
heaven” (Acts 2:5).
And when the disciples “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance” (Acts 2:4),
the hearers responded with the question, “And how hear we every man in our own
tongue, wherein we were born?” (Acts 2:8). Observe that they were “Jews” from other countries who
spoke many languages and dialects, and yet each heard the Gospel in his own
tongue. Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled.
In Acts 10:46 the second mention of speaking in tongues occurs. The
occasion again was to communicate the Gospel, this time for the purpose of
effecting the conversion of Cornelius and his house. This event cannot be
totally disassociated from Pentecost because Peter, when relating this
experience, said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on
us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). At the house of Cornelius tongues-speaking was a sign to
Jews at a time when the Gospel was being communicated (Acts 10:44-46).
In Acts 19:6 there appears the third passage in Acts in which speaking
in tongues is recorded. Again its purpose was missionary and evangelistic. When
Paul came to Ephesus he encountered twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He
asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Ghost when (not since) you believed?” (Acts 19:2, see the
R.V.). These at Ephesus considered themselves to be Christians because they had
heard through Apollos the message of John. You see, there is a belief unto
salvation and a belief that does not result in salvation. The latter is a mere
academic, intellectual belief that even Satan and the demons have (James 2:19.
cf. Mark 5:7).
Doubtless there are people today who have an historical faith in Jesus Christ
as a man and even the Son of God, but who have not been saved. Paul suspected
that such was the case with the disciples of John whom he met at Ephesus. When
he learned they were not saved, he told them they must trust Christ for their
salvation. We can understand the confusion they might have experienced,
therefore some evidential sign was necessary. “And when Paul had laid his hands
upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and
prophesied” (Acts 19:6).
Again the purpose for speaking in tongues is obvious, namely, to communicate
the Gospel message.
These are the only instances of
tongues-speaking recorded in the Bible, except the passage in First
Corinthians. None of the later Epistles mention speaking in tongues. The gift
was used only in the transitional period between Law and Grace. The sign gifts
continued through the period of the Apostles while the New Testament was in the
process of being written.
Second, to confirm the Gospel
message. It was not merely a communicating
sign but a confirmatory sign as well. When the Apostles used the gift of
tongues it was because they did not have what you and I have today, the
completed Word of God, God’s full and final revelation to man. When they went
about preaching the Gospel, their message was confirmed by the exercise of the
sign gifts. Tongues-speaking vindicated both the message and the messenger.
“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in
signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Corinthians 12:12). If one could find an Apostle living today who saw the
bodily-resurrected Lord Jesus, he would not be exercising the sign gifts
because he would have what you and I have, and what Peter, Paul and John did
not have, the completed written Word of God. Now that we have the Scriptures we
do not need miracles to confirm God’s message.
Signs were for the Jews rather than
for Gentiles. “For the Jews require a sign . . . ” (1 Corinthians 1:22).
Repeatedly it was the Jews who asked for a sign. “Then certain of the Scribes
and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee” (Matthew 12:38).
Again, “The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired Him
that He would shew them a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16 :1). “Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign
shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?” (John 2:18). “They
said therefore unto Him, What sign shewest Thou then, that we may see and
believe Thee? What dost Thou work?” (John 6:30). All these who asked for a sign were Jews, and their
insistence upon signs will at last be their sad undoing.
During the Tribulation the
Antichrist will appear, “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders” (II Thessalonians
2:9), and at that time many Jews will
be deceived into receiving the Antichrist as their Messiah.
Let us who are Christ’s not be
seeking signs as did the unbelieving Jews. We who are the Lord’s have the Holy
Scriptures, so let us “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Whenever the gift of tongues was exercised Jews were present,
tongues-speaking being used either to communicate the Gospel or else to confirm
to the Jews that the Gentiles were worthy of salvation and should therefore
have the Gospel also. Such confirmations are seen in Acts 10:45
and 19:6. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” (Mark 16:20).
If anyone denies the message of
God’s written Word today, there is no other court of appeal. In the days of the
Apostles, the New Testament being yet unwritten, the Holy Spirit supported
their message by accompanying it with signs. But after those holy and inspired
men completed writing the New Testament, such confirmations were no longer
necessary. The rich man in Hell asked Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead
that he might witness to his five unsaved brothers, hoping that such a sign (or
miracle) would lead them to repent. But Abraham replied, “If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead” (Luke 16:27-31). The Pentecostal sign ushered in a new age before the New
Testament was written. But if men reject God’s inspired Word now, they need not
look for any supernatural signs.
A significant New Testament passage
which adds to the fact that the sign gifts were given to confirm the Gospel
message is Hebrews 2:3,4:“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs, and with
divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to His own will?” If the
Epistle to the Hebrews was written between 65 and 70 A.D. it would be obvious
that the people to whom the message was “confirmed” with signs and gifts were
that generation immediately following our Lord’s death.
The
Mistakes About Speaking in Tongues
As an introduction to this part of
our study, I want you to see Paul’s introduction to the subject of spiritual
gifts. And incidentally, this is the only place in the entire Bible where
spiritual gifts are discussed. The Apostle writes, “Now concerning spiritual gifts,
brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1 Corinthians 12:1). In the Authorized Version the word “gifts” is in
italicized letters, telling us that it did not appear in any of the Greek
manuscripts but was inserted by translators. Paul actually said to the
Corinthians, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about pneumatica” (the
spirituals), meaning of course the spiritual gifts.
Now the Corinthians were not
ignorant of the fact of the spiritual gifts, for the Apostle had already
said to them, “Ye come behind in no gift” (1:7). When he said, “I would not
have you ignorant”, he was not speaking about their ignorance of the existence
of the gifts, but rather about their ignorance of the right exercise of
the gifts. They were well informed as to what the spiritual gifts were, but
they were ignorant about the proper use of the gifts, as is evidenced by the
mistakes they made in their exercise of them.
Before Paul launches into a
discussion of the spiritual gifts, he reminds them of how easily they were led
astray. He says, “ye know that ye were gentiles, carried away unto these dumb
idols, even as ye were led” (12:2). In substance he is saying, “Before you tell
me about your experience let me remind you of your lack of spirituality (3:1),
and therefore your inability to discern between the Holy Spirit and false
spirits” (2:15). Because they were carnal, “babes in Christ” (3:1), their
exercise of the gifts were self-induced by fleshly energy, not by the Holy Spirit.
All Christians do not use their gifts properly, so that a Christian’s use of a
gift might not be in accord with the Word of God. Mistakes can be made by any
of us in the exercise of a gift.
(1) It is a mistake to assume
that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
It is unscriptural teaching which says that all who are baptized by the Holy
Spirit will speak in tongues. The Scriptures state emphatically that all saved
persons have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body . . . ” (1 Corinthians 12:13). All the believers at Corinth received the baptism of the
Holy Spirit, however all did not speak in tongues. The question asked in verse
30, “Do all speak with tongues?” is so phrased so as to convey the expected
answer, “No.”
The baptizing work of the Spirit is
not an experience in the believer subsequent to salvation. Rather it is that
act of the Holy Spirit which joins the believing sinner to the Body of Christ.
More emphatically, there is no other means whereby one can become a member of
the Church which is Christ’s Body. All saved persons have been baptized by the
Holy Spirit, but not all saved persons speak in tongues. The baptizing work of
the Spirit places the believer in the Body positionally.
Be careful that you do not confuse
the baptism of the Spirit with the command to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).
All believers share equally in this position in Christ and thus share equally
in union with Him. There is only one experience of baptism by the Holy Spirit
but there can be many experiences of being filled with Spirit. Paul said that
not all of the Corinthian Christians spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5),
and yet he stated clearly that all had been baptized with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
(2) It is a mistake to assume
that speaking in tongues is an evidence of being filled with the Spirit. All
believers are commanded to “be filled with (controlled by) the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18),
but nowhere in Scripture are believers commanded to speak in tongues. A
Christian can be under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit and not
speak in tongues. There are numerous instances when the disciples were filled
with the Spirit but did not speak in tongues. See Acts 4:31 and
13:9-11. To be Spirit-filled is to be Spirit-controlled. Are we to believe that
the thousands of mightily used men and women of God who were among the world’s
best missionaries of Christ’s Gospel and Bible teachers were never filled with
the Holy Spirit because they never spoke in tongues? Perish the thought!
Can one know if he is filled with
the Spirit? Look at one verse in the Bible where the command to be filled with
the Spirit is recorded. “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God” (Ephesians 5:18-21).
Three things are mentioned as evidence of being Spirit-filled; a joyful heart, a
thankful heart and a submissive heart. Nothing is said about speaking in
tongues. To sum it up in one word, Christlikeness is the manifestation
of being filled with the Spirit, and the Scriptures do not tell us that our
Lord ever spoke in tongues.
(3) It is a mistake to assume
that speaking in tongues is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the
Spirit results from being filled with the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is
mentioned in Galatians 5:22, 23 and includes nine characteristics. “But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance.” None of the sign-gifts are included in this nine-fold
cluster of fruit. The Christian who is filled with the Spirit will manifest the
fruit of the Spirit apart from ever having spoken in tongues. As a matter of
fact, in Ephesians and Galatians, where the fullness and fruit of the Spirit
are discussed tongues-speaking is not mentioned once. Moreover, in the list of gifts
mentioned by Paul, gifts that the ascended Lord bestowed upon His Church, the
sign gifts are omitted. “And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
All Christians should be filled with
the Spirit and all are to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, but not every
Christian has all the gifts. Spirituality does not depend on speaking in
tongues. God’s goal for every child of His is to be Spirit-controlled, but that
goal does not include speaking in tongues. No Christian need ever feel that he
is lacking in spirituality because he has not spoken in tongues. Quality of
life is the best evidence of the fullness and fruit of the Holy Spirit. John the
Baptizer was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15), yet
this Spirit-filled man did no miracles and never spoke in tongues (John 10:41).
But he was so Christ-like that people who were looking for the Messiah were led
to ask of him, “Art thou the Christ?”
(4) It is a mistake to assume
that speaking in tongues is an evidence of one’s faith. To the
contrary, the persons who seek signs and sign-gifts show their lack of faith.
It is a sin for any Christian to seek for signs before he will believe God’s
Word. As was pointed out earlier in this study, “tongues are for a sign, not to
them that believe, but to them that believe not” (1 Corinthians 14:22).
So you see, the Christians at Corinth were showing that they were weak in
faith, and possibly some who identified themselves with the believer had never
been saved. The person who seeks any sign, whether it be speaking in tongues or
any other sign-gift, is either a babe in Christ or an unbeliever.
Thomas is an illustration of a
disciple weak in faith who would not believe without seeing. After our Lord
arose from death, He appeared to the disciples. “But Thomas, one of the twelve,
called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples
therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I
shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print
of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:24, 25).
Thomas was like the Corinthians, weak in faith, demanding to see the sign
(miracle) before he would believe.
Eight days later the Lord appeared
again. “Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:and be not faithless but
believing.” (John 20:27). The doubting Thomas needed a sign, so the Lord appeared
to him so that he would not continue without faith. And then He said to Thomas,
“Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). The Christian who will study the Bible and believe what
it says will walk by faith, not by sight or sound.
(5) It is a mistake to seek
the gift of speaking in tongues. It is clear that not all in the church
at Corinth spoke in tongues. Why didn’t they? The Apostle says, “Now there are
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit . . . for to one is given by the
Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the
same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy, to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues, to another
the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
Please note that the gifts were given “as He (the Holy Spirit) will,” not as we
will, “as it hath pleased Him” (vs. 18), not us. The reason why all the
Christians did not have the gift of tongues is because all of the gifts are
divinely bestowed. The Spirit divides and distributes to each believer his own
gift. Not one of us is capable of choosing his own gift. The Spirit will not
give a gift according to our desire and the way we pray. Don’t try to tell God
which gift He should give to you. We are but members of the Body, and no one
member has any right to tell the Head what to do.
It would have been a mistake for the
Corinthians to seek the gift of tongues because it is the least of all the
gifts. Where the gifts are listed twice in 1 Corinthians 12, in each instance tongues and their interpretation are
placed last (verses 8-11 and 28-30). Note the careful wording in the latter
passage: “First . . . secondarily . . . thirdly . . . after that . . . ” The
least to be desired comes at the bottom of the list, the scale being according
to importance and usefulness. The minor place of tongues is further stressed in
1 Corinthians 14:1, 5, 6, 19. The modern cult of tongues would have you believe that
this gift is the only one that really counts and that every Christian ought to
have it. The Corinthians erred in overemphasizing the gift of tongues as the
most coveted gift of all. To them tongues was the prestige gift, hence its misuse
and abuse at Corinth.
Paul charges them with such misuse
of the gifts in 12:31. When he writes, “But covet earnestly the best gifts . .
.” he is not exhorting or commanding them, as the imperative mood might
indicate. Rather he is issuing a statement of fact, as is suggested in the
indicative. In substance he is saying, “You are selfishly desiring the more spectacular
or demonstrative gifts.” The word “covet” is not used in a good sense, but in a
bad sense, that of self-seeking. “You are not satisfied to be a foot, concealed
in a stocking and shoe; you want to be an eye. You want to be seen and heard.”
And then the Apostle adds, “Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. Though I
speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am
become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal “ (1 Corinthians 12:31,13:1).
A young man who claimed to have the
gift of speaking in tongues told me that the biblical basis for his doing so
was 1 Corinthians 14:4,
namely, self-edification. But this is both selfish and wrong. Paul did say, “He
that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself” (14:4), but then he added,
“Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may
excel to the edifying of the Church” (14:12). The gifts were given for the edification
and profit of the entire Body of Christ, not merely one member. “The members
should have the same care one for another” (12:25). Self-edification is
contrary to the principle of love as taught in Chapter 13, for “love seeketh
not her own” (13:5). The gifts were given for the common good of all (12:7).
(6) It is a mistake for a
woman to speak in tongues. “Let your women keep silence in the
churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak . . .” (14:34). The
prohibition here has a direct relation to the problem with which the Apostle is
dealing, namely, speaking in tongues. Earlier in the same Epistle he told the
women how to dress when they prayed or prophesied in the church (11 :3-10),
therefore he would not forbid them here in Chapter 14 that privilege which is
countenanced in Chapter 11. The setting of 1 Corinthians 14:34 has reference primarily to women speaking in tongues. It is
clear and unmistakable that speaking in tongues was a gift limited to men and
is never to be exercised by women. Now he is not saying that women may not
teach or testify or pray, but that they may not speak in tongues. Elsewhere
Paul writes, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over
the man, but to be in silence” (I Timothy 2:12). The point of this passage is that a woman’s ministry must
not usurp authority over the man. She may teach women or children, but not men.
If this admonition were heeded today
much of the present tongues movement would be eliminated. Women are the worst
offenders in the modern confusion of tongues. The word “speak” in 14:34 is the
same word used in verse 28, therefore it cannot mean mere “chatter” that would
disturb a service in the church. The purpose of this entire section on speaking
in tongues is to curb the wrong use of the gift. Verses 27-33 give instruction
for men in the matter of speaking in tongues. “If any man speak in an
unknown tongue . . .” (14:27); verses 34-36 are directed to “women” exercising
the gift of tongues. And if any women wanted to take issue with Paul, he would
ask them one question, “Which book in all the inspired Scriptures was written
as the result of the Holy Spirit revealing the woman?” (Verse 36). It is a
mistake for a woman to speak in tongues.
(7) It is a mistake to assume
that the sign-gifts are given to believers today. Now I am not
arbitrarily closing the door on miracles. God does intervene in supernatural
ways performing miracles when and wherever He pleases to do so. The matter
before us now is whether or not the Bible teaches that certain gifts were
temporarily given. The evidence of God’s Word must be the final source of
authority. I am stressing this because there are many persons who are not students
of the Bible, therefore their only source of knowledge and understanding is
subjective, namely, reason or experience. Whatever appeals to their reason, or
whatever experiences they have had, settle a matter for them once and for all
time.
It is not uncommon to hear someone
say something like this: “I cannot believe in Hell because I cannot conceive a
loving God sending anyone to such a place of torment.” Such persons might
listen to clear and sound expositions on the biblical doctrine of Hell, and yet
they will reject what the Bible teaches because of their inner feelings and
rationale. And so their rationalization becomes their final authority.
Now I am not suggesting that there
is no validity in experience or reason. I am quite sure that there are times
when one’s reason and experience are correct and therefore reliable. But
neither reason nor experience can be accepted as final authority. Someone will
argue: “I have had the experience of speaking in tongues; I find this
experience in the New Testament; therefore my experience is true.” Any trained
Christian philosopher will tell you that such an argument is not valid because
it makes experience the basis of truth, so if one does not experience all of
the experiences he does not have all of the truth. True Christian philosophy
moves from truth to experience, therefore any valid Christian experience must
be determined by the right interpretation of Holy Scripture. Experience, which
is related to our emotions, can be deceptive, but a correct interpretation of
God’s Word can never deceive.
We come now to the question, Is the
gift of tongues a part of God’s program for the Church today? If it is, then we
would be wrong if we closed our minds to it. If it is not, then we are wrong if
we insist upon the exercise of tongues-speaking.
Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 13.
Now keep in mind the fact that the subject in Chapters 12-14 is spiritual gifts
with the main emphasis on tongues, because tongues was the one gift that the
Corinthians were abusing. Chapter 12 concludes with “tongues” (12:30) and
Chapter 13 begins with “tongues” (13:1). Obviously from the behavior of the
Corinthians they were lacking in the fruit of the Spirit, namely, love. And so
in Chapter 13 the Apostle dwells upon the essential ingredient of love which
supercedes the gifts, and without which the Christian is nothing at all.
Among the Corinthians there were
quarreling and division, but the needed fruit of the Spirit, love, was missing,
so Paul writes, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not charity (or love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal” (13
:1). In Corinth the tongues-speaking amounted to so much noise because
carnality had invaded their exercise of the gift. Even today there is a kind of
spiritual prestige associated with tongues-speaking. For a Christian to show
off any gift that God has given manifests pride that is lacking in love. Where
love is lacking, the exercise of any gift is worthless.
If Christians would take seriously,
within context, all of the teaching about tongues in 1 Corinthians, they could
not fail to see that tongues-speaking would cease. Paul writes, “Charity (love)
never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there
be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away”
(13:8). There will always be the need for love, therefore love will never drop
off. But when the canon of Scripture is made “perfect” (or complete), there
will be no further revelation from God, neither in predictive prophecy nor in
divinely revealed knowledge other than prophecy. The gifts of “prophecy” and
“knowledge” will be entirely unnecessary with the completion of the Scriptures.
And “if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18).
Paul acknowledged the incomplete
nature of the Scriptures in his day when he said, “For we know in part, and we prophecy
in part” (13:9), or more literally from the Greek, “For in part we are knowing,
and in part we are prophesying.” Then he adds, “But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away” (13:10). The word perfect
is in the neuter gender, and therefore refers to the perfect (finished or
completed) Word of God. If the word perfect referred to Christ it would
be in the masculine gender. The sign gifts were “done away” (rendered
inoperative) with the completion of the New Testament.
Now what about tongues? “Whether
there be tongues, they shall cease” (13:8). Tongues shall cease (Gr. patio),
that is, they shall come to a complete halt. Who needs tongues? Only the
untaught, carnal babes in Christ, for Paul added, “When I was a child, I spake
as a child . . . but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (13:11).
The word “spake” in context can only refer to speaking in tongues. So that Paul
himself came to the place of Christian maturity, through God’s revelation to
him, where tongues were no longer necessary. And so in the same tongues context
he admonishes the Corinthians, “Brethren, be not children in understanding . .
. but in understanding be men” (14:20). Experientially, tongues cease when the
Christian matures on a diet of the meat of God’s Word. Actually tongues is baby
talk.
For the past two years I have made
it my practice to ask many of the leading Bible teachers and scholars, some of
whom having a rich working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, if they have ever spoken
in tongues. Among them are college and seminary presidents and professors. To
date I have not had one of about sixty men tell me that he ever spoke in
tongues!
I have been asked if I ever spoke in
tongues. No, I have not. God and I have gotten along nicely for the past
forty-five years in English. I speak to Him in English and He hears and
understands me. He speaks to me in English through His Word, and I understand
Him.
How then can we account for the
wide-spread practice of speaking in tongues? I do not have all of the answers
to this question, but I will make three suggestions for your prayer
consideration.
First, speaking in tongues can be self-induced. Second,
speaking in tongues can be group-induced. Third, speaking in tongues can
be satanically-induced.
Since the creation of man Satan’s
insidious master-plan has been to put a veil between God’s children and God’s
inerrant Word. It began in the Garden of Eden when the Devil asked Mother Eve,
“Yea, hath God said . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1), thereby raising doubt as to the authority and
authenticity of what God has said. We know that this enemy has stepped up the
pace of his strategy.
Our present generation is witnessing
the growing menace of satanic activity in the realm of the miraculous. Where
the Devil does not succeed in taking the Bible from us, he works hard at taking
us from the Bible. And he succeeds in getting Christians to focus their
attention on the claims of men and women to some supernatural experience, and
in so doing those seekers after the experiences of others have neither time nor
interest in searching the Scriptures for God’s truth.
God does have a plan in His dealings
with the human race, and that plan does not necessarily include the continuing
repetition of the same miracles in every succeeding century. The miracles of
God are rare occurrences in history. Enoch’s bodily translation from earth to
heaven was the only recorded miracle performed by God in over 1700 years
between Adam and the flood.
The Church of Christ does not need a
new Bible, nor new apostles, nor new faith-healers, nor new charismatic
movements, nor self-styled miracle workers. What the Church needs is to return
to the Word of God and proclaim the whole counsel of God in the power and love
of the Holy Spirit.
And if my reader has never had a
personal experience of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, I urge you to
receive Him at once, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Three Kinds of Tongues Series
Contributed by JUDE JUDE UDOH on July 12 2017
Summary: Message about speaking in tongues and the different kinds of tongues in the Bible,.
Note: I use Understanding Spiritual Gifts Title: Three kinds of Tongues & the Importance of TonguesTheme: To show the three kinds of tongues in the Bible and show the importance of each.
Text: 1 Cor 14:1-2
But covet earnestly the best gifts: (1 Corinthians 12:31 AV)
Spiritual Gifts: 1 Cor 12:8-10,28
For to one is given by the Spirit the (1) word of wisdom; to another the (2) word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another (3) faith by the same Spirit; to another the (4) gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the (5) working of miracles; to another (6) prophecy; to another (7) discerning of spirits; to another (8) divers kinds of tongues; to another the (9) interpretation of tongues: (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.(especially desire the gift of prophecy) 2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification (strengthening), and exhortation (encouragement), and comfort. 4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. (1 Corinthians 14:1-5 AV)
Three types of tongues:
1) Spiritual (from God)
2) Psychological (from flesh) repetition of what is heard from others
3) Demonic (from Satan)
I. Initial Evidence 5 of 6 times mentioned in Acts
1) Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-4 Acts 2:4
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 2) Samaritan Acts 8:14-19 How did Simeon know that they were filled with the Spirit?
Acts 8:18-19 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost
3) Paul's filling Acts 9:17-19 Paul wrote in 1 Cor 14:5, 18
1 Cor 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
1 Cor 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
4) Caesarea Acts 10:44-46 Acts 10:46
Acts 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 5) Ephesus Acts 19:1-6 Acts 19: 6
Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Other fruit that comes from the Spirit Baptism
a) personal boldness and power to accomplish mighty works in the name of Christ (Acts
1:8; 2:14-41; 4:31; 6:8 ROM 15:18-19; 1 Cor 2:4) b) prophetic utterances and praise (Acts 2:4,17; 10:46; 1 Cor 14:2 c) sensitivity to sin and desire for holiness (John 16:8; Acts 1:8) d) life which glorifies Christ (John 16:13-14; Acts 4:33)
Tongues &
Interpretations
Have you ever
wondered?“I don’t understand the tongues and I don’t feel it’s so useful? Do I have to understand the tongues? And what’s the benefit I gain, as long as I don’t understand? Do you after praying in tongues just found yourself bored and feel that you just hear your own voice with no fruit as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal? Or you just repeating the same letters you say and no new?
Have you prayed in tongues about certain problem and nothing changed?
Are you fast boring in tongues and you can’t speak for a long time? How you can enjoy speaking in tongues instead of struggling with the understanding? How you can use the tongues to be in the spirit-in God’s presence?
Before I start to answer, I want to explain that as there are hindrances in the mind payer (normal or known language). So there are hindrances for praying in tongues. (And that’s the reason for your wondering. And often the poor or wrong teaching is the prime root for all of this. For the right explanation to the word of God is practical and so simple.
If you haven’t heard before about speaking in tongues it comes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit experience for the believer. To know how to get this essential experience read the following article:
How to receive the Holy Spirit by yourself now
Answering the Most Doubtable Questions about the Tongues:
Many doubt that they just composing tongues by themselves?
The Answer: you can't compose something you haven’t learned before, and the tongues are like the computer which if it hadn’t information stored on, it won't bring out information from itself.
If you’ve been able to speak Arabic and English that’s because you’ve learned them before. In other words this information has been stored up before on your mind so you use them.
However tongues are a new thing you haven’t learned before so you can't just compose it.
And don’t worry if the Holy Spirit knew that the believers will compose the tongues by themselves, he would have warned this. But it didn’t happen.
What really happens is this that you`re a spiritual being you have a soul and lives in body.
So you`re originally spirit, and your spirit prays and not the Holy Spirit. That’s why you feel that the tongues are coming out of you. And that’s right you (your spirit) are the one who prays in tongues, so you'll feel that you composing it and the Bible mentioned this before 1Co14:14: “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth.”
Many doubt that they just speak in devils’ tongues??
The Answer: I repeat if the Holy Spirit saw that the believers would speak in devils` tongues, he would have warned in the bible. But it didn’t happen, the bible warned from the false prophets because he knew it'll happen, but that’s didn’t happen concerning the tongues because he knew it won’t happen.
And I'll ask you just as the people asked Jesus in Luke 11:11-13 Lk 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Lk 11:12 or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Lk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, knows how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
In other words, if you asked God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit and to speak in tongues God won’t give you something fake or alternative like the son that asks bread from his father he will give him bread and nothing else. Notice that Luke11:11 basically talks about filling with the spirit it talks about our topic.
You asked God and your heart’s attitude to be filled with the spirit and to speak in tongues so God won't give you something fake. Every time the devil bothers you with doubts about the tongues saying that it’s from the devil; say to him that you haven’t got something that’s fake for God is responsible for his gifts. For these tongues are from God and nothing other than the tongues.
Ps: You won't be able to stop your mind from thinking; however you can neglect these thoughts which the devil come with concerning the tongues by answering from the word.
Every time you think about the tongues it reduces or stops, WHY? Because your mind doesn’t works by faith, your spirit does.
Moreover when you think about the spiritual matters, you do just as Peter did when he considered the thoughts that say: “what is that? Do you walk in water? Aren’t you fishier and familiar with water? No one could walk in water…” so he sank due to his thinking and not because the water, and his walking on the water before his doubt and after is the evidence for he went back walking the water with Jesus after.
Don’t think in the meaning of what you say or in the language you speak or when you’re fast or slow, or when you mutter or speak or when you just releasing voice without speaking all of this thinking is going to stop your spirit and activate your mind, actually these thoughts aren’t comes from inside you it’s from out from the devil. Face theses thoughts one by one from the Word and don’t pay attention to think in these thoughts.
The Bible says in Mark 16:17 and these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; Mk 16:18 they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
But this scripture isn’t a prophecy but truth. There’s a difference between prophecy which is God prophecies that something will happen. But the lord here mention truths that’s how you’ll know who believes in me…for these symptoms will be in their live… speak in tongues… that’s the ordinary the normal in the life of every believer.
Speaking with (personal) tongues in your personal life
According to 1Co14:5… I would like all of you to speak in other languages … (NIRV)
Now I can see that speaking in tongues is for every believer, and if we didn’t see every believer speak in tongues so that’s their problem and not God’s.
And that’s not because the tongues are over as some claims. I answer these claims and these personal opinions in separated article entitled: “repeated questions about tongues.”
As the Christ is for every believer…God wants that all people got saved…
Has every believer accepted the Christ? No.
Is it God’s will that every sinner receive the Christ? Yes.
Then why I can’t see every sinner receives the Christ (born again)? Because it’s in hand of every human to accept the Christ and not in God’s hand.
It’s Right and Must that every believer prays in tongues in his personal prayer life.
To know why every believer should pray in tongues I encourage you to read the article: should every believer pray in tongues?
But to pray effectively in tongues in your personal life you have to read the part that Holy Spirit spoke about in chapter 1co14 about praying in (personal) spirit, and that’s what this whole article about.
I’m going to put them in points to apply them in your prayer. And through our studying to God’s Word your mind will be renewed that is to have biblical Thinking so your prayer be effective:
1-That is to walk In Love:
1Co13:1 if you weren’t walk in love the tongues you pray won’t benefit you, and that’s not because tongues aren’t useful, but because you're in wrong position where you can’t benefit from it, by not walking in love.
That’s an important reason believers know nothing about. And seldom we here someone teaches about the connection between tongues and walking in love. Therefore I put it Number 1.Just as the bible puts it Number 1.
You have to walk in love with:
A. Love towards God: That’s to obey him; 1Jn 5:3 for the real love is to do what God what he commands us to do (if you unable to obey God in certain matter you fall repeatedly, you have to go to the Word of God to renew your mind concern this matter. Your actions are your thoughts results, so if you want change your actions you have to change your Thinking.
B. Love towards You: That’s to forgive yourself love and respect it and to look at it just as God looks to you. (Love your neighbor as yourself)
C. Love towards your Neighbor: That’s to love him and to forgive him… you won’t be able to love your neighbor before you love your self.
D. Love towards your Enemy: That’s to forgive them and to pray for them for there happiness, health and protection and to search for excuses to what they done with you, and to keep positive memories towards who’s done the evil with you.
-First of all you have to know God’s love towards you, for this is what will throw away all every fear and condemnation and disapproval before God and fear from diseases and poverty, and not just that but you have and must believe in his love towards you and not just feel it for you can’t perceive it just with your feelings but you have to believe in it 1Jn 4:16.
When you pray in tongues and find no answers to your prayers or find that you’re not edified, you have to check your spiritual position, and first of all the most important thing you should check is Walking In Love.
2-Speak to God in Tongues and not just speaking:
1Co14:2 for one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speak not to men but to God. (AMP)
There are people who speak in tongues but not unto God, in other words the don’t direct it towards God in faith that he hears them and that they speak to him with their spirits (that’s spirit to spirit connection) your spirit connects the father directly, and start praying without active faith that God hears them, just as if someone pulled the trigger of machine gun without shooting target. And the therapy of this is the Faith and I’ll discus this in detail in the next point, therefore if you don’t direct your prayer towards God, you have to declare in loud voice before you start pray in tongues:
“I’m coming forward boldly and in confidence to the throne of grace now, and I believe that the Father is hearing me even if I didn’t feel it, for I walk by Faith, and I refuse any emotions or thoughts against my Faith, I’m directing my prayer now unto the father and I won’t just speaking in tongues, for I speak unto God in tongues and I believe that God hears every letter of these tongues even if I don’t feel it”
When you enter to pray close your door, and if there isn’t available place to be alone with God, just close your inner (heart’s) door, away from people around you and give your full attention for God, just relax and don’t distract your mind with any thing. We still our hearts before him 1Jn 3:19 it is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, <Greek>: calm down and still and present (our souls) Greek: our hearts
God’s presence that in your heart and not just in heaven, God’s presence doesn't come and go as some suppose but it’s in you and you have to be more conscience about. Soon will be an article about “God’s presence”.
3-Speak In Faith:
This is a basic rule you have to consider and fix your eyes on:
Any connection with God starts and continues by Faith, and Faith isn’t emotions. That means either you felt or not that God exists and hears you doesn't matter. The most important is to believe with your heart (spirit), not with your feelings or emotions or even your will, and not by your five senses (that’s your body). You’re a spiritual being you have a soul and live in body. So you’re not just a soul and body, rather you have a soul, you’re not a physical being, rather you (the spirit) lives in body.
For praying in the tongues is like that, it’s a connection with God and it works by Faith, and other that won’t work, there’s no another way, that’s why you bore, boring is the result of failure, and the failure took place when you look to your feelings, so when you feel nothing you saying that you don’t pray effectively. While when you look with Faith (believing with your heart) to the Word you’ll find yourself that you praying a prayer that is so effective and powerful in its results, and God himself asking for you as a prayer in spirit, God seeks those who worship in spirit and truth. That’s you. Because praying in tongues are the praying in the spirit.
Either you felt or not that God Hears you while you praying, that’s your soul but you’re a spiritual being, all you need to do is just walking in your origin and your reality that you’re RESOLVED to walk by Faith (you’re a spiritual being that’s who you’re).
Also either you desired or not to pray that’s your soul but the most important that your spirit always wants to pray, and that’s the voice which you’ve been listening prompting you to pray in tongues, but because you’ve been using your mind and measure by your feelings, you stopped following your spirit.
And actually it doesn’t come as a voice, but it comes as an idea or suggestion to open your mouth to pray in spirit, that’s how the spirit works.
Hebrews11:6 and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
1. Exists
2. Rewards those who earnestly seek him. <Greek>: those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
How your Faith increases?? It doesn't increase through prayer but your Faith increases by hearing and hearing (repeated and much hearing) to God’s Word about tongues Romans10:17, and not by hearing testimonies about tongues.
Testimonies are wonderful, but it’ll stir and irritate your Faith and won’t build it. What builds up your Faith about tongues is to hear proper teaching about tongues from God’s Word. That’s why God’s Word is called “Faith Word” because it brings Faith. Read about Faith on the site.
You have to meditate and hear the Word and release it by your mouth in these aspects:
A .The Father hears you: as I said before even if you don’t feel that by you’re emotions. Faith always goes beyond senses.
B .Every tongues word has a meaning (we’ll discuss this in separated point) 1Co14:10… “And they all have meaning”… (NIRV) many doubt that what they saying aren’t tongues…or has no meaning. This scripture explains the matter.
C .You speaks to God and not just speaking. 1Co14:2For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God
D .You Charge your spirit 1Co14:4He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…<Greek>: a word that’s close to charge
When you start to find that praying in spirit (in tongues) has turned into routine you have to renew your mind from the Word, since the problem lies in creeping non-biblical thoughts to your mind and you haven’t guarded your mind against it. The Cure: stop praying, and start meditating in scriptures that concerns this matter. Then continue pray in tongues.
4-Three won’t understand the tongues: You, others, and the devil:
A .You won’t understand what you say:
This is the most irritating worrying thing to the believers for I confronted this question many times in my ministry and most of the believers asking: “I don’t understand what I say…, so what’s the benefit I gain from saying stuff that I don’t understand?”
Unfortunately many stops from praying in tongues because that after they have experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but always knowledge is the Answer:
First: you speak God so He who has to understand you and not you who has to understand what you say because it comes out of your spirit with the help of the Holy Spirit therefore you’re praying correctly since the Holy Ghost gives your spirit the ability to speak and your spirit utters these words on your tongue.
If you’ve been talking with important person you don’t aim to understand what you say the rather he understands what you say.
Second: you have to understand that the purpose from speaking in tongues is building your inner human spirit and for building your soul (mind, emotions, will) and your body who cares with understanding every thing around them.
1Co14:2 1Co 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 1Co 14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
The bible says that clearly that you won’t understand what you say. So you don’t have to wonder that you don’t understand anything, if the bible said before. Look to the BIBLE.
But you surely need more clear answer to this question: and What’s the benefit from praying in tongues as long as I don’t understand it??
The benefit I sin your spirit and it’s more important than your mind, don’t ever let your mind force you to understand every thing, and I always give this example to explain this point:
Imaging that you went to meet your boss in work and your child went with you. And you started speak in English with your boss in important matter about the work, and your child started to bore because he don’t understand and began to suggest one of these options: interpretation or leaving!!
And you understand but your child not. So the most important thing that you benefit from your conversation with the boss, but this child that’s with you don’t, and that doesn't make you leave this important interview because your child.
Thus it’s important to separate between the spirit, soul, and the body: because the bible distinguished between them in Hebrews 4:12
The soul and the body are used to understand every thing from the minute you’re out of the bed, but they aren’t you, you’re a spiritual being, so you’re spirit have a soul and lives in body.
For instance: you John and you have a car and lives in home. Are you car? No. Are you home?? Sure NO. You have them and but you’re not what you have and the most important is John not the car or the home but they’re important too but less than you. Imagine with me that one day the car spoke to you and said: I don’t want to go there because I don’t love this place. Sure you control it, and not the reverse.
Like wise the most important is you and the advantages you have it are less important than you. And never controls you.
In that manner your, the beneficiary from the tongues is you the spirit but the mind don’t understand anything. And it’s not its right to control your spirit rather the reverse.
And the great benefit that your spirit edifies and that will make you content and perceive matters with your spirit and not with your mind and that leads to understand it later with your mind. Because your spirit will turn this understanding to thoughts to understand it your mind it.
You’re doing a lot of things without understanding but you do it regularly and contently, like:
You eat the meat not because of what you studied about the ingredients of this piece of meat from proteins or vitamins, but because you knew that’s important for your health. Whether you’ve studied or not what is inside this piece of meat, but you eat it because you know one thing it’s useful. And it’s really useful and sure you don’t have to understand how you digest it or how it’ll spread through your whole body, rather you eat it with confidence that it’s useful. Your knowledge or not with its ingredients won’t affect your benefit from it , rather what really affects is your eating.
Likewise the bible says to you its useful, so it so. Even if you didn’t read this article to know the details to understand how it’s useful. But you have to do what the bible says and you’ll see after the implication of the word how really the tongues are very useful. But God’s Word explains why the tongues are important.
When you pray in tongues more than before. You’ll take time feeling that your flesh annoyed and bored likes the child that cries in his weaning. There is no difference.
We lived depending on our minds and bodies to understand what’s going on (to know every thing), and that shouldn’t be. To such that when you pray in tongues (unknown) the body and the soul are disgusted and upset due to lack of understanding. That is our flesh and soul controls the situation and wants to know every thing. And that mustn’t happen, God’s will is to be you the spirit controls over your thinking and our flesh. God created the soul (mind, emotions, will) and the flesh (five senses) to be your servants and use them, you who use them (the spiritual being) and the reverse.
That’s how we become spiritual, by our spirit controls our minds and flesh, that is our mind and flesh shouldn’t understand every thing in the same time. And don’t ever think that I neglect them but there’s special food for them:
The human spirit: Human’s spirit is your spirit that is born again and not the Holy Spirit. And the human spirit is built by:
1-Speaking in tongues 1Co14:4.
2-Meditate in the scriptures.
3- Speaking the scriptures to your self in aloud voice.*
Meditating means:
1-that is to contemplate the scripture.
2-that is to mutter it.
3- that is to think in it purposely even after you finished your bible reading, and to put it into your life that needs an active will because it won’t happen from itself.
*read faith books on the site to understand the influence of the spoken word on your life like the book of the spoken word….
The soul (mind, motions, and the will): according to proverbs 23:7 the mind is controller of our emotions and will.
The mind goes mad in its thinking because of incorrect information which is loaded daily from the world around us (which was put in the evil) gets into our minds through our five senses, and most of the time it’s anti-bible information.
Therefore the mind must be renewed and reprogramming daily through right teaching in God’s Word that is from two sources:
1-Reading the Word by the spirit of wisdom and revelation.Eph1:17-23
2-Hearing anointed teachers preaching right doctrines and reading books by them.
Notice that the soul doesn't crucified but renewed, you’ll find many who claims soul crucifixion and that is non-biblical, what they mean flesh desires crucifixion.
The flesh (the five senses): it’s not like the soul so it must be crucified and subdued. That means to say to it No when it wants something that is not biblical. Like in our topic say no to the flesh in: understanding the tongues, when it don’t want to pray, in hatred…
And that is easy after renewing the mind and meditating in the Word where the human spirit and the soul are united against the body so it becomes easy to crucify it.
Know that the benefits of the tongues:
-Though the mind doesn't understands the tongues, but the spirit is edified and know God more and get closer to God and that’s more important than building the soul for we’re a spiritual beings originally.
-Tongues will help you to discern between spirit, soul, and the flesh, because your spirit is activated by prayer while the soul and the flesh are subdued under your spirit and not active for they don’t understands nothing.
-Always the prayer in the spirit goes directly to the Father’s heart, because God wants those spiritual who’re always praying in the spirit and in truth (by their spirits).You connect to God spirit to Spirit. God is a Spirit and you also a spiritual being. Then the tongues are the most important mean to connect God. That’s why Paul said First I pray in spirit… and I pray in mind too.
Then don’t pay attention to the devil’s thoughts which comes on your mind and you think it’s you thoughts, and continue praying in tongues, and increase it and let it be your life style and after persisting and persevering your spirit will be weaned off your mind and your flesh. Utter new letters and words with faith it’s from God. You who change the letters and the words, and not God. Like the English you who change & choose the letters.
Don’t think about it, think about God.
Though there’re personal tongues interpretations, but you don’t need them when you pray in tongues for your spirit is edified, notice that Paul says in 1Co14:19 I speak Ten Thousand tongues word with my self,… that’s mean he don’t interpret it but if he prayed in the midst of the church it must be interpreted to understand him and be edified. Notice that Paul here doesn't overstates when he says Ten Thousand in tongues for he’s under the Anointing.
In 1Corinthians14:28 the sprit says also if there’re no tongues interpretation in the church don’t stop rather continue on praying but in a low voice. And that’s not because the tongues aren’t useful but because those who’re around you won’t be edified unless someone interpret it to their own language.
But you’re edified without interpreting evidence that he hadn’t said to individual who’s praying in tongues to stop till the others understands what he says, rather said: Continue but low your voice. In other words he doesn’t want the individual to stop from personal benefit.
B .The others won’t understand the Tongues
People around you
won’t understand the tongues, therefore they’ll benefit Nothing.1Co14:2 For he
that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no
man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
Therefore don’t practice tongues (the
personal tongues in the church) even if it believes in it, for that won’t help
people around you, though it benefits you. But you can pray in tongues
(personal) in loud voice in case that the pastor declared that’s time for
public prayer and the entire congregation is born again and the Church believes
in that. The aim here is praying and not to build each othersAnd as I said before that in this chapter 1Co14, arranges the personal prayer tongues which is practiced for your personal edification, and praying in tongues in the Church.
In the Church there must be teaching in known language. And if someone prayed in tongues he will have to interpret it for the edification of the Church. So he wants the more benefit for the all because that’s the aim of their meeting, to build each other. The spirit here correcting the concept that the tongues edify the Church but He didn’t said that its wrong rather He modified this and said that: the tongues + its interpretation will edify the church. But mere tongues without interpretation are going to edify just the person who speaks.
C .The devil won’t understand the tongues
Eventually, the devil also understands nothing of the tongues, because he isn’t omniscient for he doesn’t know all the languages for he understands the languages where he’s working only and he’s afraid to move from it lest he condemned because this kingdom is the kingdom of darkness & fear. That’s exactly like the soldier which ordered to do specific something and can do nothing more.
Only God is Omniscient so the Holy Spirit will give you with his wisdom language(s) the devil won’t understand it till the devil find nothing he understands so he become confused and don’t even know what to do and how to hinder the answer for he doesn't know what you praying for.
Therefore one of the benefits of the tongues is that the devil doesn’t understand. For he can’t resist it because it’s that kind of prayer that goes directly to the Father’s heart without understanding it, therefore it’s without hindering. Dan10:12-14:
Dan 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for
from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to
chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy
words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia (principals in the
spiritual realm on the regions and countries) withstood me one and twenty days:
but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained
there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand
what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is
for many days.
Do you see how the
devil resisted the answer of the prayer and that explains to you that God
answers from the first time doesn't need to repeat the prayer. And the delaying
not because of God but because of the devil that hinders the answer, and
the solution to this dilemma is to pray in tongues since the devil doesn't
understand it.
But that doesn't
mean to no to pray in mind. Don’t afraid from the devil since he can’t stand in
front of your words of faith that you say in known language. The devil can’t
stop in front of God that is the Word.
This Code
that the devil can’t decode, HALLELUJAH… Do you can see now why Paul is thanks
God because he prays in more tongues 1Co14:18
1Co 14:18 I thank
my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all (some translations: more than any
of you or all of you put together)
5-You
Who Speak and not the Holy Spirit:
-You who speak in tongues and don’t wait for
the Holy Ghost to hit you on your head and get you speak in tongues or move
your tongue to speak in tongues despite you, NO that is not the Holy Ghost for
all this not-biblical.You who start speaking in tongues and you who stop with your own desire. The Holy Spirit doesn't speak in tongues rather he gives you the ability to speak in tongues.
You don’t need to sing first to get into the mode to get excited and become fervent (then you have to pray in tongues after repentance and filed with the spirit……..this stuff happens with immature and Word ignorant believers, You don’t need all this to get into God’s presence, don’t repent precautionary, only repent when your conscience tells you that you’ve done something wrong and you have to repent immediately when you miss the mark and don’t wait till night or when you go to your room, keep your heart sensitive and tender, if you repented immediately you won’t suffer in prayer to be silent at first and then you start to pray, this is not-biblical, you’ll always be in the sprit and always ready to pray, this is must be the paradigm of every believer.
Many think that they’ll speak in tongues only when they’re filled with the spirit or when they feel with the presence of God. All of these things aren’t biblical, rather you when you baptized in the Holy Spirit you get in your center for utterance exactly like that in your mind and this center gets its energy from the Holy Spirit and it can speaks in any time like you speaks in any time in English without preparation time before.
The biblical way to re-filling of the spirit is speaking in tongues and declaring God’s Word in loud voice.
The bible doesn't say that the Holy Spirit speaks in tongues, rather he gives you the ability to speak in tongues, and you who speak therefore if you waited so long to the Spirit to speak in you in tongues as many claims, I’m telling you that you’re going to wait years and none will happen, why? Because you who utter, God is waiting for you while you waiting for him due to your ignorance.
Read with Acts2:4 and began to speak with other tongues (they who were speaking and not the Holy Spirit), as the Spirit gave them utterance (they who were uttering and not the Holy Spirit).
You start to utter in faith different letters with confidence that’s from the Holy Spirit.
Your human spirit who’s going to pray and not the Holy Spirit that’s clear in 1Co14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth (he didn’t say the Holy Spirit).
The miraculous thing in tongues not the uttering (that’s your role), but the words itself (and that’s the Holy Spirit role).
I mean not that you speaking in tongues, rather you say words that have meaning and understandable for God, that’s the real miracle.
Ps: the tongues aren’t the heaven language as some claims; rather it’s a spiritual language and it’s one of the languages that’s on earth or it’s one of the angels language according to 1Co13……. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels
The Summary you have to pray daily in tongues and practice it with your own will. Don’t wait till the Holy Spirit leads you. That’s your role, just as you reading the bible and prays in Arabic without the Holy Spirit telling you something. The Holy Spirit won’t break into and force you to speak. Look its all about you, the tongues are in you even if it has been stropped for many years, it stills in your spirit like the speaking center in the brain. He’s waiting for you to utter the words and he won’t speak from himself.
6-Increasing tongues and uttering more words:
Paul thanks God for he’s speaking in more tongues 1Co14:18
1Co 14:18 I thank
my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all (some translations: more than any
of you or all of you put together)
Aren’t these
tongues in abundance?!!! If the Apostle Paul is caring about the matter and
thanks God for it, so it must be important man for us as believers. That’s why
he wrote more than the half of the New Testament because he was praying in more
tongues. He was taking from the Holy Spirit abundantly. In fact Paul was living
what he was saying since he said: Eph 6:18 Praying always with
all prayer and supplication in the Spirit… this interprets that he was praying
in more tongues because he was practice most of the time. In the prison, in the
street, in his traveling with the believers….
And Paul says that in the midst of the Church
he chooses to speak in known language to edify the Church but alone he was
speaking ten Thousand words in tongues and remembers that Paul doesn't
overstate for he’s speaking under the unction. So when he says Ten Thousand
words in tongues he mean what he say: 1Co14:19 than ten thousand words
in an unknown tongueDo you can see the secret behind this giant man who was effective in world and still, and who the wonders happened on his own hands, who penetrated place the devil was taking dominion over it. That’s the secret of the deep relationship with God and for every believer who longs for to be effective and always anointed, and to be always sensitive to the leading of the spirit, and enjoys with the fullness of God Ep3:19.
Many are suffering from spending years uttering the same words over and over again, and there’s who just give up and stop of praying in tongues.
But how you can speak in more different tongues??
This happens by the following:
1-To start utter different letters on purpose and with by your own will believing that you won’t speak in just fake tongues for the only obstacle for the believers is the fear from being uttering letters from their own imaginations, and the answer for this at the beginning of the article and I repeat the scripture LUKE11:11
2-Meditatining in the Word of God, this will feed your spirit your spirit who prays.
7-The benefits of the Tongues:
A .You charges your spirit and always is filled with the spirit and helpful to the others:
1Co14:4… He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself<Greek> word similar to charge himself
There are believers filled with the spirit years ago and stopped there. The baptism is the initially filling but the filling is continues. The spirit hasn’t left you and you still immersed in Him, but you can be fully immersed or closing your mouth tightly and no water will go on.
As well after the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you haven’t lifted up from the Spirit this happens only in the water baptism. To study about the baptisms read this article The Baptisms (Soon).
But as you immersed in the Spirit once you still immersed, but you need to drink daily from it, that’s why the spirit says through Paul in Ephesians 5:18… but be filled with the Spirit (its origin is in the Present continuous) continue to drink from the Holy Spirit.
And that’s through daily charging of the tongues.
B. You become in the spirit and become sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His leading:
1Co14:2… howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries
When you pray in the Spirit that is to go deeply in the spirit realm and perceive it by this you become to the Holy Spirit.
Yes this is most time you can hear the Holy Spirit, where your spirit is active and your mind is inactive and useless. By this you can easily discern between your thoughts and God’s thoughts. Because God speaking to you through thoughts. And not by clear voice.
C. You speak in mysteries and understand the Written and prays for God’s plan for your life:
1Co2:12-13 1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual..
Yes Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him is to us here on the earth and not in heaven for the bible says prepared in the past. Then we do have it now. But without knowing what to us we Won’t take it.
Here Paul says that he uses spiritual methods to perceive and understand what’s belong to him in Christ, spiritual means and the Greek origin says combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language, and says also in v.7 that we speak in a mystery, how he speaks and reveals something and it still secret?
This Only happens when someone speaks with you with unknown language a language that you know not. Although he said it but it still secret that’s unknown to our minds.
Therefore he needs interpretation.
The tongues will help you to know and take what’s yours in Christ. That’s your inheritance and you have to discover it.
These secrets also mentioned in 1Co14:2
What’re these Mysteries? It’s God’s plan for your life and the matters that God’s predestined for you to live it.
And that’s to know God more deeply, understanding the written, that’s your inheritance, that’s also the healing that’s yours, success, protection and the abundant supplying for your needs.
Mysteries are also the hidden future when you pray in tongues you save your self from things that was going to happen to you or your family and because you prayed in tongues you’re praying correctly as if you know what’s going to happen and fix the matters so you avoid disasters.
No doubt that the devil will continue to fight you I don’t mean that you won’t have struggles and challenges. But I want to make it clear to you the biblical way to defeat these challenges.
All these mysteries are needed to be uttered by your own tongues to discover it and to happen and to live in an atmosphere of reality. For this treasurer is hidden for you and not from you 1Co2:7 hidden for your glory. (It needed to be discovered and take it) Because the Holy Ghost will interpret these tongues and it goes to your head in form of thoughts. That’s how the Spirit will interpret the written for you in a direct way.
D .You pray, sing and worship With the spirit:
1Co14:15-17 1Co 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1Co 14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
1Co 14:17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
Sure you can see that he says I pray with the spirit first that means that’s priority and more important than praying with the understanding.
You can do the praying with the spirit in all aspects of your relationship with God prayer in all it forms, singing (tongues chanted with the spirit) also thanksgiving in more better way than your language where the words come to end to say glory and no words enough. And say HALLELUJAH, and you find yourself wants to explode with deeper praises. That’s the role of the tongues. In every time the believers are filled in the spirit in Book of Acts they’re hearing the others praising and glorifying God with their languages…then the tongues are practiced in loud voice.
Tongues are the deepest and highest level of adoration and the Father seeks those worshippers in spirit and in truth. Your essence that you’re a spiritual being so pray with your spirit more than your understanding.
E .Keeping yourself in God’s Love (Agapao):
Jud20-21 Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Jud 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (keep in the < Greek >guards)
That’s the way to continue in walking in love. Yes you who start walking in love but there’s many challenges that often make you to loose in walking in love but the tongues will make you firm in this.Why? because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us in the new born Ro5:5. That means it’s in your spirit now but it need to be Activated. And that happens when you pray in tongues where your spirit is Activated for you use it in praying in tongues.
F .Every word has a meaning then it has effect:
1Co14:10 1Co 14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
Yes don’t let the devil fight you in this aspect there he says to you there’s no meaning to these words you say, meditate in these scriptures where the spirit says to you that every word you say has a meaning even if you don’t understand it, it doesn't matter. The most important that has a meaning and so it has effect.
When you hear to child in his first age, you won’t concentrate in what he says because he mutters in utter, but it’s not words but when you hear to an adult man you’ll concentrate in every word he says to you. In that manner God listen closely to do your words. For you’re righteous and God pays attention to you because you’re righteous 1Pe3:12.
As long every word has meaning, so you have to change the letters to say more and more details. Don’t stop where you’re and just repeat the same letters, NO change and say more and more words to say more and more details about the matter you pray about. It’s in your hands.
G .Turning the matters to your own good:
Ro8:28… Rom
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Many times the believers quote this scripture
out of context so they say it without it happen in their life.You know why?? Because it’s a conditional scripture, that means there must be condition to change every thing to your goodness and that’s Prayer.
Many throw the responsibility of fixing the matters on God depending on this scripture. But we have role as a believers and that’s to let God get into the bad matter through the prayer. To prove to you that’s the matter in your hands and not in God’s let me ask you:
Are there bad matters in your life and you know it wasn’t God’s will for you and the years go by and yet it hadn’t turn into your own good? Yes, sure.
Is God going to fall short in his part (which some claims it’s going to happen automatically) NO, for sure?
It’s clear that God who turns the bad matters into your own good, but you still have to get him in the matter to fix it; it’s not God’s business to do the conversion as long you didn’t ask him to. Though he wants the best for you but if you didn’t let him get into the situation he can do nothing.
And not only this, but you have to say to him in detail what you want. If you want God to do 100% change, then you have to pray in full detail 100%. But this doesn't happen usually. Since you don’t know the problem root or you know nothing about it except it happened. Here comes the role of the Holy Spirit helping you to pray in tongues in desired details that you know nothing about it.
If we done our role, then we don’t have to worry for God will do his role.
Praying in tongues will help you to turn the bad situations that happened in your life into your goodness for Romans8:28
Rom 8:28 And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.
Is a result for
vv.26-27 Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities(the weakness here is the ignorance about what we're praying
for because our mind is limited but our spirit is unlimited): for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.:(Greek: with unspeakable
yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.)
Rom 8:27 And
he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he
maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
One of the
translations says: We are assured and know that [ 10 God being a partner
in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good
Then praying in tongues is the something
that’ll help you to pray for your future and to get God Involved in your bad
matters that happened to fix it so it turns into your own goodness.But it won’t turn into your goodness unless you pray about in the spirit.
You can read more about getting God involved in your problems in this article:
God’s lease on earth (soon).
So praying in tongues will make you pray for what you know not with your understanding and which might be the hidden root to the problem and you never thought once that would be, and you find the problem solved miraculously.
Tongues are God’s will for every believer:
1Cd14:5 Now I wish that you might all speak in [unknown] tongues…(AMP)
Paul here speaks under the unction and says this scripture; I prefer to say the Spirit through Paul: I wish that you might all speak in [unknown] tongues
Exactly like God wants that al people get saved. Is every body saved? NO. that’s people’s problem not God.
Likewise tongues are God’s will for every believer. And God urges the believers through Paul to speak in tongues.
Tongues are like the mobile charger, which without even if you have the best mobile but without charging One day you’ll find it like a cold piece of metal doesn't send or receive.
Thus you maybe get filled with the spirit but you haven’t continued to drink from it, and that’s through the tongues.
But there is a lot of Pentecostals and Apostolic who claims with inaccurate teachings that the tongues isn't for all who baptized in the Holy Spirit.
But that's inaccurate biblically, for instance, look to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the number of people who filled in the spirit were 120 and all of them spoke in tongues not 80 of 120, no the 120 spoke in tongues.
So in Acts 19 the bible says that the number of people who filled with the spirit was 12 and all of them spoke in tongues not 9 of 12.
Many times people and ministers put testimonies as a standard or a measurement, but the bible is our standard which we measure people by and not the reverse by measuring the bible on people. For whosoever filled with the spirit has the ability to speak in the tongues but due to lack of knowledge or ignorance, he hadn't use it even if he was filled with the spirit for 50 years, he can simply follow the instructions below and use the tongues which is inside him 50 years ago.
You who will utter in non-English letters on purpose and with your own will in faith that’s from God you who will start it.
Don’t wait for God to move your tongue for you, no you move it and release voice Out of your throat as of you’ll speak and start uttering letters in faith that’s from God and don’t stop and utter more and more and more and more letters…… Believe that God won’t give you something fake according to Luke11:11.
NOTE: There’re No spiritual Warfare Tongues:-
Many say that they prayed in “spiritual warfare tongues” and that’s not biblical and this expression hasn’t mentioned in the Bible.
The Bible explains clearly that the tongues are only directed toward God. Therefore don’t let unbiblical teaching get into your heart without revising. For these teachings will make you distracted in your prayer for you’ll direct it towards the devil and such using hasn’t mentioned in the Bible.
You can read more about the benefits of the tongues in these two articles:
Does every believer should speak in tongues? Soon
Benefits of tongues for every believer? Soon
8-Three Usages for tongues in your life:
A .For worshipping God:
This is the first thing the assembly heard while they’re filling with the spirit in the Book of Acts.
Acts1:11
Acts10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God
1Co 14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
1Co 14:17 For thou
verily givest thanks well (do you can see that praying and worshipping in the
spirit is better than understanding), but the other is not edified.
Unfortunately
many think that worship and praise are only in the beginning of the prayer, and
then we get into the requests, but that is also incorrect since the worship
must be a lifestyle along the day along all the time lifting your heart through
worship in spirit. When you worship God in spirit you’ll discover how those
will deep your relationship with God more and more. Col2:7 give us the key which
our roots extend and we get deeper in God through thanksgiving this is in the
Greek Origin for the scripture…
Col 2:7 Rooted and
built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving. (Greek: through thanks Giving)
B .To
pray for specific matter:
You who direct the
tongues for the purpose you want, and the Holy Spirit will help you
immediately. Many wonders: how I can pray for specific something in tongues?
The Holy Spirit is
your Helper in the prayer, therefore when you want to pray in tongues
you can do that by declaring with your mouth: I’ll pray for this matter now…and
you just start praying in tongues.
Even if you didn’t
declare that, the Spirit understands what you want, he’ll give tongues
concerning the matter. I Only want to assure that it’s in you're hand.
C .To
leave the Spirit prays through you without specific purpose:
Leave the Spirit
prays in you without you determine a definite purpose and that happens in the
daily life when you work, when you’re in your way to the work, when you drive
your car, or when you work in the kitchen…So you’ll make the Holy Spirit use
you to get the permission to get into your future, and the other’s life, and
for God’s plan to happen God’s church in your town and around the world. And
sure all this you won’t be able to understand, but the God understands.
Many are Asking: I often become distracted
when I pray un tongues, what can I do to control my thoughts during praying in
tongues??Well, CONTROL your thoughts not only in the prayer time but during all the day. That doesn't happen with most of the believers, since they leave their thoughts without guarding or leading all the day and they just want to control it during their prayer. And sure that won’t work!!!
CONTROL your thoughts through the whole day, force and bind it to think in the Word, recall to your memory scriptures on purpose that what was mentioned in 2Pe1:15 2Pe 1:15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. <Greek: that [even] after my departure (decease) you may be able at all times to call these things to mind.>
By this you train your mind along the day so you’ll find it submits easily during the prayer, henceforth you won’t find it hard when you control your mind during the day.
This will take some time, but eventually it’ll submit and become your slave it’s just a matter of time but start NOW.
Do you know that
your spirit is able to control your thoughts 2Ti1:7 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
<Greek: sound mind means; that you control your thoughts and the reverse>
This ability to
control your thoughts is in you now as long you’re born again
from God, and that’s against what the devil trying to put in your mind that; “you
just can’t control your thoughts”.
From now declare
that you control every thought and lead your mind with your will and you’re the
leader not it. Rather you the spirit lead your mind. Tongues have a role in
controlling your mind, but when you pray it with the knowledge that you’ve
received in this article. That because the tongues are a chance where your mind
is still and quite and your spirit is Active.
9-Personal
tongues interpretations:
Personal tongues interpretations don’t come
instant as the Church, every sentence of tongues has an interpreted sentence of
English, and this usually doesn't happen in the personal interpretation.For the interpretation may come in different forms like; understanding the scripture in a different way and that God means, it may come as wisdom to get out from such embracing situation.
And often it doesn't come instantly but after minutes, hours, or maybe days after praying in tongues.
I don’t mean that it never comes instantly, no this happens, but fewer than this that comes after the prayer with a period. Since the instant interpretation is important in the Church for the believers will leave the place through a limited period, but you the Spirit is always with you all the time to interpret the tongues for you. Just after praying for a session in tongues, pray in faith and ask God to give you understanding to what you’ve prayed for and receive it in faith and thank him for it. Don’t pray in tongues preoccupied with your attempts to know the meaning of what you praying for, rather pray in spirit without even thinking in this. Be occupied with your worship for God. Stretch out your spiritual hand and touch God when you uttering in tongues.
Praying in tongues will help you to understand things in your spirit and this understanding besides sound teaching will turn into thoughts in your mind and that maybe not happens instantly but after hours or days or praying in tongues. And that’s what’s called with personal tongues interpretation.
The rapidity of tongues interpretations depends on:
1 .The abundance knowledge with God’s Word about the subject that the Spirit speaks to you about in the tongues interpretation: since the spirit will explain the scriptures for you and takes you to its real meaning and if there’s no former knowledge he won’t be able to do this, because the tool that God uses His Word.
2 .Your Faith: and it increases by your hearing the Word concerning tongues and that’s found in this article.
3 .How deep is your relationship with God: and that happens by praying in tongues for long sessions for hours. You should pray in tongues hour every day minimum.
How to practice the personal tongues in the Church:
Speaking with tongues in the Church
You have to know that there are different kinds of meetings in the Church and many times we see these meetings get mixed with each other and that what makes the anointing works in the way that the believers are hungry for in the world:
1. Believers' Meeting: where the assembly are just believers (like the morning meetings where the attending of the unbelievers is rare). In this meeting believers are allowed to share their devotions but under the leading of the spirit to build each other. In this meeting it’s right to pray in tongues in loud voice but if there was tongues interpretation in order that all the Church get edified.
2. Unbelievers Meeting: and it’s evangelical, where the pastor speaking about what Jesus has done in the salvation not just as Jesus who guarantees the eternal life to you, but also as Jesus who wants to get involved in your life here on the earth, and this is the salvation with its five meanings in the Greek: (deliverance, healing, rescue, preservation, salvation).
Then he presents an invitation to accept what Jesus has done and pray with them.
In this meeting it’s not proper to pray in tongues in loud voice, the sinners don’t understand this. But there might be interpreted tongues and it will be as a word of knowledge to an attended sinner.
3. Prayer Meeting: where we can sing only in its begging for we enter his gates with praise and thanksgiving, but prayer is the main part in it and songs are rare.
4. Teaching meeting: Where the believers meet to get some teaching.
In this meeting you shouldn’t pray in tongues in loud voice since you distract those around you.
To know more read this article: Types of meetings in the Church.
In the believers meeting
The same thing about praying in the spirit-in tongues, it’s should that who prays in tongues in the midst of the Church not because the tongues are insignificant, but for the one who besides you in order to not be distracted because he won’t understand you so he won’t be edified.
But don’t stop speaking in tongues, since the bible says where there’s no tongues interpretation (in order that the Church be edified) speak to God and not yourself and not to be silent for it’s useful for you.
1Co 14:28 But if
there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak
to himself, and to God.
If you didn’t do that (that’s God’s
way) you won’t just harm those around you (by distraction) but the tongues you
pray in-though its right- won’t benefit you with the measure the bible has
promised unless you perform it in the bible way.But in the time of prayer in the whole Church, its right for every to pray in tongues in loud voice, even if there’s no tongues interpretation, because it’s time for prayer and not for building believers, the bible also says in Acts10:46Act 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. They were hearing them speaking in tongues in the time of spiritual worship where they thank God in loud voice.
The Church prayer in Acts 4:
In Acts 4 they all prayed in one voice. This also carries the meaning of praying in spirit, because they were filled with the spirit and speaking in tongues. You’ll see this in Paul’s speech with whom he met.” Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”Acts19:1-6. The matter wasn’t Optional or rare in as nowadays but it was necessary for every believer.
When the Bible says they all lifted prayer with one soul, its all individual prayers, and the Holy Spirit Collected it and gave us the summary of all what’s been said by the attendees in that time.
Including who prayed in tongues (in loud voice and the Holy Spirit has interpreted it for us)
And who prayed in understanding and the Holy Spirit collected all these prayers.
Sure there wasn’t press or copying machines in those days to write the prayers and distribute it on everyone then they start in praying. No it didn’t happen.
But these prayers are collected from the Holy Spirit. And when we pray in spirit as a group of believers, we’ll pray in such a way that’s God’s will so we pray with sound thinking according to God’s will.
(Sure I’m speaking here about right biblical Church and believe in the holy spirit infilling and speaking in tongues. Doubtless don’t cause problems by praying in tongues in loud voice in the Churches that don’t believe in this experience.
And you have check yourself many times before you go to this Church that doesn't believe in this great biblical experience. EXCEPET God wants to use you there in a specific way that he told you before, and not to take from them but to give them.
Eventually we have to use these tongues in such a way that edifies the Church as long you’re in a Church. And that happens through tongues interpretation either the Spirit gives you the gift of interpreting or the Spirit gives another person this gift.
But personally you can pray in thousand of tongues without interpretation because it’s useful for you.
NOTE: “the gift of tongues” is the gift that’s interpreted with “the gift of interpreting the tongues”. But it’s not the “personal” tongues that are interpreted in the Church; however the person that God gives him the gift of interpreting the tongues he can understands in his spirit the both.
question: "What is the gift of speaking in
tongues?"
Answer: The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. The apostles went out and shared the gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11). The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, Paul discusses miraculous gifts, saying, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” (1 Corinthians 14:6). According to the apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language, but it is useless to everyone else unless it is interpreted/translated.
Answer: The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. The apostles went out and shared the gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11). The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, Paul discusses miraculous gifts, saying, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” (1 Corinthians 14:6). According to the apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language, but it is useless to everyone else unless it is interpreted/translated.
A person with the gift of interpreting tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30) could understand what a tongues-speaker was saying even though he did not know the language that was being spoken. The tongues interpreter would then communicate the message of the tongues speaker to everyone else, so all could understand. “For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says” (1 Corinthians 14:13). Paul’s conclusion regarding tongues that were not interpreted is powerful: “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Corinthians 14:19).
Is the gift of tongues for today? First Corinthians 13:8 mentions the gift of tongues ceasing, although it connects the ceasing with the arrival of the “perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13:10. Some point to a difference in the tense of the Greek verbs referring to prophecy and knowledge “ceasing” and that of tongues “being ceased” as evidence for tongues ceasing before the arrival of the “perfect.” While possible, this is not explicitly clear from the text. Some also point to passages such as Isaiah 28:11 and Joel 2:28-29 as evidence that speaking in tongues was a sign of God's oncoming judgment. First Corinthians 14:22 describes tongues as a “sign to unbelievers.” According to this argument, the gift of tongues was a warning to the Jews that God was going to judge Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as Messiah. Therefore, when God did in fact judge Israel (with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70), the gift of tongues would no longer serve its intended purpose. While this view is possible, the primary purpose of tongues being fulfilled does not necessarily demand its cessation. Scripture does not conclusively assert that the gift of speaking in tongues has ceased.
At the same time, if the gift of speaking in tongues were active in the church today, it would be performed in agreement with Scripture. It would be a real and intelligible language (1 Corinthians 14:10). It would be for the purpose of communicating God's Word with a person of another language (Acts 2:6-12). It would be in agreement with the command God gave through the apostle Paul, “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). It would also be in accordance with 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
God most definitely can give a person the gift of speaking in tongues to enable him or her to communicate with a person who speaks another language. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the dispersion of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11). Just imagine how much more productive missionaries could be if they did not have to go to language school, and were instantly able to speak to people in their own language. However, God does not seem to be doing this. Tongues does not seem to occur today in the manner it did in the New Testament, despite the fact that it would be immensely useful. The vast majority of believers who claim to practice the gift of speaking in tongues do not do so in agreement with the Scriptures mentioned above. These facts lead to the conclusion that the gift of tongues has ceased or is at least a rarity in God's plan for the church today.
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