Speaking in tongues, another Biblical topic that is the subject of controversy both in and outside the Christian Church! Although, in my humble opinion, if you are truly a born-again believer, nothing in the Bible should be controversial if you just believe in faith – faith in Christ Jesus! If you believe in Jesus then you have to believe the Bible, the entire Bible – Jesus is the Bible, and the Bible is Jesus! I’ll never get tired of quoting these three verses below.
John 1:1 & 14 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son (Jesus), who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
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.
Right, my dear readers, now that we have the right spiritual perspective in place, let’s carry on talking about the importance of born-again Christians speaking in tongues!
The Greek word used for tongues in the New Testament is 'glossa' (Strong’s 1100), pronounced gloce-sah and means the tongue (one speaks in), a language, of flowing speech inspired by God.
What did Jesus say about speaking in tongues?
After his resurrection Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples and gave them what we call ‘the great commission’. He told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel. And as part of the great commission, he said this about those who believe:
Mark 16:17 (NIV)
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
In Luke’s gospel Jesus tells the disciples, just before He ascends into heaven, to go to Jerusalem and wait for power from on high.
Luke 24:49 (NIV)
I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The Lord used this outpouring of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate the arrival of the new covenant in Christ Jesus and ushered in the New Testament Church!
What’s more God chose Pentecost to do this as Jerusalem was filled with Jews from many other different nations who spoke different languages. These Jews had come to Jerusalem specifically to celebrate Pentecost and when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 believers in the upper room, it caused such a commotion that many of the visiting Jews flocked to the scene to see what was going on.
A powerful witness by God of just who He is and how He can powerfully affect the lives of those who believe in His Son, Jesus! A miraculous sign indeed as the 120 spoke in languages that the witnesses could understand and not only that, they were also languages that the 120 could not speak before!
This sign was repeated in Acts 10:46, 19:6 – furnishing ample proof (three attestations) that the Lord had incorporated all believers into Christ's (supernatural) body 1 Corinthians 12:13.
So, here we see the evidence that speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit and it played a very significant role in the lives of the early Church believers and it was a physical evidence of a believer being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in tongues has been much maligned over the centuries and mainly from within the Church itself.
But if you consider yourself to be a truly born-again and Spirit filled Christian then you should be speaking in tongues!
Let my explain to you from scripture why I say this.
Repeating what I said right at the top of this article in my picture, “Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit!”
The gifts of the Spirit are given to us by God, and they are distributed to us as born-again believers by the Holy Spirit and should be used to build up and edify each other and to bring glory to Jesus – the only one who is worthy of all glory, honour and praise! Amen!
Now, why does God want His Church to receive and use the gifts of the Spirit?
The answer is not complicated in fact it is very simple! They are given to us so that we can be enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up and edify each other so that the Church as a whole can be built up in the unity of the Spirit to bring glory to Jesus. The things of the Spirit are pure and untainted by our flesh. It is God through the gifts of the Spirit that empowers us to build each other up, it cannot be done in the flesh.
The Apostle Paul encourages us to follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit!
On a personal note, I want any gift that God wants to give me, and I desire to use them to glorify Jesus and to help build up my brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can all reach spiritual maturity as a unified Church.
Let’s now have a look at speaking in tongues in particular. What is the benefit of speaking in tongues to the individual and to the body of Christ as a whole?
Benefit One – we follow the way of love.
The Apostle Paul tells us that when we desire the spiritual gifts, we are following the way of God’s love. This principal applies to each of the Gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues. So, we can safely say that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the agapé love of God!
Benefit Two – we edify ourselves (when there is no interpretation).
When we quietly pray in tongues to ourselves, we are speaking to God as His child, we are communicating one-on-one with our Heavenly Father on a very personal level! Our spirit communicates directly with God. This is a way of strengthening our own spirit and the stronger our spirit man is the easier it is to overcome our flesh, the soulish area of our being. The stronger the spirit is within us the easier it will be for us to bring our flesh, our souls under submission to the Holy Spirit.
Benefit 3 – we edify ourselves and the Church – when there is an interpretation.
If in a meeting of the saints (a Church service say) and under the unction of the Holy Spirit, we pray out loud in a tongue for all to hear we should pray for the interpretation of that tongue so that the entire Church congregation can be edified.
I find the above passage of scripture crucial in understanding the power of speaking in tongues. If we are not just praying quietly to ourselves in tongues and the Holy Spirit urges us to speak out loud when in the midst of the congregation then we can pray for the interpretation as well.
And what is more interesting too is the fact that singing in the spirit and singing out the interpretation is all part and parcel of speaking in tongues and singing out a prayer is what the Psalmist does. It is important for others to understand what you are saying out loud to the congregation in the spirit as well so that they can be edified too and even more importantly they can say the “Amen” in agreement.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 goes on to tell us that he probably speaks in tongues to edify himself more that anybody, but when he is with the Church gathering, he would rather speak intelligible words so the congregation can be built up.
So, from this I understand that when an interpretation of a tongue is given in the congregation it performs the same function as a prophecy, it builds up and edifies the congregation because the unknown tongue has been interpreted in the power of the Holy Spirit – another gift of the Spirit, ‘the interpretation of tongues!’
Speaking in different kinds of tongues.
At this point I think it is important for us to know that there are two different kinds of speaking in tongues that are mentioned in the Bible by the Apostle Paul.
1. The tongues of men, and
2. The tongues of angels.
The tongues of men.
This refers to a language that is already known on earth and spoken by men. When the gift of speaking in tongues is used in this way the tongue or language is spoken by a believer, under the power of the Holy Spirit, who has had no previous ability to speak this language.
This gift of speaking in tongues of men was evidenced in a powerful way on the day of Pentecost. God knows how to draw men to Himself!
Right after this happened the Apostle Peter stood up and delivered a powerful gospel message in the power of the Holy Spirit which culminated in 3000 people being saved!
The tongues of angels.
This a language spoken by angels – a purely spiritual language. This is a language that is available to all believers as bestowed by the Holy Spirit. It is a spirit language all of your own (each person’s spirit language is different to another’s although some sound similar) that connects you directly to God through the Holy Spirit and is the language we use when we are praying in the Spirit and do not know what to pray.
This sign was repeated in Acts 10:46, 19:6 – furnishing ample proof (three attestations) that the Lord had incorporated all believers into Christ's (supernatural) body 1 Corinthians 12:13.
Acts 10:44-46 (NIV)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Acts 19:6 NIV)
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
So, here we see the evidence that speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit and it played a very significant role in the lives of the early Church believers and it was a physical evidence of a believer being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in tongues has been much maligned over the centuries and mainly from within the Church itself.
But if you consider yourself to be a truly born-again and Spirit filled Christian then you should be speaking in tongues!
Let my explain to you from scripture why I say this.
Repeating what I said right at the top of this article in my picture, “Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Spirit!”
1 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)
to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
The gifts of the Spirit are given to us by God, and they are distributed to us as born-again believers by the Holy Spirit and should be used to build up and edify each other and to bring glory to Jesus – the only one who is worthy of all glory, honour and praise! Amen!
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
1 Corinthians 12:11 (NIV)
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
Now, why does God want His Church to receive and use the gifts of the Spirit?
The answer is not complicated in fact it is very simple! They are given to us so that we can be enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up and edify each other so that the Church as a whole can be built up in the unity of the Spirit to bring glory to Jesus. The things of the Spirit are pure and untainted by our flesh. It is God through the gifts of the Spirit that empowers us to build each other up, it cannot be done in the flesh.
1 Corinthians 12:7 (AMP)
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good.
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV)
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
On a personal note, I want any gift that God wants to give me, and I desire to use them to glorify Jesus and to help build up my brothers and sisters in Christ so that we can all reach spiritual maturity as a unified Church.
Let’s now have a look at speaking in tongues in particular. What is the benefit of speaking in tongues to the individual and to the body of Christ as a whole?
Benefit One – we follow the way of love.
The Apostle Paul tells us that when we desire the spiritual gifts, we are following the way of God’s love. This principal applies to each of the Gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues. So, we can safely say that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the agapé love of God!
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV)
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
Benefit Two – we edify ourselves (when there is no interpretation).
When we quietly pray in tongues to ourselves, we are speaking to God as His child, we are communicating one-on-one with our Heavenly Father on a very personal level! Our spirit communicates directly with God. This is a way of strengthening our own spirit and the stronger our spirit man is the easier it is to overcome our flesh, the soulish area of our being. The stronger the spirit is within us the easier it will be for us to bring our flesh, our souls under submission to the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:2 & 4 (NIV)
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.
4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
Benefit 3 – we edify ourselves and the Church – when there is an interpretation.
If in a meeting of the saints (a Church service say) and under the unction of the Holy Spirit, we pray out loud in a tongue for all to hear we should pray for the interpretation of that tongue so that the entire Church congregation can be edified.
1 Corinthians 14:13-17 (NIV)
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
I find the above passage of scripture crucial in understanding the power of speaking in tongues. If we are not just praying quietly to ourselves in tongues and the Holy Spirit urges us to speak out loud when in the midst of the congregation then we can pray for the interpretation as well.
And what is more interesting too is the fact that singing in the spirit and singing out the interpretation is all part and parcel of speaking in tongues and singing out a prayer is what the Psalmist does. It is important for others to understand what you are saying out loud to the congregation in the spirit as well so that they can be edified too and even more importantly they can say the “Amen” in agreement.
Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV)
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 goes on to tell us that he probably speaks in tongues to edify himself more that anybody, but when he is with the Church gathering, he would rather speak intelligible words so the congregation can be built up.
1 Corinthians 14:18-19 (NIV)
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
So, from this I understand that when an interpretation of a tongue is given in the congregation it performs the same function as a prophecy, it builds up and edifies the congregation because the unknown tongue has been interpreted in the power of the Holy Spirit – another gift of the Spirit, ‘the interpretation of tongues!’
Speaking in different kinds of tongues.
At this point I think it is important for us to know that there are two different kinds of speaking in tongues that are mentioned in the Bible by the Apostle Paul.
1 Corinthians 13:1a (NIV)
If I speak in the tongues (languages) of men or of angels, but do not have love,
1. The tongues of men, and
2. The tongues of angels.
The tongues of men.
This refers to a language that is already known on earth and spoken by men. When the gift of speaking in tongues is used in this way the tongue or language is spoken by a believer, under the power of the Holy Spirit, who has had no previous ability to speak this language.
This gift of speaking in tongues of men was evidenced in a powerful way on the day of Pentecost. God knows how to draw men to Himself!
Acts 2:4-8 (NIV)
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
Acts 2:40-41 (NIV)
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The tongues of angels.
This a language spoken by angels – a purely spiritual language. This is a language that is available to all believers as bestowed by the Holy Spirit. It is a spirit language all of your own (each person’s spirit language is different to another’s although some sound similar) that connects you directly to God through the Holy Spirit and is the language we use when we are praying in the Spirit and do not know what to pray.
Praying in the tongues of angels is for one’s personal edification, it edifies and strengthens your soul. You come into perfect harmony with God’s will. A place where every Christian needs to be at all times!
How should speaking in tongues operate when we come together in a Church service?
The Apostle Paul explains this quite simply.
So here we have it, our corporate worship should be done in an orderly fashion. This is where each congregation needs good strong Church leadership that ensures that orderly worship is maintained throughout the service in accordance with scripture.
Romans 8:26 (NLT)
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
1 Corinthians 14:4 (NLT)
A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.
Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
How should speaking in tongues operate when we come together in a Church service?
The Apostle Paul explains this quite simply.
1 Corinthians 14:26-28
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
So here we have it, our corporate worship should be done in an orderly fashion. This is where each congregation needs good strong Church leadership that ensures that orderly worship is maintained throughout the service in accordance with scripture.
Nothing should be humanly forced during the service but only utterance in the power of the Holy Spirit. Everything should be done so that the church may be built up and Jesus glorified!
And above all else, especially when the gifts of the Spirit are manifest, we must do everything in genuine love for Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Now in closing this article my dear readers, let me leave you with theses most emphatic words from brother Paul.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray you would help me to follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit so that I can help build up not only my own spiritual strength but my brothers and sisters in Christ as well. Use me Lord, I pray, I desire to be your good and faithful servant. Amen!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!
And above all else, especially when the gifts of the Spirit are manifest, we must do everything in genuine love for Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ!
1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 16:14 (AMP)
Let everything you do be done in love [motivated and inspired by God’s love for us].
1 Corinthians 14:39-40 (NIV)
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father
In the name of Jesus, I pray you would help me to follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit so that I can help build up not only my own spiritual strength but my brothers and sisters in Christ as well. Use me Lord, I pray, I desire to be your good and faithful servant. Amen!
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!
Amen beloved brother, indeed, Our Lord provided us with his Holy Spirit
ReplyDeleteto guide us, to be with us, at all times,
Might the Lord keep on blessing you;
Thank you for your dedication to His word and for sharing it with us
Sandra
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