Speaking In Tongues

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Acts 2:1-4
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The first biblical record of speaking in tongues happened on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit came down. What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on every person in the Upper Room. Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit, and began speaking in languages they didn’t know, for the Holy Spirit enabled them to do so.

Acts 2:5-12
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?
9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

Many godly Jews were in Jerusalem that day as it was Pentecost. They had arrived from many nations to observe the religious customs and celebrations. When they heard the sounds coming from the house, they began to gather in crowds, running to see what was happening. They were stunned to hear their own languages being spoken by the disciples.

“How can this be?” they exclaimed. “For these men are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking all the native languages of the lands where we were born! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, men from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia Minor, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the Cyrene language areas of Libya, visitors from Rome—both Jews and Jewish proselytes— Cretans, and Arabians. And we all hear these men telling in our own languages about the mighty miracles of God!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

The crowds understood the tongues or languages spoken by the people in the Upper Room!

Why was the gift of tongues given? Basically, to minister to others in a language that the speakers do not know or understand but to the listeners who do know and understand!

1 Corinthians 14:6
But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying, or by teaching?

In this verse, the Apostle Paul tells us that he would rather speak plainly to us what God has revealed to him. He would tell us the things he knows, and what is going to happen, and the great truths of God’s Word. That is what we need, and that is what will help us. If he has spoken in some unknown tongues or in some languages that we don’t understand, how would that help us? Imagine if all the epistles of Paul were written in encrypted codes or unknown languages, how will we know or learn?

If tongues are spoken publicly in a church, they are useless to others unless they are properly interpreted or translated.

1 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

Through His Holy Spirit, the Lord is revealing His power to us so that the entire church is being edified and helped through the manifestations of the spiritual gifts that have been bestowed. All the gifts are used for the edification of the church members. Thus, when one speaks in tongues, another will interpret so that all will be able to understand what is being said in the unknown tongues!

1 Corinthians 14:18-19
18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;
19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Paul spoke in tongues privately more than all of us. But in public, he would rather speak five words that people could understand and be helped than ten thousand words in an unknown language that others could not understand and therefore, were not edified!

1 Corinthians 14:26-28
26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.

To ensure orderliness in church meetings, Paul tells us that when we meet together, some will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special information that God has given him, another will speak in an unknown language, and another will interpret what was spoken in the unknown tongue. But everything is done in order, must be useful to all, and must build up the people of God.

No more than two or three should speak in an unknown language. They must speak one at a time, and someone must be ready to interpret what they are saying. But if no interpreter is present, they must not speak out loud. They must speak silently to themselves and to God in the unknown language but not publicly.

What will happen when everyone starts speaking in tongues together in a church?

1 Corinthians 14:23
Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind?

If there are unbelievers who do not understand or know what all of us are speaking, they will most likely think that all of us are crazy.

Should we speak in tongues? Yes, privately. We can speak and pray in tongues as the Holy Spirit helps us in our own weaknesses as we are laden with daily problems and troubles. Sometimes we don’t even know what we should pray or how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit will pray for us in a way that cannot be expressed in human words. But the Father who knows our hearts also knows what the Spirit is saying as He pleads for us in accordance with God’s own will.

Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

When we speak in tongues privately, we edify ourselves.

1 Corinthians 14:1-5
1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.
3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.
5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Let agape love be our motivation. Among the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, we should seek the gift of prophecy so that we are able to share the messages of God. If we speak in tongues, we will be speaking to God but not to others since they won’t be able to understand us. We will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but all will be in secret.

But one who prophesies is sharing the messages of God. Through the messages, others will learn and grow in the Lord as they are encouraged and comforted. So a person who speaks in tongues helps only himself to grow spiritually, but one who prophesies, sharing messages from God, helps the entire church to grow in the Lord. If tongues are spoken in the church, they will only edify the people if they are being interpreted. Others need to know and understand what was spoken.

Concerning all spiritual gifts, whether speaking in tongues, prophecies, working of miracles and such, the motivation should always be agape love. The gifts are not for us to prove to others that we are more spiritual, more powerful or more anointed!

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

If we could speak the languages of men and of angels, but didn’t love others, we would only be noisy gongs or clanging cymbals. If we had the gift of prophecy, and if we understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if we had such faith that could move mountains, but didn’t love others, we would be nothing. If we gave everything we have to the poor and even were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, we would have gained nothing.

God has given us spiritual gifts and spiritual leaders, and they are for the edification of the church.

Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

God has given us spiritual leaders such as the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers. Their sole responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work, and to build up the church which is the body of Christ. They will continue to serve God until all of us have come to unity in our faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and until we have matured in the Lord, measuring up to the fullness and complete stature of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teachings. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with clever scams and lies that sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing daily in every way more and more like Christ, who is the Head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Thus, about speaking in tongues, we can edify ourselves if done privately. But in church, if we speak in tongues, another needs to interpret them so that others will be edified.

Always remember to do all things in love for the Lord and others!

Written on 13 September 2021