10-15-23 Kasey Campbell: Tongues with Interpretation

We’re back in 1 Corinthians 12:10 today. I’ll put it up here in the NLT He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. Your version might say ‘different kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues.’ So, I want to talk about the gift of tongues with interpretation today. LET’S PRAY. One gift of the Holy Spirit is tongues. Speaking in tongues is when the Holy Spirit empowers us to speak a language that we have never learned (we don’t know it) and that we don’t understand even as we speak it.1 Let me give you a quick definition of tongues and interpretation of tongues. Tongues is the supernatural utterance, or speech, in languages not known to the speaker. These languages might exist in the world today; they might be revived from some past culture (like Latin or biblical Hebrew); they might be angelic languages, but they are a means of communicating inspired by the Holy Spirit. The interpretation of tongues is the supernatural power (or gift) to reveal the meaning of tongues. This interpretation of tongues is not an operation of the mind of man but of the mind of the Holy Spirit. It’s not a translation, exactly, but an interpretation. In other words, it’s a declaration of meaning or of heart or of a generalized message. And this interpretation is a miraculous and supernatural phenomenon just like the other gifts. And there are three different or distinct manifestations of tongues in the Bible. In other words, Biblically, we see three different types or uses of this gift made known to us. First, tongues is a private prayer language that builds us up personally in our own individual relationship with God. 1 Schell, Steve. Daily Bible Study. Thursday: 1 Corinthians 12:10. 15-21 June 1997. Tongues with Interpretation | 1 It’s given to us as a benefit. 1 Corinthians 14:4 AMPC He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself. Now, the word strange there doesn’t mean weird. It means that I don’t understand it. It’s strange to me. And tongues as a prayer language is given to build us up, to build up our relationship with the Lord, and to deepen our love for Him. This is critical when we’re feeling down when we’re struggling to love one another. When we don’t know what to say or what to pray, the Holy will help us and give us the sounds that communicate to God our needs. Romans 8:26 NLT 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. I want you to know today that when you pray in tongues, when you pray from your heart when you pray with sighs and groanings and deep heart pain and longing, the Holy Spirit groans with you. Romans 8:23 NKJV Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. We groan because we long to be with God; we long to get out of these dying bodies; we long to become like Jesus and overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil; we long to get out of this in-between and come into the fullness of the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit takes our groanings, our utterances, our pain, our sorrow, our joy, and our emotions, and He transforms it into prayer that is powerful, poignant, and purposeful. Without using known words, He communicates these longings directly to God, asking Him to fulfill His promises and our yearnings, to give us the right things that really matter.2 2 Schell, Dr. Steve. Study Verse by Verse with Dr. Steve Schell. Federal Way, WA, Life Lessons Publishing, 2015. Tongues with Interpretation | 2 And by praying like this, the Holy Spirit constantly calls on God to work His will in our lives and bring His kingdom to bear where we are now. Matthew 6:10 NKJV Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Praying in tongues allows us to communicate the cry of our heart directly to God in a heavenly language. It builds us up. And if it builds us up, why wouldn’t we want it? Pastor Robert Morris shares about a time when he was struggling with tongues and met a pastor at the Southern Baptist convention that he really looked up to. Robert found out, to his great surprise, that this pastor spoke in tongues. When he had a chance to speak with this man alone for a moment, he asked, ‘I hear you speak in tongues.’ ‘Yes,’ the pastor replied. ‘Can I ask why?’ said Robert. ‘Well, the bible says it builds you up, and I need all the building up I can get!’3 Paul says tongues is an amazing gift. 1 Corinthians 14:15 NKJV What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. As we pray in the Spirit or pray in tongues, our faith is built up, and we start to believe for the things we couldn’t believe for before. Think about Peter. On the night before the crucifixion, he denied that he knew Jesus. But on the day of Pentecost, he stood up before the crowds and preached the first Christian sermon where 3,000 people were saved!4 Tongues is a much-needed gift that builds us up! Second, tongues can be a known language: we speak it and don’t know it, but someone else does. This is happened in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:2-12 NKJV 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. 3 Morris, Robert. The God I Never Knew: How Real Friendship with the Holy Spirit Can Change Your Life. P166. Crown Publishing Group, 2013. 4 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion. P276. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. Tongues with Interpretation | 3 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 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?” Each person heard the disciples speaking the praises of God in their own native language. On the day of Pentecost, God miraculously caused everyone in the multitude to understand everything that was being said. They were praising God and blessing the Name of Jesus. They were declaring the great things God had done and was doing. One story is told about an American soldier serving in Japan who married a Japanese woman. After moving to the U.S., they started going to church. She went to honor him but hadn’t accepted Jesus as her Savior. One day, he responded to an altar call, and she felt the need to support him by going forward with him. While waiting to be prayed for, this woman overheard a man speaking and singing in tongues. This was very new to her until the words turned into perfectly articulated, fluent Japanese. “You’ve tried Buddha, you’ve tried Zen, why not try me? My Name is Jesus Christ.” Tongues where we (those speaking it) don’t know it, but others do is a powerful gift that God gives for ministry. Tongues with Interpretation | 4 Third, tongues can be a public prayer language that needs to be interpreted so the body can be built up. Like prophecy, it’s for edification, exhortation, or comfort. It’s a language we speak out loud but don’t know, and even though it’s not a known language, there is an interpretation of it so that the people gathered can understand the meaning. We could say ‘tongues with interpretation.’ 1 Corinthians 12:10 NKJV 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. Paul is saying the church can expect people to speak in tongues when gathered. He will say a lot more about this in other chapters, but Paul knows these are all true languages that are most likely not known to either the speaker or the congregation. This is not ecstatic babbling. Paul later explains that this is Holy Spirit-inspired prayer, praise, or thanksgiving to God. 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 NKJV For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. Since God is probably the only one in the gathering who knows the meaning of the language, it needs to be interpreted supernaturally so the rest of the church can be built up by listening to and agreeing with the praise, prayer, or thanksgiving. The person speaking in tongues is built up as well because praying in tongues builds you up. Now, I want to remind you that this topic - speaking in tongues in a church gathering - was one of the main problems that Paul was dealing with at Corinth. What I mean is that the Corinthians loved speaking in tongues. Which is a great thing because it builds you up. Tongues with Interpretation | 5 The problem was that they all came together for church and just roared in tongues as a group for so long and so loud and without any order or organization that even though each individual was being built up personally, as a corporate group, no one knew what was going on or was getting anything out of the service. The Corinthians were speaking in tongues loudly all at once, which built up individuals but neglected anyone who was new to Christianity and neglected group unity, which often sent visitors out the door scared, confused, and not knowing what to think. So Paul wanted to pastor the gifts; he wanted there to be an order to what was happening so that everyone could be edified and that new visitors could be a part and draw closer to Jesus, too. 1 Corinthians 14:1-19 NKJV 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. 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? 7 Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? 8 For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle? 9 So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. 10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. Tongues with Interpretation | 6 11 Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. 12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. 13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. 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 loves the gift and grace of tongues. He loves it. He says he does it more than ‘you all.’ He does not want to shut down tongues in any way, shape, or form. But he wants people to operate in love and unity in church. He wants a church service to be a beautiful symphony where needs are met, people are built up, and Jesus is glorified as the Holy Spirit moves. He wants anyone who comes in to see that God is truly there in the midst of the worshipping church. 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 NKJV 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? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. Tongues with Interpretation | 7 Each musical instrument (person) is listening, is paying attention to the music (what’s happening in the service), is paying attention to the conductor (the Holy Spirit), and moving with the song in order to contribute to the symphony. And when it comes to tongues with interpretation, Paul is most likely thinking of how translators helped in a Jewish synagogue. In the Jewish synagogues of the day, the Word of God would be read in the original Hebrew first, and then a bilingual person would translate because most of the people had grown up in foreign countries and weren’t that fluent in Hebrew. Once it was translated or interpreted, the entire group could benefit from hearing the Word in their own language. Now, much like prophecy, when an interpretation is brought, it has to pass a basic authenticity test. Is it biblically sound? Does it build people up? Is it focused on Jesus Christ? Is it in order? Tongues with interpretation are similar to prophesy because of the outcome; it builds people up. This is the clear understanding of the public gift vs. the private grace of tongues and its role in the life of the church and the individual. And just like prophecy, just like the discerning of spirits, just like miracles, signs, wonders, and other spiritual gifts, the gift of tongues with interpretation can have a powerful effect on us and on those coming in from the outside. The gifts, when ministered in love, in grace, in beauty, and in order, are the most powerful tools we have for evangelism today. This is especially true for a young generation that is wondering if ‘all this stuff is real.’ Let me close with some practical considerations when asking for the Lord to give you tongues or to give you a supernatural prayer language. 1. Know the word of God encourages you to speak and pray in tongues. 2. Despite what the world says or what you might feel, this is a normal part of the Christian experience. Tongues with Interpretation | 8 3. You can pray with your mind in a known language, but you can also pray ‘in the Spirit’ or with tongues. 4. Ask someone who speaks in tongues to lay hands on you to receive it. 5. Begin by praising God in your known language, and focus on Jesus, His goodness, and His promise to ‘give you good gifts.’ Luke 11:13 NKJV If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Tongues with Interpretation | 9