The Holy Spirit (7)

Lesson Seven: Ten Reasons Why Every Believer Should Speak in Tongues (Part 2)

1 Corinthians 14:28 ESV

But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.

Isaiah 28:11–12 ESV

For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to this people, to whom he has said, “This is rest; give rest to the weary; and this is repose”; yet they would not hear.

1 Corinthians 14:15–17 ESV

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

James 3:8 ESV

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Lesson Seven: Ten Reasons Why Every Believer Should Speak in Tongues (Part 2)

Central Truth: Yielding the tongue to the Holy Spirit to speak with other tongues is a giant step toward fully yielding all of our members to God

To manny Christians today realize the potential power tht is available to them through the Holy Spirit. In this lesson we will look at five more reason why every believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.

Reason Six: Praying in Tongues Keeps Us Free From Worldly Contamination

1 Cor 14:28, “But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.”

The Sixth reason every Christian should speak in tongues is because it is one way of keeping us free from contamination from ungodly, prfane, and vulgar talk around us on the job or out in public.

Paul tells us in 1 Cor 14:28, that we can speak in tongues to ourselves.

It is different in a church service setting.

Paul says in 1 Cor 14:27-28, “No more than two or three should speak in tongues. They must speak one at a time, and someone must interpret what they say. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must be silent in your church meeting and speak in tongues to God privately.”

If we can do this in the church, then we can do it on the job, in the grocery store, while in traffic

It won’t disturb anyone but it will build us up!

When things are making us turn from our christian character or attack our faith - we can quietly get in the Spirit and pray in tongues

When people are talking in unwholesome way, We can get into the Spirit and pray in tongues

Kenneth Hagin says, “In a barbershop, for instance if the men tell risque jokes, I just sit there and speak in tongues to myself and God. Riding in a car, bus, or airplane, we can speak to ourselves and to God. on our the job we can speak to ourselves and to God. Talking in tongues to yourself and to God is a means of keeping you free from contamination.”

Reason Seven: Praying in Tongues Enables Us To Pray for the Unknown

the Seventh reason is because it provides a way to pray about things no one thinks to pray about,

or is even aware of.

We know that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray for what “we know not how to pray as we ought.”

The Holy Spirit knows everything and He can pray through us for things about which our natural minds know nothing about

Kenneth Hagin, “In 1956 when my wife and I were in California, I was awakened suddenly in the night. It was as if someone had laid his hand on me. I sat bolt upright in bed, my heart beating rapidly.

‘Lord what is the matter?’ I asked. ‘I know something is wrong somewhere. Holy Spirit in me, You know everything. You are everywhere as well as within me. Whatever this is, You give me utterance.’

I prayed in tongues for an hour and then I began to laugh and sing in tongues. (When praying this way, always continue praying until you have a note of praise. Then you will know that whateverit is you are praying about has been prayed through.)

I knew what I had been praying for had come to pass. I had the answer, so I went back to sleep.

I dreamed that saw my younger brother become extremely ill in Louisiana. He had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I dreamed the doctor come out of his hospital room, pulled the door closed behind him, and told me was dead.

I said, ‘No, doctor, he is not dead. The Lord told me he would live and not die.’ In the dream the doctor became very angry with me for doubting his professional ability. He took me into the room to see for myself that my brother was indeed dead.

Jerking the sheet from his face to that he was dead, the doctor saw that my brother was breathing and his eyes were open. Astonished, the doctor said, ‘Why, you knew something I didn’t know. He is alive, isn’t he?’ I saw my brother rise up well and then the dream ended. I knew then that this was what I had been praying about.

Three months later when I saw my brother he said, ‘I nearly died while you were gone.’ I told him I knew all about the attack he had during the night and how he had been rushed to the hospital.

‘How did you know?’ he asked. I told about my burden for prayer, followed by the dream.

He said, ‘That’s exactly how it happened! They told me that for about 40 minutes there at the hospital the doctor thought I was gone.’”

Praying in the Spirit provides a way for things to be prayed for that we wouldn’t know anything about in the natural.

The Holy Spirit knows everything

Reason Eight- Praying in Tongues Gives Spiritual Refreshing

Isa 28:11-12, “ For with f stammering lips and another tongue

He will speak to this people,

12 To whom He said, “This is the rest with which

You may cause the weary to rest,”

And, “This is the refreshing”;

Yet they would not hear.”

Acts 3:19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord1

What is the rest and the refreshing that Isaiah refers too? It comes from the Spirit- Speaking in tongues.

Sometimes the doctor recommends people take a rest cure

People are told to get rest

When people go on vacation you have to come home and rest before going back to work

But it is wonderful we don’t have to take a rest cure everyday

“This is the rest… this is the refreshing.”

WE need this spiritual refreshing in these days of turmoil, uncertainty, fear, and anxiety.

Reason Nine- Tongues for Giving Thanks

1 Cor 14:15-17 “Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit,* and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand. 16 For if you praise God only in the spirit, how can those who don’t understand you praise God along with you? How can they join you in giving thanks when they don’t understand what you are saying? 17 You will be giving thanks very well, but it won’t strengthen the people who hear you.”

KNJV “how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen”11 The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

When Paul said, “He who occupies the place of the uninformed say ‘Amen’” in verse 16, Paul is referring to those who are uninformed in spiritual things.

Example- “If you invited me over for diner and said “Pastor please give thanks.” and I prayed in tongues, you wouldn’t know what I said. You wouldn’t be edified. “

Therefore, paul said it would be better to pray with the understanding in such cases.

If you pray in tongues, you should interpret it so everyone including the uninformed, will know what was said.

Notice that Paul is saying that praying in tongues provides that most perfect way to pray and give thanks, because he said, “You will be giving thanks very well.”

But int he presence of people who are uniformed or even don’t know what you are saying, Paul said to pray with your understanding also so they can be edified.

So they will understand what you are saying.

Reason ten- Speaking in Tongues Brings the Tongue Under Subjection.

James 3:7-12, “People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

Yeilding your tongue to the Holy Spirit to speak with other tongues is a giant step toward fully yielding all of your members (Your entire being) to God- Because if you can yield this most unruly member, you can yield any part.

These ten reason have dealt primarily with tongues in the individual private life of believer’s , but it is also true that there is a public side to tongues

First, when people receive the Holy Spirit, they speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.

Second the Church is edified by speaking with other tongues in public assembly with interpretation

Paul plainly stated that to prophesy is to speak to men in ordered to , “strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.”

But He also goes on to say, “  A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church. 5 I wish you could all speak in tongues, but even more I wish you could all prophesy. For prophecy is greater than speaking in tongues, unless someone interprets what you are saying so that the whole church will be strengthened.”

He says that Tongues with interpretation is equalled to prophecy.

If He interprets, the one who prophesies isn’t greater.

Illustration: It takes two nickels to make a dime. However, tow nickels are not the same as one dime. Paul is saying that prochecy is like the dime, the ten-cent piece. Naturally, it would be better to have the dime than it would be to have one nickel (speaking of tongues as the nickel).

But if interpretation goes along with tongues, then the two togther are the equivalent of prophecy.

Prophesying is “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.”

Prophesying is not preaching- However, sometimes there is an element of prophecy in preaching

If Prophesying were preaching, you wouldn’t have to make any preparation to preach.

But you do have to study - Paul tells us in 2 Tim 2:15, (KJV)“Study to shew thyself j approved unto God.”

You don’t have to study to speak in tongues or to interpret.

you don’t have to study to prophesy

it comes by inspiration of the Spirit.

Of Course, when one is preaching under the inspiration of the Spirit and suddenly he says things he never thought of, that is inspiration and that is an element of prophecy.

Speaking in tongues plus interpretation edifies the Church

When used with the Word of God, speaking in tongues with interpretation convinces the unbeliever of the reality of the presence of God, and often causes him to turn to God and be saved.

Jesus said in Mark 16:17, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name.” this can be private or puplic

Marks 16:18, “They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” This can be private or Public as well

Another sign is , “they will speak in new languages.” or in “new tongues”

now of course we doubt want prolonged praying in tongues during a service, because unless there is interpretation, people won’t know what is said and will not be edified.

it is all right to pray in tongues as long as you want at the altar- because you go there to be edified.

If everyone is lifting their hands and praying sometimes during the service, it is all right for you to pray in tongues.

Often when I pray during worship it is in tongues

But when the congergation ceases praying in tongues, I cease praying in tongues, too.

the congergation wouldn’t be edified if I just went on and on

Just like with everything god has given us- We need to know how to use what we have to the greatest advantage!

Memory Text: Mark 16:17, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages”

The Lesson in Action: James 1:22 “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only…”