Tongues and the Holy Spirit

INTRODUCTION

Acts 2:4

I want to talk to you today about tongues and the Holy Spirit. There seems to be an all out assault removing this gift from the Church. Why is that?

I believe it’s because a believer that is spirit-filled is poses a threat to the devil, particularly one who has knowledge of God’s word. It seems we are either on one side of the fence or the other. Either we have a the word but no power, or we have power but no word. Neither of these pose any real danger to the devil. Only the Christian who is spirit-filled and possess the knowledge of God, is considered dangerous and is to be feared by the enemy!

How can we overcome this, particularly the tendency to be without power? If we want to have more power, if we want to be more spirit-filled, then we must start by stop rejecting tongues. I’ve found that the churches that reject tongues and discourage people from speaking in tongues, really don’t see the other gifts of the Spirit in manifestation.

Why do people reject tongues? There are several reasons. For one, they reject the notion that tongues are an initial sign of the Holy Spirit.

CAN WE RECEIVE THE SPIRIT WITHOUT TONGUES?

Everyone who receives the Spirit also receive the ability to speak with tongues. However, you can receive the Spirit, but suppress or even ‘quench’ the Spirit’s leadings (1Thessalonians 5:19).

The word ‘quench’ means to put out the Spirit’s fire (NIV) or restrain the Spirit (GN). We quench the Spirit by rejecting (suppressing) His inspired utterances. This admonition not only refers to prophecy (1Thessalonians 5:20), it also includes tongues (1Corinthians 14:39).

This admonition has not been obeyed in the Church today. The vast majority in the Church has rejected tongues and have trained others to do so. Even to the point where people no longer expect the speak with tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit. Even though there’s no precedence for this in Scripture!

The believers who received the Spirit in the book of Acts spoke with tongues (Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; 19:6). It was so common for those who received the Spirit to also speak with tongues that you cannot prove that anyone ever received the Spirit in the book of Acts who did not also speak with tongues!

The promise of the Spirit is a promise is accompanied by signs that we can both see and hear (Acts 2:33). This tells us that the promise (gift) of the Spirit is not to be received quietly (without anyone knowing). Moreover, the promise which we are see and hear is for ALL (Acts 2:39).

We also have the words of our Lord (Mark 16:17). The implication is that ALL who believe on Him can (should) speak with tongues. We should expect to speak with tongues just like we expect the sick to recover when we lay hands on them!

Some may be reluctant to speak with tongues fearing that ‘they’ will be the one speaking in tongues, and not the ‘Holy Ghost.’ Of course you will be the one speaking. The Bible never says, “And they were all filled as the Holy Ghost began to speak with tongues.” It says, “They were all filled and [they] began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The word ‘utterance’ means words. Therefore, the utterance or words come from the Spirit, and the speaking (or the voice) comes from us. Furthermore, if the words come from the Spirit, then that means they (the words) do not come from us (or from our mind)!

1Corinthians 14

Speaking in tongues is something you do apart from your mind, not with your mind (1Corinthians 14:14). So many are attempting to speak in tongues from their mind rather than from their spirit and by the Holy Spirit.

Another reason people reject tongues today in the Church is because they believe that when people speak with tongues it requires an interpretation. Therefore, if tongues are spoken without an interpretation, they view it as unscriptural.

DO TONGUES REQUIRE AN INTERPRETATION?

People will often say, “Why are these people speaking in tongues without an interpretation? Don’t they know that is unscriptural?”

First, not all tongues require an interpretation. In fact, apart from the occasion in chapter 2, no one who spoke with tongues in the book of Acts was ever required to give an interpretation. Therefore, not all tongues are meant to be interpreted!

1Corinthians 14:2

The tongues mentioned in this verse are spoken to God, not men. In other words, they are spoken for the benefit of the speaker (1Corinthians 14:4).

Only the tongues that are spoken for the benefit of hearers need an interpretation. Tongues that are spoken for the benefit of the speaker do not need an interpretation.

This is the real problem. We are attaching rules to the tongues that are given for the benefit of the user that belong to those that are given for the church.

1Corinthians 14:27

This is a regulation for speaking with tongues in church (1Corinthians 14:26; see also 1Corinthians 12:29, 30). In both passages, Paul is speaking about gifts for public (church) use, not personal use (1Corinthians 12:28).

We must understand that it’s biblical (and good) to speak in tongues without an interpretation (1Corinthians 14:16-19). It’s not that speaking in tongues in public without an interpretation is ‘bad’. It’s simply not edifying to others without an interpretation.

Some may be wondering, “How come we don’t we see the gift of tongues with interpretation more often in church?”

Well, partly it’s because some gifts are simply more common than others. For instance, we only see tongues and interpretation ONCE in the book of Acts (Acts 2:8). Other gifts (like prophecy, gifts of healings, etc.) are more common. This probably has to do with the fact that they are more beneficial to the body.

We also have to understand that God is the one who sets the gifts or manifests the gifts as HE wills (1Corinthians 12:11, 18). People have not fully understood this, so they try to force these gifts into manifestation wanting to feel that they are in compliance with Scripture. The fact is, you probably won’t see every gift in manifestation in every church or to the same degree.

Everyone who claims to be sent by God isn’t. For example, God does not send anyone without the anointing or the Spirit (John 20:21, 22; Luke 4:18). You cannot be a leader over God’s people without the anointing of the Holy Ghost (Acts 20:28).

ARE THERE ANY OTHER BENEFITS OF TONGUES BESIDES BEING A SIGN THAT SOMEONE IS FILLED?