Interpretation Of Tongues Series

I. KINDS OF TONGUES

Last week, we talked a lot about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the New Testament pattern of speaking in tongues. We learned:

(1) The importance of the baptism in the Spirit to equip the believer for service. Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."i The baptism in the Holy Spirit ushers the believer into supernatural ministry. As a general statement, it is foundational to operating in the nine gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Cor. 12.

(2) The indicator of the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts is speaking in tongues/supernatural utterances. In Acts 10:46, the way Peter knew Cornelius and the other Gentiles received the baptism in the Holy Spirit was that he heard them speak in tongues. That was the proof he needed. He did not wait for weeks or months to see what fruit they bore. He accepted that sign as evidence they had received, just as he had received on the Day of Pentecost.ii

(3) Speaking in tongues is directly related to empowerment for service because it enlarges the believer’s capacity for prayer and worship. 1 Corinthians 14:4 says, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself….” This is the primary purpose of tongues.iii By speaking in tongues in his private devotional life, the believer’s spirit is strengthened for service to others. One person likens it to charging up a battery.iv We all know that a charged-up battery is better than one that’s lost its charge. Many Pentecostals don’t operate in the gifts of the Spirit because they don’t use what God has already given them. If God has given me the power to pray in tongues, I am expected to build myself up by doing that. Then, my spirit is strengthened to operate in the public gifts of the Spirit.

The gift of "different kinds of tongues" listed in 1 Cor. 12:10 is the PUBLIC operation of the devotional gift of tongues. We are now ready to define the gift listed as “different kinds of tongues” in 1 Cor. 12:10. Like the other nine gifts, it is a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit for the occasion. The exercise of this gift must be initiated by the Holy Spirit and must operate in conjunction with its companion gift, interpretation of tongues. It is the supernatural enablement of a believer to speak a message in a public assembly in a language he or she does not know. This message flows out of the person’s spirit and is not a product of the mind (1 Cor. 14:2, 14). When exercised with the gift of interpretation of tongues, it is for the edification of the church and is equivalent to prophecy (1 Cor. 14:5). The language spoken in tongues is of God’s choosing. It may be a language currently spoken in the world; it may be an ancient language no longer being spoken; it might even be angelic. I Cor. 13:1 talks about “tongues of men, and of angels.”

This gift is usually the easiest one for a Spirit-filled believer to move into because the mind does not have to process the message. The person needs to simply understand a few DIRECTIVES from Scripture.

(1) The gift is only to be exercised as the Spirit wills. 1 Corinthians 12:11: “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” This statement follows Paul’s list of the nine gifts of the Spirit and applies to all nine gifts. It is initiated as the Holy Spirit wills. How do we know when He is initiating a message in tongues for the congregation? You will feel the pressure of that message in your spirit, in your belly, wanting to flow out. That lets you know that God wants to use you in that service to give a message in tongues. If God is giving you a prophecy, you may get the first few words or some revelation of what the message is. With the gift of tongues you are not given the content of the message.

(2) Wait for an appropriate time to express the message in tongues. “Let all things be done decently and in order” is the rule of thumb given in 1 Cor. 14:40. This usually means you wait until a pause is given in the worship rather than interrupting someone. It is the responsibility of the leadership to give space for the gifts to operate. We try to make opportunity for the gifts to operate at some point during the worship time. Often, the leader is being told by the Spirit that a message is coming, as well as the person with the message in tongues. Out of ignorance, some people think they can’t control when the message is given. But Paul makes it very clear that you not only can but are responsible to do so. 1 Cor 14:32 says, “…the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.”