Speaking in tongues
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
Paul is Clearly implying that not all in the church have each one of these gifts. Tongues is one gift amongst many distributed to the Church.
Later in chapter 14:5, he writes; ?I want you all to speak in tongues.?
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
You dont have to speak in tongues to be saved or to be a Christian
But as we approach the study of God?s word today, you need to ask yourself these very important questions;
1. How intimate do you want to be with God?
2. How much do you want to receive from God? Do you want all that He has to give you or only a little bit?
3. What if you found out that there is a direct telephone number to God?s throne where you can get thru and talk to God anytime you wanted?
I. Let?s see what speaking in tongues is NOT:
1. Speaking in tongues is not a requisite for being saved.
*Rom. 10:9-10, ? For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
2. Speaking in tongues is not something that you do, to show others that you are more spiritual than other Christians.
-You can speak with tongues and be less spiritual than everyone else.
*1 Cor. 13:1-3, ?If I speak with the atongues of men and of bangels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a cclanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of aprophecy, and know all bmysteries and all cknowledge; and if I have dall faith, so as to eremove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
And if I agive all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I bsurrender my body 1to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing?.
3. You cannot buy it or pay a class for someone to teach you how to speak in tongues.
- Only the Holy Spirit can give you the gift of tongues. Look at what happened to Simon?
*Acts 8:14-23, ? When the apostles back in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God?s message, they sent Peter and John there. 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given when the apostles placed their hands upon people?s heads, he offered money to buy this power. 19 ?Let me have this power, too,? he exclaimed, ?so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!?
20 But Peter replied, ?May your money perish with you for thinking God?s gift can be bought! 21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Turn from your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitterness and held captive by sin.?
24 ?Pray to the Lord for me,? Simon exclaimed, ?that these terrible things won?t happen to me!?
4. Speaking in tongues is not an uncontrolled thing that the Holy Spirit makes you do.
-You choose to speak or not
- ?The the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet?.
II. There are controversies in the body of Christ about speaking in tongues.
1. That the teaching of Jesus didn?t support speaking in tongues.
* Mark 16, Jesus said; ?And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
2. That tongues refer only to known languages.
-Some teach that God gave the early church the ability to preach to other nations in their own language.
If this is so why would you need someone to interpret. Yet onother Spiritual gift is interpreting tongues.
1 Cor.12:7-11, ?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. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
3. That tongues were only for the early believers and that they have ceased.
- The Bible shows that tongues will cease, but it tells us that this will happen at the end when Jesus comes back and we see him face to face.
*1 Cor. 13:8, ?Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
III. Three manifestations of tongues in the New Testament.
1. Tongues as a prayer language or praying in the power of the Holy Spirit and for praising.
Paul said,1 Cor. 14:15; ?I will pray in the spirit, and I will pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will sing in words I understand.
2. Tongues in a known language, as on the day of Pentecost.
3-The ministry gift of tongues, which involves giving a message in tongues in church, which is to be interpreted.
Turn your Bibles to, *1 Cor. 14: 13; ?Anyone who has the gift of speaking in tongues should pray also for the gift of interpretation in order to tell people plainly what has been said.
*1 Cor. 14:26-33; ?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. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints?.
In Luke 11:9-13, Jesus makes the solemn promise that if you ask God for bread; He isn?t going to give you a stone. According to verse 13, the context of this verse is asking the Father for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Lastly in( verse 29); ?Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order?.
