Speaking in tongues, what is this all about Christians? I don't get it? Can you explain it?

Answer 1

It was a gift from God for the purpose of helping the early Church spread the faith. Speaking gibberish is not from God.

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, 'Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.'" - Acts 2:1-11

Answer 2

It is a gift of the Holy Spirit but, not everybody is given this gift so it is really not a gift to brag about unless you also can translate what someone is saying (even then no gift should be bragged about ). There are certain Churches that say that if you don't speak in tongues then you do not have the Holy Spirit. This is just false. It is clear in Scripture that people all have different gifts. Some have Prophecy, some have healing, some have understanding etc. But it definitely is a real gift.

Answer 3

As far as I understand, there are two different ways that a person can speak in tongues. One is to be blessed in the very moment that you speak, that your speech will come in a different language. The other is that fact that God will bless you in your efforts to study and learn a foreign language.

Concerning the first, if you were to speak in tongues, you would speak as if you normally would, but your words, would sound as if they were in a different language. Accompanying this is the gift to interpret tongues. In this scenario, presumably, another would have the gift of interpretation of tongues with them that they could hear the words that you were speaking as if it were in their own language, though all others around them would be completely confounded.

The second point is that the Lord will bless all who will rely on Him with the gift of tongues, that if they will diligently study the language that they are learning, He will guide them in all the ways that He does to better learn that language. The same applies here to the interpretation of tongues, and the Lord's guidance with the gift of tongues.

The problem with the gift of tongues is that Satan can easily replicate it. He can cause any that would follow him to be able to speak in tongues as well. The idea here is that just because someone can miraculously speak in tongues, doesn't necessarily mean that it is given to them of God, it can also be given by the power of the devil.

I hope that this sheads some light on the gift of tongues for any who may have questions concerning it.

Answer 4

Speaking in tongues takes up two different arguments.

One is a heavenly language where you talk to God on His level. You cannot understand this but the Holy Spirit helps in this process.
Every believer has this ability.
There is one for public speaking, which not every Christian has.
If you want more in depth, shoot me an email through Yahoo, I will fill you in more detail.
It is a sign of the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Answer 5

Prophesy and Tongues are synonymous, a prophecy means nothing to a man who know not the subject nor from whom the prophecy has come (Spirit) or does not understand and is "Greek" to him but to those who have the Spirit of wisdom and understanding the prophecy is revealed. Paul knew not the full gospel of Jesus nor did most of the gospel writers, yet the Lord filled them with the spirit that they may speak and write unto all the life and times of Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Does the term "Marriage Feast of the Lamb" not mean anything to one who does not know the Lamb?

1 Corinthians 14
21In the Law it is written:
"Through men of strange tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me," says the Lord.

22Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, 25and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"

This is speaking in tongues, the message of God and the angels:
Luke 1:28 "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

God is truly among us!

Answer 6

*** rs p. 400 Tongues, Speaking in ***

Tongues, Speaking in

Definition: A special ability given through the holy spirit to some disciples in the early Christian congregation that enabled them to preach or otherwise glorify God in a language other than their own.

Does the Bible say that all who would have God’s spirit would “speak in tongues”?

1 Cor. 12:13, 30: “Truly by one spirit we were all baptized into one body . . . Not all have gifts of healings, do they? Not all speak in tongues, do they?” (Also 1 Corinthians 14:26)

1 Cor. 14:5: “Now I would like for all of you to speak in tongues, but I prefer that you prophesy. Indeed, he that prophesies is greater than he that speaks in tongues, unless, in fact, he translates, that the congregation may receive upbuilding.”

Are true Christians today identified by the ability to “speak in tongues”?

John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”

1 Cor. 13:1, 8: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a sounding piece of brass or a clashing cymbal. Love never fails. But whether there are gifts of prophesying, they will be done away with; whether there are tongues, they will cease.”

Jesus said that holy spirit would come upon his followers and that they would be witnesses of him to the most distant part of the earth. (Acts 1:8) He instructed them to “make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matt. 28:19) He also foretold that ‘this good news of the kingdom would be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all nations.’ (Matt. 24:14) Who today, both as a group and individually, are doing this work? In harmony with what Jesus said, should we not look for this as an evidence that a group has holy spirit?

Answer 7

Speaking in tongues can be confusing to those who are already confused about God. This is not the proper forum to address this question. I can tell you this - The baptism of the Holy Spirit being evidenced in tongues is real. I do not expect you to believe me therefore I will not continue. 1Cor. 14, Acts 2 Blessings to you.

Answer 8

Pentecostal's do it all the time, they think it's necessary.

Here's the problem the rest of us Christians have with that. On the day of Pentecost, when the disciples came out of the upper room, it says in the Bible that they began to speak in tongue, and every man that stood around them heard it in his own language. In other words, say there was a Chinese guy, a guy from Africa and someone who spoke only Eskimo or something standing there. When John began to speak in tongue, the Chinese guy heard it in Chinese, the African heard it in his native tongue, as did the Eskimo.

Later on in the Bible, Paul mentions speaking in tongue. We Christians believe that he meant the ability to speak in more than one language. Pentecostal's think it means you gibber-gabber in the "tongue of angels" (this is probably seriously insulting to angels btw) and someone else in the room "interprets" what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.

I've seen them do it and I remain completely unconvinced.

Answer 9

It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and language that's between you and God.

Corinthians 14:2-19

2 For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding].

Hope this helps, God Bless you

Answer 10

I am a christian...methodist by baptism but attend catholic services...my understanding of speaking in tongues is that it is when you get in almost a trance like state of prayer and the lord speaks thru you...I think it is confined to the evangelicals...but I am no expert. Most christians view it with skepticisim I think.