Questions about speaking in tongues?

Question

First of all, why is there so much emphasis on this in some churches? Doesn't the Bible say that different people have different gifts? Then why don't people push others to have the gift of teaching or giving or whatever?
As for people coming in to church and saying they were baptized in the Spirit in their private prayer time, how do others know they're not BS'ing if there were no witnesses?
I know that when a person speaks in tongues in public assembly there is supposed to be an interpreter, so when a person does this, how does he/she know there will be an interpreter?
And isn't there more to the Holy Spirit than tongues anyway?
I guess I'm a little cynical, having been raised in a church that doesn't really believe in tongues in the present day. But the church I'm in now is all over the place talking about this right now.

Answer 1

You are absolutely right. Many people who say they speak in tongues fake it. Some preachers even teach their congregation how to speak in tongues. As St. Paul said it is no big deal so just ignore them.

Peace and blessings!

Answer 2

There are three occasions in the book of Acts where speaking in tongues accompanied the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6). However, these three occasions are the only places in the Bible where speaking in tongues is an evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit. Throughout the book of Acts thousands of people believe in Jesus and nothing is said about them speaking in tongues (Acts 2:41; 8:5-25; 16:31-34; 21:20). Nowhere in the New Testament is it taught that speaking in tongues is the only evidence a person has received the Holy Spirit. In fact, the New Testament teaches the opposite. We are told that every believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14), but not every believer speaks in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:29-31).
Speaking in tongues in nowhere presented as something all Christians should expect when they receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and are therefore baptized in the Holy Spirit. In fact, out of all the conversion accounts in the New Testament, only two record speaking in tongues in that context. Tongues was a miraculous gift that had a specific purpose for a specific time. It was not, and never has been, the evidence of the reception of the Holy Spirit.

Recommended Resource: New Testament Teaching on Tongues by Merrill Unger.

Answer 3

Starfall,
You raise some excellent questions about the gift of tongues. Chances are that the same church that has "tongues" also has "prophecy" during the church service also. That being said, you are really asking about the work of the Spirit in today's Church. I would recommend you continue to look at the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 13-15 and Acts) as a starting place. Also, an outstanding book that addresses the questions about gifts is Ed Clowney's The Church. It is not the regular garbage that shows up on the shelf of most bookstores, it is from the reformed perspective which generally is some of the more reasonable and Scripture-based theology out there...
You are welcome to e-mail also for some interaction. I would say I am reasonably knowledgable on the subject. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Great question. I've read that the ability to speak in tongues has to do with 2 baptisms...the first of the body as we are "dunked", the second baptism is "in the Holy Spirit"

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2}And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. {3}Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. {4}And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Joel also speaks of a filling of the Spirit. My church has no real position. Some feel it is an old church thing and doesn't happen anymore, others believe that it surely does. The bottom line is that if someone speaks in tongues, there will be an interpreter, or you will know what is said.

Answer 5

Tongues were for the early Christian Congregation, there is no more need for them so they have been done away with(1Corinthians14:8)
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Tongues were for the unbelievers not the believers(1Corinthians14:22)
22.Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.
The early Christians were able to translate what they were speaking in these tonguesthis is not so today is it?(1Corinthians14:5&6)
would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

6. Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?
Speaking in tongues is confusion and disorder but God is a God of order not of disorder(1Corinthians14:33)
33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints,But how then is it possible to know if someone has the holy spirit? (Galatians5:22,23) tells us what qualities the person will show if the holy spirit operates in them.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Answer 6

God gives us gifts that we have need of. If its tongues then so be it, if its prophecy so be that as well. It is not up to us to tell God what gifts we need. Unlike Santa Clause we need not write Him a list. You have a good question here but I remember feeling the same way that you do. If I was in a church where this was done I would walk out. When I received the gift of tongues I wasn't asking nor expecting them. I had just come threw a fire as we call it, and my heart was open to what ever the Lord had for me. You might want to open up a little more in this area as well. Let God out of the box, keep your heart true and open to Him at all times. He want give you anything that you don't need, I promise.

Answer 7

Speaking in heavenly tongues, or "tongues" as most people fondly call it nowadays for easier reference, is a mark that one indeed has been filled with the Spirit. There IS a need for tongues and, of course, other gifts of the Holy Spirit in our modern world just as there was a need for them during the time of the Acts of the Apostles. Christians NEED the Lord's empowerment and enabling through the Holy Spirit. We need to be anointed for God's divine assignment for us. And tongues is usually one of the first manifestations of that infilling.

The gift of speaking in tongues indeed needs an interpretation of tongues. Refer to the teaching on this in 1 Corinthians. It says there "eagerly desire the greater gifts." When a Spirit-filled believer is urged by the Spirit to speak in tongues and does so, that person who spoke in tongues must pray that there be an interpreter for it. The interpreter can also be himself who spoke the message in tongues. For the congregation, on the other hand, they must be sensitive for an urging from the Holy Spirit to interpret the message. For as it is said, "eagerly desire the greater gifts." The verse does not mean that you long for the gift that is "cooler" than the others but rather that you yearn for that which is needed at the moment, and in this case, since a message in tongues has been spoken, that which is needed is an interpretation.

Do not be misled, however. Speaking in tongues, and also interpretation of tongues for that matter, is not LEARNED nor MASTERED. It can practised by getting more acquainted with the gift that only the Spirit can give you. It cannot be given by any man nor woman, whether lay or minister. They can only be instruments for the infilling of a person, but they can never teach them HOW to speak in tongues, as some churches are doing. A note on this: some churches, as I have heard, teach the "language" used in speaking in tongues. But, the truth is that a message in tongues CANNOT be understood by anyone, whether the person who spoke it or those who heard it. It can only be understood by God (hence the other name of it, "heavenly tongues").

Answer 8

I believe you are not saved by what you do. This is important to remember about tongues. Salvation is not dependent upon any act or work, only upon God's grace.

Maybe speaking in tongues can be from the Holy Spirit today as it was in the early church days, but I am weary to say 90% or more of it today is not.

Answer 9

Speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit, but it is probably a lot less common than it appears.

And just as most of us cannot determine if the Holy Spirit might be present in any particular person's soul, we also cannot determine if what we hear coming out of their mouth is authentic tongue speech.

The best test for this is found in scripture:

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity,
Gal 5:23 Mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh, with the vices and concupiscences.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1Co 14:12 So you also, forasmuch as you are zealous of spirits, seek to abound unto the edifying of the church.
1Co 14:13 And therefore he that speaketh by a tongue, let him pray that he may interpret.
1Co 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth: but my understanding is without fruit.
1Co 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the understanding, I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the understanding.

Answer 10

Friend, Many pentcostal people thinhs speaking in tongues is the evidence of having the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, But how wrong can they be, Speaking in tongues, is ONE of the 9 spiritual gifts, Apostle Paul said does ALL speak with tongues, NO, does all Prophecy, NO, But seek ye the best gift, Speaking in tongues is to help to edify the church just as the other 8 is, Now concening if there be an interpreator, The bible also says pray thyat ye may also Interpretate the tongues, Now, I do know of cases where someone speak in tongues & no one prophecy, That does not make that one that speak in tongues wrong, but someone did not obey God & interpretate it. In my own life God has placed the gift of tongues & interpretation of tongues. But it all is to edify the body of Christ.

Answer 11

In the first century, the miraculous gifts of the spirit, including the ability to “speak in tongues,” verified that God’s favor had shifted from the Jewish system of worship to the newly established Christian congregation. (Heb. 2:2-4) Since that objective was accomplished in the first century, is it necessary to prove the same thing again and again in our day?

In the first century, the ability to “speak in tongues” gave impetus to the international work of witnessing that Jesus had commissioned his followers to do. (Acts 1:8; 2:1-11; Matt. 28:19) Is that how those who “speak in tongues” use that ability today?

In the first century, when Christians ‘spoke in tongues,’ what they said had meaning to people who knew those languages. (Acts 2:4, 8) Today, is it not true that ‘speaking in tongues’ usually involves an ecstatic outburst of unintelligible sounds?

In the first century, the Bible shows, congregations were to limit the ‘speaking in tongues’ to two or three persons who might do that at any given meeting; they were to do it “each in turn,” and if there was no interpreter present they were to keep silent. (1 Cor. 14:27, 28, RS) Is that what is being done today?