Speaking in tongues 2

Please note that the gift of tongues (as well as your prayer language) is a product of both God and man. Every believer has a part to play in speaking in tongues for the Spirit gives you utterance, and you do the talking. The Holy Spirit does not talk with tongues. In fact, nowhere in the Bible does it mention that the Holy Spirit ever talked with tongues. Instead, you will be doing the talking in the flesh; after all, God said He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Everyone who has ever spoken in tongues was in the flesh; however, he or she was inspired by the Spirit when they spoke.

• Many people inaccurately define speaking in tongues as "speaking gibberish" or "talking nonsense." The truth is, speaking in tongues is the most intelligent, perfect language in the universe. It is God's language.

• What language do you suppose is spoken in heaven? Languages are given their name based on the countries they come from. For example, French comes from France. Spanish comes from Spain. Italian comes from Italy.

• Where do you think tongues come from? They come from Heaven! Tongues are the heavenly language. It is what is spoken in heaven; the only difference is that the people in heaven understand what they are saying. Paul says, "For anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit" (1Corinthians 14: 2).

Jesus says that those who believe in Him will "speak in new tongues" (Mark 16:17). The word "new" means appearing for the first time. No one had spoken these languages before. Contrary to bad theology tongues is not an ability given to preach the gospel in the language of foreigners. This would make tongues "old" languages. It is only appropriate that "new tongues" should be spoken by those of the "new birth." It is natural and normal to speak in the language of your birth. We are born again from above, therefore we should speak the language from above--that language is called "new tongues."

Someone may say, "How can you say that all Christians should speak in tongues considering the Apostle Paul's words, 'Do all speak in tongues?'? (1 Corinthians 12:30).

• In this passage, Paul is talking about public ministry gifts that are manifested in the church. He is not talking about tongues as the initial sign of the baptism in the Spirit, nor is he talking about tongues as a private, devotional, prayer language.

• You can recognize this by simply looking at the language Paul uses concerning speaking in tongues. In this chapter he calls speaking in tongues "different kinds of tongues" (1Corinthians 12:10, 28). "Different kinds" means "not the usual." The usual kind of speaking in tongues is a language no man understands or interprets. However, speaking in "different kinds" of tongues enables the speaker or someone else to recognize the meaning of the tongue and thereby interpreting it.

So when Paul ask the question, "Do all speak in tongues?", he is referring to the public manifestation of tongues which enables a person gifted in interpretation to speak out the meaning of the tongue. Not all have been given this gift of "different kinds" of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:3 “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to his people” (Isaiah 28:11).

More Scripture reference on speaking in tongues:

(Mark 16:17), (Acts 4:4), (Acts 10:44-48),

(Acts 19:1-7), (1Cor12:10, 13:1-3, 15:2, 4-22, 26-32), (Romans 15:30)

Article by Sheunopa Matambo