THE QUESTION OF TONGUES
THE QUESTION OF TONGUES
One of the most persecuted gifts of the Holy Spirit found in I Corinthians 12 is the gift of tongues. There are some who will say that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased with the completion of the canon of scripture. However, God is pouring His gifts, including tongues, upon thousands throughout the world and much is happening in the arena of prayer and intercession. What then, is the gift of tongues?
1 - Tongues is the second vocal gift listed in I Corinthians 12. Tongues is a communication tool between you and heaven. As the world now has the internet, God has tongues. This gift can take your prayer to God at the speed of light and translate all the needs of your soul. The way in which your spirit relates to God is faster and quicker than any DSL communication or broadband. It is accurate and specific and it will relate to the Father all your needs!
2 - Tongues is introduced to us at Pentecost. Acts 2:4 says,”All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” What validates this gift is that it is the first gift of the Holy Spirit to be introduced to the church during Pentecost.
3 - Tongues is not only a communication tool between man and God, but it is an intercessory tool. Ephesians 6:18 says,”And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Notice that it says, ”pray in the Spirit.” Praying in tongues will extend your prayer life and bring many blessings upon you and your spiritual life.
4 - Your spirit is like a battery. It needs to be charged. Prayer does just that. However, praying in the Spirit builds you physically, spiritually and mentally. When your spirit is built up, it in turn influences your mind, your will, and your emotions. ”But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” - Jude 20.
5 - Most people expect that the Holy Spirit will just give them tongues if He wants them to have this gift. While it is true that He does give the gift of tongues, most of us need to move in faith. I Corinthians 14:14 reads: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
Notice that you must pray first and then your spirit prays. Every gift is by faith! Growth in tongues comes by faith. If you do not have the gift of tongues, ask the Lord for it and He will give it to you. All you have to do is to move by faith, begin to speak, and receive it!
6 - Some of you do not receive this gift even though you ask for it and seek it earnestly. Why is this? It could be because you have denied it for so long, or you have scorned the Holy Spirit and have not humbled yourself before Him, or you have something in your possession which quenches the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not going to bless you if you do not move in faith in these three areas.
If you have denied that the Holy Spirit does give the gift of tongues, then, speak to God as a child who is humble and sorry. God will hear your prayer. If you have in the past scorned the Holy Spirit, repent, plead for His mercy, and confess to your friends that you have sinned against God. Third, if you have in your possession items that should not be in your home, remove them from your home. Environment is everything with the Holy Spirit. Are there objects in your house which defy the presence of God? Are there cultural objects that rise above God such as objects of worship to another deity? Remove them at once and cleanse your house of them!
The gift of tongues is a valid gift meant for every believer. Move in faith today to begin to commune with God in the power of the Holy Spirit through the gift of tongues. It will bless your life.
Rick Bonfim
Edited by Betty McKinney
Good teaching on the gift of tongues. I have found out that since we are in the kingdom of God and are going to live in the kingdom, we need to learn the language of the kingdom. Praise God for a way to communicate in God’s kingdom!
Comment by Frank Appel — November 28, 2005 @ 11:58 am
Amen! and Amen! I have finally looked up your website after your name and ministry has repeatedly been brought up to me in many different places by many different people. After reading around or your site, I am begining to think that God is trying to say something…just not quite sure what.
Comment by Kourtney Hendricks — November 29, 2005 @ 7:27 pm
Rick, thanks for the great blog on the issue of tongues. If I were God, I don’t believe that I would have done it that way, but I’m not, and He did, and I bow to His sovereignty..
We need to remember, also, that tongues can be an initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not necessarily but can be. Many godly people over the years sought the gift of tongues, but never received it, but the fruits of the Spirit were beyond refute. Is there are difference between the gift of tongues and praying in the Spirit? I don’t know, except when tongues are exercised to edify a congregation there needs to be an interpreter present. Paul said he tha prayed in a tongue edified himself, and how is the church to be edified unless the members are built up and edified. I personally believe that the reason for so much resistance in the mainline churches is for two reasons: pride and ignorance. Not too many UM clergy want to jeopardize their next appointment by preaching the full gospel. Was it Isaiah who said the grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of God stands forever. If this is in the Word - and it is - then tongues are to be seen as valid and sought after as a part of the normal Christian life in spite of the prejudice of men.
Many years ago I received a teaching that tongues were of four different kinds: (1) An initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit; (2) A prayer/praise language needing no interpreter present; (3) a witness to unbelievers; (4) tongues of men and angels; (5) groanings too deep for words. I remember how blessed I was in Brazil when a college professor in Brasilia met me at the back door of the church. She said that I had prayed in her native language for a lady with her who spoke Castilian Spanish. I know no Spanish. “Ain’t God good?”. Just as soon as I think I know what’s going on, He says, “Hold on to your hat. You think that’s something? You haven’t seen anything yet!”. Praise the Lord!
Comment by Eric Sizemore — November 30, 2005 @ 1:21 pm
Thank you for the teaching you are doing through your blogs. Perhaps this one will help readers understand better this misunderstood gift that is so vaulable to us personally. Thank God that He provided a way for us to communicate with Him that cannot be interpreted by the evil one.
Comment by Mary B.Rice — November 30, 2005 @ 7:32 pm