I would that ye all SPAKE WITH TONGUES.... 1 Corinthians 14:5

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.- Mark 16:17,18

I want to set forth some major reasons why every Christian should speak in tongues. Believers need to see from the Scriptures the blessings which can come into their lives through appropriating the power of the Holy Ghost by speaking and praying in tongues.

The Apostle Paul wrote much about the subject of speaking with other tongues. He apparently practiced what he preached because he told the Corinthians, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" (I Cor. 14:18).

Now you can take that verse out of its setting and make the Bible say something it didn't say. But, you see, in the very next verse, Paul qualifies that.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:19 "Yet in the church I HAD RATHER SPEAK FIVE WORDS WITH MY UNDERSTANDING, that by my voice I MIGHT TEACH OTHERS also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."

Another translation says, "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue" (NIV) In other words, in this scripture, Paul is telling us that our private devotional tongues are not to be used for the purpose of teaching or preaching in the local assembly.

It's interesting to note that Paul said he did a tremendous amount of speaking in other tongues. But then he went on to say, "Yet in the church, I'd rather speak words in my own native language so I can teach others." Evidently then, Paul did most of his speaking with tongues in his own private devotions with God.

Tongues are a devotional gift they are for you to use to worship and praise God. But that's only one of the many values of tongues.

First of all, speaking with tongues is the initial evidence or sign of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

ACTS 2:4

Vs. 4 And they [the Early Church] were all FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and began to SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

When those 120 believers were gathered in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues.

Speaking with tongues is the initial evidence or sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit, but it is not the only sign. Other evidence and signs will follow too. But speaking in tongues is the initial sign when believers receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Therefore, this is the first reason we should speak with other tongues. They are a supernatural sign of receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

In First Corinthians chapter 14, notice another scriptural reason for speaking in tongues.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:4 "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue EDIFIETH HIMSELF...."

Tongues are for spiritual edification! In other words, when you speak or pray in tongues, you are building yourself up spiritually. So when Paul said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all," he could have said, "I thank my God, I edify myself and build myself up more than ye all."

The word "edify" in First Corinthians 14:4 means to build up or to charge yourself up. We often use the word "charge" in connection with a battery. For example, we put a battery on a battery charger to charge it or build it up.

So Paul is actually saying, "He that speaketh in unknown tongues charges himself up or builds himself up like a battery being charged up!"

Speaking with tongues is a means of spiritual edification. And if you want to be able to edify others, you're going to have to be edified yourself!

I believe this is one reason that many people are not the blessing to others that they could be they don't edify themselves. They don't take time to build themselves up spiritually by speaking in tongues. But when believers get themselves built up, they can then help and bless others.

Now I want to point out that tongues are a means of spiritual edification - not physical or mental edification. On the other hand, whatever affects us spiritually is also going to influence and help us both physically and mentally.

Another scriptural purpose for speaking in tongues is that it provides believers with a means of communicating with God.

I CORINTHIANS 14:2

"For he that SPEAKETH IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE SPEAKETH not unto men, but UNTO GOD: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit HE SPEAKETH MYSTERIES."

Moffatt's translation of that verse says, ". ..he speaks divine secrets" (v. 2).

Well, is there any value in talking secrets with God? Emphatically, yes! God has given the Church a divine, supernatural means of communication with Him. The Bible says that he who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God!

Now notice something else Paul said in First Corinthians 14:14 and 15 about speaking in tongues.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:14,15 "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, MY SPIRIT PRAYETH, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, and I will PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING also...."

In verse 15, Paul mentions two kinds of praying: praying with the spirit and praying with the understanding. To pray with the spirit means to pray in tongues. Praying with the spirit could also include praying in your own known language by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Speaking with tongues is a means of spiritual edification.

Praying with your understanding is praying with your own mental reasoning. You can pray as much as you know about a situation in your own known language your own understanding. I call that mental praying.

However, your own understanding is limited. But by praying in the spirit in tongues, God has provided the Church with a means of praying for situations we know nothing about (Rom. 8:26,27).

You can readily see how the Church as a whole has fallen short and has come behind in these two kinds of praying. Many believers have tried to get by just on "mental" praying alone - just by praying with their own minds apart from the Holy Spirit.

But in this verse, Paul also speaks about his spirit praying because he said, "... my SPIRIT prayeth... " (1 Cor. 14:14). The Amplified Bible reads, "...my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays...... In other words, when I pray with my spirit, the Holy Spirit in me helps me pray. He gives me the utterance, but I do the talking!

John 4:24 says that God is a Spirit - He is Spirit! When we pray in tongues, our spirits are in direct contact with God who is Spirit. Therefore, when we pray in tongues, we are talking to God by a divine, supernatural means.

In the light of these scriptures, it's amazing to me that people can ask, "What is the value of speaking with tongues?"

We can clearly see from the Scriptures that tongues are of great value and benefit to the believer. The Word of God says that praying in tongues edifies you, builds you up, and charges you up like a battery being charged! God has provided every believer with a supernatural means of communicating with Him!

Jesus said, "... these signs shall follow THEM that believe... "(Mark 16:17). The word "them" is plural. It refers to believers. Actually, the original Greek is a little bit more explicit. It says, "These signs shall follow the believing ones." And one of those signs is that "they shall speak with new tongues"!

I want you to notice that all five of the signs listed in Mark 16:17,18 are supernatural. Therefore, one of those signs - speaking in tongues - is supernatural too. It is supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue. So we can understand the value of tongues when we realize that they are a supernatural means of communicating with God. That's why tongues are of great value to us in prayer.

But praying and speaking with other tongues also helps us to be conscious of the Presence of the Holy Ghost in our everyday lives.

John 14:16,17 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another COMFORTER, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but YE KNOW HIM; for HE DWELLETH WITH YOU, and SHALL BE IN YOU."

When we pray and speak with other tongues, it helps us to be conscious of God's divine, supernatural Presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

Howard Carter was one of the pioneers of the Pentecostal Movement and the founder of one of the oldest Pentecostal Bible schools in the world. He once said: "We must not forget that the speaking with other tongues is not only an initial evidence of the Holy Spirit's indwelling, it is a continual experience for the rest of his [the believer's] life to assist in the worship of God. It is a flowing stream that should never dry up, and that will enrich the life spiritually."

Continuing to pray and to worship God in tongues helps us to ever be conscious of God's holy Presence in our lives. And if we are conscious of His Presence, it is bound to affect the way we live.

A number of years ago I read something about an evangelist who was out in the field ministry holding meetings. He said he once held a meeting and was staying in the parsonage with the pastor. The pastor and his wife had a twelve-year-old daughter who was their only child.

This evangelist said that it was his custom to take a walk every afternoon for about an hour. Then he would come back to rest, pray, and get ready for his evening service. One particular day, however, he didn't take his walk because he had some letters to write. The pastor's daughter thought he had gone for his daily walk as usual. When the evangelist finished his letters, he came out of his room. As he was walking through the house to leave, he heard the daughter and the mother in an argument. The twelve-year-old girl had lost her temper and was just berating her mother.

Suddenly, the daughter looked up and saw the evangelist. She started crying and said, "Oh, forgive me. Forgive me! I'm so sorry you saw me act this way and speak like this."

The evangelist just took the girl by the arm, led her over to a chair, and knelt down to pray with her. He asked her, "Are you born again?"

"Oh, yes," she said.

"Are you filled with the Holy Ghost? Do you speak in tongues?"

"Oh, yes.

"Well," he said, "One who is greater than I am saw you and heard what you said. But if you'll repent, the Lord will forgive you."

The girl repented and prayed, "Lord, please forgive me." God forgave her and blessed her, and she began to speak with other tongues.

Later the evangelist told her, "I'll tell you something that will help you spiritually. If you'll pray in other tongues every day and take time to wait on God in prayer, it will help you to be conscious of His Presence. If you're conscious of His Presence, then you're not going to fly off the handle and lose your temper."

You see, born-again, Spirit-filled believers can lose their tempers and say a lot of things they shouldn't say. But that's because they aren't walking in the Presence of God. It's because they aren't conscious of His Presence.

This evangelist went on to say that several years later, he was invited to preach another meeting for that pastor, and he saw the pastor's daughter again. She was about seventeen years old by then.

The girl asked the evangelist, "Do you remember when you were here several years ago, and you told me about the value of praying in tongues?"

He said, "Yes."

"Well," she said, "from that day to this, every single day I've taken time to wait on God by praying in other tongues and worshipping Him. And you were right! I have been conscious of His Presence!

"I just wanted you to know that since then I've never lost my temper. I've never talked ugly to my mother again because I'm conscious of the fact that the Holy One lives in me."

Friends, if we are conscious of the fact that the Holy One lives in us, then we're going to live holy.

There is tremendous value and eternal reward for living holy, consecrated lives before the Lord. And one way we can appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit to live holy lives before God is by praying in the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues!

This article is from: The Word of Faith Magazine, February, 1995.

Christian Information Network