tongues

What is the gift of tongues? Why did God give it? Why does God give it? What do we then do with it?

These are questions of utmost importance to a minister licensed with a Pentecostal fellowship; a minister that believes in the Holy Spirit empowerment the Pentecostals treasure. Being that minister, I have made some notes in answer to these questions.

This gift, first reported on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), acts as a sign of the Spirit’s presence. This is seen especially in the account of Cornelius and his household (Acts 10), and the subsequent discussions over what to do with Gentile converts (Acts 11 and 15). The Jewish followers of Jesus come to the conclusion that God truly has chosen to save the Gentiles because of the sign of the Spirit’s presence, namely, the gift of tongues.
This is very similar to the account of pre-king Saul in the Old Testament (1 Sam 10). Saul was anointed to be king, and he then “prophesied” as evidence of the Spirit coming upon him for this role. Another instance of this ecstatic sign of the Spirit’s presence can be seen is the narrative of the 70 Elders (Num 11).
God uses the expectation of a sign to teach the original disciples a lesson: “I am with you to empower you,” and the Jerusalem Council a lesson: “I am saving the Gentiles.” Through the rest of Acts, God continues to use physical signs to show that the Spirit has come upon a group of people (Acts 8, 10, 19).
It seems that God continues to use the Gift in much the same way today. The Pentecostals have developed a distinctive doctrine over this experience: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Initial Physical Evidence of Speaking in Other Tongues (IPE). It seems to me that this may be a bit of an overstated case in light of Paul’s teachings on speaking in tongues, but I cannot say from Biblical insight that this experience is invalid or untrue. God certainly does initiate His servants into empowered ministry, and many experience the Gift of Tongues as a sign that this initiation has taken place. In this light, it is always important to recognize that the IPE is an initial experience, not a culmination of all that the Spirit has to give.
Looking at the doctrinal statements about tongues in the New Testament, an interesting dichotomy takes shape. There seems to be two or even three different kinds of Spirit-enabled tongues. The first is the most obvious, the initiation we just spoke of. Paul also talks about a speaking in tongues that is followed by interpretation within the worshipping community as a form of prophecy. Actually, the experience of the 120 in Acts 2 functions in this way to some extent, as well, as the nations present heard the greatness of God praised in their own languages by Galileans. Finally, there is the “personal prayer language” idea that seems to be present in 1 Corinthians 14, and possibly Romans 8.
It is difficult to be dogmatic about the existence and practice of the personal prayer language. The statement that most supports its existence, and promotes its practice is Paul’s thanksgiving that he speaks in tongues more than all of the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor 14:18).
However, it is important to look at this statement in its context; Paul is speaking about the corporate worship of Christians, and the proper usage of gifts like tongues and prophecy. In this context, some very helpful instructions are given that clear up much of the controversy about this gift. Let me try to summarize these insights as bullet points.

o Love is greater than all spiritual gifts, and every Christian is an important part of the Body of Christ, regardless of giftedness, or the lack thereof (1 Cor 12:12-27; and 13).
o Every Christian ought to desire spiritual gifts, including prophesy and tongues (1 Cor 12:31; 14:5, and 26-28).
o Those who speak in tongues edify themselves (1 Cor14).
o No one should pray only in tongues (1 Cor 14:15-16).
o When gathered together as a worshipping community tongues should only be used in decent order with the goal of interpreting, as tongues alone can become distracting, even hurtful (1 Cor 14:1, 13, 23, 32-33, and 40).

In conclusion, the Gift of Tongues is a valuable gift to the Body of Christ when properly understood and administered with love. This gift is of great encouragement to those who receive and practice it. It is a gift that may be for all believers in one form or another, and should not be under or de-valued, nor should it be overvalued. This gift can be used to edify the whole Body if used decently, out of respect for all others present, and accompanied by an interpretation.
I see that for most circumstances, those of us who experience tongues should use this gift in the privacy of our personal worship of God. If we sense that we are being empowered to deliver a message to the gathered Body through the vehicle of tongues and interpretation, we should also feel empowered by our community to do so, and pray for the interpretation. Those who do not speak in tongues ought to desire this gift, along with the greater gifts, and encourage the proper usage of this gift by others in the community.
There are two common usages of this gift that I see as out of spirit with the Spirit of Jesus’ teachings and the cannon of the NT. The first is when tongues is used as a litmus test, dividing the truly Spirit-empowered from the lesser. This is a travesty, no matter how “Biblical” the doctrinal support is. Second, the classic Pentecostal prayer meeting, where everyone tries to shout in tongues louder than the person next to her or him. Corporate prayer and worship requires the “Amen” of 1 Corinthians 14:17. The community must speak together to God in words that all understand. As mentioned above, the only apparent use for tongues in corporate prayer and worship is the message in tongues followed by an interpretation.