Listening To Hope

Questions on Tongue Speaking

I Corinthians 12:7-11, 27-31 & 14:1-33, 39-40

Hope Chapel, 5-23-10 & 6-20-10

Intro:

This morning I am going to address the matter of tongue-speaking.  Last week we studies Acts 2:1-13 where the Holy Spirit ‘filled’ the 120 who were waiting in the upper room for power, for a baptism in the spirit which John the Baptist spoke of and which Jesus promised.

We noted then that this first outpouring is in an important sense unrepeatable because it was the birth of the people of God as a community of spirit-filled followers of Jesus whom they knew was raised from the dead.

Each of them was filled with the Holy Spirit of God and were from that point forward aware of the Presence of God among them; the Power of God working through them; and their formation together as the People of God by the Spirit’s coming.

The text tells us that these unlearned Galileans spoke in the dialects of many different peoples from across the face of the known world.  The text puts it this way: “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

While teaching on this text I promised that I would come back and address the contemporary tongue-speaking movement sometimes called Pentecostalism or the charismatic movement.  Today is that day.

In preparation for this teaching I decided to ask our core leadership what questions they had or questions they had fielded which they would like for me to address.  So I sent an email to our staff members, the church board, our Hope Group Leaders and other study guide recipients.

That would be about 100 people.  I received 24 responses, so a good response.  I asked them to send me their top one or two questions.  No one sent me less than 6 and most sent 10 or 12! 

I had apparently hit a nerve.

Instead of a ‘normal’ sermon, then, this morning I am going to address the subject of ‘tongues’ by taking up these questions in related clusters and interpreting and applying the Scriptures to the best of my ability.

While I am going to teach the Bible, I will also need to give you my opinion as well because not all questions I’m going to take up have direct Biblical answers.  I will do my best to tell you when something is merely my own opinion.

Most of the relevant Biblical material is found in I Corinthians 12 & 14.  There is also a good deal that can be gleaned from the experiences of first-generation believers in the Book of Acts, but we will pick up most of that as we continue studying Acts this year.

Today I will concentrate on Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers when teaching on the gift of tongues through this question / answer format.

Let’s get started. [NOTE: If we do not finish this morning I may push into another Sunday.  This topic is too important to rush through.]

1. 1.   Isn’t this a divisive issue?  Why are you bringing this topic up in a sermon?  Does Hope Chapel endorse ‘speaking in tongues’?  As our pastor what is your hope for the people of Hope Chapel in regards to this gift?

• YES.  This is a divisive issue.  It is perhaps the main reason why I am taking time away from our study of the Book of Acts to study together the meaning of tongue-speaking.  We have seen this mentioned in Acts, chapter two, and at that time I noted that those tongues and the tongues of I Corinthians are two different things.  This morning I am attempting to explain that comment.

• Also, our congregation holds widely-divergent positions and opinions with regard to this practice, this gift from God.  It is time, in my opinion, to teach openly about these matters and so help us hold a Biblically-informed, grace-filled conversation one with another.
• YES, we endorse tongue-speaking.  We endorse and embrace all that the Bible urges Christ-followers to endorse and embrace.  No more, no less.  So, again, if it is clearly taught in the Bible we will do our best to embrace it and engage in it.

• I Cor. 14:39-40 (ESV) says “So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid the speaking in tongues.  But all things should be done decently and in order.”
• This is the Apostle Paul’s conclusion to a lengthy discussion of the relative value of prophesying in the gathered worship service vis-à-vis speaking in tongues.  I being here because it is the summary point toward which all my comments and teaching and exhortation will be heading.

• Three things are said here:  (a) desire to prophesy (in the public gathering), i.e. desire to speak for God to one another; (b) do not forbid speaking in tongues (in the public gathering), this odd practice is not to be squashed, but it is to be curbed; and (c) all thing, whether prophesy or tongue-speaking should be done with grace and order.

• As pastor of Hope Chapel my desire is that we walk in humility and grace toward one another and seek God together for His gifts and His power to ‘do the stuff’ of ministry.  If tongue-speaking is found helpful by some, then we should welcome and encourage its use among us.  The fact that this is a controversial practice doesn’t mean it should be ignored.

1. 2.   What do we mean when we talk about ‘speaking in tongues’?  Is tongue-speaking the languages of men?  Ecstatic speech that is non-human language? Is it only a private prayer language?

• Acts 2—human languages
• I Corinthians 14:1—‘prayer language’ “one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no on understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.” (compared to prophesy which is understood by people)

• I Cor. 14:5—tongues & interpretation = public speech & building up the Body (cf. vss.27-28 on need for an interpreter to be present)

• KEY VERSE:  I Cor. 14:12 ‘strive to excel in building up the church’ (cf. vs 26)

• Paul’s practice = ‘private prayer language’ I Cor. 14:13-19 AND praying with mind; singing with mind

• I see three distinct forms of tongue-speaking in the New Testament:  (a) unlearned human languages; (b) public prayers to God which are not understood by anyone and demand the gift of interpretation to be understood; and (c) the private utterance of prayers to God which are unintelligible to the praying (or singing) person.

1. 3.   If I don’t speak in tongues am I still a Christian?  Do I have the Spirit?  Is every Christian supposed to speak/pray in tongues?  Are non-tongue-speakers second-class Christians?  Is this gift available to all believers? 

• Here is perhaps the most-asked question in my little survey.

• I take Paul seriously when he asks a rhetorical question in I Corinthians 12:30 “Do all speak with tongues?”  He is expecting a negative answer there.

• Those who urge that all MAY speak in tongues generally say Paul is her referring only to the public speaking out in tongues which requires an interpretation from someone with the spiritual gift of interpretation, NOT to the private praying in tongues which Paul later refers to in I Corinthians 14:14ff.  Such private tongues-praying is available to everyone, they maintain.  This is the classic Pentecostal position.

• That may be true, but I don’t think this is a place to be dogmatic and imply that someone who doesn’t speak or pray in tongues is somehow less spiritual than another who does.  In fact, I think such a view is arrogant and non-Christian.
• I believe Paul had in mind non-tongue-speakers as full-fledged, spiritually mature members of the Body of Christ in the exact same manner that not everyone was an apostle or a worker of miracles (see I Cor. 12:30 ff.).

• Paul wrote in I Corinthians 14:5, “Now I want you all to speak in tongues…”, but this is NOT an imperative, only an expressed desire.  He went on to add that he wanted them to prophesy more, i.e. his preference was that all would prophesy more than speak in tongues.

• The question about being second-class citizens really breaks my heart because I see that it comes from a place of pain, generally, caused by the arrogance of certain practitioners of tongue-speaking.

• Spiritual depth, spiritual power, spiritual intimacy comes from being filled with the Spirit, not from speaking in tongues or prophesying or working miracles or preaching.  These are the results of the Spirit’s filling, the Spirit’s power.  These are the effects of the Spirit.  Maturity has to do with character, with seasoning, not with effects.

1. 4.   What’s the point?  Why should anyone speak (or pray) in a language he/she cannot understand?  What good is tongue-speaking (praying)?  Do tongue-speakers have more power available for ministry?  If we seek this gift what should be our ultimate goal?

• The Apostle found tongue-speaking helpful in his own private, devotional life  (I Cor. 14:18) and encouraged its practice in the lives of others (I Cor. 14:5…prophesy also).
• Tongue-speaking is a form of thanksgiving and praise to God (14:15-17)
• Tongue-speaking/praying ‘builds up’ the speaker/pray-er (I Cor. 14:4). [encouragement, spiritual uplift]

• Tongue-praying may be a form of spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:18).  Praying ‘in the spirit’ in Ephesians is a Pauline phrase most likely meaning to pray in tongues, according to Gordon Fee.

• Sometimes we do not know how to pray for someone or something.  Praying in the spirit, in a non-rational manner, bypasses the mind and is a way to connect to God when the mind is unfruitful (Romans 8:26)

• Sometimes we are under pressure and need help and cannot take time away to commune peacefully with God.  I frequently prayed quietly when seeking to write the opening paragraph of a given news story.  Sometimes under deadline pressure and facing a particularly difficult and important story I would also pray in tongues while continuing to work.

• The point here is that praying in tongues is another tool in our toolbox of both personal devotion to God and spiritual engagement in this life.  ”…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all [kinds of] prayer and supplication for all the saints,…” (Eph 6:18, ESV)

1. 5.   How should tongue-speaking be handled in our corporate gatherings?  In private settings?  If someone speaks in tongues in public is an interpretation always necessary?  What does the Bible mean by ‘interpretation’?  Should we pray over people in tongues?

• In our corporate gatherings, which include Sunday (and soon Saturday) worship services, small group gatherings, Bible studies and Tuesday prayer gatherings tongue-speaking should be handled in the same way: If someone believes he/she has a public tongue to pray/speak then there should be present also someone with a gift of interpretation of tongues.  If no such person is present, then the tongue should not be spoken.

• How can we know if such a gift is present in someone? ASK.  Some people will know they operate in such a gift.  If an experienced leader is present who wishes to take a risk that someone present has the gift of interpretation but does not yet operate in that gift (some leaders will have a gift of knowledge) then it is okay with me for that leader to take the responsibility to explain these things and move the gathering forward.  NOTE: tongues in public should ALWAYS be interpreted.

• We need to adopt a learning attitude with reference to growth in spiritual gifts.

• Interpretation is NOT translation.  In my opinion, there should be some sort of similar rhythm or sense that the interpretation is near in kind to the tongue spoken.  The interpretation, then, should be some kind of communication to God, not directive word to people.

• Very often tongues and interpretation stir up other gifts because of their sensational nature and I’ve often witnessed a prophetic word given in place of an interpretation.  We should all wait until we have a sense the tongue has been interpreted before going on to other kinds of words.

• If you wish to pray over someone in a tongue always ask permission unless everyone in the circle is well-known and open to these manifestations.  One of the coolest things to observe is God using a person to pray or sing over someone in a tongue.  The one praying or singing should also be asking God for the interpretation as well.

• Gordon Fee Quote:  “…Paul is trying to curb the practice…of praying out in tongues without interpretation in the gathered community.  The concern of the argument throughout, as vv. 18-19 make certain, is what happens in the community at worship; and for Paul intelligibility is the key to edification when the church assembles.  This is why Paul can offer such positive words about ‘tongues,’ while at the same time trying to curb it in the community, at least without interpretation.  Thus in trying to stifle it as a community activity, he is careful not to quash it as a form of personal spirituality, precisely because it held a significant role in his own spiritual life.”  (Fee, Spirit in theText, 2000:44)

1. 6.   When a person speaks in tongues is that person in some kind of altered state?  Does the tongue-speaker have control over his/her actions?  Are tongues like other spiritual gifts that have a natural component as well, e.g., like teaching usually involves a conscious choice to prepare a sermon, can tongues be consciously shifting from rational speech to a supra-rational speech?

• I do not believe the Bible teaches that tongue-speaking brings about an altered state to the person who engages in it, nor do I think the Bible indicates that people who receive this manifestation of the Spirit of God must be in an altered state to receive it.

• However, let me also say that followers of Christ from time-to-time found themselves in altered states of consciousness.  (e.g. the gathered believer in Acts 4:31; Saul’s conversion experience in Acts 9:3-9; Peter’s vision of the sheet in Acts 10:10 ‘he fell into a trance’; Paul’s being ‘caught up’ into the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2; John was ‘in the spirit’ on the Lord’s day when he was given the vision which became the book of The Revelation in Revelation 1:10).  Note that not one of these altered states of consciousness has any explicit mention of tongue-speaking recorded.

• Biblical tongue-speakers always have control over their actions, as do Biblical prophets as do all others who receive the charismatic gifts of God.  I Cor 14:30-33  “…and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.”  This means they are not out of their own self-control

• In terms of the spiritual gifts having a ‘natural component’ I think this is a good way of looking at things (my opinion).  Most people I know who practice or use the gift of speaking/praying in tongues move easily between rational speech to supra-rational speech.  That is how I understand Paul in I Corinthians 14:14-15 “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.  What am I to do?  I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also;…”

1. 7.   Is tongue-speaking/praying the same thing as ‘praying in the spirit’?

• Yes, at least that seems to true in Paul’s writings.

• In my opinion, this is the most natural way to interpret Paul when he uses this phrase in Ephesians 6:18 and I Cor. 14:13-16.  This is also true in Fee.

• Gordon Fee Quote:  “In Eph 6:18…Paul urges this congregation to ‘pray in the Spirit.’  Since this is the same language Paul uses about his own prayer habits in I Cor. 14:13-16, one may legitimately assume that in using this language, at least one form such prayer would take would be praying ‘in a tongue.’  The argument in I Cor 14:1-19 gives clear evidence for the fact that praying in the Spirit, in tongues, held a significant place in Paul’s own prayer life.”  (Fee, Spirit in the Text, 2000:44)

• I am quick to note, however, that there are multiple ways to pray including praise, supplication, thanksgiving, and even singing (Acts 16:25).

• As I’ve said before praying ‘in the spirit’ is another tool in the toolbox.

1. 8.   Can you truly trust yourself speaking in these unknown tongues when you are questioning what you are saying at the same time?

• Yes…by faith.

• Paul urged the Corinthians to who speaks in a tongue to ‘pray for the power to interpret.’  I think this means that whether in a public setting or a private setting understanding with one’s mind what one is praying/speaking is important, perhaps even preferable.

• I believe we can trust God to give His kids good gifts.  (see Luke 11:11-13)

• If you do not have faith that you are speaking to God with your unintelligible prayer language you should stop because Paul wrote in Romans 14:23 about not eating food offered to idols that, “…whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”

• The general principle here is that engaging in a questionable practice should only be done by faith whether is it eating meat offered to idols (which was most meat in the First Century); honoring one holy day above another; or praying in tongues.

• Gordon Fee Quote:  “…for Paul one does not ‘pray in tongues’ from a position of ‘strength,’ as though being filled with the Spirit put one in a position of power before God.  Rather, one prays in tongues from a position of weakness, because we ‘do not know how to pray as we ought [Rom. 8:26].’  At such times we desperately need the [Holy] Spirit to help us, for the Spirit to pray through us what is in keeping with God’s purposes.  And we need especially to learn the kind of trust that such praying inherently demands, namely that God does indeed know the mind of the Spirit, that his intercession for us is right on in terms of God’s own purposes in our lives and in the world.”  (Fee, Spirit in the Text, 2000:118)

1. 9.   Geno, do you speak in tongues?  If so, how often?  What do you get from it?  How did it happen (when you got it)?  If I want this gift how do I go about getting it?  Does tongue-speaking accompany being filled with the Spirit?

• Yes.  I pray in tongues.  My personal practice is to begin my devotional prayer times by praying in tongues for a few minutes.  The length of this time varies depending upon my own need.  I find the practice tends to focus my mind and my heart on God.  I believe I am honoring God beyond my understanding with this practice and I find it very helpful…and I recommend it to you all.

• I have not ever spoken in tongues in a public fashion where I needed an interpreter to be understood.

• I first experienced this gift four days after I was converted.  I was in church on Sunday after giving my heart to Jesus on the previous Thursday.  The preacher had decided to pray for people to receive the gift of tongues that day (and maybe the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’).  I got in line and when he came by he prayed over me and laid his hand on my head.  I experienced a fainting sensation and a filling sensation and began to pray in an ecstatic fashion.  I believe that was tongues.

• I do NOT believe in or teach that people need to be coached in how to speak in tongues.  If you want this gift ask God for it.  You should also ask a friend to pray for you or with you as well.  If you’ve never heard anyone practice this gift you might find it helpful to ask a tongue-speaking friend to ‘pray in the spirit’ in your presence.

• I should say that about three years later I had my own doubts about all that due to the fact that a number of my non-charismatic friends helped me to see that I was living on the lunatic fringe of historic Christianity with the charismatic movement.  I quit speaking/praying in tongues and spent a lot of time studying the Scriptures, observing closely what was being taught and practiced around me, reading books about the movement and just praying.  After about a two-year hiatus I began to slowly practice ‘speaking/praying in tongues’ again and came to believe it was the real thing and helpful to me.  That was 25 years ago.

• If you want this gift I think you ask God to give it to you.

• I do NOT believe that tongue-speaking always accompanies being filled with the spirit (or baptized in the spirit).