THE GIFT OF TONGUES

I will pray with the Spirit...I will sing with the Spirit.-

..Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit (I Cor.

14:15-16)

The gift of tongues is an utterance spoken by the Spirit that is not under-

stood by the speaker or the hearer(s), but is spoken to God audibly in the midst of

others. Its purpose is to offer a prayer for the body of Christ or to offer thanksgiv-

ing to God for the body of Christ. In order to exercise the gift of tongues to edify

the church, there must be an interpretation so the body will know the mind of the

Spirit in the prayer or understand the praise offered by the Spirit to God and join in

the prayer or thanksgiving with understanding. The gift of tongues enables us to

pray collectively in the Spirit, or to make a collective psalm of praise in the Spirit,

either of which is directed to God.

A special manifestation of tongues appeared on the Day of Pentecost. After

the 120 believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues (the

prayer language) as the Spirit gave them utterance, they went out of the upper

room to the street corner. On the street, as certain of the disciples (Galileans)

spoke in tongues (the gift of tongues), people of various nations heard in their own

languages the wonderful works of God. The Spirit manifested the GIFT OF

TONGUES through the speakers in order to give a PROPHECY to the hearers. It

was not TONGUES AND INTERPRETATION because the people heard them speak

in languages they understood.

This manifestation has occurred various times since that day. A person will

give an utterance in a language unknown to him but which is understood by the

hearer, revealing his need of God. A person speaks by the inspiration of the Spirit

in a GIFT OF TONGUES and gives a PROPHECY in the language understood by the

hearer, and "thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest...and he will worship

God" (I Cor. 14:25). The Spirit may speak a prophecy through any of us by the

gift of tongues to a person whose language we do not understand in order to give

him a witness to the wonderful works of God.

While I distinguish between speaking in tongues as a private devotional

exercise (Oral Roberts has termed this the "prayer language") and the gift of

tongues which is for ministry to others, not every Charismatic would accept this

distinction. However, most Pentecostals make a distinction between devotional

tongues (the prayer language--speaking in tongues in prayer and praise to God in

private devotions) and the gift of tongues, (expressing publically the prayer and

praise of the church in tongues to God), which must be interpreted.