Speaking with Other Tongues

SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES

(AND MORE)

December 31, 2007

The author of Acts wrote: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  Acts 2:1-4

I don’t intend to comment on those scriptures, for they do a great job of explaining themselves.

But as the writer continued, He said:  “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.   Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 

And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?  Parthians, and Medusa, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

Acts 2:5-11

When the Lord gave utterance, those Galleons spoke in a language that was not their native language, neither had they learned it.  I believe, in that session God gave his servants utterance to speak the language of those sixteen nations for the purpose of equipping them with the means whereby they were carry the Gospel to their own native country.

 

Thus, every man heard the disciples speak in their native language wherein they were born.

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.”

 Acts 2:12-13

“But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:” Acts 2:14-18

When the Holy Ghost came, He brought with Him all the gifts that were needed to carry out ‘the great Commission’ that Jesus had assigned to His disciples.  

That commission was: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”  Mark 16:15-16    

Just before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He laid down the ground rules for His disciples to follow as they published His good news.  

He said: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

Acts 1:8.  Did they preach the gospel to every creature under heaven? Yea, during that generation, the apostles, the devout men, along with Jesus’ other disciples carried out His charge to the letter.  The Apostle Paul agreed by saying: “Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”  Romans 10:18b  

After being thrust out with the rest of Israel, the small remnant was baptized back into the Kingdom on the day of Pentecost.  Yet there were others of the elect to be instated or in some cases reinstated into the kingdom, for on the Day of Pentecost the kingdom was void of its occupants.  That was to the fulfillment of where the Lord prophesied:  “Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, [3] And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.   [4]  Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:”

Ezekiel 21:2-4

The Lord had also prophesied: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”  Matthew 24:3

(The trumpet they sounded was the Gospel.)

Lest anyone should assume that Jesus was referring to the gathering of the elect at the end of the world.  He added, “Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”   Mark 13:30-31

The Lord told His disciples: “After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and in Samaria…”

After that Peter preached his sermon at Jerusalem.  The writer said:  “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”  Acts 2:41

Next on the agenda to be evangelized was Samaria.  The writer penned: “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John.  Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:  (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)”

Now don’t assume that such baptism was of water, for the baptism in the name of Jesus ministered salvation to their soul.   Then they laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.    Acts 8:14-17   Through that process the apostles, Peter and John gathered the Samaritan newborn into the kingdom of God. 

Next, Peter preached to Cornelius and his house by saying: “To Jesus give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.  While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them, which heard the word.  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.”   Acts 10:43-45 

Preaching was the means whereby Peter used to gather the Gentiles into the kingdom.  The writer said: “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them.”

Sometime later the Writer caught up with the great apostle.  He wrote: ”Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?    And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.  And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.  Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  (I believe the writer is saying that these had an ear to hear and that they heard, believed, repented to the salvation of their soul.)  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.  And all the men were about twelve.”  Acts 19:1-7

The writer said: “When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”  Paul gathered those twelve into the kingdom through his teaching and lying on of his hands.  (This was the last biblical recorded event, where speaking in tongues and prophesying was witnessed after receiving the Holy Ghost.)

Paul told those at Corinth; “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”  1 Corinthians 14:22  

The supernatural of speaking with tongues and prophesying was a sign that the elect had been received into the kingdom, that kingdom being the Church.

Now while the Church was in its infancy, the language barrier was forbidding and it presented quiet a problem, especially among those that neither spoke nor understood the language of specific local gatherings. However, that was a natural obstacle rather than being a supernatural one.

Paul devoted the entire fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians to explain how a church services should be conducted when there was a language bearer; especially when minorities wished to take part in the service.   Here is what he said: “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. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. 

He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.  I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.”  1 Corinthians 14:2-5

My interpretation of what Paul said is that if one is singing, preaching or praying in the language that the majority of the congregation understands, then he is prophesying; which is to say, promoting growth in the body. On the other hand if he doesn’t speak the language that  the congregation does, then he is to refrain from speaking unless there is another present to interpret.  Otherwise he is to speak to himself and to God.

Paul also wrote: “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.  But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.    Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.  If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.”  1 Corinthians 14:27-29

Then he said:  “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”    Ephesians 4:4-6

Amen!