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All rights reserved "Lion tongue" by Doug Wheller |
Tongues What's that about?
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant
When and Where
1 Corinthians 12-141 Corinthians 141 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. … 12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. 13 Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. 16 Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? 17 For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. 18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; 19 yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue…39 Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
When | Where | Why
1 Corinthians 14 is very clear. You should seek to actively pursue growth in all the gifts of the Spirit. Tongues is speaking to God and not to men. No person naturally understands someone who speaks in tongues. Because interpreting is not natural, the tongue is not natural. Tongues isn’t a known language, it is an unknown language, which requires supernatural translation. It seems that multiple such unknown languages exist, because this speaks of the tongues of men and angels.
Interpretation is required in order for the group to benefit. If you speak in tongues without interpretation your spirit DOES benefit; however, your mind (natural understanding) does not and neither does the group. It is good and right to pray and sign in tongues. In a group setting it is best to keep all communication to that which benefits the group. Therefore, if you are all praying in tongues for a little while actively seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit inside of you, that is fine. Eventually someone needs to start speaking in the common language so that everyone can be in agreement and say “Amen”.
Paul prayed in tongues more than the entire Corinthian Church put together, but it seems to indicate he mostly did this when he was on his own. In the service he focused on the using the common language. When the group comes together it is right and fitting for a tongue to be spoken to the group. This should be one person speaking to the group, and someone should interpret. If you are not allowing this in your services… you are missing out on God’s best. However, if you have no one who has developed the skill to interpret, it may be best that you keep your group communication to the common language until such time you have developed in smaller groups the ability to rightly interpret.
So, let me tell you how Tongues has affected me:
My Initiation…
I mentioned in my first post for this series that I grew up in denominations that didn’t believe in the gifts of the Spirit, The Frozen Chosen. However, I was experiencing the strange and supernatural on a frequent basis. I always knew there was more. Tongues, specifically, was the thing that kept calling to me. I’ve been studying this since long before I knew it was still possible. I figured that anyone who could still do this must be some special priest or spiritual person.
One day the woman who would become my wife, started praying in tongues in my hearing. I was astonished, shocked, intrigued… and that was the moment my life changed. Eventually, I found out that Tongues (and all the Manifestations of the Spirit) belong to every believer. If these are what happens when HE shows up in a tangible way, and I am filled with HIM… these are my birthright.
I drove my truck to a patch of desert, laid out under the stars, and told God: “I believe your Word promises this to me. I receive it by faith. I speak by faith…” Then I waited. For what seems like eternity. I was determined that if this was real it wouldn’t require me to force it. I waited and listened down on the inside. I heard a single syllable squeeze past my religious traditions and come up in my heart. I spoke that syllable. Minutes later, another. Eventually, after a few weeks. It flowed. I prayed with that woman, who is now my wife, and she confirmed that it was authentic.
Now I seek the Holy Spirit for new syllables as often as possible. I figured there must be cross over from Known Language to Unknown Language. Just like Spanish, if I’m going to get this, I’m not going to end with Tongues 101. I want to be fluent!
My Attitude…
I cannot even count the amount of times I have been feeling hard, grumpy, mean… I will feel prompted to start praying in tongues. At first I resist. “No Holy Spirit, I WANT to be grumpy and mean today!” But I keep feeling the soft, warm, pressure to pray. Softly (usually) to myself I start. The grumpier I harder it is at first, just like those first days in the truck. Then, the more I pray the gunk works out and my spirit softens. Maybe as I sit at my desk working, or walking somewhere, etc. The person sitting in the next desk probably doesn’t hear me, but I’m praying to Jesus softly to myself. The more often I do this, the softer and warmer my heart remains toward God. Jude calls this type of praying in tongues: “Building yourself up”. I find that my general attitude in life can be directly tied to the frequency and intensity of my praying in tongues.
Romans8:26 NIV26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
Jude1:20 NIV
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit
Every so often I do get carried away, and I get louder. Sometimes I’m feeling particularly upset, and it requires a firmer prayer. The occasions that used to provoke cussing, are GREAT occasion to evoke praying in tongues instead. Sometimes someone will hear me and ask what language I was speaking. I just tell them it’s a rare middle eastern dialect called Ruach Ha-Kodesh, that usually suffices. That is the Hebrew word for Holy Spirit, by the way.
My Answers…
I was in prayer one day, deeply distressed by a lack of progress in my spiritual and natural life. And the Word of the Lord came up in my spirit so clearly that it startled me. “Nancy Dufresne has your answer.” Nancy Dufresne is a pastor out of Murrieta CA. I had only heard her a few times. But some time before a friend gave us a CD series by the Dufresne’s Ministry. So I pulled it out. I selected the disc it opened to, and put it in the player. At first, I heard Tongues given by Ed Dufresne and then Nancy interpreted.
“When your manner of speech changes from “I need it” to “I got it” than the things you’ve been needing can come in to your life…”
This became an immediate correction in my life, and I still have that saying posted on my wall nearly 10 years later. That not only helped my change my attitude and manner of praying and speaking at that time. It has frequently come back up in my spirit again during times in my life that I needed to hear it. There were other things that were said on that disc as part of that message. Every so often I go and listen to the whole thing and I’m re-charged by it. But that one phrase has been burned forever into my spirit.
This is an example of how God can use Tongues to deliver a message to you that will radical alter your life and your mindsets.
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