The Gift of Tongues

Finally, an answer! I have asked many times, to many people, what the difference was between the event at Pentecost (both the first — at Sinai — and the “second” described in Acts) and subsequent events mentioned by Paul.

I understood why the Pentecost events did not need an interpreter; however, my concern was why we needed an interpreter for later “tongues” events described by Paul. If both were from God, why the need? Now, I have a better understanding between these events.

Thank you for sharing this paper!

Hi Skip Thank you so much for sharing this article. It has given me understanding of why so many are against this working of the Holy Spirit. I have felt the sting of rejection from Christians who do not understand this gifting and I have seen the awesome love, power, and presence of Father God at the release of this gift from him. I have experienced the breaking through spiritually in the heavenlies over a people when the heavenly language is allowed to be released in a congregation. It is so sad to me that the knowledge of man has prevented this gift from God from being released on this earth . I personally know this is a real gifting , when used properly , and is in this time beginning to be released and not stopped by religion. It releases the love of God to a level I have not seen in the churches in a very long time! Thank you for this young man’s article. Be careful you do not get stiff necked as the Pharisees in the things of God!

Not to be harsh or tactless, but it doesn’t matter to me what anyone says, what they personally believe or do or saw happen in their church. Before I can accept the ecstatic, unintelligible kind of “tongues”, I really need to see the foundation for it in the Torah and Tanakh. No, Paul doesn’t condemn this practice of speaking in tongues, but he has far more negative to say about it than positive.

There are a lot of other things that come to mind off the top of my head.

God confused the languages at the Tower of Babel so that they could not understand each other. Confused languages don’t seem to be a good thing in the Bible.

Yeshua says, “You must pray this way…” and then tells his disciples, in plain and clear speech, HOW to do so. There is no example of Yeshua using an unintelligible prayer language. He even specifically says something about not praying as the pagans do. Why would we NEED a special prayer language to speak to God? Where is the foundation for that?

I also am very skeptical and somewhat put off by the idea or suggestion that ecstatic tongue speech is sole evidence of “baptism in the Holy Spirit” which is separate or different than baptism itself. (???) This is what I’ve read and been told by some, and again… I am not sure I see how this is scripturally sound. Even IF it is a gift, we are all given different gifts. And in charismatic churches, this one gift (which benefits who, and how? I have yet to understand that.) is held above all other.

And for what it’s worth, I read about a study that was done on glossolalia, and the conclusion was interesting to me:

“Felicitas Goodman studied a number of Pentecostal communities in the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico; these included English, Spanish and Mayan speaking groups. She compared what she found with recordings of non-Christian rituals from Africa, Borneo, Indonesia and Japan. She took into account both the segmental structure (such as sounds, syllables, phrases) and the supra-segmental elements (rhythm, accent, intonation) and concluded that there was no distinction between what was practised by the Pentecostal Protestants and the followers of other religions.”

I haven’t done extensive research on this study, and it’s really only a small, small part of why I hold the view that I do, but I did find it interesting (and disappointing) that this “special prayer language” to God, the true God, cannot be distinguished from any other kind of ecstatic speech.

Again, I’m not trying to be harsh or offensive. I just don’t see enough evidence in the WHOLE of the scriptures in favor or unintelligible tongues. I will also say (and this is just MY experience, and my own personal feeling) that the few times I have been around others who were speaking in tongues, I was thoroughly creeped out, and had a sick, dark feeling to my core. I can’t imagine that darkness co-existing with the light, if what I heard was indeed from God.

I need more evidence. That’s just me. 😉

Frankly, and until I can get beyond this, I am going to continue to have trouble here, and the trouble is altered states of reality. I know when I pray, I have the total opposite of a drug experience: it is so far in the other direction, if reality were round, the two might be almost kissing behind the other side of my planet. I am SO present, and He is so PRESENT, reality seems fake. The other stuff? Take a line of coke and tell me the difference. Huge dopamine and seratonin rushes. They FEEL like connection, because of the chemical high, and don’t tell me you don’t do drugs just because ecstasy was not something you bought on the street. I am an expert on addiction; specifically, the kind you do without drug or alcohol help. You can manipulate your own body chemicals just the same, but I have yet to find an active user that will do anything but defend their fix. Am I accusing you of this? No, I hope not. I am asking you. Prove to me that God meets us in an altered state. Do it the way Alicia or Pam asked, from the Tanakh. I need to see altered states of reality as something God gave us to meet Him in. There. In that place. Until then, I guess unless I meet someone who needs me to talk to them in their own language, I am not going to imbibe, as I have taken a sobriety oath. I know that I cannot tell the difference, and no, I also know I cannot hold my fix well. At all. And, no, the whole time I was convinced that I had to be in that place because it was love, God and I were NOT talking. I have had man y people try to sell me this drug, but none of them had anything to offer except “you feel so good”. Well, I chose my own emotions as the basis for relationship a while ago. I have felt a whole lot better since. I don’t want to go back. The only way forward for me is through the Word. Now, anybody can take me by the hand and go there with me. Please. I am talking about the REASON for it. I need to see the Biblical reason. For chemical highs. Including ecstasy.

Very interesting article!
My question though is why is there nothing in Torah that mentions anything that resembles the speaking of tongues? Acts2 I can understand, it was a once-off type of mircale that Yahweh used to show His rule, reign and power, and it won’t be understood (if read in context) that we now must try and pursue a similar practice or miracle or see it as a mitzvah from Yahweh. But if the speaking in tongues in 1Cor is a gift and something we need to pursue or understand as a mitzvah, why did Yahweh not instruct this mitzvah at Sinai?

But he doesn’t forbid it. Why?

Could it be that because tongues and their interpretation where a familiar practice to the Corinthians,
when incorporated in an orderly way as part of the worship service with a hymn, lesson and revelation, that the practice was a witness to people coming into the congregation but unfamiliar to the churches teaching.
From the above comments it seems that for some the gift of tongues when expressed with the right heart enables a spiritually tangible connection that would be cluttered by words.
Just thinking.