Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14 v 2: "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."
Acts 19 v 1 - 6: "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 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.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 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.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
There is somehow a lot of controversy surrounding the gifts of the Holy Spirit but one of the most controversial is that of speaking or praying or singing in tongues. Tongues can be in a known or unknown language but when the message is interpreted through the gift of interpretation of tongues, it is never a direct translation. The interpretation is a direct word from our Father.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit comes after we have been baptized in water. He comes upon us when the people baptizing you lay hands upon you and pray in tongues. You feel a feeling like butterflies in your tummy and when you speak it should be your new heavenly language coming forth. I encourage people to request the interpretation of their new tongues and when given it is a most beautiful message.
I personally received this gift in 1978 and it has been a constant source of joy and blessing to me. Whenever I am faced with a complex situation which baffles me, I pray in an unknown tongue directly to the Throne of God in Heaven. Neither I nor Satan know what I said so he can't mess with it, and neither can I. Before long my spirit is flooded with inspiration and my mind becomes fruitful with answers, wisdom and direction from our Father.
Some churches teach that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit of God were just needed until the Bible was completed and available, so that any knowledge you receive through tongues is outside of Bible knowledge and therefore not Godly. This is the controversy and it is wrong.
In Acts 19 when Paul saw certain disciples baptizing converts he asked if they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they said they had not heard anything about the Holy Spirit. He then baptized them in the name of Jesus and in the Holy Spirit and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. They had been baptized by John the Baptist before he baptized Jesus. I believe Jesus did not speak in tongues in front of His disciples because they needed to get it all together in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost.
Speaking in tongues has become the accepted sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit but in a few instances I have noticed a gift like discerning of spirits emerging ahead of tongues. Over the 48 years since I received the Holy Spirit and tongues I have seen every gift of the Spirit operate in my life when it was required. I could never deny that this is not Godly because the fruit of the ministry was always so powerful. God alone gets the glory because He handles everything.
A dear sister in Christ was led by the Holy Spirit to fly to Switzerland from South Africa to find a certain woman whose photograph was in a newspaper. When she arrived in the town her name was not in the telephone directory...back in the 1980's! So she walked through the town being directed by the Lord. She stopped at a building which had a pretty lift and moments later the woman she was seeking walked out of the main door.
My friend approached her saying the Lord Jesus had sent her on an urgent mission. The woman was baffled but invited her to her loft house. There she met an Austrian lady who was very pleased to meet her. Her brother was in an insane asylum in Austria because he told people that he had heard the voice of God. My friend went with her to Austria to meet her brother. He did not speak any English and his sister was struggling to interpret the spiritual message that was being shared. So my dear sister started speaking in tongues. He understood her immediately but she did not know what she was saying. He showed that he was being born again and receiving Jesus. He was immediately released from that place. Her urgent mission was completed.
This is an example of the ministry of tongues that stands out to me but the Holy Spirit works without ceasing and in unknown places and I could fill books with the miracles I have witnessed. Jesus does the work when I do my part which is to pray in my closet, especially in tongues.
When you pray or speak in tongues you speak from your spirit to God in mighty words of worship and adoration. In John 4 v 24 Jesus says God is a spirit; they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. I know no other way to worship God in spirit than through tongues.
We can sing praises all day long with our mouths and all our heart but when you sing in tongues it transcends this world and you join the angels in Heaven to worship the Father and Jesus. There is nothing to equal it.
There is both known tongues and unknown tongues. Read the book "Michael, Michael, Why Do You Hate Me" by a former New York rabbi who was stuck in traffic on a very hot day. He heard singing that thrilled his soul and left his car to find the source. It was a church. He stood at the back when suddenly a little old lady spoke a message in tongues. Michael understood them because it was in the High Hebrew only rabbis know. It was the title of the book! He asked the lady where she learned such Hebrew and she turned out to be a char lady who had no idea. He got saved!
On the day of Pentecost when the disciples were speaking loudly in Tongues all the tourists in Jerusalem heard them speaking in their own language. The Holy Spirit made sure that as many strangers could hear the wonderful works of God and spread the Word.
Paul said that he spoke in tongues more than anyone and wished that everyone spoke in tongues because it builds up your spirit. It accelerates your spiritual growth and increases your knowledge of ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul also said that people should rather prophesy in the church or interpret the tongues so that everyone could be edified.
The number of people bringing a message in tongues or prophesying in the church should be limited to three per meeting. Apparently the Corinthians were getting carried away in this regard and it left no time for preaching and meeting ministry needs. This whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 14 was from Paul to correct their errors!
The congregation were able to judge those prophecies and if they did not witness to the truth they could object. That never happens today where in some charismatic churches a 65% accuracy in prophecy is 100% acceptable. To man perhaps but not to God.
Speaking in tongues is a beautiful and powerful gift from God that must not be abused. It is a language which flows and is never harsh or gutteral. The enemy in satanic covens also has a form of tongues. It sounds extremely harsh and ugly and chills the spine. Various cults like the Mormons also have a form of tongues but it is not a gift of the Holy Spirit. We must try the spirits to make sure its from God.
Use the gifts of God wisely and frequently to His glory and worship which will open Heaven for spiritual blessings to rain down.
Prayer: Heavenly Father thank You for all the years I have been able to worship You in spirit and receive Your abundant blessings. Please fill those who desire it with the Holy Spirit and bless them with tongues and all the other gifts too. In Jesus' name. Amen.