Don’t Neglect Your Spiritual Gift (Part Seven – tongues)

The Gift of “divers kinds of tongues” and “the interpretation of tongues”

1 Cor. 12: 10

                In this lesson we are going to look in the Bible at “tongues”. We will look at two different ways “tongues are defined in your Bible. Then we will look at the “Gift of” mentioned in our passage.

Tongues are a body part in your mouth

1. [Ex.4:10] Moses probably had a stuttering problem, not a problem with Hebrew language
2. [Judg.7:5] lappeth the water with his tongue
3. [Rev.16:8-10] gnawed their tongues
4. [Acts 2:1-3] cloven tongues like as of fire

Tongues are Languages – Known and Unknown

2. [Gen.10: 5] after their families
3. [Gen. 10: 20] in their countries
4. [Gen. 10: 31] in their lands
5. [Ezra 4:7] Syrian tongue
6. [Rev.16:16] Hebrew tongue (The tongue of angels, Rev.19:1-6 “Alleluia”- Hebrew,                      1 Cor.13:1)
7. [Acts 2:4-6] verse 4 – other than Hebrew, They are known languages
8. [Acts 2:7-8,11] Known languages
9. [1 Cor.14:14-16,23] “unlearned”, they can be learned, just as you learn a new language
10. [1 Cor.14:2] Unknown tongues are languages that no one in the audience can understand
11. [Deu. 28:49] whose tongue thou shalt not understand
12. [1 Cor.14:28] they are unknown, thus you need an interpreter
13. [1 Cor.14:2] He is speaking not unto men, but unto God

Tongues are not a mysterious prayer language of the Holy Spirit [Rom.8:26] cannot be uttered!!!

[1Cor.14:27-34] The Holy Spirit has laid down five laws for speaking in tongues. Every congregation that professes speaking in tongues is for a Christian today violates these laws. Charismatics should be able to be the best missionaries, no language school, but it is a false doctrine.

• Men only – vs. 27 & 34 They have men and women
• No more than three at a service – vs. 27 the more the merrier for them
• One at a time – vs. 27 – all at once
• One interpreter – vs. 27 No interpreter
• If no interpreter, then keep quiet – vs. 28
• Let all things be done decently and in order – vs. 40
• You would need all the above if a visiting preacher that only spoke Chinese came to your church, is how this applies to today.

 

The Gift of “divers tongues” and “the interpretation of tongues” is the ability to speak a language that you don’t know.

• [1 Cor.14:22] Tongues are for a sign to an unbelieving Jew.
• [1 Cor. 1:22] Jews require a sign
• [Acts 2:1-11] The Apostles were able to speak in languages that they did not know, for the spread of the gospel

 

This Gift shows up three times in your Bible and audience is always a Jew:

[Acts2:5, 14] men of Judaea – Jews

[Acts 10:44-48] Six men accompanied Peter, [Acts 11:12] Jewish

[Acts 19:1-7] Twelve men and Paul, Jewish          (for the benefit of Apollos disciples, like Acts 2)

So then, the rule for this gift, is that they are languages and are always presented to convince a skeptical, unbelieving, (not meaning lost) Jew that what is happening before him is truly a work of the Holy Spirit.