Sermon Tone Analysis

Are Tongues For Today?

Why Do I Speak In Tongues?

We are in the midst of a short series of messges entitled:  “Are Tongues For Today?”  I believe that God has impressed upon me that it is time to do some of this teaching for the Sunday morning crowd.

In this short series of messages, we are answering three questions, “Are tongues for Today?”  “Why do I speak in tongues?” and, “What are the Biblical guidelines for speaking in tongues?”

Last week we dealt with the question, “Are Tongues For Today?”  In that message, we removed the Biblical obstacles to believing that tongues are for today, and dealt with one verse in the Bible where we strongly infer that tongues are for today.

Today I want to entertain the question, “Why do I speak in tongues?”

This is a very legitimate question born out of the Pentecostal and Fundamental~/Evangelical wars of the past 100 years, in America.

It may be interesting to note that other parts of the world do *not* struggle with this question.

Spiritual, Charismatic, or Pentecostal things are accepted much more readily and there is little debate.

This is because much of the rest of the world does *not* have a Greek orientation, but a Middle Eastern or Eastern orientation that has a predilection towards the spirit, soul, and the mystical, as opposed to the intellectuallistic and rationalistic.

When I started “The Tongues TrilemmaÒ,” in October of 1997, i.e. 55 messages that exegetically dealt with Acts 2, 8, 10, 19 and 1 Corinthians chapters 12 through 14, the climate of America was much more hostile to the manifestation of tongues.

*/But, since that time, the climate has changed and continues to change./*

Fewer and fewer people are espousing the once dogmatic Fundamental~/Evangelical position that the manifestation of tongues has ceased, according to the shallow interpretation and application of 1 Corinthians 13:8-10.

Nevertheless, there is still a great deal of confusion over why, when, where, and how tongues are to be manifested.

I hope to deal with some “whys” today and some “hows to’s” next week.

*/Consequently,/*/ *tongues remain one of the most controversial subjects in the Church today.*/

I used to wonder why, but I am beginning to understand that more and more.

Something as important as /Biblical spiritual manifestations/ would certainly be attacked and mystified by the devil—and that is exactly what he has done.

In addition, in some circles, there is a stigma or shame in dealing with the things of the Holy Spirit.

In his book, /The Anointing/, R. T. Kendall discusses the point that the stigma of Jehovah is His sovereignty; the stigma of Christ is the cross or the blood; but the stigma of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit Himself.

*/Since tongues is one of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, there is often a stigma or shame in dealing with this manifestation.

But, I am willing to bear that stigma and shame./*

You might ask, “Why?”  */Because, we are living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit./*

The early history of the Church Age is recorded in the book of Acts, which some refer to as the Acts of the Holy Spirit, in the Church.

While the Gospels feature */the Charismatic Christ/*, the book of Acts features */the Charismatic Community/*.

Roger Stronstad, in his excellent and scholarly book, /The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke/, (/and remember that Luke wrote both Luke and Acts, and they seem to two parts of one work/), uses the word “charismatic” to “mean God’s gift of His Spirit to His servants, either individually or collectively, to anoint, empower, or inspire them for divine service.

As it is recorded in the Scripture, therefore, this charismatic activity is necessarily an experiential phenomenon.”[1]

*/Therefore, let it be known that in my private, closet of prayer, I pray to God, worship and praise God, and do spiritual warfare through speaking in tongues most every day of my life, if not more than once a day./*

This has revolutionized the power quotient in my life whenever I witness, preach, lay hands on the sick, or transact any Kingdom business.

(With that short introduction, we can move on to a number of reasons why I speak in tongues.

These reasons are in a loose order of there occurrence in the Bible.

The first reason should be rather obvious.

I speak in tongues, because:)

 

1.

Tongues are a part of the Biblical record that *cannot* be dismissed.

I covered this in the last message.

2.

Tongues are one confirmation of the Word of God when it is preached.[2]

/(This is recorded in Mark 16:14-20.

Would you turn there with me please?

Let me read this aloud for us.)/

These verses capture Christ’s Great Commission to His disciples.

Verse 20 states plainly that they preached the Gospel, while the Lord worked with them, i.e. through the power of the Holy Ghost, and they confirmed the Word of God by the signs that followed them.

Among the signs that Jesus named was the one we are discussing, “…and they shall speak with new tongues.”

\\        Now, some scholars try to discredit everything that is stated in Mark 16:9-20 by citing the fact that some of the oldest manuscripts do *not* contain this passage.

/The Bible Background Commentary/ says, “The manuscript tradition and style suggest that these verses were probably an early addition to the Gospel of Mark, although a few scholars (such as William Farmer) have argued the case that they are Markan.

In any case, most of the content of these verses is found elsewhere in the Gospels.”

*/In short, don’t be to quick to dismiss these verses./*

*/In addition, the interpreters thought enough of these verses to include them in the canon of the Scripture, even if they are marked by brackets.

Therefore, we consider these words on some fairly substantial grounds./*

/(Let’s move on.

I speak tongues because:)/

 

3.

Tongues are connected to the baptism in the Holy Ghost.

The baptism in the Holy Ghost that Luke describes, in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, is the empowering experience in the Holy Spirit that gives believers power to be witnesses unto Jesus Christ and to transact Kingdom business with miracles, signs, and wonders.

In the New Testament, the baptism in the Holy Ghost is */always/* accompanied by inspired speech, and that inspired speech */tends/* to be tongues and~/or prophecy.

*/So, tongues is a frequent accompaniment of the baptism or a fresh baptism in the Holy Ghost./*

Please note that it is *not* tongues that I am seeking, but the power of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.

Yet, tongues */tend/* to come along with this baptism.

/(Illustration:  “The Fries Come With It Holmes!”)/

 

4.

Tongues are a unique New Testament expression.

Speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterance is the unique spiritual manifestation identified with the Church of Jesus Christ.

All other gifts, miracles, and spiritual manifestations were in evidence during the Old Testament times, before the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-39).”[3]

There were prophecies, miracles, gifts of healings, miracle-working faith, etc., but as far as we can tell biblically, there were *no* tongues--even though these other manifestations were performed by an elite few, as opposed to being available to all believers in the New Testament.

So, I am practicing something that is unique to our times.

\\ 5.     Tongues are a means of personal spiritual edification.

This is seen in

 

1 Corinthians 14:4 (NASB-U), “One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.”

*/Cessationists use this term to rebuke anyone who speaks in tongues, as if Paul is saying that to edify oneself is completely sinful./*

However, in one of the foremost recognized commentaries on 1 Corinthians, recognized both by Pentecostals and Evangelicals, Gordon Fee writes, “This has sometimes been called ‘self-edification’ and therefore viewed as pejorative (/i.e.

disproved of or criticized/).

But Paul intended *no* such thing.

*/The edifying of oneself is not self-centeredness, but the personal edifying of the believer that comes through private prayer and praise.”/*[4]

Of course Paul here is lifting prophecy about tongues, when it is in the church service.

*/Fee continues, /*“Although one may wonder how ‘mysteries’ that are *not* understood, even by the speaker, can edify, the answer lies in verses 14-15.”[5]

 

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NASB-U), “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

[15] What is the outcome then?

I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.”

Fee continues, “*/Contrary to the opinion of many, spiritual edification can take place in ways other than through the cortex of the brain./*

Paul believed in an immediate communing with God by means of the S~/spirit that sometimes bypassed the mind; and in verses 14-15 he argues that for his own edification he will have both.

But in church, he will have only what can also communicate to other believers through their minds.”[6]

*/That is good and I wholeheartedly agree with the premise that there is a specific kind of edification that comes from speaking in tongues./*

This is also covered in

 

Jude 1:20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit.”

\\ The language is almost identical to that in 1 Corinthians 14:14 and Ephesians 6:18.

So, there is little doubt that Jude is talking about praying in tongues, but Jude gives us another perspective.

*/Jude connects praying in the Holy Spirit with building ourselves up on our most holy faith./*

So, Jude describes Christians as the beloved of God who build themselves up on their most holy faith by praying in tongues.

How does praying in the Holy Ghost build us up?  */Does it not build one up to know that s~/he has a direct line into his~/her Abba Father, who is the God of the universe?/*

/(Other purposes for speaking in tongues can be gleaned from the following verses:)/

 

1 Corinthians 14:13-19 (NASB-U), “Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

What is the outcome then?

I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the ‘Amen’ at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

/(Therefore, I also speak in tongues because:)/

 

6.

Tongues are a hotline of prayer.

Paul says in verse 14, that when he prayed in tongues—I believe he is talking about praying in tongues in private—his */spirit/* prayed, but his */mind/* was unfruitful.

In the quote that we just read from Gordon Fee, he said, “Paul believed in an immediate communing with God by means of the S~/spirit that sometimes bypassed the mind; and in verses 14-15 he argues that for his own edification he will have both.”[7]

Therefore, praying in tongues is spirit-to-Spirit communication, i.e. from Man’s spirit baptized and controlled by the Spirit to God’s Spirit.

*/So, praying in tongues can be considered/*/ *a “hotline” to heaven!!!  It is a direct line from our spirit to God’s spirit!!!*/*  */(Get my taped sermon:  “Hotline To Heaven.”)/