Spiritual Gift: Speaking in Tongues

Speaking in tongues is a highly debated topic, mostly whether or not this spiritual gift is for today. Some would say speaking in tongues has ceased. I want to make clear that my belief is that speaking in tongues IS still a if used today. I think the gift must meet at least 3 criteria for it to be valid.

1. It must be for the overall purpose of encouraging the Church and glorifying to God.

2. It must be in an orderly fashion that is not distracting or overwhelming in a negative way.

3. There must be an interpreter present (I will address this more tomorrow).

The best place that describes this gift is 1 Corinthians 14. This chapter would say that there does not have to be an interpreter present, but then the man or woman speaking in tongues only encourages themselves, which can be seen as a direct prayer to God out of an overflowing of his/her spirit.

Speaking in tongues should have some sort of revelation, encouragement, or teaching for the Church, not just reckless blabber. Some would say that speaking in tongues is a heavenly language, while others have said it is the ability to speak foreign languages. A reputable author once told a story of a conference going on and all of a sudden this dude got up and started speaking in tongues. After a couple minutes, a dishwasher came running into the conference asking where this man learned to speak his language. The man then explains that he is from a small village where only they speak that language. The dishwasher interpreted and ended up trusting in Christ.

I am hoping my friend Adriel will be kind enough to comment on this and maybe guest blog tomorrow, he has done far more studying on this spiritual gift than I have. Love you all!!