Message 7: Speaking and Praying in Tongues

BEYOND THE SERMON

Gifts of the Spirit

Message 7: Speaking and Praying in Tongues, and the Interpretation of Tongues

Pastor Rod Meyers with Carla and Diana  •  Covington Community Church  •  Key texts: 1 Corinthians 12:10; Acts 2:1-13; 1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)

 

Message Overview

This is the finale of the series on the nine gifts of the Spirit — but not the end, because a gift keeps growing and rolling. Rod opens with a takeaway from a men's breakfast on salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16): in Roman days people were paid in salt because it had value, and light has a value all its own. You are salt and light. You are something of value, and so is the gift the Holy Spirit packaged specifically for you.

When a person professes faith in Christ, God saves them from sin and death — but it does not stop there. A chaplain to a professional basketball team gets special parking, special dinners, and a backstage pass to everything; with Christ you have a backstage pass to everything for eternity. Better than a lottery ticket. God saves us to dynamic service — and the word behind it, dynamis, is where we get "dynamite." You are dynamite. Don't use it in the pew; take it outside into the community. This message takes up the last two gifts, tongues and interpretation: what they are, where they first appear, what they look like on display, and how to find your own gift with the inventory. Then it closes the series where it began: open the package.

Key Scripture

 

 

Read the whole scene in Acts 2:1-13. As with most biblical topics, the first mention should dictate our interpretation, and this is where the gift of tongues first opens up.

Word Study

 

What Exactly Are Tongues?

After the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, the early church began to speak in tongues (Acts 2:4). These tongues were actual spoken languages, granted by the Holy Spirit, which allowed the gospel to transcend language and cultural barriers — the various languages and dialects are listed (Acts 2:5-12). The apostles spoke them supernaturally, without any training. Imagine delivering one message and having a multitude hear it, each in their own language. Drop the mic; you might as well become a worldwide evangelist. And because they had no training, God gets the glory.

• What was God doing through this strange phenomenon? Fulfilling Scripture: "with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people" (Isaiah 28:11; 1 Corinthians 14:21). Foreign languages were happening right in Jerusalem — the place where these gifts were launched. They came for a season, with a purpose, and they will end in a season too.
• God's agenda had gone global. Most of the gospel had gone out in Hebrew or Greek; now it would go to every language on the planet, in keeping with His command to teach the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). If you want to sell vacuum cleaners to Spaniards, you should speak Spanish — and what most of us cannot do, God provided supernaturally.
• Tongues is for speaking; interpretation is for hearing. Paul warned that tongues are not something to practice among unbelievers, who will only conclude that you are out of your mind (1 Corinthians 14:22-23).
• The gifts interlock. Prophecy, tongues, and interpretation often roll together, and a word of knowledge or wisdom may need to be delivered in a language not your own. You may have one gift; you may have more than one (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Whenever the subject of tongues comes up, some folks hold their tongue and wait to see what you will say next. These gifts can be controversial, and they have been abused in the church. No sermon series can cover all the phenomena of miracles, healing, and the gifts — there is too much history to unpack — so honestly, we live it and see it as we go.

Two Pentecosts

Fire on the Mountain

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house" (Acts 2:1-2). There was another Pentecost before this one — at Mount Sinai. A mighty rush of wind, the holy fire of God on the mountain, smoke on the summit, a trembling people, and the ten words given (Exodus 19:16-19; Exodus 20:18-19; Deuteronomy 4:11-13). The Hebrew describes the words going out like a supersonic rush, terrifying to those who heard the voice of God from the mountaintop. Some rabbis have suggested that when God spoke, everyone in attendance, of any language, understood — because there is no language God does not speak. And the Torah says the covenant was made not only with those who stood there but with us (Deuteronomy 5:2-4) — as if you and I were in attendance.

 

No coincidence. This day was specific: the birth of a new age — not "new age" in the modern sense, but a new walk in Christ, a new revelation. Jesus spent forty days with the disciples after the resurrection — graduate school after three and a half years of undergraduate with the Master (Acts 1:3) — and told them to wait in Jerusalem because He had a gift for them (Acts 1:4-5). They obeyed, they waited, and He did not leave them empty-handed. He gave them gifts to operate the Kingdom on the planet (Ephesians 4:7-8). That is the same gift you have. Are you going to open it?

Every Nation Under Heaven

Staying in Jerusalem were God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven (Acts 2:5). Nothing like this had ever happened; the closest thing was Sinai, and the nations were not there — Israel was to be their representative. Now people from all over the known world heard the sound, came bewildered, and each heard their own language (Acts 2:6-8). Aren't these all Galileans, with that slow, homespun, country accent? Yet Jews and converts alike heard the wonders of God in their own tongues and asked, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:9-12).

It means Jesus went to the Kingdom and is seated at the right hand of the Father, all authority in heaven and earth is given to Him, and He has sent down gifts for the nations (Acts 2:33; Psalm 68:18). His agenda was taking off. That is what this sign was. We did not get all that in Bible school — but when you are with Jesus, other stuff comes with you. Some made fun: they have had too much wine (Acts 2:13). Peter's answer: it is nine in the morning; happy hour has not begun (Acts 2:14-15). Then he prophesied from Joel (Acts 2:16-21). Ever been in a service where someone was healed, or a word was spoken, or tongues were heard, and people said, "Look at that circus"? That is what this looked like too. Something else was afoot.

The Gift on Display: Carla

Rod invited Carla forward to share a little language — and she prayed the Lord's Prayer in Spanish (Matthew 6:9-13). Everyone recognized it. If Spanish is your heart language, a word of Scripture, a word of knowledge, or a prayer in your own tongue is a meaningful thing to hear. This is not the gift exactly as it appears in Acts 2, but the gift of language is a gift, and each person uses it differently.

• Carla, a native English speaker from Kirkland, started Spanish in ninth grade, following her brother, and studied it through high school and university. Before she ever traveled anywhere it was clear she had a gift — most people who studied for years remembered hardly any of it — and she recognized it as something the Lord had given.
• She developed it: she studied, people prayed for her, and she practiced with every Spanish speaker she met. As a child she had watched Spanish-speaking missionaries visit her church and said, "That's what I want to be when I grow up."
• She was asked to interpret at a church and did it for nine years at the pulpit, from Spanish into English, with no notes and no preparation — trusting the Holy Spirit to help her understand and clearly convey the message.
• Word for word is virtually impossible; sometimes there are no words, and a literal rendering would change the meaning into nonsense. The interpreter must stay as close to word-for-word as possible while still conveying the message — not at liberty to say whatever she wants.

Rod had just experienced the same thing in Nigeria, preaching through his friend Reverend Mina in Hausa to a congregation where forty to sixty percent spoke only Hausa. His sermon was only as good as the interpreter's ability — and it was not word for word; it was the spirit and intent. When you speak to a group that does not speak your language, you are at the mercy of the interpreter and the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is at work when we interpret (1 Corinthians 14:13; Nehemiah 8:8).

Heavenly Languages and the Prayer Language

Carla's was an earthly language. Paul also speaks of the tongues of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1), and there are different pieces to this gift. The Ukrainian congregation next door prays in tongues; they pray in tongues in Africa, and in Israel. This is a prayer language — a heavenly prayer language — and it is a legitimate piece of the gift. Sometimes it is interpreted; sometimes, as Scripture says, it is between the person and God: "anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God … they utter mysteries by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:2). It edifies the one praying (1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 1:20; Romans 8:26-27), but it is a language unto God.

• Did we see this in the origin? Yes — the languages of men and of angels. A language is a language.
• Rod mentioned a television study of the modern charismatic prayer language and what it triggers in the brain — interesting, though there is no science for the supernatural, since science must be repeatable.
• There are heavenly prayer languages, languages of prayer, languages people pray to themselves, and the gift of interpretation by the Spirit. All are given by the Spirit of God for the purposes of edifying the body, communicating something, or communicating directly with God. The heavenly-language piece is a subject for another time.

 

Find Your Gift: The Inventory

Diana, the church administrator, introduced the spiritual gifts assessment: eighty questions, not mandatory, not a test — a tool to help you identify where your gifts may be. It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. Don't overthink it. Take it home, and if you are willing, bring the back page back with your name so the church knows who carries the gift of mercy, of leadership, and the rest; it will be kept confidential if you wish. A short handout explains each gift in a line or two, and Rod and Diana will help anyone who wants to work through it. Unpack your gift. Know your gift. (The administrator's own prediction: administration will not score high.)

Application: Open the Package

Tongues, interpretation, and language are still gifts for us today, in every piece. God gives liberally, and how much more do we need Him now? We need people who can speak in tongues — miraculously, we hope — and people who can interpret, because the gospel is still alive and powerful, and we live in an area the world lives in. People from all over the globe are right here, and not all of them speak English. What an amazing thing that they would hear the gospel in their own language.

• Prophecy, tongues, healing, miraculous powers — God gives them liberally to you. Open the package. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to work through the gift He gave you specifically.
• Practice your gift in your own life. Rod cannot operate in your gifts; only you can — and when we see it, we will praise God, just as we did for Carla.
• Take the inventory. It takes moments. You have a special gift to help others in Christ.
• Rod is still looking for the person with miraculous powers — in case the highway out front ever needs parting — and we have seen the healers. God is a Healer, and with His gifts, so are you.
• Who doesn't open a birthday present? On your birthday as a believer, Christ sent you a gift through the power of the Holy Spirit. Who doesn't open a Christmas present — Christ's Mass, with His name on it? He gives us gifts. Open yours, use it, and see what it is.

 

God will do this. He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son — that is what your gift is: a sign that you are in partnership, that He trusted you with something, and gave it to you to use and to share. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. That is your gift. Open it, live it, learn it, share it with us. We need your gift. The world needs your gift. Don't sit on it any longer.

The Nine Gifts at a Glance

 

Series Roadmap

 

 

Reflection Questions

1. Read Matthew 5:13-16. Rod said you are salt and light — something of value — and so is your gift. Do you believe your gift has value to this congregation? What keeps you from acting like it?

 

 

 

 

 

2. "God doesn't just save us from; He saves us to." What have you been saved to? Read Ephesians 2:8-10. How does the idea of a backstage pass and dynamic service change the way you see your Christian life?

 

 

 

 

 

3. Read Acts 2:1-13 alongside Exodus 19:16-19. What do the two Pentecosts have in common, and what changed at the second? Why do you think God chose the Feast of Weeks for the coming of the Spirit?

 

 

 

 

 

4. Read Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts 2:5-11. How does Pentecost reverse Babel? What does that say about God's heart for the nations — and for the neighbors near you who don't speak English?

 

 

 

 

 

5. Carla recognized a natural ability as a gift from God and then studied, practiced, and asked for prayer to develop it. Is there an ability of yours you have never thought of as a spiritual gift? What would it look like to develop it for the Kingdom?

 

 

 

 

 

6. Read 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 14:26-33. What is the difference between a prayer language between you and God and tongues used in the gathered church? Why does Paul require interpretation? How does that keep the gift from being abused?

 

 

 

 

 

7. Read 1 Corinthians 1:9. Rod called your gift a sign of partnership with Christ. Now that the series is done: have you taken the inventory? What do you believe your gift is? What is one concrete way you will open the package this month?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Study

• Acts 2:1-47 — the whole day of Pentecost: the sign, Peter's sermon, and the church that was born.
• Acts 10:44-48 and Acts 19:1-7 — the Spirit comes on the Gentiles at Caesarea and on the disciples at Ephesus, with tongues.
• 1 Corinthians 14:1-40 — Paul's complete instruction on tongues, interpretation, and order in worship.
• Joel 2:28-32 — the prophecy Peter preached at Pentecost.
• Genesis 11:1-9 and Zephaniah 3:9 — Babel, and the promise of purified lips so all may call on the Lord together.
• Romans 8:26-27 and Jude 1:20 — the Spirit who intercedes with groanings, and building yourself up by praying in the Spirit.
• Ephesians 4:7-16 — the ascended Christ gave gifts to His people so the body may be built up until we all reach unity.
• 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 — the whole chapter this series was built on: one Spirit, many gifts, one body.

 

This concludes the series. Take the spiritual gifts inventory, find your gift, and open the package.