4. It is better to say five words with your understanding
than 10,000 in a language that neither you, nor others understand.
(14:19) Let’s keep in mind, now, the purpose of the real gift of languages -
to communicate the love of Christ. If I speak in a language about Jesus, and
His marvelous love; and express it exactly the way the Scripture states it;
if my audience does not understand the language I am speaking, the message
is fruitless. The Gospel was to be understood by unbelievers; and, tongues -
the genuine gift - was one means utilized by the Spirit of God to reach them.
Take any Sunday, of any week - including Easter and Christmas - and see if
there are more lost people inside or outside the church. Obviously, the
vast majority of lost people will not be within the church. See the
Scriptures - 1 Corinthians 14:22
“Tongues are a sign...to them that believe not.”
These are the people that the gift of tongues was given to reach. Why, then,
do churches persist in imitating the mistake, and sin, of the church at
Corinth ? Why don’t those who have a genuine Biblical gift of tongues speak
those languages in offices, warehouses, food stores, shops, public schools,
etc. ? It is simple. Most of them know that no one would understand
them...and their failure to communicate the Gospel in another language to
people of that other language would be evidence that they did not have the
Biblical gift of tongues.
Imagine a Christian with the gift of tongues called out to a new tribe, a
new region where he or she has never gone. The language of the people is
unknown to them. But, by the gift of the Spirit, they are enabled to
communicate the Gospel to those people, even though they have never
studied their language. THAT is how the Gospel grew around the world so
quickly in the hundred years following the resurrection of our Savior.
The Believers depended upon the gifts and moved throughout the world—with
no need to go to language school.
Although what I am about to share with you is my own personal experience,
I have heard of this happening to others, as well. In the 1980’s I was on
business in Peru, South America. I did not know Spanish, so I depended
upon the knowledge of English with my associates in Peru had. One morning,
outside the city of Miraflores, my associates had sent a car to bring me to
a meeting. The driver of the car was the nephew of a very important political
leader in the government. I spoke with him in English, but he did not seem
to understand what I was saying. As I looked at his face, the Spirit
revealed that he was greatly troubled, and needed to know the Lord. I
opened by mouth, and began to speak to him about the Lord’s love and care
for him, and how Jesus had suffered, and knew more than anyone the pain of
suffering. As I continued, I realized that what was coming out of my mouth
was not English, but Spanish. When I was through, I looked at him, and
tears rolled down his face, and he indicated that he would give his heart
to the Lord Jesus. When we got to our meeting, a business associate
confronted me, and said, “I thought you didn’t know Spanish.” “I didn’t,”
I told him. “Well, our friend said that spoke to him fluently in Spanish
of his need to repent to God and receive Jesus Christ as Savior.”
Our Lord did not command the lost to come to the churches; but He did command
His Church to go to the people ! “Go ye into all the world…” (Matthew 28:19,20).
As they go, the gifts of the Spirit go also, and are used as they were meant
to be used. When these gifts remain strictly within the confines of the
church, they become self-seeking, self-glorifying, unscriptural, and certainly
not according to the purpose for which the Lord gave them.
5. Lost people have enough excuses for not accepting Christ,
so why give them reasons to think that Christians are crazy, too ?
1 Corinthians 14:23 - “They will say that ye are mad.”
By clean living, holy living, and taking a firm stand upon God’s word, people
will accuse Christians of being “different,” or crazy (while secretly
respecting and admiring them in their hearts). That type of criticism is
unjust; but, for a Christian who is close to the Lord, it must be expected.
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution." 2 Timothy 3:12.
But, to babble and jabber unintelligible gibberish, label it as “speaking in
an unknown tongue,” will give the lost reason to conclude that a Christian may
well be on his way to the asylum. That does not bring glory to the Lord !
If we do good, people might criticize, but they do so hypocritically, knowing
that we are superior to them. But is we do that which neither God nor man can
approve of, we can expect only just criticism and righteous persecution.
In many cases where lost people (and even saved folks) visited an unknown
tongues-movement church they returned to their homes terrified of the events
which took place. They did not have their understanding increased, nor did
they in any way come closer to the Lord. As a matter of fact, many have
rejected the message of all churches because of the frightening experience
they may have had in a church which spoke in and unscriptural unknown-tongue.
You cannot ignore the fact that thousands of people have been turned away from
accepting Jesus because they tied in the heresy of the “Unknown
Tongues-Movement” with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t ignore the
facts ! The “Tongues-Movement” with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t
ignore the facts ! The “Tongues-Movement” is hurting, not helping souls !
6. Much emotionalism is simply acted out or worked up, and
is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Lest there be some misunderstanding soul who would accuse this writer of
being against an honest show of emotions, let me state unequivocally that
I firmly believe that a Christian, above all people, ought to be emotional.
When the Lord enters into a life, he saves not only the soul, the body
and the spirit; but he also enters into every part of that person’s life,
including the emotions. For an individual to suppress his joy, or hide
his Spirit-given love for the lost, or stifle the tears of compassion for
all souls, would be sin !
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Having stated my position concerning emotions, let me go further. Without
question, many people are worked-up into an emotional frenzy by skillful
manipulators of men’s souls. Many so-called “Spirit-baptisms” are nothing
more than the result of nerves so strung-out emotionally, that they respond
to every suggestion by these so-called preachers. To say that of such
behavior is of the Lord is deceitful and unscriptural !
A Christian does not lose control of his senses when under the control of
the Holy Spirit, although this is what many churches say. The Lord has
given to each man the ability to make personal decisions. That is why,
when Adam and Eve were created, the Lord God did not make them as machines
or computers who do everything they are told to do, and have no choice of
their own. God wants us to submit to Him because we love Him, not because
we have to. If you have children, you know how much it means when your
little son or daughter would come to you, put his arms around your neck,
and say, “I love you.” If you forced your child to say the same words,
they would be meaningless. Much in the same manner, God wants us to
submit to His will by our own choice and desire, not because we come
under and “inescapable baptism” which forces its will upon us.
Hundreds of churches pass off and falsely act out a display, of worked
up emotionalism as the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Some of the most
disgraceful and morbid displays which have occurred in some churches have
happened when so-called Christians come under what they call “The Baptism
of the Holy Spirit.” During this time, some have rolled in spasms on the
floor. Some have screamed horribly, as though dying. Some have lost
control of their organs. Some have shaken violently, and been convulsive.
There are a variety of things that people blame on the Holy Spirit; but
be assured, whatever spirit these people came under was not the Holy
Spirit of God ! He is not the author of such confusion !
See 1 Corinthians 14:33 for this.
Some will be angered by the Truth, suggesting that this study is designed
to discredit the Holy Spirit. No such thing ! They say, “My Aunt So-and-so
had such and experience, and if anybody was saved, she was !” Others
say, “Old Mr. Jones was a real godly man, and he spoke in and unknown
tongue all the time.” The story could go on and on. But the issue here
is not what someone says that they experienced, but whether you will
accept the authority of the Bible over and above the testimony
of anyone else.
Look at the Book. You do not lose control of yourself under the power of God.
You are given a choice to determine whether you will spend eternity in
Heaven or Hell. You are given a choice to determine whether you will obey
the Holy Spirit or not. You can choose to yield to the Holy Spirit, or
grieve Him through disobedience (Eph. 4:30). This ought to show that you
have the option, to obey or disobey, and that you maintain complete control
over your senses.
The widely circulated notion, however, is that “when the Holy Spirit comes
upon you, you cannot help but speak in tongues, uncontrollably.” Whatever
spirit brings about the shameful displays which turn sinners away from a
loving God, is clearly not God’s Holy Spirit ! “The spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets.” 14:32
7. Women, the principle leaders in the tongues-movements,
are commanded to maintain silence in the churches. 14:33-34
Many are the excuses for disobeying this clear command of God. Preachers
who claim to be preaching the full Gospel, are often the guiltiest in
leaving 1 Corinthians 14:33-34 out of their Gospel. Woe be unto any who
would take away from the Word of God !
But, in spite of their logic and reasonings, this command does appear in
the context of tongue-speaking. Evidently, the heresy at that time
centered around women, much the way that it does today. Certainly, a
woman has an important ministry to perform for the Lord. This writer
does not intend to take away from the role of women in their Scriptural
blessedness. Jesus recognized their dedication and usefulness in
bringing souls to Him. They are compassionate - many times, more so
than a man ! They care about little children - often more than a man
will express. But, in spite of their blessedness, the Bible states that
they are not to have positions in the church which will be over a man.
Nor are they to speak in the church . . as we see in the context of
speaking in tongues. How can the Scriptures be ignored as they are ?
If a person eliminates one passage of Scripture, they will son find
themselves leaving out others, and still others !
A large number of preachers in the “unknown tongue” churches are women.
An even larger percentage of people who speak in “unknown tongues” are women.
To enforce 1 Corinthians 14:34, would be to deal the death-blow to the
Charismatic Movement as we know it today !
Who initiates “unknown tongues” in many non-charismatic churches ? It is
often times the elder’s wife, the deacon’s wife, or the preacher’s wife !
Enforce the Word of God, and the present error will cease in a short time !
To summarize the answer to the original question, let us say that in the
Bible there is nowhere any record of, endorsement of, or possibility of
speaking in “an unknown tongue” as supposedly given by the Holy Spirit.
There is obviously the command to be yielded to the Spirit of God, and use
spiritual gifts—INCLUDING speaking and interpreting languages—to glorify
our Savior. That includes the use of the true Biblical gift of speaking
in actual languages, or tongues. What we generally see and hear about
happening within many churches who have been influenced by Western
show-business churches is non-Biblical, and nonsensical, and has done
much to turn precious souls away from knowing Christ as Savior !
