With all the controversy over spiritual gifts – why have them at all?

The gifts of the Spirit have split churches and kept Christians apart – and they bewilder non-Christians – so that the church becomes more of a circus than a place to be taught the Word of God.

I believe the problem is two-fold:

Ÿ  1 – Our definition of spiritual gifts is too narrow – and

Ÿ  2 - We use spiritual gifts in the wrong way and with the wrong motivation

As human beings, we like two things:

• To feel important, and
• Not to be questioned

Improper use of the gifts – especially Tongues – gets us that.

We seem important because we have such an “impressive” gift – and because no one knows what we’re saying, no one can question us.

There are two common errors concerning the gifts of the Spirit, and particularly the gift of tongues:

Ÿ  The denial that they are for today, and;

Ÿ  The overemphasis of both the gift and the experience, which substitutes aspiration for inspiration

These are extremes on opposite ends.  There are good scholars on both sides of the debate. 

We are put into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, and we are placed there to exercise the gift, or gifts, that the Holy Spirit has given us.  But, as Paul has said, especially in First Corinthians Chapter 13, we are to exercise any gift that we have in love.

Where does the mention of tongues appear in the Scriptures?

Ä  At Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2:  “⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Ä  In Mark 16:17, where Jesus was saying farewell to His disciples:  “¹⁷And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;”

Ä  Following Peter’s address in the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit fell upon those assembled there and they spoke with tongues:  Acts 10:45-46  “ ⁴⁵And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.”

Ä  When Paul came to Ephesus he found a few believers who were unrecognizable as Christians.  He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit and they said they had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. Then they received the Holy Spirit and we are told that they spoke with tongues:      Acts 19:6   ⁶And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”

First of all, in Acts Chapter 2, as we’ll see later, this was speaking in other languages.  This wasn’t the gift of tongues. 

In Mark 16, Jesus is likely saying the same thing, that the Apostles would have the ability, through the Holy Spirit, to speak in the language of the people that they were presenting the Gospel to. 

Paul says that without love – without the motivation to benefit others rather than ourselves – then why bother.

In the church in Paul’s day, as well as today, selfish ambition and pride were more often the motivators for spiritual gifts than love. 

In First Corinthians Chapter 13, Paul gives special emphasis on prophecy as opposed to speaking in tongues.

Paul does not deny that the gift of tongues exists.  The gift of tongues is given for private worship directed to God, or in personal prayer.

Often Pentecostal churches make a mistake here – they have someone speak in tongues and then someone else speaks a prophecy – but from the Scriptures, I believe it is pretty clear that a tongue interpreted is to be spoken to God.

There is also a difference between a prayer language, which is available to believers if the Spirit wills – and the gift of Tongues.

A prayer language could be used anytime, but the gift of tongues would be a public utterance that must be interpreted, otherwise it should not be uttered.

Church is not a show, but it is a time for the body to be built up. Some in the church sometimes treat it more as a performance – as entertainment.

Paul tells us, in effect:  “If I don’t make any sense when I come to you, what is the use of my coming?”  That’s a good question!

A few years back I saw a clip of Benny Hinn and Paul Crouch, on a TBN broadcast, sitting together on a couch, carrying on a conversation in “tongues”.  The audience was going crazy – cheering, falling all over the place.  This was nothing more than theater.  Absolutely unbiblical and bordering on heresy.

Some people make another mistake here in the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit.

A tongue is spoken, then someone says: “thus saith the Lord” and they go into some encouragement for the people or supposedly a new revelation from God.

This is not interpretation of the tongue – it is a prophecy. Tongues are spoken to God, as praise and adoration to Him.

Speaking in tongues, as is thought of today, would be just jibberish to the unbeliever who happens to come into the church.  Doing so could even scare them away.

We can’t confuse what happened at Pentecost, in Acts Chapter 2, as people speaking in what we call tongues today.  See Acts Chapter 2 vs. 1-2.  There are at least sixteen different languages represented here.

Jews and Gentiles who had converted to Judaism had all come for the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, as required.  They came from all over the known world.

What was going on there was the Holy Spirit equipping people with the ability to speak in different languages when presenting the Gospel so that everyone there could understand.

There are five constraints for tongues in worship:

1)     Two or three at most;

2)     In order, each in turn;

3)     An interpretation is essential for edification;

4)     Silence in the absence of an interpretation;

5)     Devotions - speaking to God in private has nothing to do with speaking to God in a worship service

I think the point is, just because someone says “thus saith the Lord” doesn’t mean the Lord actually “saidith” anything!

Again, the key is orderliness.  Speaking in tongues is for a time of fellowship or worship outside of the teaching of the Word. 

Anyone who would jump up in the middle of a teaching to speak in tongues would cause confusion. God is not the author of confusion. 

If the pastor or teacher is, in fact, filled with the Holy Spirit (and he obviously should be), and he’s teaching the Word, then it would make no sense for the Holy Spirit to interrupt Himself with someone also supposedly filled with the Spirit to jump in speaking in a tongue.  To interrupt the Word of God being taught. 

But, on the other hand, it would make perfect sense for Satan, or one of his minions, to attempt to interrupt the teaching of the Word which is edifying to the body.

To hear more on this subject, follow the link below to a study in First Corinthians Chapter 14.

http://biblestudies.aroadinthewilderness.org/2011/01/02/the-first-epistle-to-the-corinthians---chapter-14.aspx