When someone speaks in tongues in church, is it mandatory for it to be translated?
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The gift of tongues is some what multifaceted in that it has many uses and can be used in a number of ways. It can be used to minister to others and to self. It can edify yourself, another person or a whole church. Depending upon the way it is directed, and the will of the Holy Spirit it can be just as edifying as prophecy, so long as there is an interpreter.
Some of the things that can be done with the gift of tongues: Intercession, singing in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, giving a word from the Lord to minister to another, and even speaking in a foreign tongue in someone else's own language that you have no knowledge of. It also can be used to fellowship with the Lord, both privately between oneself and the Lord or with an interpreter. Along these same lines, the Lord Himself can speak through the gift and it not just be your spirit speaking to the Father (in prayer). He, Himself, can speak through the gift both privately and corporately.
In a public setting one ought to have the decency to only speak when an interpreter is present, or as the Holy Spirit leads. You may not be aware that an interpreter is present, but the Lord knows. Also, as far as decency goes its a matter of not causing fellow brothers and sisters to stumble and to respect that you may be distracting them from their own worship. Keep in mind an interpreter doesn't have to be present because you, yourself, can interpret your own tongues as the word of God says to the interpreter to pray that they may interpret.
It can be done in order, and ought to. As far as mandatory is concerned one must keep in mind that not all tongues are interpreted or revealed. It is up to the discretion of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it may be a shielded prayer or intercession for something you are not to yet know of.
I suppose in this respect you must build a reputation as a tongue speaker so that others will trust that what you have spoken is from the Lord, regardless of interpretation. Any time a genuine tongue is spoken its from the Lord, just because it isn't interpreted doesn't mean its not from God. The gift is volitional in that the speaker can do it at will, and it is the Holy Spirit giving utterance to your spirit. To discredit the tongue because its not interpreted is incorrect, but in so far as your mind being fruitful of it you can just be reassured that the Holy Spirit has guided the intercession.
If you are addressing the church, giving a corporate message, then yes it is mandatory. VVhat edification would happen otherwise? If you wish to intercede for the church in tongues, by all means do it. Even so, under your breath if in the midst of people. You don't need to make a show of it, but can do it gracefully and respectfully.
Some of the things that can be done with the gift of tongues: Intercession, singing in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, giving a word from the Lord to minister to another, and even speaking in a foreign tongue in someone else's own language that you have no knowledge of. It also can be used to fellowship with the Lord, both privately between oneself and the Lord or with an interpreter. Along these same lines, the Lord Himself can speak through the gift and it not just be your spirit speaking to the Father (in prayer). He, Himself, can speak through the gift both privately and corporately.
In a public setting one ought to have the decency to only speak when an interpreter is present, or as the Holy Spirit leads. You may not be aware that an interpreter is present, but the Lord knows. Also, as far as decency goes its a matter of not causing fellow brothers and sisters to stumble and to respect that you may be distracting them from their own worship. Keep in mind an interpreter doesn't have to be present because you, yourself, can interpret your own tongues as the word of God says to the interpreter to pray that they may interpret.
It can be done in order, and ought to. As far as mandatory is concerned one must keep in mind that not all tongues are interpreted or revealed. It is up to the discretion of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it may be a shielded prayer or intercession for something you are not to yet know of.
I suppose in this respect you must build a reputation as a tongue speaker so that others will trust that what you have spoken is from the Lord, regardless of interpretation. Any time a genuine tongue is spoken its from the Lord, just because it isn't interpreted doesn't mean its not from God. The gift is volitional in that the speaker can do it at will, and it is the Holy Spirit giving utterance to your spirit. To discredit the tongue because its not interpreted is incorrect, but in so far as your mind being fruitful of it you can just be reassured that the Holy Spirit has guided the intercession.
If you are addressing the church, giving a corporate message, then yes it is mandatory. VVhat edification would happen otherwise? If you wish to intercede for the church in tongues, by all means do it. Even so, under your breath if in the midst of people. You don't need to make a show of it, but can do it gracefully and respectfully.
You are assuming a pastor in the passage when it is not mentioned. Aside from a passage on what not to do at the Lord's Supper, this is the only long passage in the New Testament about what to do in church, and it does not mention 'the pastor' (of course) or even the elders/bishops. The speakers in church in the passage are 'thou' 'every one of you', any one who speaks in tongues, the prophets, one who sitteth by, and 'ye'.
The way interpretation works in a lot of churches that practice it is that people pray (silently) for an interpretation after the tongue is given and someone gives it. It seems to be that the command to keep silent in the church comes into play when it is discovered that there is no interpreter. So a one-off message without interpretation would not be a violation in this case.
1 Cor. 14:28
But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God[/QUOTE]
The way interpretation works in a lot of churches that practice it is that people pray (silently) for an interpretation after the tongue is given and someone gives it. It seems to be that the command to keep silent in the church comes into play when it is discovered that there is no interpreter. So a one-off message without interpretation would not be a violation in this case.
1 Cor. 14:28
But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God[/QUOTE]
The bible clearly says in 1 Cor 14:13
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
If there is no interpretation, then shut up lol.
Keep in mind that its not TRANSLATED it gets interpreted. Heres a part of what I wrote in a article (it wasnt about tongues only it was stuff that destroys the Body of Christ)
1 Corinthians 14:3939
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
We see that most of the arguments are about interpretation. We NEED interpreters. Many believe that not everything can be interpreted by everyone. I disagree. Everyone who speaks in a tongue can interpret it through praying.
1 Corinthians 14:13
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
Problem solved.. And in case there is no one that will interpret, rather be silent and talk to God.
1 Corinthians 14:28
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Like I mentioned I saw firsthand demon tongues being used. Many religious spirits use this to break the Church apart. Pray and let God lead you. Be careful people.
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
If there is no interpretation, then shut up lol.
Keep in mind that its not TRANSLATED it gets interpreted. Heres a part of what I wrote in a article (it wasnt about tongues only it was stuff that destroys the Body of Christ)
1 Corinthians 14:3939
Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
We see that most of the arguments are about interpretation. We NEED interpreters. Many believe that not everything can be interpreted by everyone. I disagree. Everyone who speaks in a tongue can interpret it through praying.
1 Corinthians 14:13
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
Problem solved.. And in case there is no one that will interpret, rather be silent and talk to God.
1 Corinthians 14:28
But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
Like I mentioned I saw firsthand demon tongues being used. Many religious spirits use this to break the Church apart. Pray and let God lead you. Be careful people.
There are different ways of interpreting verses 27 and 28. One is that if there is no interpreter, no speaking in tongues is allowed, that 'speak to himself and to God' refers to something the speaker in tongues can do some other time out of church since he must keep silent in the church. Another interpretation is that 'let him speak to himself and to God' allows him to utter tongues silently where he stands there as long as he does address the congregation. There are some Pentecostal churches, especially of the Holiness variety, in which everyone prays out loud at the same time in English. Some of these churches tend to treat tongues the same way.
It particularly irks me when I encounter churches that just ignore the passage. The worship leader or pastor just tells everyone to pray in tongues out loud at the same time.
Me speaking in tongues has absolutely no benefit to other people in terms of their being edified by hearing it unless there is an interpretation. If I were at a church praying for people at an 'altar call' I wouldn't go up to them and pray for them out loud in tongues and then move on. One thing we see in I Corinthians 14 is that even our prayers in church are to edify others. This is implied when Paul wrote of blessing in tongues in church 'for thou verily giveth thanks well, but the other is not edified.'
It particularly irks me when I encounter churches that just ignore the passage. The worship leader or pastor just tells everyone to pray in tongues out loud at the same time.
Me speaking in tongues has absolutely no benefit to other people in terms of their being edified by hearing it unless there is an interpretation. If I were at a church praying for people at an 'altar call' I wouldn't go up to them and pray for them out loud in tongues and then move on. One thing we see in I Corinthians 14 is that even our prayers in church are to edify others. This is implied when Paul wrote of blessing in tongues in church 'for thou verily giveth thanks well, but the other is not edified.'
I just wanted to say 'amen' to this part. On forums like this, occasionally a poster will argue that tongues are not genuine because (in his experience) he hasn't seen them interpreted. Even if tongues are used in a disorderly manner, that doesn't mean the utterance is not from the Spirit. I Corinthians 14 addresses genuine tongues and demonstrates that they can be used in a way that doesn't edify others. For example when Paul says, "For thou verily giveth thanks well, but the other is not edified" he is talking about speaking in genuine tongues, but in a way that doesn't edify the congregation. The lack of an interpreter may indicate improper order, but it doesn't prove the gift is not genuine. There is even an order for prophets to follow the their gift because they can also get out of order in how they exercise their genuine gift. For example, the prophet could refuse to yeild the floor and let someone else who receives a revelation speak.
Right, or for that matter they do not give the whole prophecy though they have one. VVhich is why other prophets are to discern if the prophecy is complete (like in the OT).
I've made a point to others that the gift of tongues is one of the volitional gifts. Meaning that it can be done at the will of the tongue speaker. They argue that it cannot, because it is granted by the utterance of the Holy Spirit. The issue with this line of thought is that they then blame the Holy Spirit for disorder. They end up in a dilemma that contradicts scripture.
I've made a point to others that the gift of tongues is one of the volitional gifts. Meaning that it can be done at the will of the tongue speaker. They argue that it cannot, because it is granted by the utterance of the Holy Spirit. The issue with this line of thought is that they then blame the Holy Spirit for disorder. They end up in a dilemma that contradicts scripture.
One of the aspects of tongues that isn't really touched on is the intercessory factor. People don't realize that tongues can be directed. I've experienced this on many occasions with an interpreter present to test it and lo and behold, the Lord speaks. You can simply be in a parking lot (in your car) and with every person walking by speak a little bit of tongues for them. You are interceding for them, or the Holy Spirit may be highlighting something about them.
I know an interpreter that I hang out with and we do this thing where we will go through a fast food drive thru and before we approach the window I look at the cashier and start speaking in tongues. He then gets the interpretation and then he ministers (LOL I put the pressure on him to give the message) the message from the Lord to the person as we get to the window to pay for our food. This is one aspect of tongues and ministering.
The Lord has interceded for people through me in tongues and I have asked Him if we interceded on their behalf and He has confirmed it. Intercessory tongues is a topic not often discussed but is such a wonderful thing to experience because it is guided by the Holy Spirit who knows all things. VVho else better to guide the intercession?
People don't realize the Lord has a lot to say if only you'd listen. One time I was looking at a spider on an interpreter's car and decided to speak in tongues to see what the Lord would say and He said through the interpreter, "Beautiful." There is so much to discuss, that when people say the Lord is silent its like... you better get a Q-tip! Fellowship with Him, and allow Him to minister and intercede for others through you.
I know an interpreter that I hang out with and we do this thing where we will go through a fast food drive thru and before we approach the window I look at the cashier and start speaking in tongues. He then gets the interpretation and then he ministers (LOL I put the pressure on him to give the message) the message from the Lord to the person as we get to the window to pay for our food. This is one aspect of tongues and ministering.
The Lord has interceded for people through me in tongues and I have asked Him if we interceded on their behalf and He has confirmed it. Intercessory tongues is a topic not often discussed but is such a wonderful thing to experience because it is guided by the Holy Spirit who knows all things. VVho else better to guide the intercession?
People don't realize the Lord has a lot to say if only you'd listen. One time I was looking at a spider on an interpreter's car and decided to speak in tongues to see what the Lord would say and He said through the interpreter, "Beautiful." There is so much to discuss, that when people say the Lord is silent its like... you better get a Q-tip! Fellowship with Him, and allow Him to minister and intercede for others through you.
I have been in churches where a person may speak in tongues while praying for someone without interpreting. This did not hinder the church service because the whole church service didn’t stop to focus in on it. If others were singing during the time they just keep singing. So there was no interruption of the meeting.
However, once interpreting began then the church services would stop so that all could focus in on it because it was being interpreted to our understanding.
From my understanding, the scripture isn’t forbidding speaking in tongues in church without interpreting. I think it is just saying that if it is not being interpreted then it should not stop the church services or the other things that are going on unless it is interpreted.
The scripture also says to quench not the Spirit…
However, once interpreting began then the church services would stop so that all could focus in on it because it was being interpreted to our understanding.
From my understanding, the scripture isn’t forbidding speaking in tongues in church without interpreting. I think it is just saying that if it is not being interpreted then it should not stop the church services or the other things that are going on unless it is interpreted.
The scripture also says to quench not the Spirit…
Just because there's no interpretation doesn't mean you stop the people who spoke. There's an interpreter involved too, you know. Now if it happens all the time, you have a problem.
I WISHED that was the only problem in tongues. Worse than no interpretation is the WRONG interpretation. Somehow in many churches there seems to be some unwritten rule that unless God is speaking a blessing, there shouldn't be any words from God.
The message of tongues/prophesy is that it should be similar to the OT prophets, for that is God speaking & God doesn't change. If there were problems in the OT with God's people, God spoke thru his prophets, & the majority of then involved both warning & blessing.
There are covenant principles, & there are Kingdom principles. Covenant principles change with the ending/beginning of a covenant, but Kingdom principles NEVER change. The reason Jesus taught what He did was because He was teaching Kindom principles.
Jesus first sermon was "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". In several of His parables, Jesus begins with, "The kingdom of Heaven is like.....". He mostly taught the moral principles of the Law, which were actually the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is these principles & the examples of them in the OT that we're told to read the OT as an EXAMPLE.
Because these principles are the same in the NT, the ministry of prophecy & tongues/interpretation should follow these same guidelines & should be declaring the heart of the Heavenly Father towards His people.
Phew! All that said, God isn't happy with His children all the time. Plus, there will be times the church will be warned of upcoming events that affect the church. Just look again at Jesus' teachings..... every so often He would tell the crowds/disciples of future things & warn them to be ready.
That's NOT what I generally see in the modern church.
SOMEWHERE in these gifts God would be telling the church to prepare for the days we're in & what will happen, for God will do NOTHING until he tell the prophets FIRST.
Amos 3:1Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: 2“You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” 3Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? 4Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? 5Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? 6If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?
7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.
That's a kingdom principle right there^^.
I WISHED that was the only problem in tongues. Worse than no interpretation is the WRONG interpretation. Somehow in many churches there seems to be some unwritten rule that unless God is speaking a blessing, there shouldn't be any words from God.
The message of tongues/prophesy is that it should be similar to the OT prophets, for that is God speaking & God doesn't change. If there were problems in the OT with God's people, God spoke thru his prophets, & the majority of then involved both warning & blessing.
There are covenant principles, & there are Kingdom principles. Covenant principles change with the ending/beginning of a covenant, but Kingdom principles NEVER change. The reason Jesus taught what He did was because He was teaching Kindom principles.
Jesus first sermon was "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". In several of His parables, Jesus begins with, "The kingdom of Heaven is like.....". He mostly taught the moral principles of the Law, which were actually the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is these principles & the examples of them in the OT that we're told to read the OT as an EXAMPLE.
Because these principles are the same in the NT, the ministry of prophecy & tongues/interpretation should follow these same guidelines & should be declaring the heart of the Heavenly Father towards His people.
Phew! All that said, God isn't happy with His children all the time. Plus, there will be times the church will be warned of upcoming events that affect the church. Just look again at Jesus' teachings..... every so often He would tell the crowds/disciples of future things & warn them to be ready.
That's NOT what I generally see in the modern church.
SOMEWHERE in these gifts God would be telling the church to prepare for the days we're in & what will happen, for God will do NOTHING until he tell the prophets FIRST.
Amos 3:1Hear this word which the LORD has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: 2“You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” 3Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment? 4Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl from his den unless he has captured something? 5Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it? Does a trap spring up from the earth when it captures nothing at all? 6If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?
7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.
That's a kingdom principle right there^^.
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If you are inclined to speak in tongues you are not inclined to be concerned about what scripture teaches. Tongues in particular those that are not human languages are by the will of man and not the will of God.
Tongues as seen in todays charismatic and Pentecostal churches are for entertainment purposes. They are for the self promotion of the speaker and interpretation is impossible but claimed and verified so as to complete the charade.
What else to expect when the traditional church service is replaced by worship bands and free open worship that can be anything from a dance to a football cheer session.
Traditional bible exposition is shunned for the worship in music and tongues. Get the books and CDs so you too can live a life for the Lord.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
For the cause of Christ
Roger
Tongues as seen in todays charismatic and Pentecostal churches are for entertainment purposes. They are for the self promotion of the speaker and interpretation is impossible but claimed and verified so as to complete the charade.
What else to expect when the traditional church service is replaced by worship bands and free open worship that can be anything from a dance to a football cheer session.
Traditional bible exposition is shunned for the worship in music and tongues. Get the books and CDs so you too can live a life for the Lord.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
For the cause of Christ
Roger
