The Purpose of Speaking in Tongues

In that 1 cor chapter, Paul said clearly that tongues are a sign to the unbelievers. My claim is based on that verse.

It’s like healing, they also serve as signs but of course, that does not mean there are no other benefits. It clearly benefits the one being healed, for example.

I fully understand why the gift of tongues was given in Acts. It served its purpose well.
But what I see today is that those who say they have the gift are not using it in the same manner nor for the same purpose so that is why I say I see no value in it today.
I do not need the gift of tongues when witness to others, I have the Bible and we speak the same language.
I will also say that I so not need the gift of tongues to know without a doubt that His Spirit is present with my spirit.
I do not need a physical outward sign to know that He is there.
So , no I do not feel any guilt as you suggest.
I am not here to mock or offend any of you, but at the same time I object to those that suggest that because my belief is different that I am in some way less spiritual, less useful in the Lord's service or even as some have suggested, do not possess the Holy Spirit.

There is a local preacher I have had this discussion with several times and each time we end our discussion, his last word to me is
"I am praying for your salvation."
He is certain I am not saved because I do not speak in tongues.

I fully understand why the gift of tongues was given in Acts. It served its purpose well.
But what I see today is that those who say they have the gift are not using it in the same manner nor for the same purpose so that is why I say I see no value in it today.
I do not need the gift of tongues when witness to others, I have the Bible and we speak the same language.
I will also say that I so not need the gift of tongues to know without a doubt that His Spirit is present with my spirit.
I do not need a physical outward sign to know that He is there.
So , no I do not feel any guilt as you suggest.
I am not here to mock or offend any of you, but at the same time I object to those that suggest that because my belief is different that I am in some way less spiritual, less useful in the Lord's service or even as some have suggested, do not possess the Holy Spirit.

There is a local preacher I have had this discussion with several times and each time we end our discussion, his last word to me is
"I am praying for your salvation."
He is certain I am not saved because I do not speak in tongues.

I decided to re-read the guidelines for the BDF before answering your question to be sure that answering your question would not be construed as a personal attack, and that I can support my position with biblical examples.

Because "no speaking in tongues, no Holy Spirit" seems to be the criteria used in Acts 19, 10, 8 (and actually 2), Yes, I use the same criteria today. If I find believers, I ask them if they have received the Holy Ghost since they believed, because according to the book of acts, it is not only possible, it is recorded that people could both believe and be baptized and yet NOT HAVE the Holy Ghost. And I continue to pray for them until the either get it or die. (just meaning I don't stop praying for them if they're still alive. ) It's just that believers who have yet to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost are either told that they don't need it, or sometimes are overly pressured to receive it....few are taught "Tarry until you receive it". So I try to teach them to Tarry/wait and not give up.

The baptism of the Holy Ghost came with speaking in tongues in the book of Acts and it still does today. Again, because God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. There is only one thing biblically declared as "my spirit prayeth" and that is speaking in tongues. "If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth". People are able to claim all sorts of other things to be spirit-prayer, but speaking in tongues is the only one with a bible statement to back it up. So I'm trusting the bible over man.

BTW, I seldom try to apply the word "saved" to people because that particular part is between them and God, not them and me per Philipians 2:12. So if someone wants to call themselves "saved" I basically just say "That's nice" and probably will ask them about the Holy Ghost and correct baptism (Like Paul did in Acts 19). But I don't see the need to argue over whether or not they call themselves "saved".

I hope that (especially the bold part) was clear enough to answer your question, and thorough enough for anyone who wants to know more.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby

Tongues followed the infilling of the Holy Spirit..

The purpose of the infilling has tongues accompanying it.
After that tongues plays diverse roles.

One dimension of praying in tongues is that
1) the Holy Spirit is praying perfectly through me
2) the devil is clueless as to what is happening.

What was the purpose for the gift of tongues to those in the upper room?

Luke 24: 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The emphasis in the text appears to be on POWER

Was "the promise of the Father" power, or was it the Comforter (which brings power)?

Was "the promise of the Father" power, or was it the Comforter (which brings power)?

Love in Jesus,
Kelby

Roger,
Aren't you one who claims speaking in tongues no longer occurs? And if you claim it no longer occurs, why do you present yourself as someone who knows how it works??

Either speaking in tongues is something that currently occurs and could most accurately be described by those that have it, or speaking in tongues is not something that currently occurs, and no one would have it. In both cases, you exclude yourself as having any authority to speak because you either claim not to have it, or claim it doesn't exist.

I would love it if you were able to grasp the meaning of errors like this, but historically you just switch gears to try to justify yourself, or you move to attack the other person, or you just avoid that person for some time as if the problem will just go away. But those problems don't go away. Once they've been presented to you, it doesn't matter how you try to avoid them. They are written in the books and kept until judgement day.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby

For the record:
1 Corinthians 14 was written BY someone who had speaking in tongues TO people who had speaking in tongues teaching them HOW TO USE speaking in tongues properly. It is no surprise that people who don't have speaking in tongues have no idea what is actually being said because those people are left with only their natural understanding trying to figure out spiritual things.

The same is true of the rest of the New testament... because it was all written by people who had speaking in tongues.

Acts 2:4 KJV
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby

I know what the bible teaches on the subject. For one who claims to speak in unknown tongues you should be able to show from scripture where you receive the ability and the purpose before God.

You cannot even show that the tongues in 1 Cor 12-14 are the same tongues in Acts. The passages read so differently that it is not possible to reconcile the two. What you and many others claim to do is not recorded in scripture. The concept of praying in tongues is foreign to the truth. Add in the concept of angelic tongues and the whole thing becomes an obvious fabrication drawn from erroneous exegesis of the scriptures.

It is what scripture declares not what you claim or any person claims. When what Pentecostals do differs from scripture then they are in error. To hide the error they resort to contorted explanations of scripture and willful ignorance of other scriptures.

The measure by which you judge others you will be judged also. You will give account for the words you utter against the word of God. You will not account to me but to the Savior who alone is worthy of an answer.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

///The speaker knows what he is saying but the audience cannot understand what is said without an interpreter.

Tongues are unknow to the hearer not to the speaker. ]
For the cause of Christ
Roger

Roger, you may have already discussed with others but I do not recall. I am assuming your understanding is sincere but I am not sure where you developed this idea that they understood what they were saying when they spoke in tongues. I like to read Matthew Henry but I do recall that he thought that when they got the gift of toungues it was a miracle of their understanding that they suddenly were given understanding in the foreign language given to them and could go forth and use it to preach. Maybe it was from him that you got that idea. That was one of the interpretations that Matthew later realized he had made a mistake about because he forgot about the verses below in 1 Cor 14:14

If the speaker new what he was saying when he spoke in tongues wouldn't he be able to "translate" afterwards?
The gift of interpretation being one given by the Holy Spirit is also a supernatural gift and not the simple natural act of translating a foreign language by someone who is bilingual. Any bilingual unbeliever could do that without a gift of the Holy Spirit called the gift of interpretation.

1 Cor 14: 13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

Why would he need to pray for the gift on interpretation if he knows what he is saying?

Now if Paul knew what he was saying when he spoke in tongues why would he then have written the following:
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

If Paul said he did not have understanding when he prayed in an unknown tongue why would you think that he really did?

Let us exegete (determine authorial intent) the scriptures as you suggest that we should. I am wondering how you and I can both read this and NOT see the same thing? That is that, Paul did not understand what he was saying when he prayed in tongues.

I agree that the gift of tongues accompanied the infilling but the purpose was a sign for the unbelieving Jews gathered in Jerusalem from all over the Roman empire,
The 120 went out and preached the Gospel and all heard it in their own tongue.

I agree that the gift of tongues accompanied the infilling but the purpose was a sign for the unbelieving Jews gathered in Jerusalem from all over the Roman empire,
The 120 went out and preached the Gospel and all heard it in their own tongue.

Those that heard them said they spoke the marvelous works of God. They did not preach the gospel in tongues. Peter preached the gospel using the common language, probably Aramaic, possibly Hebrew. But not in tongues.

There is no record in the book of Acts or in church history of the 120 going and preaching the gospel in tongues after this day.
Preaching the gospel in tongues never happened.

I HOPE THIS TIME YOU RESPOND, OR AT LEAST PONDER WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN TO YOU. THIS IS THE STRONGEST POST I HAVE EVER WRITTEN, AND YOU DESERVE IT TOO.
Again, you persist with a very narrow perspective. Have you read the New Testament? How is it that you claim to be an expert of something you know nothing about. YOU ARE BEING ARROGANT to pretend you know, when you don't know. I APPRECIATE that you are loved and blessed by God, but that will not stop me from telling you that you are wrong ...because you are AND you are doing harm. You have the option of walking away from all this if you choose, but don't argue with the Holy Spirit and HIS dispensation of the gifts. FOR WHO ARE YOU TO TELL HIM (HOLY SPIRIT) WHAT GIFTS, AND WHEN TO GIVE HIS GIFTS FOR HIS CHURCH?!!! THE ARROGANCE!!! If you had read the much earlier posts on this thread, you would have seen explanations for the different types of tongues. BUT HEY, I GUESS YOU ARE THE EXPERT, RIGHT?...OF SOMETHING YOU YOURSELF HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED...BE IT OUT OF YOUR INNATE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN OR BECAUSE OF YOUR SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ARROGANCE.

YOU KEEP IGNORING SCRIPTURES THAT DON'T FIT YOUR NARROW VIEW---AND YOU ARE GOING AGAINST SOME AS WELL.

1st Corinthians 12:28
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, next miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, various kinds of tongues.
SO, you say that there is only 1 type of tongues?!!! REALLY? Again, have you really read the New Testament?

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy 1COR 1:14
ARE WE SUPPOSE TO IGNORE THIS TOO MR. MRS. DWR?
WELL, LET'S JUST THROW OUT THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT, BECAUSE AFTER ALL, AS YOU STATED, IT IS OUTDATED IN EVERY SECTION THAT IT TALKS ABOUT GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT...RIGHT? SO, THEN THIS SCRIPTURE ON DESIRING THE GIFTS IS NO LONGER VALID BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEED FOR TONGUES?...so technically, in your expert opinion, you are not going against this scripture, RIGHT?

WHAT WORLD DO YOU LIVE IN THAT DOES NOT NEED FOR PEOPLE TO EDIFY THEMSELVES???!!!
Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 1COR 14:4
So, I guess here you will tell me THAT NO ONE....NO ONE NEEDS TO EDIFY THEMSELVES in this time and climate we live in? REALLY...TONGUES IS OF NO USE??? We must build ourselves up constantly to help the church in turn. To say otherwise is to BE PRIDEFUL...LIKE YOU ALWAYS "HAVE IT TOGETHER"....THAT'S HOW FOOLISH MEN FALL.

I was 17 when I received my first gift of speaking in tongues. I am 58 now, almost 59. At the time, I did not know about any of this-the holy spirit and His gifts- when it happened. I had been raised somewhat Catholic, somewhat non-denominational...I merely wanted to feel close to God...And later, I received a sound beating from my mother. Much of my hair had been pulled out, my lip was torn, swollen and bleeding. I had bruises on my face, and I had lost consciousness. I thought I was going to die with her hands on my throat...because I had a gift she thought I should not have. Not because she was against the gift, but because she thought I was undeserving at my age. Yes, she was jealous, and I paid for her anger and jealousy.
And, along the way, I have lost many, many acquaintances and even family because I always choose God, and because I wasn't "cool". God doesn't care, they'd tell me...I was even told once that it must be easy for me to believe in God because I come from ignorant Hispanic people, and therefore my supposed stupidity was innate. (I have a masters with a 4.0 GPA, by the way, in case you too think I am ignorant for believing in the Holy Spirit and His gifts) I simply refuse to box God in to MY RATIONALS of what HE SHOULD, AND SHOULD NOT BE. He is not a fairy tale God from yesteryear that is confined only in written word on the pages of dusty books, and can only be visited in these pages. My God is not impotent, NO, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In my christian journey, I have given up all of these things, but I have gained something more precious, a relationship with the living, breathing God. I have since operated in other gifts, especially during missionary trips, and each time, I was surprised...yes, each time. I did not ask or conjure up these gifts, but they presented themselves in times when the need was there.....AND you say that there is no need...WHAT DO YOU KNOW??? SERIOUSLY! There is as much, if not more need in today's world for the gifts to be in operation. Perhaps you have always lived a privileged and cushy life, but others do NOT.
IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THIS POST, WELL, THEN TAKE IT TO GOD IN PRAYER...LET'S SEE WHAT HE SAYS.

So does your master's degree and your gift of speaking in tongues elevate you above the rest of us? How can I achieve your level of spirituality?