UNDERSTANDING SPEAKING IN TONGUES.

-
The first occurrence of speaking in tongues in the New Testament is in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:1-6 "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 where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language."

The Greek word translated tongues literally means "languages." Therefore, the gift of tongues is often speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. The Jews visiting from the Diaspora that came to Jerusalem for the festival were taken aback by these local folks speaking their languages back at home in their various foreign lands instead of the Hebrew Language.

Speaking in tongues is the gift of the Holy Spirit to enable a Believer sent to preach the gospel be able to speak in another language hitherto unknown to him/her. For instance, if the Holy Spirit sent me to go and preach say in China and on getting to China, I do not speak the Chinese Language and there is no one to interpret for me in English, the Holy Spirit may give me utterance to speak the Chinese Language in that part of the world in order to bring the gospel to the people. Again, this is a spiritual gift and the Holy Spirit is the only One who decides when to empower me or any believer for that matter to exercise this gift. This is not a gift one can turn on and off as one wishes. Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 14: 1-40 how the gifts of speaking in tongues should be utilized from the Holy Spirit.

However, the Bible shows that it is not in all cases that speaking in tongues (sometimes rendered “praying in tongues”) requires speaking in language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. Take a look at the scripture below:

1 Corinthians 14:2 (AMP) "For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [not obvious to the understanding]” .

Praying in tongue is a universal gift from the Holy Spirit. The above scripture shows that you do not need to know what you are uttering with your mouth and your mind cannot conceptualize those words, but the Holy Spirit hears and understands. Praying in tongue can be said to be a spiritual language which the Holy Spirit understands and act on.

Romans 8:26-28: And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress (our infirmities or weaknesses) For we do not know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 

We do not know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. However, with our groaning that cannot be expressed in words (in other words by praying in tongues) the Holy Spirit prays for us.

Praying in tongues also builds up your most holy faith. It is a gift that the believer needs to exercise to strengthen his/her faith as well as embolden his/her spirit.

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

Praying in tongues can be personal. The bible shows that if there is no interpreter, the speaker can speak to himself and to God. You can pray in tongues during your prayer devotion as many times as you can and in diverse places as you can, if you are by yourself or in the company of fellow Christian believers, who have the gift of praying in tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:27-28 "If anyone speaks in a tongue, two or at the most three should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WHY GOD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART

-
Image
In the book of Exodus chapter 4 verse 21, God said He would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the people of Israel leave Egypt. Let's read the passage: (Exodus 4:21 KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart , that he shall not let the people go. The questions many have asked are: Why did God harden Pharaoh's heart?  Is it not unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and still punish him and Egypt for what he decided when his heart was hardened?  Would God hold Pharaoh accountable for his sins seeing that He is the one that hardened his heart? The answer to these questions can be found in God's own words in Exodus chapters 3 & 7: (Exodus 3:8 KJV) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a la
Read more

IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD?

-
Image
The Bible is not the Word of God, Jesus is. Talking about Jesus in John 1:1 & 14, the Bible referred him as the Word of God:  (John 1:1 KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (John 1:14 KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  The Bible however contains the Word of God. Notice that the Bible in addition to containing the Word of God has other words that were not from God. It is therefore more appropriate to say that the Bible contains the Word of God. 
Read more

THE CONCEPT OF SIN

-
In the New Testament, there are two key parameters for judging sin. The first one is love, the second one is faith. We will begin by taking a close look at these two parameters. Firstly, let’s read Romans Chapter 13 verse 8: (Romans 13:8-10 KJV) Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandments, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Did you read that? “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” In other words, anything that is outside love is sin (i.e. has transgressed the law) because love is the fulfilling of the law. By walking in love, you walk in God. Secondly, I recommend you read the entire chapt
Read more

“IT IS A SIN TO PAY OR RECEIVE TITHES” — PASTOR CHRIS OJIGBANI

-
For hundreds of years, Christians incur the wrath of God by paying and receiving tithe. Though the doctrine of tithe is popular and generally accepted in Christianity, it’s a wrong doctrine. It’s actually a sin to pay tithe and it’s equally a sin to receive tithe in Christianity. The doctrine is generally accepted because of the misinterpretation of some tithe related scriptures. A misinterpretation of a scripture can lead many generations astray. In like manner, the misinterpretation of tithe related scriptures has led many Christian generations astray. Before explaining the true meaning of the scriptures, it’s important I first explain what tithe means. What is tithe? Tithe as an English word means one tenth or 10 percent. Tithe in the scripture means a mandatory 10 percent of one’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22). How often did Israelites give Tithe? The tithe system had a seven-year cycle. The Israelites were mandated to give tithe on the first year, second year,
Read more

MEDITATION: THE BIBLE WAY OF MEDITATING

-
Image
The concept of meditation has been mostly appropriated to other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism and other eastern religions. Sadly, some Christians today have never practiced meditation the bible way, and typically when you ask some believers how many of them meditate on a regular basis, the answer is only a few.  There are many forms of meditations encompassing practices from different traditions, cultures, spiritual disciplines, and religions which are not in line with the concept of biblical meditation. Some of them include: Silent meditation which involves simply sitting in quiet without thoughts for anything. Calming meditation which involves focusing on a particular object which could be your breath, a mantra, a visualization without focus on God and His Word . Yoga meditation which may include sitting calmly on a rug, and/or listening to sonorous music. Biblical meditation is not even primarily for relaxation, although you may find it calming and comforting. It is not
Read more

UNDERSTANDING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORETELLING, FORTH-TELLING AND FORTUNE TELLING

-
Image
There is so much misunderstanding in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future. In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.”  “ Prophecies ” is transliterated (i.e. brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun  prophēteia . It is made up of  pro , meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb  phēmi , meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer  EITHER : Foretelling  (predicting or telling something before it happens). It seeks to predict the future. It predicts or reveals personalities, occurrences, circumstances that will happen. It also concerns the revelation of even
Read more

IS REINCARNATION BIBLICAL? SHOULD CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION?

-
Image
What is reincarnation? Is reincarnation a Christian belief? Does the Bible teach reincarnation? Are there evidences in the Bible to support reincarnation? Several people (including many Christians) believe in reincarnation. However, the Bible does not teach reincarnation, rather it teaches resurrection from the dead. What is the difference? In reincarnation (or transmigration), the body dies and returns (i.e comes back to life again) in a different body to live on earth again. Depending on your deeds in the previous life or lives, the new body is entirely different from that of the previous life. For instance, a man could get reincarnated as a woman or an animal or a stone. On the other hand, in resurrection of the dead, the body that dies is the exact body that is raised. For the resurrection that will occur in the last day, the body is made new in the sense that it is perfected and no longer subject to frailty and death, but it is still the same body. In reincarnation, the previous m
Read more

GOD MADE ADAM BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

-
Image
This should be obvious but it seems a lot of people are having problem with it. God made Adam male and female. In other words, when Adam was first created he was both male and female. For people that are finding it hard to accept this is what the bible says: (Genesis 1:27 KJV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 5:2 KJV) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam , in the day when they were created. The first scripture in using the term "them" still seem to suggest that it was talking about both Adam and Eve and not only Adam at first. However the accounts in Matthew chapter 19 and Mark chapter 10 will give more insight. (Matthew 19:3 KJV) The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? (Matthew 19:4 KJV) And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read
Read more

YOU CANNOT PRAY TO JESUS IN THE NAME OF JESUS

-
It does not have any spiritual meaning. This could be why most prayers are not answered. You cannot ask or pray to Jesus in the name of Jesus. Stop praying such prayers: "Jesus I come to you in the name of Jesus" You can only pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Praying in Jesus' name means praying with His authority. It is making a demand in His stead (place); as if He is the one making it. Authority means delegated power. You cannot exercise an authority on the same person that gave it to you. Look at it this way, you cannot go to the President of your country to make a demand in the name of that President rather you can go to another President in the name of your own President. Jesus said pray to the Father in His name: John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Verse 26 & 27 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not
Read more

JACOB DID NOT WAIT FOR 7 OR 14 YEARS BEFORE LEAH/ RACHEL WERE GIVEN TO HIM. HE TOOK BOTH WIVES IMMEDIATELY.

-
Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d
Read more