TONGUES and LANGUAGES PART 1

                                                  INTRODUCTION

J.L. Tongues has become the most misunderstood, misused and finally the most spiritually abused of all the Spiritual Gifts. No one other than the HOLY Spirit has been given the ability to, or to put it more bluntly, the authority to teach how to talk in tongues. And HE does not teach it but gives it to the people that need it as a SPIRITUAL GIFT, not teaching, when they are doing the LORD’S Work. Not all Spiritual Christian People have it as one of their Spiritual Gifts. GOD and the HOLY SPIRIT choose who gets it, not church people or pastors. It is definitely not required for Salvation or a Spiritual Role in the Church. Again I must state that it is a Spiritual Gift that will be given to you if it is required/needed for you to carry out your Spiritual Job given ( called ) to you by GOD to do. You will never be undersupplied by Spiritual Gifts to do GOD’S Work by a Perfect GOD.

J.L. Tongues ( KJV ), Languages ( GWT ) and Communications are all about Spiritual Communication with GOD on a individual or corporate basis. If you do not have GOD’S Righteousness , HIS Approval, you will probably not receive the Spiritual Gift of Tongues, you will probably not have good communications with GOD or you will have communications not to your liking. For those HE loves HE will definitely correct.

HEBREWS 12 4You struggle against sin, but your struggles haven’t killed you. 5You have forgotten the encouraging words that God speaks to you as his children:

“My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you. Don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 The Lord disciplines everyone he loves.

……..He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child.”……..

7Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children. All children are disciplined by their fathers. 8If you aren’t disciplined like the other children, you aren’t part of the family. 9On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn’t we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live? 10For a short time our fathers disciplined us as they thought best. Yet, God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like him. 11We don’t enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNICATIONS WITH GOD

J.L. All Born again Believers have this ability to speak this way with GOD directly. This is not tongues or languages. This is Communications with GOD with or without speech. This is us meeting GOD and GOD meeting us, on any conditions that you find yourself in. The Holy Spirit is your intercessor. This can take place under in any and all weaknesses, health conditions, mental state, deep pain or depression, physical, mental or Spiritual….GOD, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will never leave you or forsake you and they are just a prayer away if you are able to pray or not ….The Spirit will intercede if you can not pray. This Spiritual Communication is completely under the HOLY SPIRIT’S and GOD’S Control.

J.L. These Communications of a Born Again Believer are between our human “soul spirit” and the HOLY SPIRIT. This is Spiritual Language that no human, including the Believer, understands and can interpret, it is purely Spiritual. This language or tongue will never cease. It is our method to Spiritually Communicate with GOD.

1 CORINTHIANS 14 1Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially the gift of speaking what God has revealed. ……2When a person speaks in another language( tongues ), he doesn’t speak to people…… but to God……. No one understands him……. His spirit is speaking mysteries………

ROMANS 8 26At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need…… But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that “cannot be expressed in words”……. 27The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind…….. The Spirit intercedes for God’s people the way God wants him to.

EPHESIANS 6 18Pray in the Spirit in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.

J.L. This is the point in your life when the “footprints in the sand” are the deepest because HE is carrying you.

J.L. In 1 SAMUEL 1, it states that Spiritual visions and dreams were very infrequent because of the corruption at the head of the church which was relating to Eli and his 2 sons. Could this be the reason today that we don’t hear from the heads of our churches about visions and dreams. Has the Spirit stopped it’s activity? Or could it be that the “communication” between the pastor and GOD has dried up or was never there? What would happen if a pastor had an intimate relationship with GOD that challenged the pastor to hear a message from GOD and relay that message directly to the people, a message that was not politically correct. Or go to a level down and listen to a prophet old testament, new testament or one in his congregation that gave him a direction that he should take the congregation because he was not listening to GOD himself. What would happen if the pastor actually communicated with GOD as Paul did in 2 CORINTHIANS 12 ? Would his sermons change ?

2 CORINTHIANS 12 I’ll go on to…. visions and revelations from the Lord….. 2I know a follower of Christ who was snatched away to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows. 3I know that this person 4was snatched away to paradise…… where he heard things that can’t be expressed in words, things that humans cannot put into words…….. I don’t know whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.

J.L. Please note that the below passages talk in terms of new tongues and new languages as if the tongues and languages had not been heard before. Such as Spiritual languages and tongues.

MARK 16 17“These are the miraculous signs that will accompany believers: They will use the power and authority of my name to force demons out of people….. They will speak new languages…… 18They will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the sick and cure them.”

( KJV ) 17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;….. they shall speak with new tongues;

J.L. The below event seems to describe a Spiritual Event that happened where the HOLY SPIRIT came down on each one of a group of Believers as fingers of SPIRITUAL FIRE and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak. They were actually translating the GOOD NEWS by telling about the miracles that God has done.” into various native dialects and languages.

This is not SPIRITUAL TONGUES OR LANGUAGES, this is translation and/or interpretation done by Spiritual-Filled men.

 Acts 2 1When Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Passover, came, all the believers were together in one place. 2Suddenly, a sound like a violently blowing wind came from the sky and filled the whole house where they were staying. 3Tongues that looked like fire appeared to them……. The tongues arranged themselves so that one came to rest on each believer….. 4All the believers were…. filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak…….

5Devout Jewish men from every nation were living in Jerusalem. 6They gathered when they heard the wind…… Each person was startled to recognize his own dialect when the disciples spoke…..

7Stunned and amazed, the people in the crowd said, “All of these men who are speaking are Galileans……. 8Why do we hear them speaking in our native dialects? …..9We’re Parthians, Medes, and Elamites. We’re people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the country near Cyrene in Libya. We’re Jewish people, converts to Judaism, and visitors from Rome, 11Crete, and Arabia…… We hear these men in our own languages as they tell about the miracles that God has done.”……

( KJV ) 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them……. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance……

( KJV ) And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded,….. because that every man heard them speak in his own language…… 7And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11Cretes and Arabians,…… we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God…… 12And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 13Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

J.L. These next passages are a discussion of translators, translations and interpreting the WORD of GOD

1 CORINTHIANS 12 10Another can work miracles. Another can speak what God has revealed. Another can tell the difference between spirits……. Another can speak in different kinds of languages…… Another can interpret languages. 11There is only one Spirit who does all these things by giving what God wants to give to each person.

27You are Christ’s body and each of you is an individual part of it. 28In the church God has appointed first apostles, next prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, then those who help others, those who are managers, ….and those who can speak in a number of languages…… 29Not all believers are apostles, are they? Are all of them prophets? Do all of them teach? Do all of them perform miracles 30or have gifts of healing?…… Can all of them speak in other languages or interpret languages?……

1 CORINTHIANS 12 ( KJV ) 10To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits;….. to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:…… 11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

( KJV ) 27Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 29Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30Have all the gifts of healing?……. do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?…… 31But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.

J.L. The below passages talk about the languages of humans and Angels. The human part I will not discuss. The languages of Angels we will discuss because it directly replies to a spiritual language, good or Evil. There were fallen angels and GOOD Angels both were spiritual and both had direct dealings with GOD. Verse 1 describes a person, “I” , that spoke with not only a human language but an Angelic language. The word is languages and is plural, so the person spoke with both languages. If we follow through with the Angel language than we will have to separate the language into the GOOD Angel language and the fallen angel language . We will only discuss the GOOD Angel language which will be the Spiritual Language of a Believer, TONGUES.

J.L. Angels worship, sing, prophesy and praise the LORD with their language so the Believer that has the Spiritual Gift of TONGUES will use it for the same purpose.There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself.

J.L. TONGUES will stop when there is no need for it to be used , when we are with the LORD.

1 Corinthians 13 1I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal.8Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. 9Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete….. 10But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used…… 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. 12Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me.

1 CORINTHIANS 13 ( KJV ) 1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

( KJV ) 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

J.L. All this will apply when we have joined with our Lord in Heaven.

EPHESIANS 6 “18Pray in the Spirit”  in every situation. Use every kind of prayer and request there is. For the same reason be alert. Use every kind of effort and make every kind of request for all of God’s people.

J.L. All Tongues, Languages and Prophecy and the use of these must be tested against the WORD of GOD and not taken out of context. GOD has set the importance of TONGUES. The person who speaks what God has revealed is more important….. than the person who speaks in other languages…… This is true unless he can interpret what he says to help the church grow……

The next lesson will tell how tongues/ languages will be used for the LORD’S work.