The Tongue Tied Christian

Chapter 5 – So What's So Good About Tongues?

So what Is so good about speaking In tongues? This was a question that really plagued me, once I received my tongues, following an experience, literally, on a mountain top. I remember the devil speaking forcefully, just as inter-loudly as God does, "You made It up yourself. The gibberish that you spoke, that you don't even understand, was made up as a result of your own computer." Fortunately I had been aware that this might happen to me, this experience with Satan, so I rebuked him instantly, in the Name of Jesus. However, in the subsequent days in my new life in the experience of tongues, I must confess that I constantly was bothered by the reality of it all.

I recall one question that kept going around and around in my mind; "What's so good about It? So what?" You are the same, Neal. Your preaching Is the sane. Your praying Is the same, except now, with tongues. Your ministry was the same, I thought, at the time. However in retrospect, I see now an Increase of fruitage was being harvested as a result of my new life in the Spirit. I did not feel anything different after speaking in tongues at first and this bothered ne. I went to a friend, one who had lived and walked in this life for many, many years, a seasoned soldier of the Baptized life and I said to her, "I just don't feel anything when I speak in tongues." The reply that she gave me is one which I have since given to many, many people, in my office, in my car, on the street, on the golf course or wherever I am approached by this subject. The reply was, 'When you eat a meal, how do you know that it is helping you?"

Now, I had read in the Scriptures that speaking In tongues edifies an individual, and my speaking in tongues was not edifying me. The question again, 'When you eat a meal, how do you know that it is helping your body?" My reply was, 'Well, I just don't know'. I just do it." The lady interrupted, "You accept by faith that it is going to provide fuel and nourishment for your body, don't you?" I replied, "Yes, of course. By faith, when I eat a meal, I know it is going to edify if you please, my physical body. So when I began speaking In tongues, I had to, by faith, believe that It edified by body. So, after I received my tongues, which occurred on top of a mountain, I began to think, "So What?"

Now In 1 Corinthians 14:4, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself, he that prophecieth edifieth the Church." There appears, sane would feel, to be two types of tongues. You pray in tongues because of a gift given to you because of your baptism, and the other would be a gift of tongues. Your praying In tongues would be for yourself, personal edification, the gift of tongues would be for the edification of the Church as it appears in verse 4. So the gift of tongues Is on occasion, given by God to an individual for the Church's edification. This will cane on rare occasions by few people, in contrast to praying in tongues which is a gift by God given at the baptism, or shortly thereafter. For sane, there is a delayed time.

In regard to the several types of tongues. As I see it, there is the tongue experience for a sign. The scripture speaks of people speaking in a tongue that is understood by an individual. A person who speaks a particular foreign language to us can receive a message given by a person In their own native tongue, on no part or fault of the individual speaking. God sometimes sovereignly gives a gift of tongues for a sign to an unsaved person. So as a sign to an unbeliever, tongues are sometimes given. I might mention that in some cases In other countries where missionaries have gone and people have received the baptism, I have heard that some of the natives have received tongues and spoke in English, which is a new slant. People have come to Church services, have come down to the altar and have prayed in a tongue and kneeling or standing near them was someone from another country who understood their own language being spoken fluently by this one. So God uses this ministry of tongues in many ways. But my objective Is "so what is the value of speaking in tongues?"

So outside of first of all prophecy for the Church's edification, and outside of the tongues for a sign for the unbeliever, there is an aspect where you, the individual edify yourself, and you can use your tongues in many ways. I use my tongues in several different ways. The scripture backing for this canes from I Cor. 14. Now,many people have divided these usages of tongues into many ways. I like the sevenfold usages of tongues. So follow along in your Bible, please. All will be in 1 Corinthians 14.

Use number 1 is in verse 2. "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto Cod. For no man understandeth him howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." This first usage has as it's title, "Hi, God, I just want to talk to you. I just want to commune with you. Because when you use your tongues, you are bypassing your intellect. Your mind is being bypassed and the spirit of God that is in your heart upon profession of faith, released by the baptism of the Holy Spirit then canes out like waters from the belly as you read about In Chapter 7. It is God's spirit speaking in you, and you in your spirit are speaking to God. You are just saying, 'Ni, God. I love You, I worship You. I adore You. I just use my tongues to say, "Hi."

Number 2 is in verse 4. Perhaps titled "Edifying". "He that speaketh In an unknown tongue edifies himself. When you speak In your prayer language, you are edifying yourself. You are building up your inner- person. That is why I tell people to use their prayer language several times a day, every day, and have special times when you do commune with God's Spirit by using their tongues. 'tie that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself."

Number 3 is in verse 5. Paul says, "I would that you all speak with tongues, but rather that you prophecy. For greater is he that prophesies than he that speaks in tongues, except he interpret that the Church may receive edifying." Now in the beginning of this discussion, I spoke to you about one area of tongues being for the Church. We plug it in at this point. Point number three is the use of tongues for Church building for Church build-up. For the Church's build up.

Number 4 is in verse 15 and you could caption it, "Just Pray." Verse IS, "t will pray with the spirit." This is very important since sometimes when we are called upon to pray for an individual, we really don't know how to pray for that one. We don't know what is best. This is why it is so good to be able to pray in the spirit. Because we don't know what is best for people, we may pray amiss. So just drop into your prayer language. So point 4 Is "Just Pray". Just pray with your tongues.

Point number 5 is "Sing with your tongues." Again in verse 15, "I will sing with, the spirit." Many people find that they enjoy singing in their tongues, in fact they even pick out choruses or hymns and instead of using English, they use their tongues. Sane sing very fluently while others won't even try it. It is difficult for some to do, but it is a possibility and it is scriptural because he said, 'I will sing with the spirit."

Verse 16 is number 6 and the caption would be "bless". "Thou shalt bless with the spirit." The other day I was coming home from an appointment and I was burdened for one family in our Church. I did not pray with my understanding, I prayed with my spirit. I blessed those people with my prayer language. And that is scriptural, point number 6, verse 16.

The last is number 7, verse 22. We have toughed upon this somewhat in our introduction as we talked about a sign. In verse 22, "Therefore tongues are a sign, not to them that believe, but to than that believe not." Tongues have been used by God for the salvation of sane people.

So as I see it, some would have more and sane less, but all the usages of tongues would have to cane from I Corinthians 14. Whether you would take a fine line and divide or group together, you have a number of usages, which is my point. So to answer the question, "What is so good about tongues?" I can think of about seven good things.

"Hi, God."

1. For Edifying
2. For Church Build-Up
3. To Pray
4. To Sing
5. To Bless
6. As a Sign

Before we conclude about the use of tongues1 let me make several comments that came to my mind. First the use of tongues in a public gathering. The other day a person came to me quite concerned at hearing tongues spoken at one of our meetings where there was no interpretation, because the Bible says that if there is a tongue usage in public, there must be an interpretation. The point was, there were tongues being heard with no interpretation, so I explained to this person that this was not in violation to the scripture because the people that were praying were just using their tongues vocally, though sane speak It in their minds and have said it just comes out like ticker tape.

Some speak it in their minds but usually it is vocal. In this prayer meeting, for example, during a time of prayer there were people who were using tongues to be edified In their relationship to God. The party hearing it thought that they were using tongues which should be interpreted. So my comment was that it did not need interpretation since the people were using it not for Church build-up but for personal edification. They were using tongues in one of the different ways of which we spoke of earlier.

Tongues are used to give prophecy and if in a service in any type Church in a free time of prayer if someone stands and speaks forth in tongues under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then there will automatically follow someone giving an interpretation of that message. So to wrap up this one-way conversation--tongues is one manifestation of the Holy Spirit. When you were baptized in the Holy Spirit, you should expect to speak in tongues. It is not that you have to, but you can, and it is a visible quality or manifestation or attribute of one who has been Holy Spirit baptized. It is a unique beautiful prayer language that you can have with God.

I am thankful for my tongues. I would encourage you, if you have not received your tongues and you feel that you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, to release that which is necessary and by faith, just accept. As with the lady I told you about on the tape, when she heard the furnace go on, this triggered her faith and she broke forth in her heavenly language. It is of God and for God through us. This prayer language is something that can revolutionize your life and help you and just bless you in so many ways. In I Corinthians 14, there are seven ways we have looked at In answer to the question, "So what's so good about tongues?" May Good bless you as you experience your prayer language.

There have been tines when I found myself on a spot and did not have time to pray "a normal prayer" centered around my physical faculties, so I have dropped down to tie my shoe (if my shoes had laces) and used my tongues. On many occasions I can attest to the fact that prayer, using my prayer language, was the fact to my being used or being blessed, yet only seconds were involved.