Overrated - Tongues….
Ok, So I was reading a post on a forum talking about how one guy had been praying for tongues* for a long time and had really wanted the gift for a long time but it seems to me that some churches (and Christians) seem to have a huge thing about this whole ’speak in tongues thing’ and I think it’s overrated or at least over-emphasised.
To start I want to say that I don’t believe this gift is useless (though at certain times I fail to see the point) I believe that like all gifts God has a purpose for them and the bible says that God only gives good gifts to his children so it’s a good thing!
The first time tongues appears properly in the bible to the best of my knowledge is Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fills the disciples and they run out speaking in tongues and all the visitors hear their own language being spoken by these guys who couldn’t possibly know how to speak that language!
So the main purpose of tongues was to enpower people to allow them to preach to people in a different language which is a pretty good idea, nice one God!
However churches & Christians seem to take this to another level, to the level where speaking in tongues isn’t just about converting others (and sometimes to the extreme where if you don’t speak in tongues you’re not a Christian). So I thought I’d look into this…
At the end of Mark there is a chunk which sounds like a very brief summary to the book which isn’t found in most the reliable manuscripts so is commonly thought to have been added later because Mark had such an abrupt ending, in this Jesus says ‘they will speak in new tongues‘, now I quote this not because I doubt that Jesus knows about tongues or wants them to know but because this particular verse doesn’t talk about the reason behind the gift, admitidly the same passage also talks about picking up deadly snakes and drinking poisen with no reason but still I think this is the verse which churches use to back-up the speaking in tongues of the average person for the second use…
The second use of tongues, which I aim to explore is that of the use of personal help, the idea that speaking in tongues allows you to pray to God with his own words, words that God gives you, and therefore it makes you’re relationship with God much better. Now Jesus tells the disciples that a helper will come to them (aka the Holy Spirit) and help them to pray etc. etc. But I wonder if Jesus means that the Holy Spirit will help them to pray by them speaking in tongues or if he just meant the Holy Spirit will move us into prayer, motivate us and get us off our arse to actually do some praying! But who knows?
Now 1 Corinthians 12 explores the different gifts of the Holy Spirit including tongues, the interpretation of tongues, healing, administration etc. And firstly relates gifts to a body and says ‘If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’ etc, and then talks about spiritual gifts, many people suggest (and I agree) that this part is talking about the gifts, saying that not everyone speaks in tongues (other than the ultra-holy-tongue-speaking-holy-of-holies himself and his band of merry men). So not everyone will speak in tongues! The passage also says to desire the greater gifts, now no offence to anyone who greatly desires tongues but why? It strikes me that the gift of speaking in tongues personally is almost a selfish gift to desire (selfish being the wrong word), but all the other gifts seem to help the church or people, healing does, prophecy does, interpreting tongues does, speaking in other language does’ but speaking in tongues on your own to God or in a group where no-one is going to interpret seems like it’s just there to make you feel good about God because you have this radical thing happening which proves to you that God is real.
Yes I know that’s cynical but I fail to see why tongues is so desired, sure it’s not a bad thing to get closer to God and tongues seems to do that but at the same time it doesn’t seem to benefit the church other than helping them sound ultra-holy if after a song people can mutter weird words for a while!
So that’s all well and good but Paul says to ‘desire the greater gifts‘, he later says
‘ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.’
So there he hints that there is tongues that aren’t interpreted but at the same time he tells us what the greater gifts are and I’m with him on this one.
The final passage which I’m going to refer to is 1 Corinthians 14 which says several things the first ‘For anyone who speaks in a tongue[a] does not speak to men but to God’ which actually backs up the theory of tongues being a personal thing between men and God (so perhaps this entire blog is wrong but I’m exploring as a type).
Every so often you find a ultra Holy Christian who because they have the gift of tongues (St. Shaun pbuh for example (apologies if you don’t get the joke)) they must speak them all the time wherever they are, be that on the bus, at the bowling ally or on the kareoke to the tune of daydream believer, however Paul says this
‘Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? 7Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? 8Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? 9So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.’
Paul goes on to say that anyone who speaks in tongues should pray that they would be able to interpret what they say, even Paul acknowledges that tongues, if used wrong can be completely useless and even harming to people.
If you have read this and are wondering what on earth I was on about I guess the bottom line is this, I think tongues is overrated, I think there is way to much emphasis on it and it seems to be the gift that for some unknown reason everyone wants, we have a God of almighty power, one who has empowered us through the Holy Spirit and his Son Jesus Christ to go into the world and change it, to be able to heal in the name of Jesus, to even be able to raise the dead can we stop boxing the Holy Spirit into just speaking in tongues, or even mainly speaking in tongues, there is more healing in the bible that speaking in tongues and more outcasting of demons than speaking in tongues. God has quite a lot of power, let’s stop having such small faith that we box it in and don’t desire anything other than speaking in tongues, let’s eagerly desire the greater gifts.
*Tongues is a spiritual gift from God allowing the recipiant to speak in a different language, in the bible the disciples did this and people around heard the gospel in their own language, but it can also be just to personally pray to God when you don’t know the words.
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you are wrong but ive forgotten why. ill get back to you.
mark 16:16-18 - speaking in tongues is a sign of baptism in the spirit. just as a normal thing that we can use. like our godly tool kits, he enables us to do and be all sorts of things. tongues is just one of the tools god has capacity to give us.
Acts 2:1-12 - god using tongues to reach people. in this case it is because of a lack of means to communicate but if u think about it god is from a different place to us also. just like the arabs and cretans were foreign to them we are foreign to him. how much do forgein people appreciate it when u leanr their language. tongues is gods language. he has blessed you with a tool for communication with both man and god, why would you not want to communicate with people more freely and spirit enabled?
acts 10:46 - here is presented as a sign and wonder in itself with no real purpose. except that when the gentiles heard it they had renewed faith in our god. if that is the soul purpose of tongues(which its not) but if it was then surely its worth it. how many souls have been saved because they heard someone speak in tongues?
acts 19:5-7 - if tongues is ok for paul and the early church to use then how can u see yourself above that? this early church increased in numbers thousands of people at a time with signs and wonders all of the time along with amazing faith and obedience… i think maybe they were doing something right. with arguments about which bits in the bible should be taken as important or not can u blame people for being switched off. take it as it says in the importance that is given in the bible, no more, no less.
1 corinthians 12:9-11. - if it wasnt useful then why would god give it and also name it within other gifts?
speaking by the spirit is surely as important/ more important than acting by the spirit. if we couldnt speak by the spirit then how could we communicate questions about what we are doing?
1corinthians 13:1 - yes tongues is good and a fun gift from god but like mark (tiddy) suggests priorities are needed to be kept in order. it is the heart behind the mouth that gives meaning to the words being said. and no tongues isnt the most important thing on the planet. love is and you can be an amazing christian without tongues.
1corinthians14:2 - tongues for god, not man. Mark, in your blog you say that tongues is pointless in a selfish sort of way. i would argue that speaking to god isnt pointless.
1 corinthians 14:1-25 - theres a lot in here. it looks like a good passage to really get your teeth into about tongues. i think ill just pick up a few lil bits of it though. basically the first bit- tongues is good, prophecy is better. thats not a problem since the argument was that tongues is useless, not that prophecy is more useful.
verse 5 - ” i would like every one of you to speak in tongues” basically god is saying that its a basic thing to do. we can all do it with him its not just for extra holy people because he wouldnt want us to do something that is unachieveable for us.
then there is guidelines for using tongues within church…
verse 22 - tongues is for unbelievers to convict them into repentage etc. looks to me like paul is saying that its useful in the right setting - basically when god allows, which is what it would be anyway coz its speaking by the spirit. gifts of the spirit to be used as and when god wills and to be used correctly but then that isnt just with tongues alone but with all of the gifts as they can all be misused so badly.
Thus concludes the biblical bit…
just because its available doesnt mean we must use it. a friends mum had come from the middle east and was scared to speak in tongues as there had been lots of scare stories about people using it and the consequences of that and so she really wanted not to ever speak in tongues or be able to and god knows her heart and she never has been able to speak in tongues despite all of her family using the gift freely.
tongues is a good way of communicating when there just arent words. when god has put something to pray for on your heart and your dont really know the situation never mind how to pray into it then what can u do apart from stumble around with words and then give up . whereas if you think of the situation and place your heart with god then surely as god knows that situation better than anyone, he will give you the words to pray.
another friend of mine has been feeling really low. some of her friendship relationshiops had gone squiffy and she didnt know what she had done to make them so. because she didnt know how her friend was feeling she couldnt pray into the situation. she prayed in tongues. the next day she felt god prompting her to go and sit with him. she did. he then opened up to her about how he felt about things in his life at that point.
god works. who are we to question his methods.
Caroline, firstly that first bit of mark you quoted isn’t in the earliest manuscripts, the very early ones finish bluntly with ‘they were afraid’, if you read it it’s in a completely different style to the rest of Mark, I’m not saying it doesn’t count for anything but what I am saying is that if you read that passage it doesn’t have to link baptism to the gifts, it can be interpreted either way.
And in answer to the rest of your comment I think perhaps you misunderstood that the post was a journey of me exploring tongues, I don’t think that it’s not good enough for us now (as you commented by your acts passage), and I’m not saying that it’s no help but I think it is overrated, by which I don’t mean it’s useless or pointless but I mean it seems to have too much emphasis put on in some churches, I acknowledge that it helps people but Paul says we should desire the GREATER gifts
i already replied to this but it crashed so this is gona benot as good…
if u read the passage:
16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mark 16:16-18(NIV)
its in the bible and no matter how it got there its there. that means that god wanted it there. it blatantly says that basically those who believe will have the power of god behind them in certain giftings. tongues is listed as one of them. as far as i can see this is the correct interpretation of this passage but if u can see another calling out to u let me know.
secondly i never commented that it was a greater gift in fact i said the opposite.
“god is saying that its a basic thing to do. we can all do it with him its not just for extra holy people” right - so all believers can do it should they wish. no its not a greater gift but that doesnt mean that it is “overrated” as a tool because it is still very much useful. … just coz uve got pizza doesnt mean u stop wanting bread. - just coz uve got something greater doesnt mean u cease to want or need the simple. sometimes things still just need a simple prayer - even if god is healing propesying and being cool in u doesnt stop prayer being useful. do u disagree?
by overrated I mean that the church itself puts too much emphasis on it, it seems to be seen as the way to revolutionalise your relationship with God, speak in tongues and *bang* as if by magic you and God are 1 when although perhaps for a little while it feels like that tongues doesn’t exactly do that.
In response to the Mark passage I have no doubt its there because God wants it there and I shall look for another translation sometime for you however Paul says that ‘NOT EVERYONE SHALL SPEAK IN TONGUES’ which sorta contradicts the mark passage, what do you think?
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Mark Tiddy
In his spare time Mark plays several instruments and enjoys song writing.
Read more about Mark here
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