Speaking in Tongues
✅ 1. The First Mention of Tongues: Acts 2 (Day of Pentecost)
📖 Acts 2:4-11 (KJV) And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Context: The apostles spoke in known languages that were understood by Jews from many nations.
Key Verse: “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” (v.11)
Point: Tongues were real, earthly languages given by the Spirit for a sign to unbelievers
📖 1 Corinthians 14:22 (KJV) Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
✅ 2. Tongues of angels
📖 1 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
📌 So here is the big aha moment for pentecostals christians, as though they dropped a trump card, but what they fail to miss is that Angels are recorded in the Bible speaking and not once did they say “shandala bakarabasita” the only things you find the angels speaking in languages that men understood…
📖 Hebrews 2:1-2 (KJV) Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
📌 So we are to give heed to the things which we have heard from the words which the angels spoke as they are stedfast, meaning they are understandable because it was the angels job to be a messenger of God.
🪽 Gabriel speaks to Mary
📖 Luke 1:26-28 (KJV)
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph…
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”
📌 Clear speech, understood by Mary no unknown tongues.
🪽 Gabriel speaks to Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father)
📖 Luke 1:11-13 (KJV)
“And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord…
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son…”
📌 Again, normal language—he understood and even questioned it!
🪽 Angels speak to the shepherds
📖 Luke 2:10-11 (KJV)
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy… For unto you is born this day… a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
📌 No confusion. Clear message. Known human speech.
🪽 The angel speaks to the women at the tomb
📖 Matthew 28:5-6 (KJV)
“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen…”
📌 Every word spoken was intelligible. Not a single syllable of “angelic tongues.”
🪽 The Holy Spirit Speaks Clearly
📖 Acts 13:2 (KJV)
“As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
📌 So Even The Spirit spoke in a language the church leaders understood and obeyed.
🪽 Even God the Father Speaks from Heaven
📖 Matthew 3:17 (KJV)
“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
📌 Everyone heard and understood what was said. God does not babble. His speech is precise and intelligible.
There is not one place found of an angel or spirit speaking in an unknown language, so to create a solid doctrine from something you never heard or is not found in the Bible is delusional.
📌 In other words, there is no way that the Holy Ghost would teach or promote confusionthrough unknown, unintelligible words. That would go directly against God's nature and character.
📖 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV)
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
✅ 3. Context of Tongues in the Church
📖 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 (KJV) For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. 4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
📌 Here is another aha moment for the pentecostals christians, yet what we need to understand is the times because in that area and time it was normal to speak at the less 3 languages thats why at the day of pentecost there are many people coming to worship with many different languages, “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians,” thats about 13 languages of people in one place, just because we are in New Zealand we all mainly speak one language thats why this verse may stick out differently, but this passage is talking about many different languages in the church as that was a real issue in that time and place, thats why if we look further in this passage…..
📖 1 Corinthians 14:22-24 (KJV) Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe. 23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? 24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or oneunlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
📌 We start to see that tongues were for the unsaved, so riddle me this, if the tongues were for unsaved people why are pentecostals using it for church purposes? Tongues are for unsaved persons and Acts 2 is a prime example of this because many of those that came to Jerusalem on the day of pentecost were unsaved, thats why later on many believed and was baptized…
📖 Acts 2:41 (KJV) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
✅ 4. Spirit language
📌 By now we fully understand how to approach these verses but let’s cover Romans 8:26 as well.
📖 Romans 8:26-27 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what isthe mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will ofGod.
📌 Here the verse does not imply us speaking in gibberish, in fact its says that “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” This shows that there is no utterance made here, the groaning are from within! It’s like when we are in trouble our Spirit senses it and makes intercession for us, its not complicated, so to get this doctrine of speaking in gibberish its not found in the Bible, thats a man made doctrine called pentecostalism recently added to the collection of new religions, which I wrote a sermon about that called The Birth of Extra Denominations,
https://missionarybaptists.com/updates-teachings/the-birth-of-extra-denominationsits all man made, there is not one example of how to speak that gibberish in the Bible, not one angel caught speaking gibberish, the only thing they have is assumptions, a doctrine built upon assumption?
🪽5. Gifts of Tongues
📌 Tongues are a real gift that has real value, just like in Jerusalem where there is many tongues it was a great gift to have, now in a place such as New Zealand its not really needed but still helpful if you were to learn languages like Maori or Samoan or Tongan I feel those languages will help you reach those people more successfully, its like if I go to the Philippians and speak an unique dialect (as they have many tongues too) it will cause them to intently listen, and its almost an successful conversion every time.
📌 To have the gift of tongues is great tool for evangelism (as its purpose was used) I know Pastors who speak different languages so they can do outreach missions in different countries, like Greece, there’s a movie of a pastor going to Greece and speaking to them the gospel and getting many saved, the movie is called “Going back to the Greek” pretty cool.
📌 Tongues is really a gift, meaning that some have an easier time learning multiple languages then others because you have a supernatural ability to learn them faster and better then someone who don’t have that gift! Just think about it, when some of the translators of the King James Bible translated the Bible from the original manuscripts, they could speak many languages, like Lancelot Andrewes who reportedly spoke 15 languages fluently, some would say thats unreal?
Others were masters of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Syriac, and more.
This wasn’t just human ability it was a God-given gift to help preserve and share His Word across languages.
📖 1 Corinthians 12:28 (KJV) And 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.
📌 It’s clear that the gift of tongues is about learning multiple languages easily for the only reason of saving unbelievers. Amen.
