“I
Thank God I Speak In Tongues”
1 Corinthians 14:18
PART ONE
~Our Everyday Experience Speaking in Other Tongues
~
By Craig Bluemel
˙
1 Corinthians 14:18
“I thank God, I speak in tongues more than
you all; 19 however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so
that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
(New American
Standard Bible - Updated Edition)
DISCLAIMER: A simple query online using the phrase, “speaking in
tongues,” or, “speaking in unknown tongues,” will typically direct you to a
Bible study, exposé, or written article that debates whether or not glossalalia
is a valid gift. This study is NOT an
apologetic defense for or against tongues, but rather, it assumes that the
reader already accepts glossalalia. Glossalalia
is the Greek New Testament word, which is translated in most Bible versions as,
“speaking in other tongues,” or “speaking in (or ‘with’) tongues,” or “speaking
in unknown tongues,” or “speaking in unknown (or known) languages.”
This study is geared
toward people that already speak in tongues, or who have done so in the past,
but then they never really developed an active, healthy prayer life using
glossalalia. If you fit into one or
both of the aforementioned categories, skip to the Introduction section below
and begin reading, Why Christians Don’t Pray in
Tongues Every Day.
If you have need of
useful, biblically based information that explains speaking in tongues in an
easy-to-understand, in-depth, series format, then clicking onto any of the
following links will take to studies that will likely answer most, if not all,
of your questions.
What is Speaking in Tongues? - A Practical, In-depth Study
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part One
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Two
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Three
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Four
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Five Revised
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Six
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Seven
&
What is Speaking in Tongues?
Part Eight: Testimonies of Glossalalia
Jesus is the "Gift" of the Holy Spirit:
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 1
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 2
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 3
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 4
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 5
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 6
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 7
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 8
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Part 9
˙
Jesus is the
"Gift" of the Holy Spirit Addendum (Quick Reference Guide)
In chapter fourteen of
his first letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul makes a very clear,
unmistakable distinction in the personal and public use(s) of speaking in
tongues, “I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however,
in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may
instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.”
In the links to the Bible
study series listed above, in-depth answers are provided for questions that
seek clarification about the use and relevance of glossalalia in the
church. The studies include the many
applications of speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues with
special emphasis on contextual accuracy and the historical relevance (i.e.
manners & customs of the early church period). Close attention to detail is given to each of the various
individual scenarios involving tongues, including the use of glossa in Acts
2:4ff as a known dialectic manifestation of supernatural power that
testified to God’s glory in the individual languages of the many Jews from
surrounding nations of Jerusalem.
This series, ‘What is Speaking in Tongues? Parts One thru Part Seven,’
is not your typical charismatic view, nor does it ‘gloss’ over (no pun
intended) the Acts Chapter Two narrative by ignoring or downplaying the
significance of the obvious aforementioned facts. At the same time, the series challenges the wrong views of both
Evangelicals and Charismatics.
The challenge to
Evangelicals speaks directly to doctrinal positions that deny tongues as being
relevant for today. For Charismatics,
the series helps a person get a better handle on the overall New Testament
perspective of speaking in other tongues, especially the Pentecostal churches’
misuse of Paul’s writings to the Corinthians in relation to tongues and the
interpretation of tongues.
The message Paul writes
in First Corinthians chapters Twelve, Thirteen, and Fourteen repeatedly
identifies speaking and praying in other (unknown) tongues as being the same
thing as, ‘speaking (praying) in the spirit,’ or as, ‘praying with the (human)
spirit.’ We as Christians are exhorted
and commanded to be—and to increasingly become—a spiritual people, with our minds,
hearts, and souls growing in the revealed knowledge of God’s will for our lives
thru Jesus Christ. This study is the
first of a series aimed at the needs of those whose desire to pray “with the
spirit,” (i.e. “in the spirit”), providing biblical and experiential insights
that will enhance and optimize the effect of individual daily prayer in other
tongues. My goal is to help the earnest
seeker develop prayer in tongues to its highest daily potential.
For this reason, I
utilize the apostle Paul’s own daily prayer life as our prototype I thank
God, I speak in tongues more than you all…” His follow-up to this
statement, (i.e. ...however, in the
church…”), while dramatically restricting
his use of tongues when he is in the church assembly, does not diminish
his gratitude to God for being enabled to ‘speak.’
Why Christians Don’t Pray
In Tongues Every Day
There are any number of
individual reasons that prevent a Christian from regularly speaking in tongues,
assuming that he or she has done so at least once. The notion that glossalalia is a spiritual gift that is limited
to the ranks of ‘Charismatics’ or to ‘Pentecostals’ is just plain false. In the first place, these two terms,
‘Charismatic’ and ‘Pentecostals,’ are found nowhere in the New Testament
scripture as a description of Christ’s church.
Secondly, when we limit speaking in unknown tongues to a particular
segment of the church by using it to characterize certain church denominations,
whether intentional or unintentional, we are guilty of dividing the body of
Christ.
The apostle gives his
thanks (i.e. to God) for the capability of speaking in tongues. Paul thanks God, but he doesn’t relegate the
responsibility of actually speaking in tongues to Him. Paul does not say, “I thank God that He
speaks thru my lips,” as is alleged in the doctrine of many Pentecostal
churches, which teach tongues is, ‘the Holy Ghost talking.’ Instead, Paul says, “I speak.”
In 1 Corinthians 14:18,
when Paul says, “I thank God I speak in tongues…” the Greek word translated
as “thank” is eucharistéo. In
Luke's and Paul's writings, eucharistéo is often followed by the Greek noun,
‘Theós,’ ([NT: 2316], meaning ‘God’) and grammatically is constructed in the
dative, ‘tó Theó.’ With
the dative, eucharistéo refers to thanksgiving
offered to God the Father for any good experience, as it is used in Acts
27:35 (“thanking God”), Romans 14:6 (“thanks God”), Colossians 1:12 (“giving thanks to the Father”), and Colossians 3:17
(“give thanks to God the Father”).[1]
Because for him it was a ‘good
experience’ and something he enjoyed doing, Paul is thanking God for having
enabled him the spiritual insight to voluntarily exercise his will to
frequently speak in unknown tongues.
The Message Bible portrays this idea of a good experience in its
rendering of 1 Corinthians 14:18 below:
˙ 1 Corinthians 14:18 I’m grateful to God for the gift of praying in
tongues that he gives us for praising him, which leads to wonderful intimacies
we enjoy with him. I enter into this as
much or more than any of you. The
Message Bible by Eugene Peterson 2002
That’s what happens
when a person engages in prayer in unknown tongues for protracted lengths of
time. The beauty of speaking in tongues
is that it does not require your intellectual understanding (i.e. your
conscious reasoning) to operate and provide its benefit. When Paul writes, “I thank God I speak in
tongues,” the words, “I speak,” are present active participle, which expresses
continuous or repeated action. Since in
Greek the time of the action represented by participles is relative to the main
verb, the present participle is used to signify action that is
contemporaneous with the leading verb, whether that action occurs in the past,
present, or future.[2]
In other words, Paul is
thanking God for his continuous ability in the past, present, and in his future
prayer times, to be able to repeatedly speak in unknown tongues. Lest we get the idea that Paul is some
super-duper saintly Christian beyond our own capacity, the apostle includes
similar grammatical instruction in his words to the Corinthian church believers
encouraging them to seek and do likewise as he prayed.
˙ 1 Corinthians 14:4-5 The one who prays using a private
"prayer language" certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming
God’s truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into
growth and strength. 5 I want all of you to develop intimacies with God in prayer,
but please don’t stop with that. Go
on and proclaim his clear truth to others.
It’s more important that everyone have access to the knowledge and love
of God in language everyone understands than that you go off and cultivate
God’s presence in a mysterious prayer language—unless, of course, there is
someone who can interpret what you are saying for the benefit of all. The Message Bible by Eugene Peterson 2002
As God’s people, we
should continually be offering ourselves up in prayer, but this just is not
feasible if we insist on praying only with the understanding. Many Christians feel like a total failure
when it comes to the discipline of daily prayer. Only a few of the most devout melancholic-choleric personalities
have the wherewithal and tenacity to get down on their knees for a specified
period of time each day.
The rest of us try to
pray every day and fail. Then each time
the pastor preaches a sermon about prayer devotions, we get convicted,
condemned, or cringe (or all of the aforementioned), or perhaps we’ll go down
for yet another altar call, and repent, and vow to the Lord that we will
faithfully pray every day and at a set time and place for a protracted
length of time. But soon our busy
days and hectic schedules erode our devotion, and as this pattern continues for
decades, we slowly drift into a spiritually catatonic state.
Some Christians try to do
more ministry to renew the spiritual life-blood they once knew in Jesus, but
after awhile, even ministry becomes inwardly dissatisfying without having one’s
born-again human spirit actively engaged in fervent prayer. Others think that getting into hobbies,
sports, exercise, diets, or their old stand-by, the television set will bring
them a measure of inner plentitude. Although these activities can provide a
temporary distraction, they do not satisfy the deep inner longing for God’s
presence.
New believers in Jesus
typically begin their walk with optimism, enthusiasm and excitement. They are
spiritually vibrant and ready to change the world. Nothing will stand in their
way!! Then the realities of life set in.
There are conflicts with other believers, disappointment with God (often
because fervent prayer has not been answered as we demanded) and struggles with
one’s own sin and weaknesses. Then the clandestine enemies to the born-again
believer—discouragement, hopelessness, condemnation, and fear of failure—set
in. These dark forces sneak up on us
when we have gotten to a state of being spiritually unresponsive, withdrawn,
impassive, or introspective. And as the
years come and go and life passes you by, you resign yourself to the sidelines,
content with an apathetic attitude that says you’re okay if you just sneak into
the kingdom by grace. Once a shining star with great potential, you are now a
mere spectator in God’s arena. Most born-again Christians in America, Canada,
and other parts of the free world, have become lukewarm, lackadaisical, and
spiritually dull. Instead of diligently
pursuing God thru His spirit in truth, Christians prop their feet in front of
the boob-tube every night, contented to skate into heaven on yesteryear’s
glories.
The Solution = Just Begin
to speak in Tongues!
This simple truth is
really quite profound. The words, “I speak in
tongues,” when offset and viewed separately (apart from the surrounding
context) for a distinct purpose, informs the seeking believer that he or she
has the clout at will to open his or her mouth and begin speaking in
tongues… any time, any place, under any circumstance or set of circumstances,
in hard times and good times and at all times!
While theologians may disagree on the meaning of the tongues that first occurred
on the Day of Pentecost, none of them will deny the fact the text includes the
fact the 120 disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem BEGAN to speak in other
tongues.
˙
Acts
2:4b and they… began to speak with other tongues, according
as the Spirit was giving them to declare.
Young's Literal Translation Bible
The Greek text for the
phrase, “and they… began to
speak,” is constructed in the aorist middle voice, which means literally, “they
themselves began speaking.” It
demonstrates my earlier point, that speaking in tongues is something YOU the
believer are responsible to initiate, not God, and not Jesus.
The phrase, “according as
the Spirit was giving them to declare,” alternately reads, “just as each one’s
spirit reached out, yielded, or extended, they spoke forth.” If we put together both segments from above,
The Appropriate Translation for Acts 2:4b reads as follows:
˙
Acts 2:4b …and they themselves began speaking, just as
each one’s spirit reached out {and} yielded, they spoke forth.” The Appropriate Translation
Old time Pentecostal
Church dogma teaches that the believer can only use his or her prayer in
tongues, ‘when the Holy Ghost moves you.’
This is kind of staunch legalism dampens the zeal of God’s intercessory
prayer warriors and fosters a withering church environment thru its denial of
our capacity to choose. It’s an
argument that supports the doctrine of hyper-Calvinism because it denies human
involvement by strangling impromptu speaking in tongues.
Sadly, many of the old
timer Pentecostal and Apostolic churches, if not most, have dried up and no
longer speak in tongues, even though they go to church and do a lot of hand
clapping and foot stomping. The proof
is the putting, so to speak, because you don’t see evangelism being an everyday
lifestyle. Where evangelism wanes
people have begun to lose or have altogether lost their first love, and are
living off of yesterday’s manna.
Even in today’s
modernized charismatic church settings, where speaking in tongues is encouraged
as part of the corporeal worship, relatively few individual Christians
take the glossalalia experiences from Sunday morning worship and clarity
utilize it as part of an active, daily life of prayer in other tongues.
This is not a mute point,
and unfortunately, lack of teaching in the Christian churches at large, plus
the fact that only a very select few are living glossalalia by example, has
resulted in a pitifully small amount of individual prayer in other
tongues. Even in charismatic churches that
encourage glossalalia during their corporate worship services, there still
remains the problem because speaking in tongues is not emphasized enough as a
part of the believer’s DAILY life.
Am I sounding redundant?
Good. You’re paying
attention.
I often wonder what the
response would be if a survey was made of Christians that speak in tongues,
asking each individual how often he or she practices or uses this wonderful
gift. How many would honestly answer,
“All day long, every day, whenever it is feasible and possible without
offending or stumbling others.” How
many are aware that speaking in tongues is supposed to be a part of their
prayer life and communication with God, enabling them the capacity to ‘pray at
all times’ as commanded in Ephesians 6:18?
Allow me to get more direct and ask you dear reader, my brother, or
sister in Jesus, “How often do YOU pray in tongues?”
I think the main reason
they don’t is that they simply do not know they can. If you did it once, then you know you can speak in tongues. So, get started. Yep, right now brother, or sister. I promise you from the scriptures, that if you will start
speaking in tongues today, now, and, as often as is possible, you will ignite a
fire within you, and God will catch hold of your spirit, and you’ll begin
renewing your first love with Jesus!
Aside from being wrongly
taught, another reason Christians don’t speak in tongues regularly, and on a
daily basis, is because they are unaware of its potential benefit. I am convinced that the apostle Paul’s
anointing to teach, preach, and be led of God’s spirit is the direct result of
his prayer in the spirit (i.e. – in tongues).
Using discretion and
always considering others in love, I speak in unknown tongues at will, any
time, any place, loud or soft, or even at a whisper, and for any reason and
need I so desire. I am not implying my
prayerful desire is a self-serving type of beseeching God for whatever things I
want, as is falsely alleged today by the increasingly popular ministers of greed. Those who promote the ‘name-it-and-claim-it’
prosperity message are wolves in Armani sheepskin and are full of braggadocio
in their arrogant assertions that insist a Christian can simply pray in tongues
(or English) for whatever they wish.
Quite the opposite.
In fact, my statement
concerning the use of one’s God-given, innate capacity to choose the time and
setting, when applied to prayer in the spirit (i.e. – prayer in unknown
tongues), runs contrary to any material or otherwise fleshly craving. We must remember that the born-again spirit is
willing to do God’s bidding at any time, although our flesh is weak,
typically uncooperative, and subject to the cravings of our soul, mind, and
physical body.
˙ Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, all of you, that you may
not have to face temptation. Your spirit
is willing, but human nature is weak."
˙ John 6:63 It is the spirit which gives life. The flesh will not help you. The things which I have told you are
spiritual and are life.
Praying in the Spirit =
Prayer in Unknown Tongues
Brothers and sisters in
Jesus, we are in a life and death spiritual struggle, but the weapons of our
warfare are not understood with our carnal, fleshly thinking and/or
reasonings. I like Weymouth’s New
Testament version of Ephesians 6:11-18 (below), which speaks about prayer in
tongues by naming it through one of its other nuances, ‘praying in the spirit.”
Ephesians 6:11-18
˙ 11-13
In conclusion, strengthen
yourselves in the Lord and in the power (Acts 1:8) which His supreme
might imparts. 11 Put on the complete
armor of God, so as to be able to stand firm against all the stratagems of the
Devil. 12 For ours is not a
conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, and
the forces that control and govern this dark world—the spiritual hosts of evil
arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare. 13 Therefore put on the complete armor of God, so that you
may be able to stand your ground on the day of battle, and, having fought to
the end, to remain victors on the field.
˙ 14-17 Stand therefore, first fastening round you the girdle of truth
and putting on the breastplate of uprightness 15 as well
as the shoes of the Good News of peace— a firm foundation for your feet. 16 And besides
all these take the great shield of faith, on which you will be able to quench
all the flaming darts of the Wicked one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.
˙ 18 Pray with
unceasing prayer and entreaty on every fitting occasion in the Spirit, and be
always on the alert to seize opportunities for doing so, with unwearied persistence and entreaty on behalf of all God’s
people. Weymouth New Testament Translation
If we embrace the New
Testament as inspired scripture, then Ephesians 6:18 is a clarion commandment
to pray with unceasing prayer every day, all day and at night, and whenever or
wherever it is possible. Begging your
pardon, dear brother or sister in Christ, how is this feat possible if not
accomplished in the spirit? In 1
Corinthians 14:2, Paul gives us insight concerning his own personal practice of
unceasing glossalalia.
˙
1
Corinthians 14:2 For he who speaks in an unknown tongue is not speaking to men, but
to God; for no one understands him. Yet, in the
spirit he is speaking secret truths. Weymouth New Testament Translation
For now, just begin
activating your spirit by speaking forth in tongues. You will not understand what you are speaking, but according to
the scripture, you are speaking “secret truths,” and if you continue,
incorporating reading and study of scripture with your prayer time in the
spirit, God will begin to unveil what the mind of the spirit of Christ is. Future parts in this series will discuss how
speaking in tongues as prayer in the spirit brings spiritual revelation, and
arms us for spiritual warfare.
˙
Revelation
2:2-7 I know your industry and
activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you
cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who
call themselves apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and
have found them to be impostors and liars.
3 I know you are enduring patiently and
are bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted
or grown weary. 4 But I have this one charge to
make against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first. 5 Remember
then from what heights you have fallen. Repent
(change the inner man to meet God's will) and do the works you did previously
when first you knew the Lord, or else I will visit you and remove
your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent. 6 Yet you
have this in your favor and to your credit: you hate the works of the
Nicolaitans; what they are doing as corrupters of the people, which I myself
also detest. 7
He who is able to hear let him listen to and
give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who
overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat of the fruit of the tree of life,
which is in the paradise of God.
Amplified Bible
˙
1
Corinthians 14:39 In conclusion then, my brothers, set your heart on
preaching the word of God, while not forbidding the use of
"tongues." Phillip’s New
Testament
Links to the Entire “I Thank God I Speak In Tongues” 1 Corinthians 14:18 Series:
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