3 Reasons Every Believer Should Speak With Tongues
I. Initial infilling of the Holy Spirit
A. Some believe that after the initial infilling, it is not necessary to pray in tongues again
Ephesians 8:18b: …but be filled with the Spirit.
Greek: …but be being filled or stay filled with the Spirit.
B. Spirit-filled believers must keep being filled with the Spirit
1. God intends for the overflow of the Holy Spirit to leak out over everybody
2. God intends for the Spirit-filled believer to become a channel through which others can be blessed
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
3. Those filled on the Day of Pentecost began
a. The verse did not say that they ended speaking with tongues
b. The verse did not say that they stopped speaking with tongues
4. Many Spirit-filled believers do not pray in tongues daily
5. Many Spirit-filled believers do not pray in tongues weekly
6. Many Spirit-filled believers only pray in tongues in church
C. The Holy Spirit was given so that believers can be effective witnesses
Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
II. It is not necessary to understand the baptism in the Holy Spirit before being filled with the Holy Spirit
A. Believers do not understand everything about the new birth before salvation or even years after salvation
B. Infilling is accepted by faith; understanding of the baptism comes later
III. Bible commands the infilling immediately following the new birth
Acts 19:1-2And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus; and finding certain disciples,
He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
disciples: Christians; believers
Have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed?
Greek: Were you filled with the Spirit when you believed?
A. Paul's question to the believers at Ephesus implies that the infilling was possible immediately following salvation
B. The Greek indicates that the believers at Ephesus could have been filled with the Holy Spirit right after salvation
IV. Praying in Tongues
A. Many do not see the need for speaking in tongues daily
I Corinthians 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all
B. Paul spoke in tongues frequently
1. Paul spoke in tongues more than Corinthian believers
2. There are very few places in the book of Acts where Paul went away to pray privately
3. If Paul spoke in tongues more than the Corinthian believers, he must have spoken in tongues as he traveled
C. Believers can pray in tongues regardless of location
V. When a believer prays in tongues his understanding is unfruitful
I Corinthians 14:14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
"nous" (Greek): mind
"dianoia" (Greek): understanding
understanding: mind; through the mind; whatever comes through the mind
I Corinthians 14:14 could say But my mind or my thinking is unfruitful
I Corinthians 14:15What is it then? I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also
What is it then?: What does this mean?
A. God has not designed that speaking in tongues be understood by our mind
B. When we pray with tongues, we pray from our spirit to the Creator of our spirit
C. When we pray with tongues we communicate with God
Psalm 42:7Deep crying unto deep
VI. All prayers, with the exception of tongues, come through the mind and are prayed with the understanding
A. Prayer of agreement
B. Prayer of faith
C. Prayer of consecration
D. Praise and worship
VII. Prayers become more precise as we grow in our understanding of the Word
I John 5:14This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, (His Word) then we know that he hears us and if he hears us, then we have the petitions that we desire of him.
VIII. Prayer in tongues bypasses the mind but does not bypass the will
I Corinthians 14:2 For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands him; howbeit in the spirit, he speaks mysteries.
IX. When we speak with other tongues we speak to God
A. When we speak in tongues we carry on a conversation with God
B. When we speak with tongues, we shift to a higher level of speaking
C. When we speak with tongues, we speak on God's level
D. When we speak in tongues, our mind cannot understand what we are speaking
X. Interpretation of Tongues
I Corinthians 14:13Wherefore let him that speaks in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
A. When an utterance in tongues is given, if there is no interpreter, the individual who gave the utterance can pray to interpret his own tongues
B. There are times in a believer's personal life when he can speak with tongues and God will give the interpretation
XI. When we speak in tongues, rivers of living water flow out of our innermost being
A. Rivers of living water do not flow from our head
B. Rivers of living water flow from our spirit
XII. Spirit-filled believers can speak in the tongues of men or of angels (I Corinthians 13:1)
"dialektos" (Greek): tongues; not normal word for tongues; where we get the English word dialect
A. On the Day of Pentecost, devout Jews heard Galileans speaking in their own languages and in the specific dialects of those languages
B. Spirit-filled Galileans spoke in the tongues of men on the Day of Pentecost
C. Those who heard the Galileans speaking in their languages:
1. Medes
2. Elamites
3. Parthians
4. Mesopotamians
5. Judeans
6. Cappadocians
7. Those from Pontus
8. Asians
9. Phyrgians
10. Pamphylians
11. Egyptians
12. Those from Libya
13. Cretians
14. Arabians
D. Sprit-filled believers can also speak the tongues/language of the angels in Heaven
XIII. Three reasons every believer should pray in tongues daily
A. Tongues is a prayer and praise language
I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)
Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4)
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (I Thessalonians 5:18)
1. A believer can run out of things to pray in English
2. Only by praying in tongues can we praise continually, rejoice always, and give thanks in everything.
3. On the Day of Pentecost, those from the upper room were praising God in tongues
Acts 2:11…we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Acts 10:46For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
4. When we speak with tongues, we give thanks well. (I Corinthians 14:17)
B. Speaking in tongues edifies the believer
I Corinthians 14:4He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself.
edify: to build up
Jude 20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.
1. Praying in tongues should be done daily
2. Praying in tongues should be a part of daily life
a. as we drive
b. as we work
c. any time that it is possible
Isaiah 28:11-12For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
to whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing:
3. Tongues/stammering lips bring rest and refreshing
4. Negative circumstances may not change, but as a believer prays in tongues and is edified, he will be changed in how he sees those circumstances
C. Praying in the Spirit helps our infirmities
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
1. The Word of God brings the believer through problems that are dealt with in the Word (ie-how to deal with problems in the flesh, unforgiveness, ect.)
2. The Holy Spirit brings the believer through problems when there is not a specific answer to the problem in the Word of God (ie-is plan A better or plan B; believer is presented with two job offers and both look good)
John 14:18I will not leave you comfortless.
Greek: I will not leave you as orphans.
Romans 8:26Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what to pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Greek meaning for Romans 8:26There are things at the moment that we do not know for what to pray, so the Spirit makes prayers through us.
3. The Holy Spirit helps against the problem
Romans 8:26Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities:
helps: take hold together with against
a. The believer is not against the problem himself
b. The believer does not let the Holy Spirit do it all
c. The believer stands together with the Holy Spirit against the problem
d. The Holy Spirit energizes the believer
e. The Holy Spirit knows what is ahead (John 16:13)
f. The Holy Spirit will reveal God's will
4. The believer has two intercessors
a. Jesus
b. The Holy Spirit
5. Believers can have two types of problems
a. Problems for which the believer knows how to pray
b. Problems for which the believer does not know how to pray
6. Any problem the believer may face is covered either by the Word of God or by the Holy Spirit
