Did you ever wonder why there is no record of Jesus ever speaking in some so-called Heavenly language? Every account of His praying was in language that could be understood by those either listening or inspired to record what He prayed. He was certainly filled with the Holy Spirit without measure! There are hundreds of prayers recorded in the Bible, recorded by those who prayed them or those who heard them prayed, yet not one of them is reported to have been in some "unknown tongue".
So this "prayer language" that so many say is "praying in the spirit" but usually interpreted as a "prophecy" is no doubt confusing and God is not the author of confusion. If one speaks in this "gibberish" that was learned from reading a "how to" book, or by someone else "teaching" them to do it, certainly it is a contradiction of the distribution of the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" given in Scripture, for He distributes the Gifts according to HIS will and not according to the will of ANYONE else.
We KNOW that the flesh is fed by pride and to have something others don't possess that one thinks "makes them more spiritual" is certainly going to tend to "puff" them up - which is also true of knowledge. It is why I, personally "seek to prophesy, but forbid not to speak in languages", just as the Scripture teaches.
Now, let's continue the text of 1 Corinthians 14 -
(14:13) Therefore the person who speaks in ⌊another⌋ language should pray that he can interpret.
The entire context of Paul's teaching here to this carnal bunch of self-edifying, self glorifying, fleshy baby believers is that the building up of others is more important than their appearance. These folks even embraced a man who was sleeping with his stepmother IN THE NAME OF LOVE, and Paul told them not even to eat with him, for he had delivered him to the devil to be kill that he might be saved from his evil and spare the church from their disobedience.
There was a news clip this week of a student who spoke in Spanish at his graduation ceremony in the United States. It is my understanding that the audience was mainly Spanish or Latino, but I am not sure. The point is that it would be foolish to speak to an audience that did not understand the language in Spanish, WITHOUT an interpreter. I have spoken in many countries, but always use an interpreter, otherwise no one (or very few) understand what I am saying.
(14) For if I pray in ⌊another⌋ language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. (15) What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with my understanding. (16) Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit, how will the uninformed person say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? (17) For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up. (18) I thank God that I speak in ⌊other⌋ languages more than all of you;
If I pray or speak and sing in the language I understand, then I am doing so in an intelligible manner, otherwise I am as a trumpet that makes an uncertain sound or as an instrument being played by one who has no idea how to play it. LANGUAGE is a verbally agreed upon means of communication and if you are the only one who understands the language you speak, you have NOT helped anybody...hence -
(19) yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in ⌊another⌋ language. (20) Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking. (21) It is written in the law: I will speak to these people by people of other languages and by the lips of foreigners, and even then, they will not listen to Me, says the Lord. (22) It follows that speaking in ⌊other⌋ languages is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.
Paul obviously takes us back to the initial use of "tongues" as used at Pentecost and with Cornelius - for a sign for UNBELIEVERS. There has apparently been a bit of sarcasm used by the apostle with these "brilliant" but "carnal" Corinthians. So he drives home his point -
(23) Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in ⌊other⌋ languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (24) But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. (25) The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”
Now he concludes the matter of "languages" or "tongues".
(26) What then is ⌊the conclusion⌋, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, ⌊another⌋ language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.
The troubling thing is that this emotional frenzy that is often brought about by speaking in tongues in the assembly in the OUT OF ORDER fashion that it is usually done, does not edify the Body, but brings confusion because someone blurts out in ecstatic speech while someone else is speaking or singing (which is not orderly) and disrupts. Who knows that the person is not cursing God? Honestly! How do you know if you do it? If you cannot interpret the language you are speaking, how do you know? And why would you use the LANGUAGE if NO ONE understood the LANGUAGE?
(27) If any person speaks in ⌊another⌋ language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret. (28) But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.
OBVIOUSLY, we would know that another would have the gift of interpretation BEFORE we would speak because he says if there is NO INTERPRETER, one should KEEP SILENT and speak to himself and to God!
(29) Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate. (30) But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent. (31) For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged. (32) And the prophets’ spirits are under the control of the prophets, (33) since God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, (34) the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says.
I find this to be pretty interesting. Women often lead this whole tongues thing. They pick and choose what parts of this text they wish to believe, just as men do who wish to cram all this down the throats of others.
(35) And if they want to learn something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church meeting. (36) Did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only? (37) If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command. (38) But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored. (39) Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in ⌊other⌋ languages. (40) But everything must be done decently and in order.
AMEN and AMEN!
BLESSINGS!
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