Speaking In Tongues - Part 1
By: Steve Kuhlke
Of all that is controversial about what Christians believe and why they believe it, speaking in tongues is probably the most controversial issue of the Christian faith. It could be said that speaking in tongues is a sort of boundary or threshold that most Christians choose to avoid. Why is this so?
Why is it that something that was so common to our forefathers, the very ones who laid the foundation for our Christian faith, has now become so controversial and, in some circles, even feared? Why is this so?
Let’s look briefly at the historical record as found in the Bible. In the gospel of John we read that Jesus is the one who would baptize with the Holy Ghost. Then, in the Book of Acts we clearly see where this happens. A question to ask here is “Who is this happening to?” These folks who were gathered together in the upper room didn’t just randomly show up on the scene. No, on the contrary, those who were gathered in the upper room were the original followers of Jesus, yes, the original disciples. It is very important to understand this fact.
So, we see the disciples of Jesus in the upper room being filled with the Holy Spirit and fire. They are receiving the power that Jesus spoke to them about just before he left. This was something that Jesus was involved in. As John the Baptist said, it is indeed Jesus who was baptizing them in the Holy Spirit. This is a clearly established fact as found in the Bible.
And then, they began speaking in tongues. There were many there who were from other nations and they heard the disciples praising God in their native tongues. On this point, some say that speaking in tongues has to be a known language. If you take this approach, then you are claiming to know all the languages that were spoken by the 120 or so who were gathered in the room that day. And, of course, no one living today can possibly know or even pretend to know all the different languages that were being spoken during this event. We know from the Bible, that the Apostle Paul talks about tongues of angels and tongues of men. So, to simplistically say that speaking in tongues only refers to known languages of man is being theologically evasive. All right, let’s go one step further here. If you are going to say that speaking in tongues has to be a known language of man, then does it have to be a language that is currently in use or can it be an extinct language? The same folks who argue this point are the same ones who say that “prophecy is preaching”.
Watchman Nee, a great Chinese theologian, wrote a book called “The Normal Christian Life”. And, in this book, he talks about being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking/praying in tongues. Nee clearly points out that in the early church, being spirit-filled, or baptized in the Holy Spirit was the normal experience for the Christian. In other words, if you claimed to be a Christian in the early church then it was a given that you were spirit-filled and spoke in tongues. To be a first century Christian and not be spirit-filled, was to be outside the mainstream of Christianity. Yes, it was considered abnormal to be a Christian in the first century church and not be spirit-filled. Scripture clearly supports this view. We see in Acts where the disciples encountered a group of believers and asked them “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” Then, there was Apollos and yes, there was even the Apostle Paul. Yes, it was Paul who said “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than ye all”. Indeed, speaking in tongues would have been considered
So why all the debate about this subject? Why is there so much controversy about a practice that was so common among the founding fathers of the church? Why is speaking in tongues resisted?
I will tell you why. First of all, it takes a great deal of humility to pursue, and receive the gift of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And, it takes even more humility to speak in tongues. Why is this so? It is so because the practice of speaking in tongues has been so ridiculed by the world that many Christians consider the cost of practicing speaking in tongues too high. Not only is speaking in tongues ridiculed by the world (we clearly see an example of this in the book of Acts), but also, Satan has a very real interest in portraying speaking in tongues as something bizarre or crazy. Why is this so?
Speaking in tongues occurred when the first disciples received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And, when they received this baptism, they received the power that Jesus had talked about. And, clearly, speaking in tongues was associated with this experience. So, Satan knows that if Christians receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit then they also receive the power of God in their lives. At this point, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Satan’s strategy. If he can get the world, and even better if he can get Christians to perceive and believe that speaking in tongues is somehow weird or odd-ball or an attribute of the uneducated, then guess what, Satan has robbed the church of its power. That’s right. That is exactly the strategy of Satan.
Satan has made such an inroad on this issue that it has gotten to the point that even some Christian ministers preach that speaking in tongues is “of the devil”. It is only because of their ignorance that God does not hold them accountable for the sin of blasphemy.
The reason speaking in tongues is so vital and crucial theologically is because speaking in tongues is a sort of gateway or threshold to the other gifts of the spirit. In other words, if you don’t believe in speaking in tongues, then how are you going to believe in the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, healing, or prophecy. All of these gifts are then prevented from operating in the church and the church is only a fraction of what it could be. That is exactly the way Satan wants it.
If you, as a Christian, are going to take the terrible position that speaking in tongues is of the devil, then, you are saying that the early church fathers were practicing something that was demonic. That's right. If you are going to take this position then you are saying that the Apostle Paul was demonic because he said “I speak in tongues more than ye all”.
I encourage you to seek the truth on this matter. Pray to God and ask Jesus what is right. Pray to God and ask Him to give you insight and revelation about speaking in tongues and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is for every Christian. If you ask Jesus for bread, He will not give you a stone.
Pastor Steven Kuhlke
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Publish Date: June 25, 2005
