By Olu George

Tongue speaking in most churches today has become a disturbing phenomenon, so much so that some genuine servants of God are now wondering if some of these pastors, who make a public “show” of it, have not read the scripture, about tongue speaking, or have read it but do not understand, what the Holy Spirit says about tongue speaking.

Believers in Christ must understand the fact that these tongues, whether of men or of angels, are mere gifts of the Holy Spirit, like any other gifts of the Holy Spirit, which differ from one another in administration, as written in 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-10. And in VERSES 29-30, Apostle Paul questioned, and I quote, ‘’Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?

Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gift of healing? DO ALL SPEAK IN TONGUES? DO ALL INTERPRET? It is clear, therefore, that not all believers in christ have the gift of speaking in tongues.

And even those who have the gift of speaking in tongues are advised, in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:13, to pray that they may be able to interpret, otherwise if they cannot interpret,  or if there is no other, in the church, to interpret, then such believers in Christ are warned to keep silence in the church, as written in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:28, and I quote, “BUT IF THERE IS NO INTERPRETER, LET HIM KEEP SILENCE IN THE CHURCH; AND LET HIM SPEAK TO HIMSELF AND TO GOD.”

Otherwise, if the unlearned or unbelievers, come into the church, and hear them speak in an unknown tongue, which they do not understand, they will say they are mad, as we can read in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:23, and I quote, “IF THEREFORE, THE WHOLE CHURCH COME TOGETHER INTO ONE PLACE, AND ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES, AND THERE COME IN THOSE WHO ARE UNLEARNED OR UNBELIEVERS, WILL THEY NOT SAY THEY ARE MAD?” And they will even be like barbarians unto them, as written in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:11, and I quote, “THEREFORE, IF I KNOW NOT THE MEANING OF THE VOICE, I SHALL BE UNTO HIM THAT SPEAKETH A BARBARIAN, AND HE THAT SPEAKETH SHALL BE A BARBARIAN UNTO ME.”  Speaking in tongue, without any interpretation is like speaking into the air, as written in 1 CORINTHIANS 14:9, and I quote, ‘’SO LIKEWISE YE, EXCEPT YE UTTER BY THE TONGUE, WORDS EASY TO BE UNDERSTOOD, HOW SHALL IT BE KNOWN WHAT IS SPOKEN? FOR YE SHALL SPEAK INTO THE AIR.’’

On the day of Pentecost, the tongues that were spoken, by the apostles and the other disciples, numbering about one hundred and twenty (120 ), were tongues of men, spoken in different languages of the different countries of the world, from whence came all the Jews to Jerusalem to observe the Pentecost. Pentecost was a Jewish festival, held on the fiftieth day after the Jews Passover.