Not All Speak In Tongues

   

Pursue love, and earnestly seek the spiritual gifts, but rather that you prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1  TS2009

Therefore tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers—but prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. So if Messiah’s whole community comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and uninstructed or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy? But if all are prophesying and some unbelieving or ungifted person comes in, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all. The secrets of his heart become known, and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring, “God really is among you!” 1 Corinthians 14:22-25 TLV

Tongues (languages) is a spiritual gift that can, and has been, easily misunderstood. While speaking in an unknown language to Elohim (God) (I Cor. 14:2) has many benefits, scripture seems to indicate that the main purpose behind this gift is to experience deeper intimacy with Elohim. As we give ourselves over to Elohim, yield our voices to Him, and begin to speak from our own initiation, this unknown heavenly language bubbles out. It flows out from the oneness that our human spirit shares with the Holy Spirit when they merged together during our conversion.

However, not all speak in tongues.

All do not have gifts of healing, do they? All do not speak in tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And still I show you a far better way: 1 Corinthians 12:30,31 TLV

Spiritual Gifts

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed by idols that cannot speak, and you got led astray. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Ruach Elohim says, “Yeshua be cursed,” and no one can say, “Yeshua is Lord,” except by the Ruach ha-Kodesh. Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Ruach. There are various kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are various kinds of working, but the same God who works all things in all people. But to each person is given the manifestation of the Ruach for the benefit of all. For to one is given through the Ruach a word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge according to the same Ruach, to another faith by the same Ruach, to another gifts of healings by the one Ruach, to another workings of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Ruach activates all these things, distributing to each person individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 TLV

Paul’s rhetorical question, “All do not speak with tongues, do they?” (1 Cor. 12:30) to which the answer is obviously “No,” must be harmonized with the rest of the New Testament. His question is found within the context of his instruction about the spiritual gifts, which are all manifested only as the Ruach (Holy Spirit) wills (1 Cor. 12:11). Paul was specifically writing about the spiritual gift of “various types of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:10) which, according to Paul, must always be accompanied by another spiritual gift of the interpretation of tongues. This particular gift could not have been what the Corinthians were always manifesting in their assembly, as they were speaking in tongues publicly without there being any interpretation. We should ask, Why would the Holy Spirit impart the gift of tongues to someone in a public assembly without giving someone the gift of interpretation? The answer is that He wouldn’t. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit would be endorsing something that is not the will of Elohim.

Tongues At PentecostSpiritual Gifts

The miracle at pentecost is that visitors who came, heard them in their own tongue. Only the Holy Spirit can do this.

When the day of Shavuot had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues like fire spreading out appeared to them and settled on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach enabled them to speak out. Now Jewish people were staying in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound came, the crowd gathered. They were bewildered, because each was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “All these who are speaking—aren’t they Galileans? How is it that we each hear our own birth language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those living in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and visitors from Rome (both Jewish people and proselytes), Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring in our own tongues the mighty deeds of God!” And they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to each other, “What does this mean?” Others, poking fun, were saying, “They are full of sweet new wine!” Acts 2:1-13 TLV

But Peter, standing with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “Fellow Judeans and all who are staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and pay attention to my words. These men are not drunk, as you suppose—for it’s only the third hour of the day! But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out My Ruach on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even on My slaves, male and female, I will pour out My Ruach in those days, and they shall prophesy. And I will give wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth beneath—blood, and fire, and smoky vapor. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious Day of Adonai comes. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of Adonai shall be saved.’ Acts 2:14-21 TLV