The next Bible theme discussed is a two-part discussion on where in the Scripture speaking in tongue appears and what speaking in tongues means.
Speaking in tongues was prophesied in the Old Testament:
Isaiah 28: 11-12 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. We need to careful that we are people who hear!
James makes it clear that the tongue is problematic.
It is little wonder that the Lord chose out tongue to tame:
James 5: 8-9
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
There is a time that tongues shall cease:
1 Corinthians 13: 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Tongues are a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. Tongues will only finish when the Lord returns to the earth, as the Holy Spirit will not be available to be received in this way after that event. We are still in the time where thousands of people are receiving the Holy Spirit in the Bible nominated way: adults and children alike.
When you receive the Holy Spirit, you become instantly “complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10)
Complying with the instructions of the Lord is not optional. After his resurrection and before his ascension, Jesus own words in Mark 16 were:
15 Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe;…they shall speak with new tongues;
Speaking in tongues is a gift that only some people have. In the Bible, the picture is quite different.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of Speaking in Tongues and also check out my previous blogs Introduction to Themes of the Bible and Doing What God Says.
