Tongues Part Two Series

TONGUES II

OPEN: This lesson is the second and final part of a two part lesson about the use of tongues and the theological debate that is attached with this topic. Just to repeat again, the reason for teaching youth topics that many feel “aren’t life topics like sex, drugs, love, etc” is because it is our belief that youth not fully grounded in the Word and its like theology have a tremendously high rate of falling a way. As for those who enter in to this lesson with certain beliefs on tongues, though there is absolutely no intent to alter or change the way a person thinks on a certain topic, our hope would be only for a clear understanding of the scriptures. Remember, “sola scriptura” or “scripture only” is how we make our decisions and our beliefs.

BIBLE VERSE: ACTS 2:4-21

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

21 And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

QUESTIONS:

1. What about those Christians who believe glossolalia (the act of babbling with many others) has a Biblical supernatural explanation?

2. Is speaking in tongues evidence of the Holy Spirit?

3. Is praying in tongues a prayer language between a believer and God?

4. So what is praying in tongues & how is it different than speaking in tongues?

5. Is praying in tongues a secret code language?

ANSWERS:

1. What about those Christians who believe glossolalia (the act of babbling with many others) has a Biblical supernatural explanation? There are people, in fact some very strong Christians, who are convinced that the moot babbling of dozens of people while in a mode of prayer produces ancient languages that can somehow talk to God better than just speaking what is in your heart (in writing this, I have assumed you have already read the term glossolalia and how it was defined in the lesson called Tongues I). And to those people, I do not wish to hinder or hurt their walk with the Lord in any such way. In my experience, if someone wants to “fight” the argument of tongues, in my opinion it’s not a fight worth fighting over (as it has been said, a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still).

But to answer the question from the opposite point of view, let’s hear out the argument…

There are some Christians, especially within the Pentecostal movement, who believer there is a supernatural explanation for glossolalia, for they believe the chief purpose of the gift of speaking in tongues is to manifest the Holy Spirit being poured out upon them just as on the day of Pentecost in accordance of Acts 2 which had been prophesized in the book of Joel.

But in accordance with Acts 2, those people spoke actual languages and did not produce ramblings of sounds that had no meaning to nearby listeners. Remember, onlookers said essentially “I hear them in my own tongue,” they did not say, “oh what wonderful sounding non-meaning words” I am hearing.