Welcome back again to the fourth and final part of our series of studies on Spiritual Tongues, probably one of the most misunderstood, and as a result feared and disregarded gifts which the Spirit of God gives to us, His children.
By now, you should have a firm grasp of what Tongues are, and the three different types of Tongues which are described for us in the scripture, as well as the individual purpose and blessing of each of them.
Now in this final part of the study, we will finish chapter fourteen of 1st Corinthians, as Paul now lays out some rules of order for the public use of Tongues, and some final thoughts on the subject for all of us to see, regarding the gift of Tongues.
Welcome back to part 3 of our study on Spiritual Tongues. In the first two parts of this study, we looked (appropriately) at the first two types and forms of tongues that Paul described in the first nineteen verses of 1st Corinthians 14 – the private, personal tongue, and the public, prophetic tongue with interpretation. We saw the distinctions and individual use and purpose of each of those… and how neither of them are “useless” but how each has a specific purpose and benefit.
Now today in this study, we will be continuing with 1st Corinthians 14, as we see Paul begin to transition to the third type and form of Spiritual Tongues, which is the evangelistic tongue. Where a person can speak another human language (one which they do not know), for the purpose of sharing Christ and the message of His Gospel to unbelievers who need to hear it. We see this most clearly in the book of Acts chapter 2. This type of tongues is no more or less valuable than any of the previous two types, and like the others, it has its place, its purpose, and its benefit, which we will see today.
In our previous study, we began looking at the foundation of spiritual tongues, and we also started to see a distinction being made between the different types of spiritual tongues: the first was the private personal tongue which is not for public consumption, but intended for private edification and giving thanks to God, personally.
The second, was a public prophetic tongue (tongues with interpretation), which is intended for public edification, exhortation and comfort of the assembly.
So thus-far we have seen two distinct types of spiritual tongues, each with a distinct purpose.
Now today in this continuing study, we will further examine the scriptures, and see more regarding these tongues, because there is a great benefit and blessing which God has given both of these two of the three types of tongues, that often gets missed (or dismissed) because of lack of understanding and fear in many cases.
Have you ever given or received a Thank You note, or a card? It’s a simple way to express your gratitude and appreciation for something, or just someone being there for you. Maybe you just simply told someone face-to-face “Hey, thanks for being my friend.” or “Thanks for helping out.” A simple thank you can go a long way and mean a lot to someone. It can create a sense of closeness and strengthen the bonds of friendship, and simply let the person know that you value them.
There are many believers who want to thank God, genuinely, but they don’t know how to… or worse they have been taught the wrong ideas on how to thank Him (typically through legalism or a works-mindset), which leads the person into a deep pit of bondage, all stemming from a simple desire to express thankfulness. So the desire can be quite innocent, but can lead to great destruction.