I'm new to this arena. My testimony as a biblical-charismatic is about six years old now. And my testimony as one baptized in the Holy Spirit is about a year old now. My testimony there has been recounted by my friend Adrian Warnock on his website. My attempts to walk in it and understand it more are growing. It's difficult when you've been raised as a cessationist. (I thought it was ironic that the featured resources offered on Theopedia about cessationism are all from the dear brothers under whom I was taught at The Master's Seminary!)

My sermon preparation one day back in 2004 on Romans 1:16 led me to a theologically conclusive position on the charismatic and the power of God. This evidently built a foundation for me to experience this "baptism of the Holy Spirit." Now, God has moved me from a theological cessationist, to a theological continuationist, to a practical-wanna-be continuationist, and finally to a practical-real-deal continuationist.

No, I'm not a Pentecostal Charismaniac, who seeks signs and wonders and believes if you don't speak in tongues you're not a real Christian. I'm a biblical charismatic who believes that the same power of God can and often does accompany the same message of God in the gospel to further the same mission of world evangelization and church planting.

I believe signs and wonders accompany the gospel in evangelism, and that they also accompany the gospel in edification of believers. I believe the operation of these things is in the sovereign hand of God alone, and that I cannot manufacture them, nor do I want to. But I also believe that the gifts of the Spirit - including the miraculous, revelatory gifts like prophecy, tongues, words of knowledge, etc. - are within the grasp to control by the Christian who possesses these gifts.

I believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as it has come to be called, is available for all believers, sometimes at conversion, and sometimes after conversion. I believe that this baptism is clearly and essentially missional in its focus. I believe it provides a Spirit-driven power to the believer to do what Jesus told us to do when He commanded us to go to all the world and make disciples, preach the forgiveness of sins, both of which were interpreted and implemented by the disciples as planting churches. The baptism of the Spirit is essential for the success of this mission.

I believe that tongues will accompany this experience at some point, and that these tongues are a missional manifestation of the baptism of the Spirit. I believe that the Spirit gave the gift of tongues to reverse the curse of Babel in Genesis 11. What God created as a curse to make the people fulfill His will, He now reunites in one of the most spectacular displays of God's unifying and saving power on planet earth - the ministry of Jesus. Tongues is an arm of the mission in that ministry of Jesus.

For two Sundays in March 2010, I preached two messages at the behest of a few folks, who inquired to understand it better. That's much like asking a first-grader to teach kindergartners. For that's about as far ahead of them as I am on this subject. Nevertheless, I taught what I knew from Scripture, and from what I had experienced thus far. The following two links explain where I am at this point in my life with regard to these things. Critique them as you will, provide further insights where I had none, and point me in a better direction. I'm open.

I'm not open-but-cautious, mind you, as the cliche goes. And I'm not a charismatic with a seat-belt as one famous pastor is noted for saying. I prefer to say that I am a pentecostal-charismatic in a Jeep going 70 miles an hour with the front windshield down, my foot off the brake, and no seatbelt....but with an airbag which, upon releasing, says "God's Word" printed in large letters on it. I believe God would rather have me operate in faith and boldness and confidence and courage in these things, rather than with a hesitating, ambivalent, timid spirit. My caution comes from my brothers and sisters around me who point out where something might lead. And my theology comes from good ole' fashioned exegesis and hermeneutics, basic bible study and interpretation. I believe God wants us to drive fast in these things. If and when there might be an accident of some type (and we'll all have accidents in living our Christian lives and ministry), it is an opportunity to have our faces planted firmly into the airbag of God's Word once more to be guided freshly in a better direction. This means I praise God for grace. And I take advantage of it, but do not take it for granted.

With that said, here are the resources.

Why We Need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

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What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?


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For those desiring the gift of tongues, I'd give you two pieces of counsel. These comes from the Bible and from my own experience (which I measure against the experiences of others whom I have come to trust).

First, believe it's okay to seek the experience. There's nothing wrong with seeking this kind of experience, because it comes from the Lord. Some Christians will tell you that it is wrong to seek after experiences. The Bible says otherwise. "...earnestly desire the spiritual gifts...Now I want you all to speak in tongues..." (1 Cor. 14:1, 5).

Second, to seek after it, begin first seeking liberty. That's where the joy you are looking for is rooted in. And that joy-producing liberty is itself rooted in grace. The grace of God brings liberty. That grace removes condemnation, fear, doubt, and confusion. Grace liberates you to see beyond your current horizons to new possibilities and experiences you've yet to encounter. Jesus told his disciples that they would do greater works than His when the Spirit came (John 14:12). These greater works are only possible when you embrace and walk in the liberty of the Spirit that the Father gave you.

Third, expect it to receive it. Yes, I know what 1 Corinthians 12 says. And I've repeated this point in another post on this series. God is sovereign, and He gives His spiritual gifts to those whom He desires, when He desires. But some Christians seem to lean too far to the negative side, assuming God will probably not give it to them. For those like me who watched Winnie the Pooh when they were younger (or those who may watch it now with their kids), you'll be familiar with the character named Eyore, the pessimistic, always negative stuffed donkey. Everything is always wrong in Eyore's mind, and nothing will ever go right. In fact, if you even try, it will probably fail. And so there's this sort of "Eyore spirit" that can pervade Christians who pray to a good God not expecting Him to be good in His answer.


This must end! Once and for all. God is a good God...all the time...no matter what. And He desires to give good gifts to His children (Luke 11:12-13). Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights in whom there is no deceitfulness or changing of mind (James 1:17). So if He is this good God the Bible talks about, then He desires to be good to His children.

The point here is simple: if He is sovereign, then let HIM decide when He wants to sovereignly give you the gift of tongues. Your responsibility is to keep asking! Stop worrying about whether or not God will give it to you, and believe He is a good God and wants to give it to you. Let your requests be made known to God! And the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6-7).

He wants you to be filled with joy. Remember His name, Jesus, means, He will save, rescue, and deliver His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21)! He is a liberator! If you are not a Christian, He wants to liberate you! And if you are a Christian, He already HAS liberated you. So dwell on that. Meditate on that. Eat, sleep, and drink the liberty you have been given in Jesus Christ. That is where He has expressed and reflected His goodness toward you the most. And that is where the Spirit is going to point your attention night and day...upon the goodness of God shown to you in Christ Jesus living, dying, rising again, ascending to heaven, and praying right now...all for you!

Oh, how He loves you!


Oh, how He loves you!


Oh, how He loves you!


Oh, how He loves you!


Oh, how He loves YOU!


Do not doubt His goodness toward you in this area of tongues, when God has already displayed His greatest goodness toward you in the area of liberation in and through Jesus. And conversely, if God should sovereignly determine to not bless you with this gift, then He has still already displayed that greatest goodness toward you, and you have all you need in Christ Jesus.

But continue to ask, seek, and knock!

It's a paradox, this continually asking for something that God alone will or will not sovereignly give. But God wants you to keep on asking and not worry about whether or not He's going to give it to you. That's why Jesus taught His disciples this invaluable lesson in Luke 11:5-13. Persistence in prayer is the key to prayer, according to Jesus.

You must believe that He desires for you to experience in deeper and more profound, impacting ways His goodness, His joy, His ecstasy and excitement...all through the liberty He has gained for you and given to you.

It wasn't too many years ago that I recall my youngest child, Kirk (now seven), huddled under a homemade blanket fort with his biggest brother, Harrison. There was whispering. And more whispering. But I couldn't quite make out what they were saying, as I tried to do a little parental eavesdropping. Eventually, Kirk emerged, put his hands on his hips, standing there in his underwear with a cape wrapped around his neck, and began to say repeat some strange mantra about being a superhero. It was absolutely hilarious! Sherri and I looked at each other wondering, "where in the world did he hear that?!"

A pattern of very funny, witty, laugh-til-you-cry moments and statements have followed those days that leave my wife and I in the same side-splitting condition, laughing til it hurts. But it didn't take long to figure out that it had a source. Big brother.

Harrison, five months away from being fourteen now, knew the power of comedy in team work. He knew little Kirk had the personality to make us laugh. All it took was the feeding of a few words, phrases, or ideas into his little wired brain, and there was a recipe for an overload of mirth and enjoyment.

Those days are beginning to wane now. We miss them a lot. But the memories serve as a wonderful illustration of the gift of tongues. You see, I believe the gift of tongues requires three things that flow from the gospel and the work it produces in the life of a Christian: the faith of a little child, the absence of inhibitions, and some coaching. Let me try to explain.

Child-Like Faith

Jesus was pretty clear about what kind of mindset you've got to have to follow Him and be a Christian. He told the disciples in Matthew 18:2-6,

One of the weirdest and most confusing stories to me in the Bible has to do with Saul, the OT one who became king…not the NT Christian-killer. I see two interesting features in that whole deal with him becoming King of Israel.

First, there’s the nation of Israel itself. They no longer wanted God to be their King. They wanted to be like all the other nations who had a king. They were feeling left out, I suppose. “Everybody else has a king! Why can’t I have one,” I can hear it in my mind, with a nasaly, whiny tone of voice…much like the one I hear from my kids!

“…Give us a king like all the other nations have. Samuel was very upset with their request and went to the Lord for advice. ‘Do as they say,’ the Lord replied, ‘for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from the Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them…’” (1 Sam. 8:5, NLT).

So we have God’s chosen nation, confused about their identity, asking for a leadership replacement. Don’t miss two things going here, however. They were sinning in their foolish request. But they remain the chosen people of God in their identity.

Second, there’s the King himself. Look at several of the elements at work here making this guy quite an interesting choice for King.

First, He was an amazing fellow, physically speaking.

“Kish was a rich, influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, from the family of Becorath and the clan of Aphiah. His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel – head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land” (1 Sam. 9:1-2, NLT).

Second, he was also aware of the power of God in prophecy, even in little things like trying to find his dad’s straying donkeys. So for something so seemingly insignificant to us he knows of and seeks after the miraculous intervention of God in prophecy…looking for Samuel to help out here (9:3-20).

Third, he was also a humble man, who understood his place in Israel’s demographic, and therefore his own place in the nation of Israel.

“But I’m only from Bejnamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?” (9:21, NLT).

Fourth, the Spirit of God came on this fellow in an amazing way. To affirm God’s choice of Saul as king, Samuel prophesied the following.

“When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you with power and you will prophecy with them. You will be changed into a different person. After these signs take place, do whatever you think is best, for God will be with you” (10:5-7, NLT).

“As Saul turned and started to leave, God changed his heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw the prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. When his friends heard about it, they exclaimed, ‘What? Is Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?’ But one of the neighbors responded, ‘It doesn’t matter who is father is; anyone can become a prophet’” (10:9-12, NLT).

Floating down this same river, we saw what became of Saul, didn’t we? He turned out to be quite the wicked fellow, even demon-oppressed, in the very least, driven to hunt down and kill the next king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart. Yet even in the midst of this wickedness, I don’t want you to miss what happened in the sovereignty of grace. For while attempting to hunt down David one time, God took hold of Saul once more.

“When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time! Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in SEcu. ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ he demanded. ‘They are at Naioth,’ someone told him. But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy! He tore off his clothes and lay on the ground all day and all night prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, ‘What? Is Saul a prophet, too?’” (19:19-24).

I sort of get this picture here of me tickling one of my kids, until they are laughing uncontrollably, begging me to stop because they can’t breathe…beating the floor laughing…begging for me to stop. But it’s just so funny it’s hard to stop! Similarly, the Spirit comes upon Saul so that instead of being tickled to death, he’s prophesying to death…tearing his clothes, beating the floor, probably wishing in his mind he could stop! Fascinating! And amazing much more so when considering what kind of fellow this Saul really was.

Now let me point you toward an interesting comparison in the case of the case of the Corinthian church for a moment.

First, there’s the church itself. They were as mixed up as Israel was about their identity. They had allowed influences of others around them to make their way into the church: immorality, lawsuits, divisions, false doctrine, etc. I thought about citing a few references here, but I’d encourage you to read the letter. It make this point much better than a few verses.

I geot done reading the letter and said to myself, “So, Rob, what we have here is God’s chosen people, the church, confused about their identity, seemingly displaced in their usage of the gifts, doing so without love as the primary motivation and aim.” And I said, to myself in response, “That’s right, Rob!” And was this also not the case with Galatians, the Colossians, and perhaps other churches through Paul’s missionary journeys? Churches filled with Christians who do not understand their identity in Jesus, nor the implications and applications it should have on their lives?

Second, there’s this same feature as we saw with Saul…people acting sinfully, yet with supernatural, spiritual gifts, functioning in the church. Look at the elements here. First, like Saul, they were an amazing people.

“We are writing to the church of God in Corinth…you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did all christians everywhere – whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs” (1 Cor. 1:2, NLT).

“He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (vv. 8-9, NLT).

Second, the Spirit of God was on them in an amazing way.

“I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. He has enriched your church with the gifts of eloquence and every kind of knowledge. This shows that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:4-7, NLT).

What I see when comparing Saul to the church of God in Corinth is defined by a two-word phrase: sovereign grace. Let me break this down briefly.

First, God is sovereign, and in both cases pretty much does whatever He wants. He chose to display His supernatural gifts on, in and through Saul, despite the man he was at heart and turned out to be. Second, God is about grace, and in both cases displayed this grace of gifts despite who the people were or turned out to be.

That’s about as simple as I can make it. Now let me explain some implications.

This one doctrinal truth is severely under-emphasized in most discussions about spiritual gifts. There seems to be this sense that because the Corinthians were involved in the sins that were present, and because they were involved with false doctrine, that the expressions and manifestations of the spiritual gifts were somehow unauthentic, not from God, or even Satanic. That simply is not the case, as we read in black and white, right from the words of the writers themselves.

I think what’s going on here is that grace seems scandalous to us. The grace of God in the gospel, while never, ever excusing ungodliness or wickedness in a believer, continues to pour out forgiveness, covering, and empowerment to be who God called us to be, who Christ saved us to be, and who the Spirit sanctifies us to be. Christians who have been taught the biblical doctrine of grace know this and embrace it. But somehow, mixing in the sinfulness that was going on in Corinth (or even in churches today), with the practice of spiritual gifts invalidates those gifts. That’s not gospel-driven grace, at least as I understand it.

It’s interesting to note the illogical biases some writers have on this subject. In their minds it seems that the presence of division, lawsuits, sexual immorality, prostitution, gluttony, rebellion, disobedience, selfishness, and false doctrine in a local church must invalidate the exercise of spiritual gifts. In other words, “there’s no way these gifts are really from God, what with all the other nonsense and ungodliness going on!” The implication is contrary to grace, however.

Paul wrote to Titus that the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live self-controlled, righteous, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus to return (Titus 2:11-13). But that doesn’t mean that where a Christian is somehow sinning that God’s grace is somehow invalidated, inactive, or gone dormant. Again, a Christian can certainly grieve the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30) and ought not do that. But if he does, God’s grace is not rendered ineffective. Rather, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Rom.5:20). Once again, a Christian ought to have a “God Forbid!” attitude to sinning (Rom. 6:1-2). But, if he does sin, he still as an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One, pleading His own blood, and pouring out grace on the saint.

It’s so hard to embrace both sides, isn’t it? We so often believe that embracing one too much leads to the abuse of the other, and vice versa. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Corinthians were saints who were involved in terrible sin, and for that Paul was quite hard on them about these things, even threatening to take some sort of apostolic action against them, it seems. But the Corinthians were nonetheless saints who were recipients and participants of some amazing, incredible, supernatural, miraculous giftings and workings of the Holy Spirit. And the point is this: their sin did not stop God’s grace.

Their divisions only revealed the selfishness with which some of them were acting in the church, a selfishness that made some misunderstand, misperceive, and/or abuse the spiritual gifts of God. But the gifts didn’t stop coming. And Paul didn’t tell them to get their life right with God before seeking after the gifts again. But that’s how we pretty much tend to communicate these things today, don’t we? And that’s not grace…at all. It’s works righteousness. It’s performance-oriented Christianity. It says, “God is not going to give you guys spiritual gifts when you’re acting like you are! And if you think those are biblical tongues you are speaking when you’ve got all this other sin going on…you should think again, buddy!” That tone, or implication, or inference is never found in the Scriptures.

Rather, we are given narratives of people who were recipients and participants in the spiritual gifts of God, including the miraculous ones, even despite their misunderstanding or abuse of them…despite their selfishness…despite their divisions…despite their disobedience…despite it all. And so we have to ask ourselves, would grace really be grace if God did it any other way? We may never abuse grace. But God is sovereignly free to give as much of it, in whatever form He chooses, to whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses, however often He chooses. That’s real grace. And it seems so scandalous, doesn’t it!

That’s precisely the point in this post. The gift of tongues, especially in the midst of a church like Corinth, is still very much a glorious display of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even in churches which seem like Corinth today. It’s a glorious display of the gospel because it’s a glorious display of grace (which is the root word for charismatic to begin with). The gifts, especially including tongues in this case, are “grace-gifts” from God. That means they are doled out by Him despite what’s wrong with us…because it’s based on what’s right with us, namely, that we are in the beloved and are found righteous in His sight.

God gives the gifts of tongues to a church like Corinth because of who they were in Jesus Christ. “We are writing to the church of God in Corinth, you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did all Christians everywhere…” (1 Cor. 1:2, NLT). God gives the gift of tongues based on the merits and holiness of Jesus Christ, and not on mine…because I don’t have any.

So let’s embrace and welcome and rejoice in this wonderful gift of tongues where the grace of God abounds among us in miraculous gifts despite the sin we struggle with. Let us breathe deeply and drink freshly of this grace of God that is the source of tongues (and every other gift), as well as the fuel for it. When grace is the source and fuel, then the love Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians will be more likely to dominate the usage and experience of tongues than it did in his day, as well as in ours.

This is a Chinese saying that may be familiar to you:




It literally translates: "one stone two birds". There is also another Chinese saying that says...






And this one translates similarly: "one arrow double vultures".



One etymology expert on idioms and phrases, Carol Pozefsky, writes, "My sources find that the term originated in Tudor times when witches were killed two at a time by dropping bags of peach stones on them. Peach stones were believed by some to be the result of a sin of the flesh." Yikes! Not where I wanted to go with this illustration. But I'll keep working with it for just a minute more.



The Free Dictionary on Idioms defines the phrase to mean either, "to solve two problems at one time with a single action," or "to do two things at the same time using the effort needed to do only one." What a beautiful definition of what the gospel does! Let me explain.



The gospel seems to do two things when it comes to a person or a group of people. It either saves them or condemns them. That seems to be the theology Paul lays out in Romans 1. The entrance of the gospel saves those who believe (v. 16), or condemns those who disbelieve (v. 18 ff.).



Take the classic scenario in Acts 17 where Paul is preaching to the Aeropagus on Mars Hill in Athens, Greece. When Paul gets to the punchline or invitation part of his sermon - the gospel of God in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead - some laughed at him, and some joined him and became believers (Acts 17:32-34).



So the gospel has this authenticating, validating effect on a person's heart. In either case it's totally a matter of whether or not the Holy Spirit opens a person's mind (Luke 24:45; Acts 16:14). But that's not theh point here so don't leave off on a rabbit trail (you Calvinists friends!).



Here's the point I do want to try to make here. And it has to do with this condemning effect the gospel has. In Isaiah's day, for example, the people of Israel were incredibly rebellious. And any attempts on the part of Isaiah and the other godly prophets to bring conviction to the false prophecies of peace, safety, and security were met with persecution and murder (cf. 1 Thess. 2:15-16).



In response, God sent them into exile...into Babylon and Assyria...where a different people group spoke a different language in a different culture. Here's what God said to Israel through the prophet Isaiah.


This is, no doubt, simply a repeat of what God had already told Moses to tell Israel way back in Deuteronomy 28:49.

45 "If you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and to obey the commands and decrees he has given you, all these curses will pursue and overtake you until you are destroyed...

49 The LORD will bring a distant nation against you from the end of the earth, and it will swoop down on you like a vulture. It is a nation whose language you do not understand..." (NLT)

About a hundred years later, after Isaiah, Jeremiah shows up on the scene to continue to preach the same message to the rest of the people who were later carted off to Babylon.

O Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you," says the LORD."It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation,a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you cannot understand. (Jeremiah 5:15, NLT)

In essence, living in a foreign land and listening to a foreign language was God's way of validating their discipline and punishment for their rebellion against God. Listening to a person speak ancient Assyrian to them while shopping, having their chariot maintenanced, banking, ordering from a menu at a local restaurant, etc. was itself a sign to those unbelieving Jews of God's commitment to His glory and His promises. Peter capitalizes on Isaiah's words in 1 Peter 2:6-8.

1 Peter 2

6 As the Scriptures say,"I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor,and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,"The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone."

8 And,"He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall."

Israel, and everybody else who doesn't obey God, is stumbling over the cornerstone of the gospel. And hearing an unknown language was an affirmation of their condition and their fate, if they refused to repent.



Now we have the OT backdrop to understand what Paul is trying to say to the Corinthians when he writes to them about tongues in 1 Corinthians 14.

1 Corinthians 14

20 Dear brothers and sisters, don't be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

21 It is written in the Scriptures:"I will speak to my own people through strange
languages and through the lips of foreigners.But even then, they will not listen to me," says the LORD.

22 So you see that speaking in tongues is a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is for the benefit of believers, not unbelievers.

Paul seems to be quoting the Isaiah passage cited above to freshly anchor the Corinthians once again on the biblical theology behind the gift of tongues in the first place. This was Paul's attempt, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of course, to help bring order to the disorderly conduct in the local assembly, evidently caused primarily by an abuse of the gift of tongues.



To be sure, he's not saying, "Hey you idiots! Just stop speaking in tongues altogether in the first place, and everything will level out and become normal for you all." That can't be simply because he said the very opposite.

39 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to
prophesy, and don't forbid speaking in tongues.

40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

Rather, what he seems to be after here with this church is, again, to anchor them in God's original intent for tongues in the first place. And when you start to look at this thing a little closer, all the experience(s) you or I might have had are immediately and justifiably called into question...not to dismiss, but to re-examine.



The gift of tongues is fascinating when seen in this light, as a sign to unbelievers. The whole matter seems to hinge on the presence of God and a person's awareness of that fact. The foreign and strange Assyrian language would immediately bring an unbelieving Jew in the days of the exile in Babylon and Assyria, into the awareness of God and His presence.



Transporting us hundreds of years later, to Pentecost in Acts 2, and you see part of the reason why the Jews would have pierced through to the heart when hearing Peter's message (Acts 2:37). Hearing strange languages would have brought back these texts in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and would have reminded them that hearing a foreign language was a sign of God's judgment upon them. If that's true, how much more would it be true since they were hearing dozens of foreign languages at one time! Can you see now why they would have been terrified and cut to the core of their being? The speaking in tongues here was a signal of God's judgment, essentially performing a preparatory work on their hearts, warming them up, if you will, for the final blow in Peter's monumental sermon about Jesus. In other words, multiple tongues + the story of Jesus + by the way, you killed Him = Dear God, What Have We Done and What Do We Do Now?!!!



So it also seems that an uninterpreted tongue, according to Paul, would have the same effect upon unbelievers in the Corinthian assembly. According to one commentator, "Paul indicates that tongues-speaking is a sign from God for unbelievers who either notice God's sacred presence at the worship service or turn away from God by hardening their hearts" (Simon Kistemaker, 1 Corinthians, p. 500).



Now for the glorious display of the gospel. (I almost couldn't wait to get to this part! I'm so excited...I feel like a kid on Christmas morning here!) Think about this for a moment: If hearing one foreign language - Assyrian for Israel, and Chaldean for Judah - was a sign of judgment on them for their unbelief, then hearing multiple foreign languages (Acts 2:6, 9-12), was a sign of something far, far greater! And just what was that?



It was a sign of redemption! An Israelite hearing Assyrian in Assyria, or Chaldean in Babylon was another reminder of God's judgment. But a Jew standing there in Acts 2, hearing multiple languages, was experiencing an announcement of God's salvation! Hallelujah! Do you see it there?! How exciting this gift of tongues is for the church! It represented a new day that had dawned. It is an announcement to unbelievers that the day of redemption has come!



The great Chrysostom, early church pastor and preacher, wrote that "Tongues are a sign to unbelievers...to astonish them" (Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, 36.2). Luke writes that these people in Acts 2, "stood there amazed and perplexed. 'What can this mean?' they asked each other. But others in the crowd were mocking, 'They're drunk, that's all!' they said" (2:12-13). And here the gospel of the kingdom, being spoken through tongues, is killing two birds with one stone, as the idiom goes. For one group it was a validating sign of condemnation. For the other it was a validating sign of redemption.



The person and work of Jesus Christ, King of the Jews, King of the Universe, murdered, resurrected, and now ascended was being preached in multiple tongues as a sign to unbelievers saying, "Hey! You can either continue stumbling over this Cornerstone, or you can embrace Him as precious and chosen by God!" The gift of tongues is a clarion call to unbelievers, "You can either repent and be baptized and be forgiven of your sin of rebellion...or you can walk away and confirm the condition of your heart forever."



So the gift of tongues in a local assembly, while a sign for unbelievers, is also a stimulating gift for believers when it happens! Tongues stimulate everyone, saved and unsaved alike, in God's presence. When it happens, there's an intense sense that the presence of God has fallen upon them and the saving work of God in Jesus Christ is ready to be poured out to those who do not yet believe. And how exciting and motivating that would be for believers at the same time!

The one standing there proclaiming God in tongues, and the one standing there interpreting (for Paul says they should always go together) are both there as representations of the outstretched, pierced hands of Jesus Christ calling them to, "Come to me!" (Matt. 11:28-29), just like Isaiah before Him had preached, "You can have rest!" (Isa. 28:12), and just like Peter after Him had preached, "Now turn from your sins and turn to God, so you can be cleansed of your sins. Then wonderful times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will send Jesus your Messiah to you again!" (Acts 3:19-20, NLT).



The gift of tongues is a glorious display of the gospel of Jesus Christ, offering rest to unbelievers wearied with their sinful and disobedient and rebellious lives, calling them to rest in the redemption and rescue from God's judgment found only in Christ. The gift of tongues says to unbelievers present in a Christian assembly,

"Attention unbelievers! God's presence is here right now manifesting among us, and you can either respond by mocking it or believing it! You can either come to Jesus as your rescue from God's judgment, or you can run from Jesus and confirm your judgment! But every syllable and word spoken in this different language is another call to you to come to Him all you who are so weary and heavy-laden! Jesus will give you rest!"

Listen to Calvin's words on the matter, because he absolutely nails it here.

"The advantages derived from tongues were various. They provided against necessity - that diversity of tongues might not prevent the Apostles from disseminating the gospel over the whole world: there was, consequently, no nation with which they could not find fellowship. They served also to move or terrify unbelievers, by the sight of a miracle - for the design of this miracle, equally with others, was to prepare those who were as yet at a distance from Christ for rendering obedience to him. Believers, who had already devoted themselves to his doctrine, did not stand so much in need of such preparation" (Calvin's Commentaries, Volume XX, p. 454)

Oh, that we would embrace this gift as continuing today for the same reason it was given to the early church...the salvation of souls and the rescue of weary sinners! Oh that the church would discontinue their rejection of this amazingly precious and beautiful gift which is the Spirit's tool in preparing the heart of an unbeliever to hear a prophetic word about the gospel, whether by another supernatural display of the gifts, or by a supernatural accompaniment of power with the preaching of the gospel.



Take away the gift of tongues in a local church, and take away a most significant, crucial, biblical, and historically redemptive Spirit-driven announcements of God's presence, and the Spirit-driven preparation of the unbeliever to receive redemption in Jesus. There are other Spirit-driven announcements, to be sure...most of them being signs and wonders. Don't think tongues is the only one. But don't neglect it either as such. Embrace tongues as it is taught here, for these historically redemptive purposes, and see what work of evangelism and missions God might be pleased to do in, among, and through your local church fellowship.



How exciting it is to taste and see the goodness of God in this incredibly display of the supernatural gifting of the Spirit! I want to experience more of God's presence. And with this gift, I can experience that and at the same time experience a mightier movement of God's Spirit in bringing people to faith in Him!

Oh for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer's praise!

The glories of my God and King,

And the triumphs of HIS grace.

My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of your name.

C-o-c-a-c-o-l-a. C-o-c-a-c-o-l-a! C-o-c-a-c-o-l-a!!