The Gift of Tongues

The Gift of Tongues: What the Bible Really Says

Few topics have divided the church as much as the gift of tongues. Some have made it central to their faith, others have rejected it outright, often out of fear or as a reaction to excess. Yet when you open the Bible without preconceptions, you find a teaching that is clear, balanced, and freeing. In this message, David Pothier returns to 1 Corinthians 14 to help you understand this gift, place it correctly, and, if God gives it to you, live it out without pressure or pride.

Two major views in the church

Within the church at large, two positions coexist regarding spiritual gifts. Cessationists believe certain gifts (miracles, tongues, prophecy) ceased after the time of the apostles. Continuationists, on the other hand, believe all the gifts of the Spirit are still valid and available today. At La Chapelle, the stated position is continuationist: the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the church today, with no need to go to war against fellow believers who think differently.

Two types of tongues in the New Testament

1. Tongues as a sign (Acts 2)

On the day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples gathered in the upper room receive the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gives them utterance. Pilgrims from all over the world hear them speaking of the wonders of God in their own language. These are real human languages, intelligible, public, given for evangelism. They need no interpreter.

This gift still exists today, especially in mission contexts. David Pothier cites the testimony of Arthur Vanbergen, a simple man who loved talking about Jesus to people around him. Sitting on a train next to a young English-speaking woman he could not understand, he prayed. As he prayed, he began to understand and speak English. Once the conversation was over, the gift left as quickly as it had come.

2. The gift of tongues as a prayer language (1 Corinthians 14)

This is a different gift. Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 14: the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, since no one understands him. His spirit prays, but his mind is unfruitful. It is a spiritual language, not a human one, given by the Holy Spirit for prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and personal edification. Paul himself practiced it: "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you."

In practice, those who have this gift are often deep in prayer, God's presence becomes tangible, their heart burns, and words they do not understand want to come out of their mouth. It is private by default. It can only become public if someone else receives an interpretation.

Four words to avoid the pitfalls: Disorder, Denial, Division, Discernment

Disorder

In Corinth, a private practice had become public and unregulated. Paul does not suppress the gift, he brings it back into order. Poorly managed gifts often produce fear in those unfamiliar with them. And that fear, David Pothier points out, does not come from God. It is even a strategy of the enemy to close us off from a blessing God wants to give us.

Denial

In Corinth as well, others reacted by rejecting tongues altogether because of the disorder they had seen. Paul is clear: "Do not forbid speaking in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:39). Do not shut down what God may be doing in your brother or sister just because you have seen excesses.

Division

Paul writes his entire letter to bring the Corinthians back to unity. Spiritual gifts should never become a source of division. This falls into what could be called a third or fourth-tier doctrine: something you can debate, not tear each other apart over. If a church ends up divided after a message on tongues, something went wrong.

Discernment

Paul does not want to shut things down, he wants to discern and set boundaries. Practically, at La Chapelle, four settings are suggested for living out this gift:

1. In private, in your personal prayer life: go for it fully, you are edifying yourself.
2. During times of worship, if you pray in tongues quietly on your own without drawing attention, that is not disorder.
3. In intense times of prayer for someone, when fervor rises and the Holy Spirit takes over within a relationship of trust.
4. In gatherings, only if there is an interpretation (the "two-key system" of 1 Corinthians 14).

Seven true/false statements to test your discernment

• Christians who do not speak in tongues do not have the Holy Spirit. False.
• Christians who do not speak in tongues are not filled with the Holy Spirit. False.
• Christians who speak in tongues are more spiritual. False.
• All Christians must absolutely speak in tongues. False.
• All Christians should desire to speak in tongues. True (Paul says to desire the gifts, and that includes tongues).
• Everyone should desire tongues, but above all desire to prophesy. True.
• The New Testament encourages the public practice of tongues in the assembly. False, unless there is interpretation.

Key takeaways

• There are two types of tongues in the New Testament: sign-tongues for evangelism (Acts 2) and the gift of tongues as a personal prayer language (1 Corinthians 14).
• The gift in 1 Corinthians 14 is private by default; it becomes public only if there is interpretation.
• Desiring the gifts is biblical. Putting on pressure, using spiritual guilt, or judging those who do not have the gift is not.
• Fear of the gifts does not come from God. Neither does denial.
• A gift you have but do not use will grow weak, like a muscle.

Personal application

• Do I secretly judge (or admire) Christians based on whether or not they speak in tongues?
• Has my fear or a bad past experience closed me off to what God might want to do in my prayer life?
• If I have this gift: am I actually practicing it, or is it growing weak from disuse?
• If I do not have it: do I desire spiritual gifts without turning them into an idol?
• On this topic, is my priority the unity of the body of Christ, or being right?

Verses cited in the sermon

• 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 · Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts.
• 1 Corinthians 14:14-19 · Praying with the spirit and with the mind.
• 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 · The outsider and the unbeliever.
• 1 Corinthians 14:39-40 · Do not forbid speaking in tongues, but let all things be done decently and in order.
• Acts 2 · Pentecost and tongues as a sign.
• 1 Corinthians 12:11 · The Spirit distributes to each one as he wills.

FAQ

Is a Christian who does not speak in tongues less filled with the Holy Spirit?

No. The Bible never makes speaking in tongues proof of salvation or of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Paul asks: "Do all speak in tongues?" and the answer is no (1 Corinthians 12:30). The Spirit distributes to each one as he wills.

Can I "learn" to speak in tongues by forcing it?

No. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not a technique. David Pothier tells of trying it himself under pressure: he made up sounds, but his heart knew it was not genuine. Desire it, ask for it, but let God decide when and how.

Can you speak in tongues publicly at church?

The principle in 1 Corinthians 14 is private practice. Public use is only allowed if there is an interpretation: someone gives the message in tongues, someone else receives the interpretation. Otherwise, the church is not edified.

I am afraid of the gifts because I have seen abuses. What should I do?

Fear does not come from God. Acknowledge what you experienced, but do not let human excess close you off to what God wants to give you. The remedy is not denial, it is discernment and biblical boundaries.