When the Apostle Paul wrote the following words, I doubt he knew how much they would be confused and keep people from experiencing the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit1:
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues2? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts." (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church." (1 Corinthians 14:1-4)"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:18-19)
Because of a lack of experience or understanding, or for incorrect handling of the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), millions of believers have literally left Jesus the Baptist waiting in the rivers of His baptism. Millions have never received the Promise of the Father, the promise that Jesus put into effect by His death, resurrection and ascension, and all because of misunderstandings largely arising from these verses in First Corinthians.
The Apostle Paul wrote in very clear terms, painfully trying to differentiate the difference between the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31) and the personal gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The former being for the common good and the latter being for the empowerment and edification of the individual. The former being appointed gifts for a few "do all speak in tongues?" and the latter being for "you and your children and for all who are far off; for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39).
In exhorting the Corinthian church, Paul clearly differentiated the gift of different kinds of tongues (plural) and the unknown tongue (singular). In fact, he was careful to use the term "different kinds of tongues" twice and both times exactly the same way. He was trying to instruct the Corinthian church about the difference between the two. Sadly, much of the present church does not understand the difference either. What is even more sad is that the Corinthian church was better off in their lack of understanding than the present day church is in theirs. At least, the Corinthians had individually acted in obedience and faith for the Promise of the Father. They had waited in their personal Jerusalem and Upper Room for what Jesus had talked about. What they lacked was maturity and love in exercising that promise after it had been fulfilled.
The Corinthian immaturity and lack of love was evident in their misuse of the unknown tongue of their personal Baptism and their lack of use of the appointed ministry gifts of the church meant for the common good (e.g. the gift of different kinds of tongues). In doing so, they were forgetting those around them. They were living out an intimate moment with God meant for personal edification and empowerment for evangelism in a corporate setting of people who were already saved. Their actions were not only unloving, they were downright childish and out of place.
In Paul's writings, one can find a world of difference between an appointed gift and a personal one, between different kinds of tongues and the unknown tongue. The first manifestation - the gift of different kinds of tongues - is always pluralized three times and the second - the unknown tongue - is always singular unless spoken by several individuals at once.
To illustrate this last point, think of a hypothetical crowd of twenty people who all speak in English. In this crowd, there is one person who is fluent in say three languages that are unknown to the other nineteen people. The rest of this hypothetical crowd are fluent in English, but each can speak a few words in another language that the others don't know3. Three statements can be made about this hypothetical crowd:
1. Only the few can speak in different kinds of tongues
2. The rest can speak a few words in an unknown tongue
3. Together, all can speak in unknown tongues
This is exactly the case in Pentecostal crowds today, just as it was the case in the crowd at the church of Corinth.
When Jesus baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit, they each receive an unknown tongue (singular) as an everlasting covenantal sign (similar to circumcision). At that moment, something so powerful and awesome takes place. In the supernatural, a tongue of fire still appears over their heads! To use covenantal language, a rainbow and blazing torch still appear over them (Isaiah 60:1-2, like the angel mentioned in Revelations 10:1). Put another way, the Spirit descends in fire and then the Voice of the Seven Thunders speaks through them! (Deuteronomy 4:9-13, Revelation 10:3). In doing so, the Lord circumcises their lips to speak to an unbelieving world with unfaltering voices (Exodus 6:30, 1 Corinthians 14:22). He provides the gift of the unknown tongue so that believers can speak mysteries to God, refreshing their souls and recharging the Spirit of God in their lives (Ephesians 5:18).
When somebody receives the gift of different kinds of tongues, it is a ministry appointment by God for the common good. God calls out a Spirit-baptized believer out of many Spirit-baptized believers to exercise a ministry over the church. The Lord enables this believer to utter messages in different kinds of tongues through the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes over a person appointed with this gift, the Holy Spirit often uses a wealth of dialects to speak to the church and not just to the person speaking. The speakers are no longer uttering mysteries to God. They are instead uttering a distinct message to the church that is waiting to be interpreted. Those who have received the Lord's baptism can speak to the Lord in a single unknown tongue all their lives. Those who have received the appointed gift of different kinds of tongues, however, will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to speak in several if not thousands of tongues both known and unknown throughout their lives. These believers often speak in full sentences (utterances) and can sometimes change from one language to another in the middle of a message. This makes sense, 1. because they are appointed to bring full messages to edify the body at large and 2. the gift is a gift of many languages, hence the name. It is truly a rare gift and to use Paul's words, one of the "greater gifts."
As those who are gifted in this gift can testify, when the Lord brings a message in different kinds of tongues, the person: feels an urgency to share with the whole congregation a message, they know it's not just to edify themselves (as is the case with the unknown tongue), and the Holy Spirit takes over their vocal chords and supernaturally raises their volume level. Other awesome events often take place before a person speaks in different kinds of tongues to the church. A supernatural hush fills the church to quiet people and ready them to hear from the Lord. Those who have been baptized by the Lord in the Holy Spirit also can discern when a message in different kinds of tongues is imminent. These are all works of the same Spirit and they are meant for the common good to build the church!
To recap, the unknown tongue is a gift that every believer can have and experience. It is the Promise of the Father for all (Acts 1:4, 2:39). By contrast, the gift of different kinds of tongues is only for the appointed few (1 Corinthians 12:28). Speaking in an unknown tongue is for the edification of the individual: "he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" (1 Corinthians 14:4a). It is also for the empowerment of that individual to witness to unbelievers - a circumcision of the lips for the unbelieving world (Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 14:22). Speaking with the gift of different kinds of tongues, however, is for the edification of believers (1 Corinthians 14:12) and for the "common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Paul was undoubtedly appointed with the gift of different kinds of tongues and could speak from experience "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you." But he would rather speak five intelligible words through the gift of prophecy, which is still speaking in tongues that do not require interpretation,4 than speak ten thousand in an unknown tongue (singular). Which brings me to a final point and a rhetorical question: "what would Paul say to those who neither prophesied nor spoke in tongues?"
Paul would say and did say the following: "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." The message that the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul to the Corinthian church is just as true today. Many have used this verse to somehow diminish tongues as a whole, when all Paul was trying to do was put everything into its correct perspective and setting. If he was alive today, he would tell all those who could speak in a Spirit-enabled unknown tongue to seek the gift of prophecy. We should not interpret his preference to speaking in a known tongue to mean that we should not be speaking in unknown tongues. At a bare minimum, according to Paul, we should be speaking in unknown tongues. At the most, and what he preferred, we should be seeking to speak in tongues known to those around us (prophecy).
Put more simply and another way, if you are not speaking in prophecy, you should be speaking in tongues.
Speaking in any tongue as the Holy Spirit enables is a promise of the Father available to all believers. The fact that Jesus referred to it as "the promise of the Father," should make any believer seek it. If that is not enough, then the fact that Jesus put this promise into effect with His blood and is waiting at the river of His Holy Spirit should be enough. If that is not enough, then God help and forgive us.
Paul lays out the proper use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in black and white. We would do well in following them and his final words in the matter: "therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."
My prayer is that this blog will make truths about the Lord's Baptism in the Holy Spirit clear to believers everywhere. I have not relied on anything other than the Word of God and the Holy Spirit who inspired it. I thank the Lord in advance for confirming these truths elsewhere. May the Lord bless you, baptize you and refill you in the power of His Holy Spirit today!
In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Baptist, Amen.
1. The confusion stems not from the Word of God, or even from the Apostle Paul's writing, which was quite clear and un-misleading. As stated above, the confusion stems from lack of experience, understanding, or from incorrectly dividing the Word of God. All three factors can easily cloud truths that the Apostle Paul and the Spirit of God meant to be so clear.
2. Another confusion stems from a mis-characterization of the Apostle Paul's question "do all speak in tongues?" Some mistakenly take this for an expectation rather than a statement of fact as if to say "not everyone speaks in tongues, so it's okay if some people don't" when all the Apostle Paul was doing was stating a known fact. Clearly not everyone has the gift of different kinds of tongues, because it is an appointed gift. However, this does not mean that people should not seek it, especially when the only expectation in this Passage is for us to "eagerly desire the greater gifts." Furthermore, any confusion over the Apostle Paul's expectations over tongues in general should be resolved with his expressed wishes: "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." When you take into account that prophesy is speaking in tongues (please see Note 4 below), Paul's expectations were clear; people should be desiring the gifts of the Spirit, especially speaking in tongues, both known and unknown.
3. This is why an individual who speaks in an unknown tongue seems to be babbling the same thing over and over again. He or she can only speak a few words in a language that is unknown to him or her (this was the case with me for seven years, until the Lord empowered me with the gift of different kinds of tongues). A repetitive tongue or voice is entirely Scriptural. One need only look at the voice of God that rushes like water and rolls like thunder, or the voices of the creatures who worship Him both day and night forever. In fact, the repetitive nature of unknown tongues is a clue that what is occurring is from the very Throne of God (a concept visualized in The Throne Matrix). They are the Lord speaking through His creation. They are the rainbow that emanates from His body. They are His voices and His tongues:
"and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory." (Ezekiel 43:2)
"At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder." (Revelation 4:2-5)
"His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters." (Revelation 1:15)
"Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.' The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him." (John 12:29)
"Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'" (Revelation 4:8)
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4)
On a side note, I wonder if we were to hear the four living creatures right now, would we say that they were speaking in gibberish? What is the language of the Throne Room anyway? What does it sound like? Would we understand it if God were to give us a behind the scenes look? Does the Lord always speak in a language we can understand and in a manner that makes sense to us? I believe the unknown tongue, as simple as it sounds, gives us a glimpse of that world and insight into these questions.
4. For more information on how the unknown tongue, gift of different kinds of tongues, and the gift of prophecy interrelate, please see The Law of Tongues and Prophetic Relativity.
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