THE GIFT OF DIVERSE KINDS OF TONGUES!

Today we want to look at “THE GIFT OF DIVERSE KINDS OF TONGUES!” 

Diversities of tongues is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a ministry gift as well.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the Word of Wisdom; to another the Word of Knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.”

There are different kinds of tongues: 1) the tongues of men (Acts 2:8-12), and 2) the tongues of angels (1 Cor. 13:1).

Here is the point: Every time you speak (or pray) in tongues, you release the angels to work in your favour (Ps. 103:20). Also, whenever you speak forth the Word of God (you say what God has said in His Word concerning you), you release the angels to work in your favour.

What is diverse kinds of tongues? The gift of diverse kinds of tongues is a specific gift mentioned among the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:10.

Diverse kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance in an unknown language. The simple gift of speaking in tongues is a supernatural utterance in a known language (as in Acts 2:8-12).

The simple gift of speaking in tongues is strictly a gift of the Holy Ghost, but diversities of tongues is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a ministry gift as well. “…to another DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES…” (1 Cor. 12:10a).

Diverse kinds of tongues is also a ministry gift, a calling (1 Cor. 12:27-28). In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Apostle Paul was talking about ministry gifts, and not gifts of the Spirit.

Ministry gifts are people called to the fivefold ministry and equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:11-12).

For instance, an Apostle is a ministry gift. Prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors are all ministry gifts. People who are called and equipped to stand in a ministry gift office carry a specific calling upon their lives whereby they can minister and bless others.  

What then is diverse kinds of tongues? Diverse kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance in an unknown language.

The word “diverse” means different. Therefore diverse kinds of tongues would mean different kinds of tongues.

Speaking in tongues as in Acts 2:4 is different from the gift of diverse kinds of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:30 says, “Does God give all of us the ability to speak in different unknown languages?”

In other words, while every one baptized in the Holy Ghost can speak in tongues, only those that have received the gift of speaking in diverse kinds of tongues can manifest it.

Speaking in tongues as in Acts 2:4 is a supernatural sign that should follow every believer. In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; IN MY NAME shall they cast out devils; THEY SHALL SPEAK WITH NEW TONGUES; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Diverse kinds of tongues is not a sign that should follow every believer. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to whoever He wills. It is a calling. It is a ministry gift.

“Diversity of tongues” is listed along with the rest of the ministry offices, because it is also a ministry gift! Paul is saying that God sent some – that is, specific people – in the church who have a ministry of diversities of tongues.

The ministry gift of diversities of tongues refers to one who is called to minister in the public assembly in tongues and interpretation. So there are those who are called to minister in diversities of tongues and interpretation in public assembly. Everyone is not called to this ministry; God is the One who chooses and sets people into this ministry gift office.

However, every believer should, could, and ought to be filled with the Holy Ghost and speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives him or her utterance. This type of tongues are not for interpretation in a public assembly; rather, they are to be used in the believer’s private devotional life before God.

Speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence or sign of the infilling or baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

Acts 2:4 says, “And they were ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, and began to SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

In Acts 10, the brethren of the circumcision who had come with Peter to the household of Cornelius were astonished when they saw that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles too. They thought that salvation and baptism in the Holy Ghost were for the Jews only.

How did these Jews know that Cornelius and his household had received the baptism in the Holy Ghost?

“For they heard them speaking with tongues, and magnify God” (Acts 10:46).

Speaking in tongues was the supernatural sign and initial evidence that convinced them that the Gentiles also received the same gift they had received.

All the other gifts of the Spirit are in operation in the Old Testament except for tongues and interpretation of tongues. Also in the ministry of Jesus Christ we see all the gifts of the Spirit in operation except for tongues and interpretation of tongues.

The gift of tongues is a supernatural sign. Diverse kinds of tongues is supernatural utterance by the Holy Ghost in languages never learned by the speaker, nor understood by the speaker, nor necessarily always understood by the hearer.

Speaking with tongues has nothing to do with linguistic ability; it has nothing to do with the mind or intellect of man. It is a vocal miracle of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of tongues is unique to the dispensation of the Church Age. You may be saying, “John the Baptist had the Holy Ghost and he didn’t speak in tongues. The Prophets of the Old Testament had the Holy Ghost, but they never spoke in tongues. So why do we need to speak in tongues?”

Remember John the Baptist ministered as a prophet under the Old Covenant. Prophets under the Old Covenant had not been Born Again. They did not have a recreated human spirit; they had never been made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) because Jesus had not yet come in His death, burial, and resurrection to redeem mankind.

Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit came upon those who stood in the offices of the prophet, priest and king to enable them fulfill their ministries, but He did not indwell or infill them, in the same sense that He does the Born Again, Spirit-filled believer living under the New Covenant.

Let us look at a few more things about speaking in tongues:

Tongues is a supernatural means of speaking to God. When you speak in tongues you speak mysteries supernaturally to God (1 Cor. 14:2).

When you speak in tongues you are talking to God by a divine supernatural means. 1 Corinthians 14:2 says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue SPEAKETH NOT UNTO MEN, BUT UNTO GOD: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries [divine secrets].”

Notice that when you speak in unknown tongues you are not talking to men; you are talking to God. In other words, God has given to us a divine means by which we can speak to Him supernaturally.

That is the reason no one can understand you when you pray in tongues – you are talking divine secrets with the Father! The devil cannot understand you either and this is the primary reason why he fights speaking in tongues because he cannot get into your communication with the Father. Tongues confuse the devil.

Tongues is the divine supernatural means God has given the Church to communicate with Him.

When you pray in the Holy Ghost, your spirit-man is in direct contact with the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 14:14); God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24).

In 1 Corinthians 14:14 Paul says, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my understanding [mind] is without unfruitful” (AMP).

Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit isn’t the one praying. He is only helping you to pray. How does He do that? He gives you utterance in your spirit-man (Acts 2:4). Acts 2:4 says, “….and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Paul is telling us that God has given us a means whereby our spirit-man can pray apart from our understanding. Your understanding has nothing to do with praying in the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the One helping us to pray in tongues, but we are the ones doing the praying. With that thought in mind look at 1 Corinthians 14:2 which says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue SPEAKETH NOT UNTO MEN, BUT UNTO GOD: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh MYSTERIES [divine secrets].”

God has provided a way for us whereby your spirit-man may pray apart from your mind. “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, MY SPIRIT [spirit-man] PRAYETH….” (1 Cor. 14:14). Through this gift of speaking with tongues, your spirit-man can now communicate directly with God, who Himself is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24).

You see, once you get filled with the Holy Spirit, for the first time, your own spirit-man can talk directly to God. Before that time, you could talk to God with your mind, and your emotions were involved. But speaking in tongues is a means of spirit-to-spirit communication.

When you pray in tongues, your spirit-man is in direct contact with God, who is a Spirit.

2. Speaking in tongues is the doorway into the supernatural. Praying in tongues is an introduction to the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:1-11). The more you speak in tongues – the more you pray and worship God in tongues – the more the manifestation of the other gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life too. Speaking in tongues is the door to all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. You must go through the door in order to get to the supernatural. The lesser you speak in tongues, the fewer manifestations of spiritual gifts you’ll experience.

3. Speaking in tongues brings rest to the weary. There is a real spiritual rest and a spiritual refreshing in communicating with God our Father, as your spirit prays distinct and separate from your understanding [mind].

Isaiah 28:11-12 says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. 12 To whom He said, THIS IS THE REST wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and THIS IS THE REFRESHING: yet they would not hear.”

What is the rest? What is the refreshing? Isaiah 28:11-12 says the rest and the refreshing is speaking with other tongues.

Many times you may speak with new tongues at length without ever knowing one thing that you’ve prayed for. That’s part of the rest and refreshing. It is refreshing and restful not to know what you are praying about – just entrust the matter to God. You see when you don’t know about such a thing, anxiety and worry won’t set in.

But at times, God lets you know what you are praying about in tongues by you manifesting the gift of interpretation of tongues. If that thing is a threatening situation, it could steal your peace. But God is so wise that He keeps such knowledge away from us even when we have prayed in the Spirit concerning it.

4. By praying with other tongues the Holy Spirit would prepare you for things to come [the future]. Praying and speaking with tongues is one way to build up spiritually in order to prepare and be ready for whatever may show up in the future. The Holy Spirit knows the future, and He will show you things to come. This He does by prompting you to pray in the Holy Ghost.

In John 16:13 Jesus said, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” The Holy Ghost will show you the future!

5. Revelation comes by the Spirit. The Holy Ghost would reveal different steps in God’s plan for your life as you take time to pray in the Holy Ghost and fellowship with the Father.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.”

This text is not really talking about heaven. How? Because of what the next verse says. 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”

Paul is saying that we cannot know the things of God by our natural senses. Our natural eyes have not seen, nor have our natural ears heard what God has prepared for those who love Him. But to those of us who will cultivate fellowship through prayer, the revelation of the deep things of God will be given to us by the Holy Spirit.

For instance, it was the Holy Spirit that gave Paul the great plan of redemption. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed to Paul the mystery that was hidden and that has now been made manifest (Eph. 3:3-6).

You see, you can study the Word of God and receive head knowledge about what it says. But just because you can quote Scriptures does not mean that those Scriptures have been made real to your spirit-man. For you to enter the reality of a truth, you have to receive it by revelation of the Holy Spirit.

For instance, if you are a preacher or teacher of the Word now, if you would just begin to pray in other tongues on daily basis, I assure you that the Bible will become like a new book to you because you will begin to receive the revelation of what God is saying in His Word. The power that follows your ministrations will tremendously increase.

How does the Holy Spirit search the deep things of God so He can reveal truth to man?

As you wait on the Lord and pray in other tongues the Holy Ghost would reveal to you the deep things of the Word of God (1 Cor. 2:10-14). The greatest things that will ever happen to you in your walk with God will come as a result of praying with other tongues.

You can receive a revelation of your future wife and children – part of God’s plan for your life – as you pray in other tongues. As you take time to pray in other tongues and fellowship with the Father, the Holy Ghost would reveal different steps in God’s plan for your life and ministry.

No wonder Paul said, “I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you (1) the spirit of wisdom and (2) revelation in the knowledge of Him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Eph. 1:16-19).

In Ephesians 3:14-20 Paul said, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think [imagine], according to the power that worketh in us.”

Beloved speaking in tongues regularly will do you plenty of good. It is the entrance into all the spiritual gifts and the supernatural equipment God has for you. Tongues is primarily a devotional gift to be used in one’s prayer life for praising and worshiping God, for speaking mysteries to God, and for building up on your most holy faith. It is the doorway to the supernatural. Tongues is an experience for the rest of one’s life to assist in the worship of God. It is a flowing stream that should never dry up, but will enrich your life spiritually. I therefore, encourage you to use it regularly without delay!

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)                23.09. 2018