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, “…to another DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES; to another the interpretation of tongues…”
What is tongues? This is a supernatural ability to speak a language you never knew or learnt.
There are different kinds of tongues: 1) the tongues of men (Acts 2:8-12), and 2) the tongues of angels (1 Cor. 13:1b).
The 120 disciples in the upper room spoke in the language of the nations represented where they gathered (Acts 2:8-12). They spoke in the tongues of men. It is also called the simple gift of tongues.
“Tongues of angels” is talking about “diverse kinds of tongues.” “Though I speak with the tongues of angels…” (1 Cor. 13:1b).
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 (whenever 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? 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.
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 everyone 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 magnifying 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.
Conclusion: Beloved speaking in tongues regularly will do you plenty of good.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
- Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor)
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