Words of Life


Dove


MENU

BACK  

NEXT 

TABLE of
Contents
 


PURPOSE OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will

pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the

Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.

Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit (I Cor.

14:15-16).

The purpose of the gift of tongues, an utterance in tongues spoken to God,

is to pray in the Spirit or to sing (psallo) in the Spirit. Paul's concept of blessing

with the Spirit combines praying and singing in the Spirit. As the body of Christ

comes together, the Spirit may gather up the needs of the church as if it were one

individual and through a prayer in tongues present those needs to God. The Spirit

prays a collective prayer for the body through an individual who prays in tongues.

When the utterance is interpreted, the body is edified because the church under-

stands what the concerns of the Spirit were in presenting the needs of the church

to God.

In like manner, when the body meets, the Spirit may gather up the praise

and thanksgiving of the church, express it in a song (psalm) and speak that psalm

to God. When the utterance is interpreted, the body is edified because it under-

stands the expression of praise that the Spirit spoke to the Father. The phrase "I

will sing (psallo) in the Spirit" may be translated "I will psalm in the Spirit";

therefore, the Spirit is giving the church a psalm comparable to the psalms found

in the Book of Psalms to express the emotional and spiritual concerns of the

church.

PURPOSES OF THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edifi-

cation, and exhortation, and comfort

(I Cor. 14:3).

When I speak of prophecy in this context, I am speaking of the simple gift of

prophecy, the spiritual manifestation of prophecy and not the message of the

prophet. Paul makes a distinction between the gift of prophecy (ye may all

prophesy one by one [I Cor. 14:31]) and the prophetic revelation given by a

prophet (Eph. 4:11). The purposes of the gift of prophecy are edification, exhorta-

tion, and comfort.

One of the purposes of the gift of prophecy is edification, to promote the

spiritual growth and development of the hearers. He that speaks in tongues to

God edifies himself. He that prophesies to men edifies men, building them up.

Philip the evangelist had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:9). They

prophesied under the anointing of the Spirit to build up the church, to promote

spiritual growth, and to promote the development of the hearer. To build up the

saints at Corinth the Apostle Paul wrote,

And God is able to make all grace abound toward

you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all

things, may abound to every good work

(II Cor. 9:8).

Another purpose of the gift of prophecy is exhortation. The word for

exhortation, paraklesis, is also translated comforter. It means to admonish

another, or urge another person in a future course of conduct. The one who

prophesies exhorts someone to do something. For instance, Paul exhorts us to:

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every-

thing give thanks. Quench not the spirit. Despise

not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that

which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil (I

Thess. 5:16-22).

These prophetic admonitions urge us to pursue a future course of conduct.

The other purpose of the gift of prophecy is to comfort. The word (para-

muthia), translated comfort, means "near speech." A friend draws close to

somebody and solaces them by the Spirit. The Spirit is very tender toward God's

children and, through prophecy, He tries to help, to succor people, who have

experienced trials or sorrows or tragedies. He brings them close to God and

comforts them. Paul states it beautifully:

Blessed be God...Father of mercies...God of all com-

fort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we

may be able to comfort them which are in any trou-

ble, by the comfort wherewith we our

selves are comforted of God (II Cor. 1:3-4).

The purpose, then, of the gift of prophecy is edification, exhortation, and

comfort as contrasted to the purpose of tongues which is prayer and praise.

WHY PROPHECY IS GREATER THAN TONGUES

I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather

that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth

than he that speaketh with tongues, except he inter-

pret, that the church may receive edifying (I Cor.

14:5).

Paul reveals to us that while he wishes that all would speak in tongues, he

would rather that we would prophesy, since prophecy is greater than speaking in

tongues, except the tongues should be interpreted. Prophecy is the greater gift

because we are speaking for God to persons in languages they understand. We

do not have to interpret the language; they understand what we are saying.

Tongues is of little value to anyone except the person who does the speaking,

unless there is an interpretation. If there is an interpretation, then there is a

significance to the tongues that are spoken because the church can receive

understanding through the interpretation.

WHAT IS SAID IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE METHOD OF SPEAKING

Now brethren, if I come unto you speaking with

tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak

to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by

prophesying, or by doctrine? (I Cor. 14:6).

Paul is careful to point out that speaking in tongues, or in any other lan-

guage, is not what is important, but rather what is said, the content of the

speaking, is of utmost importance. This is why Paul states, "Now, brethren, if I

come unto you by speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you?" For instance, if

I came to class and taught the lesson in a language that you did not understand,

you would be profited very little.

Paul also says that there are basically two types of speakings that profit the

church: prophecy and doctrine (teaching). Paul uses four words--revelation,

knowledge, prophesying, doctrine--to discuss these two concepts. The foundation

of prophecy is revelation by which one speaks for God. Prophecy does not come

from the mind; it comes from the direct revelation of the Spirit and is spoken to

the people. The Spirit gives the words, He gives the utterance; the person speaks

the prophecy. The foundation of teaching, on the other hand, is knowledge. If

one teaches, he speaks by knowledge. He speaks from the Word (the completed

reve-lation of God), from experience, and from knowledge gained by years of

study. My teaching comes primarily as a result of the knowledge that I have

accumulated over the years. Teaching comes from the completed revelation of

God; prophecy comes by the direct revelation of God. The Bible is the completed

revelation of God. We teach from that knowledge. Prophecy, the direct revela-

tion, comes by the Spirit's speaking through us to individuals. Paul said that if he

came speaking some kind of tongue that was not understood, even though it was

given by the Spirit, he would not profit or edify them. There are only two speak-

ings that edify the church, according to this context: one is prophecy, based on

revelation, and the other is teaching, based on knowledge. These are the utter-

ances by which the church is edified.

Back to top