How Does Praying in Tongues Benefit Believers?

Well, first let me say that speaking in tongues in our personal private devotions is certainly beneficial.

Uh in for a full discussion I refer you to my book spiritual gifts. And in it I explain that in the New Testament there are basically three uses of tongues. Tongues meaning a language we don't know but we speak under the uh utterance or an anointing or inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And it could be a a known language in somewhere in the world, but we don't know it or a dead language or maybe even a spiritual language. 1 Corinthians 13 talks about the tongues of men and of angels. And I don't know, angels are not physical beings, so I don't know how they communicate, but at least there's some indication that tongues could be something that's not known in this world, but it's it's seen as a language or a form of communication.

Um, so we if we look at the Bible carefully, the book of Acts particularly, we see many examples where tongues is the initial sign of someone being baptized with the Holy Ghost or being filled with the Holy Spirit. Um, and then in first Corinthians, especially chapter 14, we have the most detailed description. The second p purpose of tongues is for our personal benefit in personal prayer, which is what we're talking about now. And then the third is there's a public message where in the context of a church worship service where someone speaks out in tongues and you wait for someone to interpret. So there are three different uses and we can easily see this because in the acts accounts uh in Acts 2 120 received the Holy Spirit.

They all spoke in tongues at the same time. They didn't follow the rules of 1 Corinthians 14. Speak at most by two or three. let one interpret and then be silent because they weren't they weren't trying to give a message to the church. Uh so you can easily see that distinction and then in 1 Corinthians 14 itself you see a clear distinction between public and private use because it says in the church if you're going to speak in tongues let it be by most by two or three and be silent let one interpret and if there's no interpreter and and so I want to read this in 1 Corinthians uh 14:27 in uh New King James if anyone speaks in a tongue let it let there be two or at the most three each in turn and let one interpret.

But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God. So here you clearly see the distinction between the second and third uses. So when it comes to a public message, there's a protocol. There's certain rules. You wait for interpretation. But if there's no interpretation, doesn't mean you can't speak in tongues. You just can't continue to dominate the attention of everyone. But you can speak to yourself and to God. So in private personal prayer, whether at home or even in the congregation where everybody's praying together, everybody's worshiping together, everybody's singing together, it's okay for that personal tongues because you're only speaking to yourself and to God.

So from Acts, you see the initial sign. From 1 Corinthians 14:27, you see the personal prayer and the public message. So you can easily distinguish these. Now is it beneficial? Yes. Paul repeatedly describes this in 1 Corinthians 14 4-5. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself or builds himself up, blesses himself. I wish you all spoke with tongues. But then he goes on to say in the public worship, it's more important to prophesy or to speak in the language everybody understands. uh verses 14- 15. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the result then?

I will pray with the spirit. I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit. I will also sing with the understanding. And then verse 18, I thank my God. I speak with tongues more than you all. So Paul himself is saying, I recommend this. I speak in tongues more than everybody else. Uh, so don't interpret my restrictions of the public service as somehow denigrating or minimizing tongues as non-pentecostals nevertheless take his message and try to do that. Um, so so he says um, when I pray in tongues, my spirit benefits, but my understanding doesn't. So I don't know what I'm saying.

So does that mean I shouldn't? He says no. What it means is I should do both. So there's a time to pray in tongues. There's a time to pray in the known language. There's a time to sing in tongues. There's time to sing in the known language. Uh let's do both, he says. So obviously praying with the understanding you know what you're praying and as God gives ideas to you, you know what those ideas are. You interact. Well, why would praying in tonesues be beneficial when you don't know what's going on. Well, I think there's some other passages that don't use the term tonesues, but I think are clearly alluding to tonesues or at least including tonesues.

And that is Romans 8 talks about when we don't know what to pray for as we ought, the spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And it goes on to explain that since the spirit is from God, the spirit knows the mind of God. So what it's saying is when you get into a certain dimension of spiritual prayer and you're just groaning on inarticulate groans or you're speaking in tongues, I think that is encompassed there. You don't know what you're saying, but what's happening? You've gotten lost in the spirit. The spirit is interceding through you. So if you just prayed and you're understanding your prayers might be in the will of God, might not be in the will of God.

Might be wise, might not be wise. M might cover some things, might not cover some things. You might know some things to pray about, but there are some other things God may want you to pray about and you don't even know what they are. But when you pray in tongues or in the spirit or with groanings, then you're letting the spirit take control. And so you know your intercession is going to be according to the will of God. According to to Romans 8, when you pray in the spirit like that, you have absolute confidence that whatever I'm praying is in the will of God and is covering what God wants me to pray about.

And so you can have confidence that it will be accomplished. Uh there are other places that use a similar phrase of praying in the Holy Ghost or praying in the spirit such as the book of Jude. And so I think what the value of praying in tonesues is you're surrendering to the spirit. You have confidence. So your prayers are according to God's will. That they are effective. That they cover everything that God is wanting you to cover because God is actually the one directing those prayers. The spirit is praying through you. Um but obviously you don't just pray in tonesues because you need to engage your mind as well.

You need to know what you're praying about and why. And you it needs to be a two-way communication where God is telling you things and you're responding. So the as Paul said both are valuable. I'll give you my own experience and and by the way I think this is a privilege and a practice and I think it it should be an expectation but we don't look at this as a test of salvation. Some people interpret it like well if I'm speaking in tonesues and I know I'm saved. Well, when you speak in tongues, that does show that God filled you with the Holy Ghost and you yielded for that.

That is the initial sign. But the ongoing evidence of the spirit in your life is the fruit of the spirit supremely love. So if you want to know, am I saved today? My question is, are you walking in the spirit? Are you bearing the fruit of the spirit? Are you living in love? Are you pursuing holiness? Those are the tests. Somebody could be doctrinally off track into heresy or somebody could be living in sin and no, they're not ready to meet God, but they could still still speak in tongues. And people say, "Well, how could how is that possible?" Well, the Bible does talk about the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet.

It also talks about the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. So, the way I would explain is this. Once God has given you the Holy Spirit, you've spoken in tongues, you have that ability in the spirit. And it's still the spirit guiding you, but you've learned to yield to that. But that doesn't mean all the other areas of your life are where they need to be. And this is somewhat speculative on my part, but um I think it may be true that when when you speak in tongues, somehow God is anointing your mind and in your brain, it comes out of your mouth.

Is it possible that that's stored in your brain as a memory? I think it's very possible. And so when the spirit of God moves upon you again, you may say the same phrase. And some have asked, well, they're always saying the same thing. That's not real. That's not really of God. I think it could be real of God, but stored in your mind. So when the spirit of God moves upon you again, it naturally activates that. That doesn't mean you'll always do that, but that means if you do, that would wouldn't mean it's not of God. However, that does open the idea that there could be a psychological explanation that something that was once given by God could be used when a person is not so in tune with the spirit of God.

I'm just throwing that as a thought. But the point is we shouldn't say, "Well, you got to speak in tonesues every day to be saved." Or if you do speak in tonesues, you are saved. Or um you know, I want everybody to speak in tonesues right now. I I don't think you should try to force that. It should be as the spirit gives utterance or you know you should really pray until you speak in tonesues that will know you're really praying. I think there's time I go back to Paul sometimes you just pray with your understanding and that's all you should do. Other times you speak in tonesues and that's what you should do.

And and I will close with this thought. So I received the Holy Spirit as a child. I spoke in tonesues. I remember that other people there they they bore witness. Um, that was December the the 10th, 1963, 10:25 p.m. Somebody was noticed and wrote down the time and told me. However, I did not speak in tongues throughout my childhood. But as a young adult, I remember I I was concerned. Why am I not speaking in tonesues? But thankfully, my parents never taught, well, you have to do that or you're not really saved. Um, so I never was fear of my salvation, but I just was wondering why can't I have this breakthrough?

I think that's sometimes common when somebody receives the Holy Spirit as a child. It really has to be renewed in their adult life. And so I made it a matter of prayer. Lord, give me that liberty. Lord, let me speak in tongues. I didn't make it as a, you know, as I was backsliden or desperate, but it was just became a prayer request. One day I was praying in the altar with someone very burdened interceding for them about their difficult situation and really pouring my heart out in intercessory prayer. Suddenly I just broke through speaking in tonesues and from that time till now I don't speak in tonesues every time I pray but many times in intense prayer especially praying for others uh or or in deep moments of worship it will just burst forth in tongues.

But at least in my case, I realize when I focus on myself and try to make it happen, it's that's not really the way to go. But when I forget about myself and I'm lost in God and especially when I have a burden for others, it seems like God will give an intercessory prayer directed towards know being in the will of God. And uh I remember in uh years ago in Hungary I ordained two young ministers and afterwards one came to me with this very I was teaching on the gifts of the spirit in a seminar and he told me that very thing I just shared you know I have I did speak in tongues I received the Holy Spirit but I haven't spoken in tongues since.

Am I does that mean I'm lost? I said no don't worry about that but you we just ordained you to ministry. I believe God wants to give you this liberty. So we prayed for him and he began speaking in tongues. the other young man came up and said, "I have the same issue." I said, "Well, you just saw what happened." And we prayed for him and he spoke in tongues. Uh they were from an independent background, but we were absorbing these people into our church and and we were teaching them and and so forth. So, um that was my experience. So, I find it very beneficial.

We shouldn't confuse it as a test of ultimate salvation or test of ultimate spirituality, but it should be a normal component of a mature Christian life.