Dear People Who Keep Company With God,

Speaking in tongues was the first gift of the Holy Spirit given to the church and as the gospel went out from Jerusalem, so did tongues. The gift is woven throughout the Book of Acts. Paul was a big proponent of speaking in tongues and it accompanied his ministry (Acts 19:6). He testified that he personally spoke in tongues (I Cor. 14:18) and desired all believers to do likewise.

tongues photoA lot of folks use 1 Corinthians 14:19 as an argument against tongues. Paul said, “In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in a tongue.”  In other words, “Five words in English are of more value than ten thousand words in tongues.”

The five words he was referring to are words spoken in public church gatherings. For Paul, behind a few words of understanding were thousands of words spoken in tongues – privately. Tongues released wisdom and power on the words he later spoke with understanding. Paul was showing that tongues might not have much value publically unless they are interpreted, but the private use of tongues has a great indirect value.

In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul does bring some correction on using the gift, but instead of finding one reason for not speaking in tongues, we find many reasons for using the gift. Here are some of them.

  1. Tongues bypass our limited natural mind and give us a direct communication to God (I Cor. 14:2a).
  2. Tongues give you supernatural understanding (revelation) of God’s mysteries (I Cor. 14:2b).
  3. Tongues build up our own spiritual strength (I Cor. 14:4a).
  4. Tongues enable you to speak to others with grace, wisdom and power (I Cor. 14:5).
  5. Tongues help us to pray (I Cor. 14:15).
  6. Tongues are a very wonderful form of worship (I Cor. 14:15).

Medical Science is also discovering there are health benefits associated with speaking in tongues.

“Dr. Carl Peterson, M.D., conducted a study at Oral Roberts University.  Being a brain specialist, he was doing research on the relationship between the brain and speaking in tongues. He found that as we speak in tongues, the brain releases two chemical secretions that are directed into our immune systems giving 35 to 40 percent boost to the immune system. This promotes healing within our bodies. Amazingly, this secretion is triggered from a part of the brain that has no other apparent activity in humans.”

“Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania took brain images of five women while they spoke in tongues and found that their frontal lobes — the thinking, willful part of the brain through which people control what they do — were relatively quiet, as were the language centers. The regions involved in maintaining self-consciousness were active.

“The amazing thing was how the images supported people’s interpretation of what was happening,” said Dr. Andrew B. Newberg, leader of the study team. “The way they describe it, and what they believe, is that God is talking through them.”

“A recent study of nearly 1,000 evangelical Christians in England found that those who engaged in the practice were more emotionally stable than those who did not.”

God has given us a wonderful gift that can benefit us spiritually, physically and emotionally. It is no wonder the enemy has twisted it and brought such division around speaking in tongues.

Do yourself and those in your sphere of influence a big favor – privately pray in tongues as much as you can.

Many Blessings, BW

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