PENTECOST WEEK (PART 11)
"Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" - 1 Corinthians 12:30 (KJV)
Today is Pentecost Sunday! Hallelujah! I want to thank and praise God for making good His promise to send us His Spirit.
Today's message is the continuation of the Part 10 of our devotional message published on the 26th of May 2023. You may visit our link: https://wordfortoday.netlify.app/, to have the full background thereof.
First of all, let us understand that the manifestation of the Spirit through the gift of tongues is peculiar to the New Testament dispensation only. Indeed, of all the nine gifts mentioned in 1 Cor 12:8-13 (Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of spirits, Diverse kinds of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues), only tongues and interpretation of tongues were NOT in operation in the Old Testament. This is to mean that tongues and interpretation of tongues have a special place for the believer in the New Testament era. It follows therefore that if you are a believer under the New Testament era and you don't function in tongues and interpretation of tongues, you'll be shortchanged because you'll function below capacity. This is the bitter truth!
Tongues by way of the manifestation of the Spirit is a crucial spiritual exercise for the New Testament believer. Part 10 of our devotional, above cited, contains reasons why we must speak in tongues.
One of the reasons why people don't speak in other tongues and don't delight in the gift of interpretation of tongues today is the false interpretation given to 1 Cor 12:30:
"Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" Many interpret this verse to excuse and exclude themselves from functioning in tongues.
Before Apostle Paul asked whether all spoke in tongues, etc, it's important that we get a background of what led to his questions. Actually, the Apostle had begun a discussion on ministry gifts (see 1 Cor 12:28-29). So, when he asked whether all spoke in tongues, etc, he was referring to tongues as a ministry gift. Basically, this verse is talking about believers in Church that are called to the prophet's office as ministry gifts through the diversity of tongues and interpretation of tongues. Now, do all stand in the prophets office with the ministry of diversity of tongues? Of course not!
""So don't take that question out of its scriptural context and conclude. It is readily apparent from this verse that not everyone will speak in tongues." This passage isn't talking about spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues given to individual people. No, it's talking about ministry gifts given to the Church. And in First Corinthians 12:30, it's talking about people called to the prophet's office as ministry gifts through the diversity of tongues and interpretation.” (Kenneth E Hagins, “Tongues: Beyond the Upper Room.”)
But tongues as a manifestation of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 12:13) must be spoken by every believer (Mk 16:17; Eph 6:17) for varied spiritual reasons, many of which are mentioned in Part 10 of our devotional, aforementioned. A Christian that doesn't speak in tongues in this New Testament era is like a man living under the Old Testament principles. He can't do well!
If for no other reason, we speak in tongues because tongues or rather, praying in the spirit constitute part of the Armoury of God mentioned in Eph 6:14-18; and God's command is:
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ... that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." - Ephesians 6:11-13 (KJV)
PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for baptizing me in the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues to function appropriately in my Christian walk. Amen.