Speaking in tongue: Whose tongues?

SPEAKING in tongues has become a controversial matter in Christendom these days.  Many questions have

been raised about its authenticity and different views have been expressed by Christians and non-Christians alike.

    While many Christians believed that speaking in tongues these days is fake, an act of showmanship by some so-called believers to give an impression that they are filled with the Holy Spirit in divergent tongues, others believe that the act is real and working wonders among faithful Christians.

  Another school of thought believe that there is nothing like speaking in tongues. This group made up predominantly of non-Christians are of the view that the practice was invented by Christians, especially some of the modern day pastors to deceive and extort money from the gullible public, especially miracle seekers.

  However, one sees it or whichever school of thought one belongs, the fact is  that the act of speaking in tongues whether fake or real has come to stay and has become an integral part of Christian practice.

  According to Christian doctrines, speaking in tongues has its origin on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples of Jesus Christ at Jerusalem after his ascension to heaven. After 50 days he sent the holy spirit to his disciples. As he promised his disciples. The Holy Spirit who is one of the members of the Trinity who would comfort and remind them of all the things Jesus did and taught them when he was with them.

  The prophecy according to the biblical account came to fulfilment on the Pentecost day. The most outstanding feature of the day according to Christian belief was the descent of the holy spirit, something that seems like a tongue of fire rested on every disciple present on that day.

  The most important outcome of the rain of the Holy Spirit was that it rested on every one of them like tongues of fire which prompted them to speak in different tongues and languages as the spirit gave utterance.

  The book of Acts of Apostles chapter 2:1-12 has it that while each of the believers spoke in different tongues the people that gathered, who witnessed the event were marvelled to the extent that they started to question themselves and said, “these men are from Galilea, how come that we hear them speaking in our local languages? The passage shows that they spoke in the language the people understood.

  The question at this point is, is  the same thing applicable in today churches? A visit to churches show that some are in the contrary. It is a common occurrence to see many worshipers speaking incoherently and in languages no one understands. Some teach their members how to speak in tongue, they will tell them “say after me”, their aim is to create the impression of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their churches.

  This practice is however unbiblical, given the directive in Corinthians 12:1 which explains that even though God gave diverse kinds of gifts to his sons and daughters on the last days, including speaking in tongues, it follows a laid down process. The process according to the bible stated clearly that wherever speaking in tongues is taking place, there must be an interpreter who would convey  the message of the prophecy to the congregation. Today, the case is different in many place they where people speak in tongues but no-body interprets it because whoever would interpret must have the gift of interpretation of tongues. The fact is that since the practice in most of our churches today are different from what the bible stipulated, most Christians are confused about its genuineness and authenticity

  Commenting on the issue, Rev Cyprain Maduabuchi  said that speaking in tongues is real and  biblical.

  In Acts of Apostle chapter 2 from 1-12 on the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus Christ were waiting in an upper room, when they heard of mighty wind, followed by what seemed like tongues of fire that rested upon everyone of them.  They began to speak in tongues as the spirit gave them utterances.

   “Based on these facts, which marked the beginning of Pentecost, I strongly believe that speaking in tongues is real till date”.

  The bible says they spoke as God gave them utterance which means it is divine and it is heavenly language.

  It takes somebody who is filled with the holy spirit and who has the gift of interpretation of tongues to understand the language.  According to St Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:10, you will discover that there are different kinds of gift of which interpretation of tongues is one of them.  If somebody is speaking in tongues another person who has the gift will be interpreting the tongues.  If you don't have the gift, you cannot understand.