GIFTS OF PROPHECY AND TONGUES
Introduction: One of the more
humorous quirks of scientific history is the debate over who should be credited
for discovering oxygen. Joseph Priestley, an English scientist and clergyman is
often honored because he was the first to publish his findings in 1774.
Interestingly, Priestley originally called the gas "dephlogisticated
air."
However, in 1772, two years before Priestley's
finding, a Swedish chemist named Carl Scheele independently discovered the vital
gas for human existence. Strangely enough, the term oxygen didn't come into use
until 1775, when yet another chemist, Frenchman Antoine Lavoisier, discovered
and named the gas we breathe.
Lavoisier was the first to recognize
oxygen as one of our natural elements. Regardless of who gets the credit, it's
odd to think of a human being "discovering" oxygen. Does a fish
discover water? The truth is that oxygen surrounds us every day, and even if we
choose to call it "dephlogisticated air," we can't live without it.
The same is true of the Holy Spirit.[1]
Last week we looked at the third
person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, His nature and work in the life of a
believer. Please refer to the notes on my sermon blog. Today we will look at
two gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Gift of Prophecy and Tongues. I want to
address some confusion surrounding the Holy Spirit and these two gifts. We will
also look into their use both in personal and corporate worship. Gifts of
Prophecy And Tongues. I Corinthians 14:1-25
We must remember Paul's fundamental
teachings to the Corinthian church believers. The Holy Spirit gives all the
unique, ministry, and motivational gifts. You and I could do absolutely nothing
to earn them except desiring and asking God for them. The Holy Spirit decides
when and whom to give. We use these gifts to serve one another and build God's
Kingdom on the earth.
I.
CONFUSION SURROUNDING THE HOLY SPIRIT
These days we are confused over many
things. One such confusion is gender dysphoria. Some have a hard time
identifying who they actually are. To be sensitive to gender dysphoria, we use
pronouns to identify people and ourselves. In our interfaith Zoom meetings,
some clergy use pronouns such as he/him/they or she/her/they next to their
names. I write just my name.
Similarly, how do we address the
Holy Spirit? What gender does the Holy Spirit have? How do we call the Holy
Spirit? Can we call the Holy Spirit an "it," a "force," or
something else? What names does the Bible give to the Holy Spirit? How did
Jesus address the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is not a force or a
thing but a person. What is the Holy Spirit's gender? I know this may be hard
for feminists to accept, but the Holy Spirit is referred to as "He not as
She Biblical writers, including Jesus, addressed the Holy Spirit as
"He."
John 16: 13-15, "When the
Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will
not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will
tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you
whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is
why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me."
If Jesus called the Holy Spirit as He,
we are safe to address the Holy Spirit as He. The Biblical writers gave various
names to the Holy Spirit to describe his nature and work and to make us relate
and understand him better. Here are some names of the Holy Spirit:
1. The breath of the Almighty
(Job 33:4) The Holy Spirit is the life-giving breath of God. 2. Counselor,
Comforter (John 14:16, Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit comforts
us. 3. Eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14) 4. Good Spirit (Neh
9:20). God's good Spirit will teach and lead us in all that is good. 5. Lord
(2 Cor 3:16-17). Like Jesus and the Father, the Holy Spirit is worshipped
as the Lord. 6. Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
the Triune God. So, He is God. I Cor 2:11
II.
THE GIFT OF TONGUES (1-2)
I Cor 14:1-2, “Let love be your
highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit
gives—especially the ability to prophesy. For if you have the ability to speak
in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to
understand you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will
all be mysterious.”
The Apostle Paul addressed an
apparent misunderstanding over the gifts of prophecy and tongues in the
Corinthian Church. A similar misconception is present in several churches
today. I am not an expert on these matters, but I will share what I learned and
experienced with us.
We must always keep love as our
supreme goal in life. Along with love, we should also desire the unique gifts
or abilities that the Holy Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. How
do we understand this amazing gift of speaking in tongues or unknown languages?
There are two types of speaking in tongues. One is a known tongue (language)
the second one is unknown.
Let me explain. I Corinthians 12:10,
“Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, (various
tongues) NLT. Here, the unknown tongues represent a language unknown to the
speaker but may be known to the hearers, as in Acts chapter two.
Acts 2:1-14. On the Day of
Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave 120 disciples of Christ the remarkable ability
to speak other languages. If you count, over sixteen language groups were in
that place. Vs. 7, They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they
exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in
our own native languages!” As a result of this ability of the Holy
Spirit, the gospel was preached, and 3000 people got saved.
Paul referred to the other type as a
unique language unknown to the speaker and the listener. Therefore, this gift
of speaking in unknown tongues, especially in public worship, must be
accompanied by a gift of interpretation for everyone's benefit in the Church.
What is the purpose of this gift of
speaking in tongues (unknown language)? Vs. 4, “A person who speaks in tongues
is strengthened personally.” Paul refers to this unique ability as a prayer
language that a person uses to pray, praise, and thank God in their worship.
Vs. 13-15, “So anyone who speaks in
tongues should pray also for the ability to interpret what has been said. For
if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am
saying. Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the Spirit, and I will also
pray in words I understand. I will sing in the Spirit, and I will also sing in
words I understand.”
Praying or speaking in tongues (unknown
language) is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that we don’t
understand what we are saying when we pray in tongues. It is meant for you to
use in personal worship. The Holy Spirit prays on your behalf when you pray in
tongues. Romans 8:26, “And the
Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants
us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be
expressed in words. However, there was a problem in the Corinthian Church. Some
believers took this precious gift of speaking in tongues used it in public,
causing more confusion and disorder in worship. The emphasis here is Paul’s
correction of that disorderly worship.
What can we learn about the gift of
speaking in tongues? As with other gifts, it is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
Paul thanked God for the gift of speaking in tongues, and he used this gift
more than anyone else during his time. Paul wished all the believers spoke in
tongues and encouraged us to desire this gift of speaking in tongues.
As a young Christian, I earnestly prayed
to God to give me the gift of speaking in tongues. I thank God, He gave it to
me. I use it frequently during my worship and prayer times. Praying in tongues
strengthens my faith. I know some of you have this gift too. Having the gift of
tongues doesn’t make one superior, and not having it does not make one
inferior.
III.
THE GIFT OF PROPHECY
After encouraging the Corinthian Believers
to keep love as their highest goal, he urged them to desire special abilities
that the Spirit gives, especially the gift of prophecy. The Holy Spirit gave
some the ability to prophecy. Paul places prophecy higher and more significant
than the gift of tongues. Why? When someone speaks in tongues, they only
strengthen themselves.
One who prophesies strengthens
others, encourages them, and comforts them. That’s why Paul said, I Cor
14:18-19. “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you. But in a
church meeting, I would rather speak five understandable words to help others
than ten thousand words in an unknown language.” God reveals His plan and
purpose through the gift of prophecy.
We are talking about the Holy Spirit and His
gifts to the Church because of a prophecy. Joel 2:28-29, “Then after doing all
those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men
will see visions. In those days, I will pour out my Spirit even on servants,
men and women alike.”
This prophecy is being fulfilled in
our days. God is pouring out His Holy Spirit like never before. God is raising
another generation of young people who will take the remaining final frontiers with
the Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that our young men and women will
prophesy and do more extraordinary things for the Lord than we have ever done
with our lives.
I am praying for revival in Hope
Church. I firmly believe that God has not yet finished with us. Over the years,
He has equipped us with His Word, and we thank God for it. Let us not keep
these beautiful truths of the Bible for ourselves; let us share with others as
well.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus
from the dead, lives in us. As per the promise, all those who the Spirit of God
leads are children of God. If we are sons and daughters of God, we have some
work to do. We are to go out and bring more people into God’s Kingdom. Amen!
