A False Gift Prov. 25:14 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
A man who boasts of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain – just as no rain results in a drought, so the man who boasts of a false gift is worthless – he gets all excited for nothing.
Today there is a lot of talk about tongues and healing. So, we will study the false gift of tongues.
Those who boast of speaking in tongues today are boasting of a false gift. We know their gift is false for the following reasons:
Not everyone saved evidenced his salvation or filling by the Spirit with tongues (1 Cor 12:30)
The initial evidence of the Spirit was not tongues (Acts 2:2) – it was a rushing mighty wind
The Bible has some rules for tongues and they will not be broken by the Spirit (1 Cor 14:27-34):
- At the most, only three people can speak in an unknown tongue in a single service – 27
- They must speak one at a time (by course) – 27
- One must interpret – 27
- Without an interpreter, he must keep silence in the church – 28
- Women cannot speak in an unknown tongue in the church – 34
Tongues are not a private prayer language (Rom 8:26) – when the Spirit makes intercession with us he does so with groanings which cannot be uttered – if you want to be private go into your closet Matt 6:6
If a man truly has the gift of tongues he doesn’t need and interpreter (Acts 2:8)
If a man needs an interpreter, then he doesn’t have the gift of tongues – he needs an interpreter because he cannot interpret what he is trying to say (1 Cor 14:13)
The tongues of 1 Cor 14:2 are languages which can be learned (1 Cor 14:16, 23) – that’s because tongues in the Bible are always languages (Acts 2:8-11 and 1 Cor 14:10)
Tongues are for a sign (1 Cor 14:22) and Jews require a sign (1 Cor 1:22) – that’s why speaking in tongues waned; the gospel went to the Gentiles.