1 Corinthians 12:28-30 “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (29) Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? (30) Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”
There are some in the church today that, because of not being able to rightly divide the word of truth in this area, teach that not everyone that is filled with the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues, and they invariably use the above quoted passage of scripture to propagate that erroneous teaching. In this passage of scripture the apostle Paul asks the question “are all apostles?”, and in the context of what Paul is teaching on, the answer is clearly “no, all are not apostles”, for in this passage the apostle Paul is teaching on the subject of ministry gifts, and only some in the body of Christ are appointed by God to stand in that office. In the same manner when Paul asks the question “do all speak in tongues?”, the answer is also clearly “no” because the tongues that Paul is referring to in this passage is the ministry gift of “varieties of tongues” and only some in the body of Christ are appointed by God to operate in this spiritual gift. The ministry gift of “varieties of tongues” however, is not the same as the gift of “other tongues” that is available to all believers that are baptised in the Holy Spirit, and this is where the teachers of error miss it, because they do not understand the spiritual truth that there are two distinct gifts of tongues recorded in scripture.
1 Corinthians 12:7-10 “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (8) for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit … (10) to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”
We need to learn to distinguish between the gift of “other tongues” which is given to every believer who is filled with the Spirit, and the spiritual gift called “different kinds of tongues” as mentioned in the passage of scripture quoted above. The spiritual gift called “different kinds of tongues” is not given to every believer. It is only given to those who are anointed by the Holy Spirit to speak out a message in a church gathering. This particular gift works in conjunction with the spiritual gift called the “interpretation of tongues”. One who has the gift of “different kinds of tongues” will at the same time, also have the gift of other tongues. The two languages will be completely different however. These individuals will be able to speak with “other tongues”, i.e. in their prayer language, at any time they choose, just as any other believer who is filled with the Spirit. The language of “different kinds of tongues” however, will only manifest itself through them when the Holy Spirit anoints them to bring a message to the church; otherwise they will not be able to speak in that language. One who speaks out in a church meeting in their normal prayer language of “other tongues” is not bringing a message from the Holy Spirit through the spiritual gift of “different kinds of tongues”. They are merely speaking out of their own spirit, and so one who tries to speak the interpretation of that tongue would not be speaking by the leading of the Holy Spirit because He never gave a message requiring interpretation in the first place. The Lord uses me in the gift of “different kinds of tongues” and I also speak in “other tongues” when I pray with my spirit. The two languages are completely different, and in fact from time to time the gift of “different kinds of tongues” also manifests itself in several varied languages. However, those languages are only ever manifested through me when the Holy Spirit comes upon me to speak out a message to the church. Those languages also manifest through me from time to time in my prayer closet, if and when the Holy Spirit has a word for me that He wants me to interpret.
Michael E.B. Maher
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