To pray in tongues, as relevant to our discussion in this blog post, is to pray in strange languages which are inspired by the holy spirit and understood by God alone.
Praying in tongues however from the scriptural evidence before us (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 28-30) , is not a distinct gift on its own. What the bible says as we would see in the scriptural reference that follows immediately after this explanation, is that anybody who speaks in tongue should pray that he may be given the interpretation, for when he prays in tongues, it is only his spirit that would be involved while his mind would not derive any fruit from the exercise. From the above scriptural fact, it is inferred that it is people who have the gift of speaking in tongues that have the tendency to pray in tongues.
Scriptural Reference
" That is why anybody who speaks in tongue should pray that he may be given the interpretation. For if I pray in tongue, my spirit may be praying but my mind derives no fruit from it. What then? I shall pray with the spirit but I shall pray with the mind as well. I shall sing praises with the spirit and shall sing praises with the mind as well. 1 Cor. 14:13-15
Prayer said in tongues in the church should be understood by both the person saying it and also by the other member of the church through the interpretation of the person saying it. The church is a gathering of the community of Gods people where everything done must be beneficial to the generality of the people. It is therefore a misconception and an abuse to think that the one who prays in tongues speaks in the language of angels and should not be understood by men.
Scriptural Reference
Otherwise, if you say your blessing only with the spirit, how is the the ordinary person going to answer "Amen" to your Thanksgiving without understanding what you are saying. You may be making your Thanksgiving well but the other person is not built up at all. 1 Cor. 14:16-17
No comments:
Post a Comment