What Good Is Speaking With Other Tongues?
Acts 2:1-5 – “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
FOR AS LONG AS I can remember, I have heard the question, and even asked the question myself, “What good is speaking with other tongues?”
I was saved when I was 5 years old and filled with Holy Spirit when I was 8, and, as many of you have heard this story, I was not really even seeking the baptism with the Holy Spirit for myself, but my younger brother, Matthew, was. He had determined in his mind that he was going to get it at the age of 7. Incidentally, he received the Holy Spirit when he was either 8 or 9 years old.
Anyway, I had gone down to the front to pray for Matthew, but the very moment that I began to pray for him, I immediately felt something stirring in my inner most being. I did not know exactly what it was, but I knew it was from the Lord.
At that very moment, my dad leaned down to me — I can remember his exact words — and he said, “Gabriel, the Holy Spirit is all over you. Open your mouth and yield your tongue.” That was all he said, and that is exactly what I did.
The moment I opened my mouth, it began to flow like a river, a river of living waters. I began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave the utterance. However, being freshly filled with the Spirit, and even going into my teenage years, I really did not know how important speaking with other tongues really was. Sadly, there are scores of believers today who know nothing of the Holy Spirit and really don’t understand how good it really is.
We are going to look at just some of the reasons as why it is so important, and what good it really is to speak with other tongues.
IT BRINGS ABOUT JOY
First of all, as we look into the value and importance of speaking with other tongues, we need not look any further than in Acts, Chapter 2. As we scroll through the text, we read about the Spirit of God falling upon those who were in the temple courtyard. Those individuals, however many there were that day, were baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave the utterance. People from all over the region began to hear the commotion, and would take notice of the languages that these unlearned individuals were speaking, with many coming to the simple conclusion that these people were drunk.
In Verse 15, Peter proclaimed, “For these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.” In reality, they were drunk, but not on any alcoholic beverage; they were drunk in the Holy Spirit.
The very first thing I want to mention is that the baptism with the Holy Spirit provides a joy unlike anything we would ever experience. It is the joy of the Lord. Anything, and I mean anything, that can bring about that much joy in the life of the believer is extremely beneficial and worthwhile. He brought about joy then, and He will bring about such joy now.
IT IS A DIRECT PIPELINE TO GOD
Secondly, speaking with other tongues is, what I like to refer to as, a direct pipeline to God. Paul would say in I Corinthians 14:2, “For he who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God.”
Paul puts it in crystal clear words: anyone, and that means anyone who is saved, is speaking not unto men, but unto God. This means that this is a direct pipeline unto God. Once again, I must state that anything designed by God to benefit us in this way — speaking directly to Him — is invaluable.
Life can be extremely stressful and can bring about things that no one would expect. So to have something like this — a direct pipeline to God — is of utmost importance and value. My friend, this is better than good, it’s fantastic!
I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve been at my wits’ end, but then, as I pray, I begin to speak with other tongues, and even though the situation is still in front of me, the Lord will give me the grace to get through that situation.
IT BRINGS ABOUT PERSONAL EDIFICATION
Third, this gift of speaking with other tongues brings about personal edification. Once again, we must go to the Bible and see what the Bible has to say about this. Paul would write in I Corinthians 14:4, “He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself.”
Every believer needs personal edification. The word edifies in the Greek means “to build,” and that is exactly what speaking in tongues does, it build us up, it strengthens us, and it helps us.
IT IS A SIGN TO UNBELIEVERS
Fourth, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a sign to the unbeliever that time is wrapping up. “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them who believe, but to them who believe not” (I Cor. 14:22).
Now, how in the world can this be possible when all those who are unbelievers know absolutely nothing about this great gift? Once again, as stated, that this gift is a sign to the world that we are living in the last of the last days. This means that whenever a person — whoever they might be and wherever they might be in the world — goes through to the mighty baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues, it will be a sign to inform the world that the Lord is wrapping things up.
IT BRINGS ABOUT A REST AND A REFRESHING
Last, but definitely not least, speaking with other tongues brings about rest and a refreshing. We must look at the Old Testament text of Isaiah 28:11-12, where the prophet would prophecy, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.” To whom He said, “This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest; and a refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
The “rest” spoken of here refers to the tiredness of this journey called life, and how that life itself can bring about exhaustion. Just as a car idles at a stoplight, speaking with other tongues causes us to stop and become idle, and rest from the journey. The “refreshing” refers to rejuvenation. As a runner becomes tired in his race, as soon as water is offered and partaken of, instantly there is a refreshing. It speaks of rejuvenation for the journey ahead.
A GIFT WORTH RECEIVING
All that I have addressed here is just a taste of how important it is for any believer to go through the mighty baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Without it, believers will never be able to make it through all that life will throw their way. It is an invaluable gift that God has given to us and if God has given it to us, then why are so many unwilling to receive this gift?
You may ask, “What good is speaking with other tongues?” What I have written explains just how good speaking with other tongues really is!
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