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Ever since I was a young boy, I have found it strange. Not scary, just strange. Which is not a bad thing. Strange can be good. Strange is effective. Strange is still strange though. It is only with understanding and experience that that which is strange becomes accepted as normal.

When I was growing up, I went to a church where certain behaviors were, well... strange to me. We had attended churches like this all my life. I accepted it as the norm in my environment, but never embraced the strange as something for me. I didn't want to act as some of them did. I didn't want to be thought of by other people in the way I thought of them. I thought they were strange!


As I got older though and continued to follow Jesus, I had a desire to be obedient to His Word. And so, as an 8 year old I was baptized in water. Not the strangest thing, but still strange to the outside world, because in our American culture, baptism isn't what it was in Biblical cultures. I gained understanding about what it meant to be baptized, accepted it as a natural step in my commitment to follow Jesus, and obeyed. It was no longer strange to me.

The next few years rolled by and I kept after Jesus. I learned verses. Studied my Bible. Attended Sunday School faithfully. I had gold stars next to my name on a chart to prove it. But I continued to witness strange things in the services the adults would attend. I watched with careful eyes and took it all in. It wasn't for me. I wouldn't be like them. But I kept watching.

I compared what I saw in church to what I read in the scriptures. It was there that I made a startling discovery. I discovered that what I had witnessed as strange was quite the norm to the church found in Acts. The thing that was strangest to me had been embraced as a gift from God. A sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was to be the initial physical evidence of it.

Upon further study, I learned of the many benefits Christ followers may gain by operating in such a gift. However, as is the nature of a gift, one must receive it before you can use it. So I cautiously began to prepare my heart. "Do I seek it?" "If God gives me the gift, will I act as weird as the others I had seen?" I didn't want to act weird. I didn't want to jump and run and do cartwheels across the front of the church. I didn't want to shout and wail, shake or convulse, or fall over hoping someone would catch me as I fell down.

It happened though. At an evening service at church I tugged on my Momma's arm and asked with all the honesty of a child, "If God baptizes me in the Holy Spirit, do I have to act strange like they do?" My mother said with an approving smile, "No." That sealed the deal for me and when the Pastor asked if there were any prayer requests, my little hand shot up in the air. I was about 12 years old.

I don't know what they had planned for the service that evening. We had only sang a few songs thus far. But the Pastor called me to the front so he could pray with me. He called the Elders of the church to join him as he prayed. And God blessed my boldness that night with a gift. I had been baptized with the Holy Spirit and had spoken with an unknown tongue.

After the service was over, I remember walking to the car feeling, well, strange. Not in a bad way. But strange all the same. I felt charged up. Bold. Empowered. Strange was OK. And my Momma was right. I didn't fall over. I didn't convulse. I didn't run or flip. It was totally peaceful.

I have prayed and studied much on the subject of tongues since then. Oddly enough, there are so many people that are like me when I was 12. They are not opposed to the leading of Jesus to a place that is strange, but when they experience the strange, they need to feel like they can ask questions without being berated. They are looking for permission to be themselves while still allowing the Holy Spirit to express Himself through them - no matter which way He chooses.

Gifts of the Spirit are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues according to 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. To read over this list, no one finds any of them strange until you get to the last two. They can't believe it is what they have seen in churches or on TV from a televangelist. So when people tell me they think tongues are strange I just smile and nod understandingly. They are strange. Strange, but so beneficial.

It is called a gift because there are many benefits to speaking in tongues. However, an understanding of proper context is needed. Thankfully, we can look to the scriptures for such guidelines.

If you attend a Simple Church service where I pastor, you will not see or hear anyone acting strangely. It is not because we don't speak in tongues, we do. We believe tongues to be of great benefit. But we do not believe in glorifying the gift over the Giver of that gift. And like Paul, I would prefer to speak words others can hear, understand, and apply to their lives rather than to pray for hours in tongues during a service.

To wrap this post up, I've put together some thoughts accompanied by scriptures about the benefits and uses for tongues. I hope you find it helpful. It is structured as some steps to appreciating the gift of tongues.

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STEP 1 Realize that "speaking in tongues" was promised by Jesus and was to accompany belief: And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name ...; they will speak in new tongues; Mark 16:17 (Jesus).

STEP 2 Realize that it is the Holy Spirit which gives the words which you speak and not you yourself: And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4

STEP 3 Understand that when you speak in tongues you are talking to God: -- even though occasionally it may be understood by someone as a human language as it was at Pentecost. Its principle purpose is for talking to God. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:2
 
STEP 4 Use speaking in tongues to edify yourself or build yourself up spiritually. This is not a selfish thing, but rather the purpose is that when you are built up in the your spirit then you can build up or encourage others. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 1 Corinthians 14:4

STEP 5 Don't expect to understand what you are saying. You have control over the volume and the speed at which you speak but not the content, for example as prayer language: For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. 1 Corinthians14:14

STEP 6 When in private, use "speaking in tongues" as much as you can. Paul appreciated the benefit of speaking in tongues; that's why he said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:" 1 Corinthians 14:18

STEP 7 When in public it is much better to speak in the language of the region in order to benefit those you are speaking to. Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. 1 Corinthians 14:19

STEP 8 Understand that when you pray in tongues you give thanks well: and that you bless with the Spirit, but again it is meant for private use -- as it does not help others who can't understand what you're saying 1 Corinthians 14:16-17

STEP 9 Be assured that when you speak in tongues you're not saying anything bad about God or our Lord Jesus Christ: Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 12:3

STEP 10 Understand that speaking in tongues is defined as "praying in the Spirit":, and that we should pray both in the Spirit (tongues) and in the understanding (your natural language). 1 Corinthians 14:14-15

STEP 11 Pray in the Spirit (tongues) to build yourself up in your faith. Jude 20

STEP 12 Understand that praying in the Spirit is part of the armour of God: and we are told to put on the whole armour of God Ephesians 6:10, Ephesians 6:18

STEP 13 Understand that speaking in tongues was prophesied by Isaiah. Isaiah 28:11, 1 Corinthians14:21, Matthew 11:28-30

STEP 14 Understand what it means when the Bible says "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.": 1Corinthians14:22 This is not a contradiction to when Jesus said believers would speak in tongues as a sign. Think about what a sign is. Your home town may have a sign at the entry saying "Welcome to my town" and also local street signs to help you find your way around; this is very helpful for a first time visitor, but if you live there -- then you no longer need the sign -- because you know that you live there and know your way around. However, the signs remain, and you wouldn't want to take them down. This is similar to speaking in tongues. Once you know you have it, it is no longer a sign -- but for someone about to enter in, it is a sign.

STEP 15 Remember that when using speaking in tongues or even talking about it you should be aiming to edify others: and that it must be done in the context of love. 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians 13:1
STEP 16 Understand that there is a procedure for speaking in tongues in a church meeting: Don't all speak in tongues at once, but instead only up to 3 people can use speaking in tongues in any meeting and each one should then operate the manifestation of interpretation of tongues, given to us by God . Everything should be done decently and in order (with courtesy for example) and tongues should not be forbidden from meetings. 1 Corinthians 14:23-27 and 39-40

WARNINGS: Though tongues were glorifying God in the early church's meetings, Paul still said the explanation has to come along with tongues in the language of understanding so that the others can benefit: "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." 1 Corinthians 14:19

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I hope you find these steps helpful on your journey to understanding the gift of tongues. It is but one gift of many - all of which are worthy of your pursuit in prayer. I'm happy to take questions and answer them as best I can at Aaron@SimpleChurchOhio.com.