Praying in Tongues: The Four Different Types of Tongues

1st Corinthians 12:27, 28: Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

The key of praying in tongues has been maligned much in the body of Christ. Things have come to the point where many, many churches now have by-laws declaring that tongues passed away with the apostles or they simply ignore the fact that the Bible mentions tongues at all. Why the shame-facedness about this gift of God? Why do we think that praying in tongues makes us look crazy or weird?

It is because tongues have been used in many weird ways by people who did not understand the different types of tongues and the rules that govern each one. The descriptions and operations of the diversities of tongues are not hidden. These things are clearly laid out in the Bible for anyone who wants to search them out.

In teaching on the four types of tongues, I really cannot do any better than this excerpt from Dave Roberson’s book, the Walk of the Spirit, the Walk of Power:

“Although many diversifications of tongues occur as the Spirit wills, four basic manifestations are outlined in the Word:

1. Tongues for personal edification (1 Cor. 14:4): This is the supernatural language the Holy Spirit prays through us that we can use to pray hour after hour as we desire. It accompanies the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
2. Tongues for interpretation (1 Cor. 14:5): This manifestation of tongues is normally presented in a public assembly, accompanied by interpretation by the same or another person.
3. Tongues of deep intercessional groanings (Rom.8:26): This diversification of tongues empowers the believers to stand in the gap for their own lives, their families, their church, their city, their nation, etc. God may also call on them to intercede for someone or for some situation that is totally unknown to them.
4. Tongues as a sign to the unbeliever (1 Cor. 14:22): This is the phenomenon that took place on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4-11). It occurs when the Holy Spirit transcends the intellect and all language barriers by empowering a believer to preach, teach, or testify about Christ in some language of men of which the believer himself
   has no knowledge.

The rules that govern the operation of tongues for personal edification are as different as night and day from the rules that govern tongues for interpretation. For that matter, the rules governing the deep intercessional groanings of the Spirit are completely different from either one of the other two manifestations of tongues. And the diversity of tongues that presents
itself as a sign to the unbeliever has very different rules from the other three!

Of these four different manifestations of tongues, two are designed to be used in the individual prayer life of a believer: tongues for personal edification and tongues that extend into the deep intercessional groanings of the Holy Spirit. The other two, tongues for interpretation and tongues as a sign to the unbeliever, are normally for use in public assembly. As a believer begins to understand and yield to these four different manifestations of the diversities of tongues, it will completely transform his life.”

When we are in a church service and a person is really feeling the presence of God and he or she begins to run around the building speaking in tongues at will, it doesn’t bless anyone because they are speaking in a tongue for their own personal edification, but no one else is being edified. Situations like that are exactly what the Corinthian church was going through. Things like that are what made Paul pen the book of Corinthians to sort everything out.

In the end he said, “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Cor 14:39, 40). Paul’s goal was not to run tongues out of the church, but to sort them out so that we could grow in Christ through the power of the Spirit and yet walk decently and in order.

More on tongues in the next post. You won’t believe how much there is to learn!

Grace and Peace to you,

Sade

Category: Worship