Tongues (speaking from Heaven to earth)
& Interpretation

Though the misuse and unscriptural application of this gift have made many people nervous about its use, the fact is that it remains a gift, a valid charismata whereby the Lord expresses His love in tangible ways to (and through)  His people. 

Some members of the Body of Christ have the unique ability to receive messages from God, often in a public ministry setting, whereby the Spirit delivers a unique word to the body for the edification of the group as a whole. The message is not planned (and is most often just a few sentences long) but imparts the life of the Kingdom in a fresh way. 

(This is different than prophecy, too, for prophecy most often ministers person-to-person instead of person-to-group. And, prophecy is delivered in a person’s native language.)

The gift of tongues 

The gift of tongues is different from the “prayer language” of tongues. In the same way that many believers can pray for healing— and see results— I believe many believers can pray in tongues. Whereas praying in tongues largely involves us communicating to God (and Him talking back to us, of course), a message in tongues comes straight from Heaven only. 

As this is such a multi-faceted gift, we could easily invest multiple chapters on this gift alone. That said, let me provide you with a few “hangers” to help you remember this one: 

• Tongues is often misused, but that doesn’t negate the validity of the gift. 
• Tongues remains a valid gift today— it didn’t “pass away” at some point in the past.
• Tongues has many expressions— including a prayer language (1 Corinthians 14), speaking in other languages (Acts 2), and direct messages from Heaven (perhaps Acts 10).

Whereas I can pray in tongues, I’ve never communicated in a foreign language apart from years of study (and even then my skill level was horrible). And I’ve never spoken in tongues in a public ministry setting like Paul seems to mention in this passage.

Often, you’ll see that leaders with ministry offices— particularly equippers such as apostles and prophets— function at a high level with this gift. However, having a ministry office is not required for this gift. Many intercessors regularly share this gift with the Body of Christ. 

Paul warned Corinth about their use of this gift, as they exercised it in a disruptive and dis-unifying way (1 Corinthians 14). Not only do the gifts exalt Jesus, they also connect us to each other when used properly. 

The gift of interpretation 

Some members of the Body of Christ have the ability, given by God, to communicate these messages of tongues to the church!

A message given in tongues in a public venue should always be interpreted. This message will most often not be a “word for word” translation of what was spoken, but a paraphrase— something that gives the “general sense” or “feel” of what was imparted to the congregation (it's an interpretation, not a translation).

And, since a message in tongues comes from Heaven to earth, it will most often be something God wishes to communicate to us— not something we are communicating to Him. The message generally imparts identity (who we are), destiny (where we’re headed), and hope (that we’ll make it there). 

Words have power to bless. Even if we don't have the identical words translated (as in translating from Spanish to English), the declaration of the Spirit, through the voice of a human, carries power to touch our spirits. Now, this interpretation (not translation) awakens our hearts and minds to what was delivered to us!

I’ve been in church services before when a pastor or other leader says, “Pray in the Spirit!” 

Or, “If you have a prayer language, use it now.”

In my opinion, that’s not the time and place for the exercise of this gift. Paul even eludes to this (1 Corinthians 14:5-6). He tells us that “outsiders” who see this will likely think we’re out of our minds (14:23). 

Paul reminds us that everything should be done “decently and in order” (14:40). 

Notably, the context of this statement is during his teaching about tongues. Further, Paul applauded the Berean church, as they were the ones who searched the Scriptures to see if they were being taught the truth (Acts 17:11). 

Sure, there is a time and place for everything. In general, a public ministry setting is not the time and place for the use of tongues unless an interpreter is present.