The Gift of Tongues Kathryn Kuhlman

You guessed it. Today is another old -fashioned heart -to -heart talk. You knew it. You were so sure that you promised your husband that you would take down a few little notes so you could tell him tonight when he got home from work just what I said. All right. Here we are in the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians. And this is the chapter that is really the basic chapter on tongues. More is said about tongues in this one chapter than any other place in the entire Word of God. I want you to sit there with an open heart and open mind today. Whether you believe in speaking in an unknown tongue or not, regardless of what your theology may be along this line, and I'm well aware of the fact that we have many ministers who will be listening in, I ask you to just sit there with an open heart and open mind and let the Holy Spirit Be our teacher. It's just that simple. Regardless of what you were taught in seminary, regardless of what your church as an organization or as an institution may teach, may believe, remember, if the Bible says one thing, the Bible teaches one thing, and you have been taught something contrary, To what the Bible says, the Bible is right because it is the very word of God. Now when it comes to this thing of speaking in an unknown tongue, it isn't what I think. It's what the Bible teaches. And I have got to believe that there is such a thing. Because I believe the word of God. Not because somebody else says so. If I had never heard a single person in my whole life speak in an unknown tongue, I would still have to accept the fact that there is such an experience because the Bible says so. And it's just like that. Now, before we go into the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians, somebody will say, where in the New Testament do we read about the gift of tongues? And, of course, the mind goes properly to the first reference in the Acts of the Apostles. And we read that on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit appeared, even as Jesus said that he would. He came exactly as Jesus said he would come. Jesus told them that the Holy Spirit would come, that he would send the Holy Spirit. He said, it is expedient for you that I go away. It isn't optional, even though I might like to stay. Jesus said, it is necessary that I go away. Because after I have reached glory and am in position of great high priest, I will send the Holy Spirit unto you. And he told them to tarry. He told them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And they believed his word. And they were doing exactly that. 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 a rushing mighty wind. And it filled all the house where they were sitting. I like that part. Where they were sitting. They were waiting. They believed what Jesus had promised. They believed what Jesus had told them. And they didn't leave. They were right there sitting and waiting. Oh, you can depend on his word. He'll keep it. When he tells you to wait, wait. He'll keep his word. you can stake your very life on it and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire and it sat upon each of them they had never seen anything like it in their life before imagine what they experienced i do not believe that it was one of fright i believe it was an experience of They knew something glorious was going to happen. They were sure of it. They were waiting for it. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And they were dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews, devout men. out of every nation under heaven now when this was noised abroad the multitude came together and were confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own language and they were all amazed and marbled saying one to another behold Are not all these which speak Galileans? How hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born? All right. That's the first time that we have any knowledge that anyone ever spoke. In an unknown tongue. Now go on in the history. In the Acts of the Apostles once more. To the 10th chapter. Where we find the wonderful story of Peter in the house of Cornelius. When the spirit fell. It is said that they received the gift of tongues. Now go a little further. In the 19th chapter. The account of Paul's coming to Ephesus. And when he came to Ephesus, he found there a group of the disciples. And he knew immediately that they were lacking something. He said to them, Had ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And you know, there's something about a spirit -filled person and a Christian who is not spirit -filled. There's just something about it. Now, I'm talking about born again men and women. I'm talking about those who have received experience, the new birth experience. And yet, there is something different about a Christian who has been filled with the Spirit and a Christian who has not. had this wonderful experience. And evidently, when Paul got to Ephesus and he found this group of disciples, he sensed that there was something lacking in their lives. And he said to them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believed? It's a very natural question. And they said, Nay. We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Ghost was given. Oh, sure, they'd been baptized into John's baptism. They'd been baptized in water. They knew what that baptism was, but when it came to the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they didn't know what he was talking about. They had never heard of the experience. They said, we did not so much as hear whether the Holy Ghost was given. And then when Paul expounded the truth and led them beyond the preaching of Apollos, who had led them to a certain stage, then we're told the spirit fell upon them and they received the gift of tongues. It was so simple. Now, there can be no question. that whatever it was and whatever it meant, it was a positive gift. It was a positive experience. The new birth experience and the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not one and the same. The new birth experience, the experience of regeneration, is separate and apart. from the experience of being filled with the Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is given for one purpose. And that one purpose is power for service. And the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, has nothing to do whatsoever with your experience of regeneration. The Holy Spirit has a part. in your experience of regeneration, the new birth experience, because he is the mighty convicting power of the Trinity. He will guide you into all truth, the word said. No man cometh unto Jesus of himself. Oh, the Holy Spirit is so important in the life of every man. and every woman. This experience was something that was definite. It was a positive, a definite experience. And the speaking in an unknown tongue was a positive gift. The gift of tongues was bestowed upon certain. Members in the early church? I'm not quite sure that everyone in the early church was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Bible doesn't say so. I do know that in the upper room, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. But now watch. Somebody says, all right. The Bible clearly teaches they were all filled on the day of Pentecost. And it's true, the scripture that you give, that they were filled in Ephesus when Paul came. Everything that you have given in the scripture, that wonderful story of Peter in the house of Cornelius, that's all acceptable. But what about today? Now, somehow I have a feeling that the Holy Spirit knew that there would be those who'd be skeptical today. I just started to have a feeling that he knows human nature better than we do. That is the reason he made it so positive. so clear. As the Holy Spirit spoke through Peter, and I read from the second chapter of Peter, the 38th verse, then Peter said unto them, repent, that's the new birth experience, and be baptized. baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, here comes your water baptism. But don't stop there. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Don't stop there. For the promise is unto you and to your children. And to all that are of far off. And he looked through the telescope of time to this very generation in which you and I are living. To all that are of far off. Don't stop there. Even as many as the Lord our God. God shall call. And if you have been called to be a Christian, then this promise is unto you. If you are a member of the body of Christ, if you are a member of his church, then this promise is unto you. And just think what you've been missing. All of the years. Because your eyesight was so dim. Because you just didn't understand. Now. We come back. To the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians. Notice what the apostle teaches here. In verse 2 we read and. You remember I left your home, our last little heart -to -heart talk, with that first verse. We made it very clear that we're to follow after love before anything else. He made that very clear before he went into this discussion of the speaking in an unknown tongue. Before he said one thing about tongues, he said follow after love. desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. And from this that we see that the most important gift is the gift of prophecy. Now continue. Are you still with me? Oh, you wouldn't leave for anything right now, right in the middle of this. Oh, I just pray the Holy Spirit will make this real to your heart. It's so simple. And the experience is so wonderful. It's not a struggle. It's a gift. It is something that's yours. And you just haven't reached out and take that which he wants you to have. Now in verse 2 of the 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians, we read this. For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. Verse 28, we read this. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church. And let him speak to himself and to God. Why? Because unless there was an interpreter, no one could understand what he was saying. For instance, when I went to Sweden, think what it would have been like. Think how useless my preaching would have been. If... when the great arena was filled with 10 ,000 people, I would have come in. I would have stood before the packed arena. I could have preached my heart out. I could have lifted Jesus up in all of his beauty and loveliness. And yet, those precious Scandinavians not being able to understand one thing that I was saying, my preaching would not have meant a thing to them. They would have left the greater arena and would have said, what did she say? Did you understand what she said? And another would have said, no, because I don't understand English. And she's from America. I didn't understand because I can't understand one word of English. You see, beloved, that was the reason I had to have an interpreter. That's the reason Mattson Bosé stood by my side. And as I would preach, then he would give the interpretation. And as he gave the interpretation, then those folks sitting in the great arena could understand what I was saying. And then when I gave an altar call, here they would come. That's exactly what the scripture means. For he that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself. and to God. This is the first great truth to be remembered, that the gift of tongues was for addressing God. It was not for addressing man. It was never given in order that men might preach. To put it quite simply, in our everyday language, it was given to men that they might praise. All these voices, these tongues, were utterances of glorious gladness. Adoration, praise, tongues were given, and they are given today to be used in addressing God, in worshiping, in adoring Jesus. He that speaketh in a tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God, for no man understandeth. I would have you all speak with tongues, Paul says, but rather that ye should prophesy. And greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except. Get this, except he interpret. The tongues need interpretation in order to be understood. I have given you the word of God. Thus saith the Lord.