FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29
Isaiah 28:11-12
Acts 2:1-12

You too should walk with God.

WHY TONGUES?

The tongues-speaking phenomenon at Pentecost has become the focal point of erroneous practices by the “Holy Spirit Renewal” or Charismatic movement. This pitfall can be largely avoided if attention is paid to careful study of the reason why tongues were spoken at Pentecost by the Apostles.

There are three occurrences of tongues-speaking explicitly recorded in the entire New Testament: in Acts 2, 10-11 and 19. In each of these three cases, God was opening the Gospel door to Gentiles for their admission to the infant Church as equals with the Jews. This was a historic event, particularly on the day of Pentecost, and the Jews had to be convinced that the acceptance of Gentiles was indeed the action of God and not man. To authenticate the message, God sent the miracle of tongues upon the Apostles at Pentecost, upon the Romans at the house of Cornelius, and upon the Gentile believers at Ephesus.

In each of these three instances, Jews were present to witness the miracle. At Pentecost the returned overseas Jews from a dozen different cities in the eastern Mediterranean region heard in their own languages “the wonderful works of God” (Acts 2:11). The Gospel message, as it were, was being broadcast in a dozen Gentile languages, “beamed” to those Gentile countries: “God has offered salvation to all the world! A new age of grace has dawned!”

This miraculous manifestation was to unlock the minds of converted Jews to the fact that, in Christ, all nations were included in God’s salvation. Such a stupendous miracle occurred only three times in the entire New Testament period (as far as the records show). Today the Charismatics claim to be speaking the tongues of Pentecost, but they speak no known language, only unintelligible sounds – “gibberish.” And they do it at any time, every time, as often as they fancy, and altogether, in concerto – a confused, chaotic cacophony of senseless sounds.

THOUGHT: Has biblical tongues-speaking been witnessed today?
PRAYER: Lord, help me always to praise Thee with my tongue.