Speaking in Tongues and Having The Ability to Interpret Them

[Lacrimosa1995]

It was only less than two weeks ago when I started to speak in tongues during prayer (a President of a Christian university was praying over us at an event I was attending with one of my pastors and sister from my church). Since then, I talk in tongues during prayer (with a mix of English of course) and I also find myself translating and agreeing with what I say). Do I have the gift of tongues, gift of interpretation, or the gift of prophesy? Is it a combination? I pray a minimum of 10 times a day to a number that I forget! I don’t use this gift/these gifts to attract attention to myself. I use them so I can talk to the Lord and hopefully I can use them in front of non-believers to make them question themselves and their lack of belief. Does anyone else deal with this? I’m 25, I was saved and born-again 3 years ago, and I’m just not sure why I was given these gifts. Of course the Lord knows why He gave them to me, but what I think I’m trying to say is that I would like to ask for advice and similar experiences from other Christians. I hope you’re all enjoying a blessed day.

 

[Lacrimosa1995]

I just realized there is a sub-forum called Sign Gifts as stated in the Spiritual Gifts forum. I was unaware that this topic had to be posted there, so if any admin or moderator sees this, please move it to the appropriate location. Thank you, and my apologies in advance.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Hi there,

First off welcome to CF...

This is a lovely gift to have - when ever you get a gift, always ask for wisdom in it's operation.

Prophesy is a seperate gift.

There are several types of tongues, some for translation, some for personal edification, some for rebuke.

There are many opinions about what is appropriate, but for me I feel the tongue for translation is the only one given for public proclamation as a sign to unbelievers. The others are for personal prayer and warfare.

The main reason for the gift is for personal prayer as the Holy Spirit is able to express the Heart of the Father through you in ways not possible in your mother tongue.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

It was only less than two weeks ago when I started to speak in tongues during prayer (a President of a Christian university was praying over us at an event I was attending with one of my pastors and sister from my church). Since then, I talk in tongues during prayer (with a mix of English of course) and I also find myself translating and agreeing with what I say). Do I have the gift of tongues, gift of interpretation, or the gift of prophesy? Is it a combination? I pray a minimum of 10 times a day to a number that I forget! I don’t use this gift/these gifts to attract attention to myself. I use them so I can talk to the Lord and hopefully I can use them in front of non-believers to make them question themselves and their lack of belief. Does anyone else deal with this? I’m 25, I was saved and born-again 3 years ago, and I’m just not sure why I was given these gifts. Of course the Lord knows why He gave them to me, but what I think I’m trying to say is that I would like to ask for advice and similar experiences from other Christians. I hope you’re all enjoying a blessed day.

The gift of interpretation of tongues and prophecy is for use in plenary fellowship meetings.

When a person is praying in tongues in his private room, he is speaking directly to God. He doesn't need an interpretation of what he is saying to God, because he is speaking mysteries in the Spirit to God (1 Corinthians 14:2).

The evidence that you have a genuine gift of tongues for use in fellowship meetings is that you can speak out a message in tongues, and someone else in the meeting interprets it. Or if you have the gift of interpretation of tongues, then if someone else speaks out in tongues, you are then prophetically inspired to give the interpretation as it comes to you.

Interpretation of tongues is not translation. The tongue could be an intercession for the prophetic word to come forth in the meeting, and others a prompted to give prophetic words which are responses to the tongues intercession. That's why there can be more than one interpretation of a single message in tongues.

But why would you want to interpret your own tongue prayer in your private prayer room? And why would you want to prophesy to yourself? If you want to express yourself to God in English, you can do that as well as pray in tongues. That's what Paul said: "I pray with the Spirit, and I pray with the understanding". I do both. When I pray in tongues for a while, I find that when I change to English I have better expression to say what I want to say to the Lord.

 

[Carl Emerson]

But why would you want to interpret your own tongue prayer in your private prayer room? And why would you want to prophesy to yourself? If you want to express yourself to God in English, you can do that as well as pray in tongues. That's what Paul said: "I pray with the Spirit, and I pray with the understanding". I do both. When I pray in tongues for a while, I find that when I change to English I have better expression to say what I want to say to the Lord.

Maybe we have different tongue gifts.

There are times tongues pour out of me expressing way beyond my capacity in English.
Often it is when I first wake in the morning and feeling under oppression - then the spiritual atmosphere clears pretty quick.

 

[tturt]

Since believers are the church, God uses the manifestation of the spiritual gifts whenever and wherever He wants.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Since believers are the church, God uses the manifestation of the spiritual gifts whenever and wherever He wants.

If there was no self control factor - How could Paul ask some to exercise their gift at home?

 

[ARBITER01]

It was only less than two weeks ago when I started to speak in tongues during prayer (a President of a Christian university was praying over us at an event I was attending with one of my pastors and sister from my church). Since then, I talk in tongues during prayer (with a mix of English of course) and I also find myself translating and agreeing with what I say). Do I have the gift of tongues, gift of interpretation, or the gift of prophesy? Is it a combination? I pray a minimum of 10 times a day to a number that I forget! I don’t use this gift/these gifts to attract attention to myself. I use them so I can talk to the Lord and hopefully I can use them in front of non-believers to make them question themselves and their lack of belief. Does anyone else deal with this? I’m 25, I was saved and born-again 3 years ago, and I’m just not sure why I was given these gifts. Of course the Lord knows why He gave them to me, but what I think I’m trying to say is that I would like to ask for advice and similar experiences from other Christians. I hope you’re all enjoying a blessed day.

The first 3 gifts of The Holy Spirit are the Inspiration gifts, which are: Tongues, Interpretation, and Prophesying.

Each one of these gifts can be stepped out in our personal faith to be operated by our human spirit, so it is possible to have the gift of tongues also interpreted during prayer if GOD grants the use of the gift that way. It's a rare use of that particular gift, where we normally only see it in operation in the corporate setting interpreting a corporate tongues message, but there are some complexities in the gifts.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

The first 3 gifts of The Holy Spirit are the Inspiration gifts, which are: Tongues, Interpretation, and Prophesying.

Each one of these gifts can be stepped out in our personal faith to be operated by our human spirit, so it is possible to have the gift of tongues also interpreted during prayer if GOD grants the use of the gift that way. It's a rare use of that particular gift, where we normally only see it in operation in the corporate setting interpreting a corporate tongues message, but there are some complexities in the gifts.

Of course personal interpretation of tongues during private prayer is possible, but no probable, because there is no precedent for it in the New Testament either in teaching or practice. The only place where interpretation of tongues is dealt with is in the public meeting environment. Nothing is mentioned about personal tongues in the private prayer room being interpreted. We need to be careful about reading into Scripture that isn't there. Just because we might think it is possible and might be tempted to experiment, it doesn't mean that any interpretation is anything more than dreamed up stuff from the flesh.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Of course personal interpretation of tongues during private prayer is possible, but no probable, because there is no precedent for it in the New Testament either in teaching or practice. The only place where interpretation of tongues is dealt with is in the public meeting environment. Nothing is mentioned about personal tongues in the private prayer room being interpreted. We need to be careful about reading into Scripture that isn't there. Just because we might think it is possible and might be tempted to experiment, it doesn't mean that any interpretation is anything more than dreamed up stuff from the flesh.

Agree... and it seems those who exercised tongues that were not being interpreted were asked to cease exercising that gift in public.

 

[ARBITER01]

Of course personal interpretation of tongues during private prayer is possible, but no probable, because there is no precedent for it in the New Testament either in teaching or practice. The only place where interpretation of tongues is dealt with is in the public meeting environment. Nothing is mentioned about personal tongues in the private prayer room being interpreted. We need to be careful about reading into Scripture that isn't there. Just because we might think it is possible and might be tempted to experiment, it doesn't mean that any interpretation is anything more than dreamed up stuff from the flesh.

Well let's take a look at it to see if the "precedent" is corporate use only as you say,...

1Co 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
1Co 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1Co 14:16 Else if thou bless with the spirit, how shall he that filleth the place of the unlearned say the Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest?

Notice the two events, praying with the spirit and praying with the understanding. If we are praying, we are not talking about the corporate speaking in tongues, we are talking about our personal speech to GOD only. We are to go into our prayer closet and pray to GOD secretly, not in front of people.

Next he changes the subject into singing with the spirit, which would then be useful in the corporate environment. I have seen both singing in tongues with the accompanying singing in interpreting tongues at out church, which does edify the corporate setting,.... but we would not see a corporate praying in tongues by The Spirit, because that would only arise out of our own human spirit if done in that setting, and it would be wrong.

Again, our praying by the spirit is to GOD secretly, not in front of people. With that type of praying, there could/should be interpreting happening also,.... as scripture says.

 

[Carl Emerson]

My understanding of what is recommended in 1 Cor 14:15 is tongues with interpretation. This is either spoken or sung. I have no issue with this.

What I have issue with is tongues spoken or sung in a public setting with no interpretation.

This is forbidden by Paul in 1 Cor 14:28.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Agree... and it seems those who exercised tongues that were not being interpreted were asked to cease exercising that gift in public.

That's fair enough. Complies with Paul's instructions.

 

[tturt]

Could you posts the Scripture that says God never gives the interpretation of private prayer language?

Tongues have to be spoken to be a sign. (I Cor 14:22) "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God." I Cor 14 So there will be times when there's no interpretation.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Could you posts the Scripture that says God never gives the interpretation of private prayer language?

Tongues have to be spoken to be a sign. (I Cor 14:22) "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God." I Cor 14 So there will be times when there's no interpretation.

Because the tongue being uttered is for private edification, a private prayer language that has no public message.

 

[tturt]

If God wants us to know what's being said whether it's private or public environment, He can tell us.

 

[Francis Drake]

Or,... it could provide an additional form of edification in our prayer life beyond just tongues. That would certainly be valuable.

There are times in prayer that I've been shocked at the words which came from my mouth, but at the same time knowing they were from the spirit.

 

[ARBITER01]

There are times in prayer that I've been shocked at the words which came from my mouth, but at the same time knowing they were from the spirit.

I take it that the interpretation gift has operated during your prayer times?

 

[Carl Emerson]

I can see that He might by way of encouragement give a personal interpretation of a private prayer language to assure us that we are not just uttering nonsense...

 

[Francis Drake]

I take it that the interpretation gift has operated during your prayer times?

Haha, you got me there!
My wife has the gift of interpretation far more that I do, although I tend to get visions when in tongues, and that directs my understanding.

My argument is based in principles more than personal experience, and I hate seeing silly religious shackles being thrown at people.

In regards to what the scriptures leave out, for decades I have moved extensively in tongues for warfare, by which I mean directly confronting the powers and principalities rather than asking God. In warfare, my human mind is not equipped to grasp what's going on in the spiritual realm, whereas my spirit is closely connected to the Lord.
Attacking the enemy in vociferous tongues of war is very effective.