Preamble:
For a while now (I mean months) I have come to love this religion forum. I have gotten a lot of my questions answered even without opening threads or making comments. I just read veraciously on interesting topics and make my deductions (after critically studying the bible), thus finding answers to my questions. Such questions/discussions are such that if i ask/discuss my pastors or other born again Christian friends, I may be tagged an anti-christ. But I don't care. On that judgement day na me and Baba God go see eyeball to eyeball.

Threads in religion section I believe are for those with one form of religion. Those without any religion do not necessarily need to come here as it should do them no good. This thread is opened by a Christian and I would not want those who are not Christians (and not willing become one) to make any comments whatsoever or derail this thread.

Main Issue:
They keep shouting in tongues every where i go . Whether during the day time (in churches) or at night when I am trying to sleep (night vigils at home) . Who are they? My fellow christians o! . But I am not against them speaking in tongues o because me sef I speak too.

Questions:
But what does the bible talk about speaking in tongues? Is it compulsory for all Christians to speak in tongues? Has it been bastardised like many other Christian virtues i know of? Must there always be an interpretation for every tongue spoken? If yes does it mean that those who usually speak without interpretation shout just shut up and let me sleep well at night ? How should tongue speaking be done?

Epilogue:
The above questions and more about tongues are what this thread seeks to address. So guys lets share our views. Please try to use biblical passages to back up your facts as i believe in the bible too.

my bro 1corinthians verse 14 go just answer this ur question,
The truth is when ever speaking in tongues was employed back then in d 1st century church interpretation was mandatory,
.why??Because the 1 speaking was to benefit d audience not himself, paul said if 1 speaks in tongues & what he is sayin is not understood by d audience then infact that individual is speakin to the air,
Upbuilding is the key word!!!,
Not every1 back then spoke in tongues,some spoke, others interpreted all for d benefit of the congregation,
But today u go see everybody dey speak in tongues in a church like barbarians without achievin a single thing with it,
The apostles spoke in different tongues to convey Gods word to those who culdnt understand d hebrew language, infact that is d main reason why the spirit of tongues was sent,
Christianity started with d jews but in other for that small number of christians to spread d goodnews to samaria,arabia,asia they had to speak d languages of those people
, how could they have accomplished this huge task if not for d holy spirit that enabled them speak in tongues(languages) that was not d hebrew language,
Ask d churches today what they accomplish wit speakin in useless unknown tongues that benefit nobody & neither themselves,
Why does some1 need to speak in a tongue when everybody in a gathering speaks & understands english?
Infact 1corinthians 13 tells us that those powers will & have actually ceased, and truthfully they have ceased because it is evident that all those speaking in tongues today just speak rubbish that benefits nobody, the christian cong has been fully established, we have a complete bible now in all existing languages in d world,
the christian church is no longer that infant it was in 33c.e but grown now, !!!!

^^^ nothing could be further from the truth. You should draw a distinction between "gift of the spirit" and "fruit of the spirit". Speaking in tongues is a FRUIT of the spirit therefor compulsory for Christians, anything less is choosing to live less than you've been called to.
In 1st Corinth 14 vs 15 Paul says "for i pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful" therefor understand that the interpretation of tongues is a gift of the spirit which he enjoins us to pray to have in verse 13 so we can "Exhort" the church if we choose to speak in tongues b4 it. For emphasis in verse 18 he says " I thank my God I speak in tongues more than ye all" Understand he does this when he prays alone and isn't exhorting anyone.
Further in Jude 1 vs 20 Paul urges brethren "but ye beloved, building up yourself on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost." now how will a Christian that can't speak in tongues build on his most holy faith? Its good to pray in your understanding, but it is much greater to pray in the spirit.

wesley80:

^^^ nothing could be further from the truth. You should draw a distinction between "gift of the spirit" and "fruit of the spirit". Speaking in tongues is a FRUIT of the spirit therefor compulsory for Christians, anything less is choosing to live less than you've been called to.
In 1st Corinth 14 vs 15 Paul says "for i pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful" therefor understand that the interpretation of tongues is a gift of the spirit which he enjoins us to pray to have in verse 13 so we can "Exhort" the church if we choose to speak in tongues b4 it. For emphasis in verse 18 he says " I thank my God I speak in tongues more than ye all" Understand he does this when he prays alone and isn't exhorting anyone.
Further in Jude 1 vs 20 Paul urges brethren "but ye beloved, building up yourself on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost." now how will a Christian that can't speak in tongues build on his most holy faith? Its good to pray in your understanding, but it is much greater to pray in the spirit.

So u think when d apostles spoke in tongues they spoke in the jagoons people speak today, i dey laugh ooo,
d apostles accomplished a lot with speaking in tongues(well known existing languages understood by people), They preached to d whole world @ there time with d help of the spirit by speakin in tongues(different languages)
And paul could speak in more tongues simply because he was a travelling overseer who traveled from country to country & needed to speak in d tongue of the countries he resided,
How have u or ur pastors used the speakin in tongues gift(as u claim u have it) in preaching to people of other nations??have u ever benefited ur next door neighbour thru ur speakin in tongues, NOOOOOO is d answer!!!, just saying gibberish to claim speakin in tongues is not what d apostles did, they spoke in clear languages other than d hebrew tongue they grew up with, they spoke in about more than 8 different tongues on d day of pentecost(languages they never dreamt of speakn)
, read acts 2:7-10, And many became believers by hearing the goodnews in there own language on that day of pentecost,
What has todays speakin in (tongues)gibberish accomplished other than noise & unrest?
If u cant upbuild d next person wit speakin in tongues or interprete then all shuld shut d hell up & look for other ways to upbuild others instead of saying shintarabajujujujujujtatatatatatatatahuhuhyayayaya, repeatin silly unreasonable,stereotype sounds over & over again, gosh!!!, sometin is wrong wit christians today,

My broda, I understand in our Christian walk there are lots of things we don't know simply cos we've not been taught. Buy pls have an open mind and be willing to learn.
There's a marked difference BW speaking in tongues and speaking in DIVERSE tongues. The latter is a GIFT of the spirit while the former is a FRUit of the spirit. Having the gift of diverse tongues is different from having the gift to understand Tongues, it means u can speak different languages as need be. It manifested in one of our pstrs in a crusade in Edo state where his sermon was being interpreted to the congregation but after sometime, he started speaking directly to the people in their own dialect rendering the interpreter redundant!
It is possible to understand tongues but you have to understand its a gift we can ask from God. Like Paul said in 1st Corinth 14:14 "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit, prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful". You DO NOT necessarily have to understand tongues.

@wesley
Can you give scripture to support speaking in tongues is a fruit of the spirit and not a gift? Also scripture to ascertain that all christians must speaking in tongues. And please don't come here quoting what your pastor said just give us bible based facts.

"DIVERSE" or "divers" simply means 'different' or 'various'.

There is nothing extra spritual about "DIVERSE" or "divers" tongues ------- it simply means different tongues or various tongues or different languages or various languages.

^^ nothing spiritual huh? so how many can u diverse tongues can u learn in a day? 1?

Pastor Kun:

@wesley
Can you give scripture to support speaking in tongues is a fruit of the spirit and not a gift? Also scripture to ascertain that all christians must speaking in tongues. And please don't come here quoting what your pastor said just give us bible based facts.

1st Corinth 14:13
One quick question; Do u believe the Holy Spirit is for all belivers and should dwell in us like it did in the early xtians on the day of Pentecost? Tanx.

Abeg Wesley, I am waiting for answers to my question.

^^
U done see am?

@wesley, please just critically read that 1corinthians 14 verses 6 to 10,
Just relax & rili read wat paul says,

6. Now suppose, brothers, I come to you and speak intongues, what good shall I do you if my speaking provides no revelation or knowledge or prophecy or instruction?

7. It is the same with an inanimate musical instrument.If it does not make any distinction between notes, how can one recognise what is being played on flute or lyre?

8. If the trumpet sounds a call which is unrecognisable, who is going to get ready for the attack?

9. It is the same with you: if you do not use your tongue to produce speech that can be readily understood, how can anyone know what you are saying? You will be talking to the air.

10. However many the languages used in the world, allof them use sound;

11. but if I do not understand the meaning of the sound, I am a barbarian to the person who is speaking, and the speaker is a barbarian to me.

12. So with you, as you are eager to have spiritual powers, aim to be rich in those which build up the community,
Todays speaking in tongues does nt build up,rather it adds to d nuisance in the society,
Like i said earlier there is no need to speak in tongues anymore, christianity has gone world wide in more than 500 languages, we all have d bible in our various languages so dat spirit of speakin in tongues isnt needed anymore, apostle said all those gifts will pass away but LOVE wil remain,
Today u see a world were people are egocentric,tribalistic,nationalistic,money loving and still say they speak in tongues,
Many today barely exhibit the fruitage of the spirit recorded in galatians 5:22-23 but claim to speak in tongues,
Even our thief thief politicians speak in tongues, lol, its madness,
Self sacrificing LOVE is what will mark 1 who has d holy spirit not speaking in tongues in this lastdays,, 1corinthians 13:8-13

no

@numo86
Maybe all you need is to understand the concept of speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is a spiritual thing and is a communication between our spirit and God's. In 1st Corinth 13 vs 1 Paul calls it 'the tongue of Angels'. It is a communication at a spiritual level which you should have no problem understanding if you actually realize that man is a Spirit being trapped in a Mortal body.
In 1st Corinth 14 vs 2 Paul says; 'for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God; for no man understandeth him (except those with d gift to do so) howbeit in the Spirit he speaks mysteries. Understand this; tongues isnt a language for mortal communication and thats exactly what the Apostle was alluding to in those verses you did well to quote. But isnt it indicative that in verse 18 of same chapter 14 Paul said; 'I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all'? And while writing to brethren in Jude 1:20 He enjoined them to 'build up on their most holy faith by praying in the holy Ghost? And finally in verse 39b he said 'forbid not to speak with tongues' so who was he referring to here? I believe its to those that think only a selected few ought to speak in tongues.

@ Wesley, Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

These i know are the fruits of the spirit. Speaking in tongues is not listed.

1st Corinth 12:1-12 . . . . . . To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will..

Speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit and He gives it to christians as He wills. So all Christians must not speak in tongues

^^^ nothing could be further from the truth. You should draw a distinction between "gift of the spirit" and "fruit of the spirit". Speaking in tongues is a FRUIT of the spirit therefor compulsory for Christians, anything less is choosing to live less than you've been called to.
In 1st Corinth 14 vs 15 Paul says "for i pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prayeth but my understanding is unfruitful" therefor understand that the interpretation of tongues is a gift of the spirit which he enjoins us to pray to have in verse 13 so we can "Exhort" the church if we choose to speak in tongues b4 it. For emphasis in verse 18 he says " I thank my God I speak in tongues more than ye all" Understand he does this when he prays alone and isn't exhorting anyone.
Further in Jude 1 vs 20 Paul urges brethren "but ye beloved, building up yourself on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost." now how will a Christian that can't speak in tongues build on his most holy faith? Its good to pray in your understanding, but it is much greater to pray in the spirit.

Poster the answer to your question is No: God is not a God of disorder.
Wesley base your faith on Bibilical references not interpretation of men.
1st Corinthians 14 va 26 -33


26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33[b] For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. [/b]

@Chiteny
Yeah, I knew someone would pick on those. But u should understand that what he listed in Gal 5:22-23 isnt an exhaustive list of the fruits of the spirit Just as those he listed from verse 19-23 are not an exhaustive list of the 'workings of the flesh'. Rather his list of fruits of the spirit are those that highlight the deep contrast with the workings of the flesh listed in verses 19-23, its very important u understand that.

1st Corinth 12:1-12 . . . . . . To another the working
of miracles; to another prophecy; to another
discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of
tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues: But all these worketh that one and the
selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will,
Speaking in tongues is a gift from the Holy Spirit
and He gives it to christians as He wills. So all
Christians must not speak in tongues

You dont sound like u have an open mind but i'll give u the benefit of doubt.
Now what did Paul actually mean by 'Divers kind of tongues'? For that I refer u to 1st Corinth 13:1a where he says 'though i speak with the tongues of men and angels', Please get the distinction. Tongues of men here refers to 'divers tongues' which rightly is a gift from God while tongues of Angels refers to speaking in tongues which is a fruit of the Spirit and not necessarily a gift. Paul could very well have listed 'speaking in unknown tongues' as a gift, but the distinction was well intended.

To the other part of your assertion and a most important one. Must everyone speak in tongues? Emphatically Yes!
I'll refer you to 1st Corinth chapt 14 vs 23
'if therefore the whole church be come together into one place and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are UNLEARNED, or UNBELIEVERS, will they not say that ye are mad'?
Putting this in context, you should recognize that this letter was written to the entire church in Corinth and from Paul's assertion above it shows that he believed everyone in church apart from the unlearned and unbelievers could speak in tongues and the only issue he had with them praying in tongues was when they chose to do so and not the act itself. In verse 22 he says
'wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe but to them that believe not , '
What sign? Speaking in tongues is an outward sign of the indwelling presence of God thru the Holy Ghost. In verse 39 of same chapter he says;
'covet to prophesy and forbid not to speak with tongues' (note he doesnt mention divers tongues)
  He clearly asks us to 'covet' ie desire to prophesy which is a gift God can give to us but when it comes to speaking in tongues, the instruction is different, ie dont forbid it or as the Living Bible puts it 'never say it is wrong to speak in tongues'. You do not have to covet it, it is yours for the taking!

@wesley, the apostles spoke in known & clear languages understood by people,
Didnt u read acts i quoted? How do u think peter was able to speak to a gentile like cornelius who didnt understand d hebrew languaged holy spirit enabled them to preach(speak in tongues) to deliver Gods message,
They upbuilt there audiences with d tongues they spoke,
Today noting is accomplished wit d tongues people speak,
All my immoral cousins speak in tongues,our governors who steal also speak in tongues,
Is that how Gods spirit works??
Those powers are so faded & u urself can testify to that, even when u speak in tongues u know its false, u urself know u just recite mixed up unknown words, i'v heard all d speaking in tongues in all d churches today & its all rubbish,
my cousin who attends winners told me how he had to fake it just to pass a holy ghost class b4 baptizin in d church,because d requirement for baptism was to speak in tongues 1st, He had to just say rubbish mixed words , and the olodo(sorry to say) who was officiating d holy ghost class marked him good & he qualified for baptism,
U see how useless this whole acclaimed speakin in tongues has becomeeven ashawo's speak in tongues,
All d tongues people claim to speak today is of no benefit to anybody,
1 corinthians 13:6-9 tells u those powers d apostles had @ 1st to declare d goodnews in different tongues are all faded, and faded they are!!!

^^ stop blabbing incoherently about a thing u know nothing about. Go and read your Bible, understand the topic u're trying to discuss before coming out to make claims and throw accusations. Tell me what Paul meant in 1st Corinth 14 ; 2? Explain that and prove there's a basis to continue this discussion with u.

I don't engage in speaking in tongues.

@WESLEY u r confused.read 1cor 14:1-end n not read wer it suits you.verse22 says tongues r 4 signs not to them that believe bt 2 them that believe not.23 says if d whole church gather together n every1 speak in tongues nd an unbelieva walks in wil he not say u piple r mad?.27 & 28 says if any an speak in an unknown tongue,let it b by 2 r @ most by 3,n that by course 1 should interprete BUT IF THERE B NO INTERPRETER LET HIM KEEP SILENT IN THE CHURCH;n let him speak to himself n God.n33 says 4 GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION,BT PEACE,AS IN ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE SAINT.

^^^U're joking right? Dont tell me you quoted those scriptures without actually knowing what they meant. Pls read them over again and this time pray that God grants you understanding.

U can't get of out this topic when you have English version of the bible at your disposal, everybody interpret to suit his argument. SAME GOES DURING CONGREGATION
IT TIME TO DEMAND FOR THE REAL BIBLE IN IT'S LANGUAGE OF ORIGIN, we then employ professors in languages to HELP US OUT. Aside it's a MERRY GO ROUND THING.

SOMEONE IS HIDING VITAL INFORMATION ON CHRIST AND IT'S FOLLOWER. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS ORIGINAL BIBLE IN IT'S LANGUAGE OF ORIGIN.

^^^ You have a point but I personally base my argument on the KJV which happens to be the closest English rendition to the original.

@wesley, oya make i ask u 1 personal question,
HOW many people u don convert to christianity by speaking in tongues
What have u personally achieved by speaking in tongues,
D apostles accomplished a lot with it ,what have modern day speakers of tongues accomplished with there's
Back then d apostles could boldly say that they had preached thru out d whole of judea,samaria & to d most distant part of d earth with the help of speaking in different tongues to there honest hearted audience,
What have u all accomplished with ona speaking in tongues today?,
If not just to make serious noise hear & there, blabbing over unknown words like a 1yr old kid who's learnin how to talk,
I confidently told u what my cousin experienced @ winners chapel just to get baptised,
After he told me that i called him a big "MUMU" , i also told my cousin to rate his pastor's head for not being able to know & detect that he(my cousin) spoke rubbish just to pass that class,and then finally i called every other person who thought they had spoken in tongues in that class "OLODO's", lol,
Imagine what he was told b4 he spoke d rubbish just to pass the speakin in tongues test, d pastor told him
"DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH, DO NOT SPEAK IN UR LOCAL DIALECT, just say incoherent words & then the holy ghost will take it up from there", (i believe thats what u were told too)
These are exactly d words he was told b4 he relunctantly spoke d rubbish & passed d class, And this same 5hit is what is been done in all d pentecostal churches who claim they speak in tongues
Do u see how spurious todays speakin tongues is!!!, does somebody need a mumu class to speak in tongues?is that how d holy spirit worksis that hw d apostles spoke in tongues!!!did they organise classes to teach people hw to speak in tonguesinfact shuld some1 be taught hw to speak in tongues
If d apostles spoke in tongues just like the 1's we see today i wonder how cornelius & all d gentiles would have embraced christ,
We dont have to speak in tongues today as a sign of d holy spirit in us, LOVE is what will identify true christianity & also d rest of d fruits of d holy spirit recorded in galatians 5:22&23,

i told u to read 1 corinthians 13:8-13
What will remain when d gift of speakin in tongues has faded away is FAITH,HOPE & LOVE, but the greatest is LOVE, shikena!!!,

@numo86
What you just wrote above is the simple christian truth, the koko of christianity which most church leaders ignore whilst they pursue their invented doctrines like compulsary speaking in tongues and tithing.

You guys have already made yr minds up so I doubt we'll get anywhere with this. Isnt it curious that u guys r yet to site any bible verse that backs your claims? Instead u're just drawing references from your cousins experience - shame!
I can go on and respond to yr questions to show how ridiculous they are but its obvious u're someone that doesnt know "jack" abt speaking in tongues. Your questions give u away. You sound terribly naive and I'm sori I dont have the time to put you through.

chiteny:


Questions:
But what does the bible talk about speaking in tongues? Is it compulsory for all Christians to speak in tongues? Has it been bastardised like many other Christian virtues i know of? Must there always be an interpretation for every tongue spoken? If yes does it mean that those who usually speak without interpretation shout just shut up and let me sleep well at night ? How should tongue speaking be done?

Speaking in tongues is biblical. It is a gift of the Spirit, and I believe the Holy Spirit still distributes this gift to people today. But 1 Corinthians 12 is clear that not all are given this gift of speaking in tongues. Futhermore, speaking in tongues is not for personal edification, it's for the edification of the whole body. There should be an interpreter, or at least the Holy Spirit will help some people understand what is being spoken.

So I do believe a lot of what people claim to be speaking in tongues is just gibberish. I'm not angry at them but I do hope God will open their eyes to the truth.

@wesley, how do u know u are speaking in tongues when u actually had to attend a holy ghost class to learn it,
what i wrote about hw people claim they speak in tongues should tell u how useless it has become today,
Winners,christ embassy,salvation ministries,redeem etc all do d same thing & say the same pattern of gibberish incohorent words & then claim they r speaking in tongues,
"SPEAK neither ENGLISH nor ur NATIVE DIALECT,just speak unknown words then d holy ghost will take it up from there"

is that not d nonsense all those who claim they speak in tongues are told?

numo86:

@wesley, oya make i ask u 1 personal question,
HOW many people u don convert to christianity by speaking in tongues
What have u personally achieved by speaking in tongues,
D apostles accomplished a lot with it ,what have modern day speakers of tongues accomplished with there's
Back then d apostles could boldly say that they had preached thru out d whole of judea,samaria & to d most distant part of d earth with the help of speaking in different tongues to there honest hearted audience,
What have u all accomplished with ona speaking in tongues today?,
If not just to make serious noise hear & there, blabbing over unknown words like a 1yr old kid who's learnin how to talk,
I confidently told u what my cousin experienced @ winners chapel just to get baptised,
After he told me that i called him a big "MUMU" , i also told my cousin to rate his pastor's head for not being able to know & detect that he(my cousin) spoke rubbish just to pass that class,and then finally i called every other person who thought they had spoken in tongues in that class "OLODO's", lol,
Imagine what he was told b4 he spoke d rubbish just to pass the speakin in tongues test, d pastor told him
"DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH, DO NOT SPEAK IN UR LOCAL DIALECT, just say incoherent words & then the holy ghost will take it up from there", (i believe thats what u were told too)
These are exactly d words he was told b4 he relunctantly spoke d rubbish & passed d class, And this same 5hit is what is been done in all d pentecostal churches who claim they speak in tongues
Do u see how spurious todays speakin tongues is!!!, does somebody need a mumu class to speak in tongues?is that how d holy spirit worksis that hw d apostles spoke in tongues!!!did they organise classes to teach people hw to speak in tonguesinfact shuld some1 be taught hw to speak in tongues
If d apostles spoke in tongues just like the 1's we see today i wonder how cornelius & all d gentiles would have embraced christ,
We dont have to speak in tongues today as a sign of d holy spirit in us, LOVE is what will identify true christianity & also d rest of d fruits of d holy spirit recorded in galatians 5:22&23,

i told u to read 1 corinthians 13:8-13
What will remain when d gift of speakin in tongues has faded away is FAITH,HOPE & LOVE, but the greatest is LOVE, shikena!!!,

Putting this up on facebook. Just made my day.

@wesley80

tongues = languages There is nothing spiritual in understanding that. If you speak 3 languages it means you can speak in three tongues. You can learn a language or God can give you the ability to speak a language which also means to speak in tongues.