Why Pray in Tongues - part 2

Last week I indicated that we would look in the book of beginnings, Genesis, to see if we could gain any insight into the purpose behind praying in tongues.  There is a principle in studying the Word of God of letting scripture interpret scripture.  There is also what is know as the law of first mention.  This concept in studying is to go back to scripture to where something is first mentioned
in the Word of God to see how and why it was mentioned and to lay a foundation from that which was first mentioned.

Language was first mentioned in Genesis 11:1.  And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. (KJV)

When you read Genesis 10 you discover the descendants of Noah.  In Chapter 11 we are told the whole earth was of one language and of common purpose.  The command from God had been to fill the whole earth.  But we are told that Nimrod started a rebellion.  Rather than fill the whole earth when they came into the valley of Shiner they decided to settle there.  They begin to talk amongst themselves and said “Come let us make bricks and burn them in fire.”  With the bricks they were going to build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so they could make a name for themselves.  In verse 4 we see their purpose for building a city “lest we be dispersed across the whole earth.” This was in direct rebellion of what God had told them to do in Chapter 8:15-17.

Noah was alive at this time.  I wonder if he tried to persuade the people to not forget God.  Noah did not die until 10 years after the Dispersion.  In a nut shell the people could all speak one language and they came together with one purpose.  The purpose was in rebellion to the purpose of God, so He confounded the languages.  

What happens when a group of people come together in unity, speaking the  same language?

This is what God said, “Behold, they are one people with one language for all, and this they begin to do!  And now, should it not be withheld from them all they proposed to do?  Come, let us descend and there confuse their language, that they should not understand one another’s language.”

The languages were confused and the people scattered, thereby God’s word being fulfilled with the covenant He made with the earth. (Genesis 9:13) 

NOTE

1.  God confused the languages to scatter the people so His plan of making Him known would be fulfilled.

2. CHURCH IS BORN - God gives a language to build a church!  OH GLORY!

     

Ephesians 2:21  in whom(Jesus) the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:10 - so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Now what does this have to do with speaking in tongues? We are currently living in what is known as the church age.  We are living in a new dispensation.  Why would our God, King of  the universe ,need or desire to give us all one language - His language now? We are told in the New Testament that God is building His temple with lively stones.  Those lively stones are us. (1 Peter 2:4-10) 

 1 Corinthians 3: 9 …and you are God’s Field.  You are God’s building (NLT) 

How can He get us coming together with one purpose and with one language from all across the world, different backgrounds, different cultures?  I believe this is one of the purposes of praying in tongues - to unite us.  Uniting us by praying the language of heaven, given to us by the Holy Spirit, so that we can pray out His perfect will.  (Romans 8)

I also believe this is one of the reasons satan has fought people so hard in receiving this gift.  God spoiled satan’s plan by confounding the languages.  Satan would like to spoil God’s plan by bringing in  false teaching, confusion, lies, doubt, and unbelief over this special gift God sent to us on the day of Pentecost.  What does God’s word say?

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.  (Philippine 3:30 NLT)

We are now citizens of heaven and we as citizens of heaven have our own language-the language of heaven given to us by the Holy Spirit.  

What if we prayed in tongues everyday for 5 minutes a day?  Then that time increased to 10, 20, 30 minutes a day?  Paul Yongi Cho the pastor of the world’s largest church in South Korea is said to pray in tongues an hour everyday.  This man went from believing God for a bicycle to pastoring the world’s largest church.  I would say that was the work of the Holy Spirit!  Through words being released his steps were ordered to fulfill God’s plan for his life.  But not just God’s plan for his life.  Other people’s lives depended upon him fulfilling God’s plans.  Think about the many people in South Korea who have come to know Jesus through this ministry.  People who only knew of false gods.

ONE PURPOSE OF PRAYING IN TONGUES:  TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO SPEAK IN ONE LANGUAGE WITH ONE PURPOSE THE MIND OF JESUS CHRIST TO BRING FORTH THE BUILDING OF GOD’S TEMPLE, HIS CHURCH, HIS BODY, WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE.