Speaking in Tongues

In this Pastors Choice message, Pastor Tyler Lynde takes on one of the most misunderstood and debated gifts of the Holy Spirit: speaking in tongues. Rather than letting fear, hype, mockery, or past church experiences shape the conversation, Tyler turns to 1 Corinthians 14 and lets Scripture set the tone. Paul’s teaching gives a balanced framework: personal tongues is prayer to God that builds up the believer, while public tongues must be interpreted so the church can be strengthened. Above every gift, love remains the true measure of spiritual maturity.

Tyler also shares personally about a season nearly 25 years ago when a complete nervous breakdown left him unable to think clearly, read Scripture normally, drive, play with his children, or carry on ordinary conversations. In that place of mental and emotional exhaustion, praying in tongues became a lifeline. It allowed him to remain in communion with God when his mind had no words left to offer. That testimony gives a deeply pastoral lens to the topic, showing tongues not as a spiritual status symbol or strange spectacle, but as a gift that can sustain prayer, praise, and connection with God in moments of weakness.

From there, Tyler traces the biblical story of language from Eden’s communion, to Babel’s confusion, to Pentecost’s Spirit-filled reversal, where people from many nations heard the gospel in their own languages. He explains why tongues should not be treated as proof that someone is saved, filled with the Spirit, or more spiritual than another believer. He also challenges the idea that speaking in tongues is inherently weird, irrational, or out of control. According to Paul, spiritual gifts are meant to operate with humility, order, doctrine, and the goal of building up the church.

Tyler addresses practical questions for anyone who desires this gift: Do you need to be afraid? Will you lose control? Do you have to turn off your mind? Do you need gimmicks or pressure to “prime the pump”? His encouragement is simple: ask, seek, knock, persevere in prayer, devote time to praise, and trust the Father who gives good gifts to His children. Whether you already pray in tongues, have questions, or are cautious because of past teaching or experience, this message invites a Scripture-first, love-centered, Spirit-dependent approach to the gifts of God.

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Transcript

Welcome And Series Setup

Tyler Lynde 0:02

All right, so I just am honored and I feel privileged to be able to stand before you this morning and to bring to you the word of God. And so we're gonna look at 1 Corinthians chapter 14 in just a minute. So each and every one of the pastors uh are going to be giving a special sermon over the next couple of months. And that sermon is going to be based on whatever the Lord puts on our hearts for the church itself. So we're calling this series Pastor's Choice. Yeah. I didn't, I didn't uh I did approve of it, but I didn't do it. So anyway, uh so it's my privilege to kick this series off this morning, and I really look forward to doing that. Um I am going to be talking to you about something that's really exciting to me. Um after receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, the second greatest gift that I've been given from God is the ability to speak in tongues. To speak in tongues. And so we're gonna, yes, we're gonna go there this morning. We're gonna look at the scriptures, we're gonna understand it from the scriptures. I'm gonna ask that you please put out of your head any kind of um misperceptions or misconceptions or uh, you know, misunderstandings, whatever the case might be. And let's let the word really teach us about this all-important gift. Are you ready for that this morning? All right, so let's look at again, 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verses 1 through 18. And I'm reading this in its context. There's no way that we're gonna have time to get into all that's loaded into these verses. I'm gonna be specifically talking about the personal use of the gift of tongues. And obviously, we know that there also is the public use of tongues, which must be accompanied by interpretation of that tongue, right? And so that is the gift of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12. There's lots of great things that you can learn about that, but we just don't have the time this morning to really delve into it. So let's focus in on the personal use of this amazing gift

Paul’s Framework For Tongues

Tyler Lynde 2:05

as uh described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verses 1 through 18. So let the water of the word wash over you this morning. Pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God. For no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up. Again, that's describing the tongues, the gift of tongues and the interpretive interpretation of tongues that happens in public settings. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments such as the flute or the harp do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives it an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if your with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the spirit, try strive to excel in building up the church. Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also. I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Wow, what a statement. Let's pray this morning. Father, we thank you for your word. And Lord, we thank you that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above. And so, Lord, we thank you that you have given us so many great gifts and we we celebrate the diversity of gifts that you give to your children. And Lord, today we're we're honing in, we're focusing in on one particular gift, which is the gift of speaking in tongues, specifically as it is uh informs our personal prayer life and our communion with you. And so, Father, we ask that you would open our hearts, open our minds, clear us of misconceptions, of confusions, of lies or deceptions that we have felt. Father, break down any barriers that we might have to understanding this rich and precious gift that you have given to your children. We ask that you cause these words to come alive and that you, by your spirit, would do the work that only you can do in each of our lives.

A Breakdown And God’s Help

Tyler Lynde 5:40

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. About 25 years ago, after a series of very difficult things happened in my life and my family life with my extended family, I had a nervous breakdown. And I'm talking about a complete nervous breakdown. I could not think straight, I could not drive, I could not play with my kids, I could hardly carry on a conversation with my wife. I was completely stuck in my head. And I was there for quite some time. It was several days and even probably led into weeks. And sometimes I would have moments of clarity, but then I would go right back into this state of stupor, sort of. And I don't know if any of you have ever experienced anything like that. If you have not, I'm not wishing it upon you. If you have, you'll you can understand or relate to what I'm talking about this morning. One of the things that held me together when I felt like I was coming apart in so many ways was the ability that God gave me to be able to pray in another language that didn't originate from my brain, but originated from my heart, from my spirit. And as I was able to pray in that language and bypass my mind, I was able to maintain a personal relationship and communion with God, even when I wasn't able to pick up a Bible and read and discern the pages, the words on the pages. And so for me, understandably so, because of my experience, this particular gift holds a very prominent place in my understanding of my relationship with God. And I just believe that it's it's something that God desires for more than just me to be able to experience and participate with. And we're gonna see that. We've seen that from this passage in 1 Corinthians 14, and we're gonna see that more. The Greek word for tongues is glossal. I had it right. And uh it's good because when you're saying it, it sounds like you're speaking in tongues. You know, so it's like a little primer. Anyway. But let me give you a definition for what it is. Speaking in tongues is the God-given ability to speak in a language unknown to the one speaking, I don't know it, for the purpose of blessing God, being a blessing to others, and building yourself up. So that's what speaking in tongues, that's what Glosalalia means. It means to speak in a language that is unknown to you. And the purpose of speaking this language is to bless God, to bless others, again, if there's an interpretation that comes with the tongue that is spoken, and also to edify oneself, to edify yourself or to build yourself up. Does that sound like something you we should be interested in? Absolutely right. So let me just get this out of the out of the way. How many of you have heard or even in your own mind have had some kind of a caricature built up of what it means to be filled with the Spirit and what it means to be able to speak in tongues? Right? I mean, there's all kinds of ways that people view this that is it that are unhealthy ways, right? Believe it or not, even though I speak in tongues, I still tied my own my own shoelaces this morning. I drove my car on the way here. I hold down a job most days, and I and I rarely ever drool. Um and I also speak in tongues, right? I don't mean to be silly or sarcastic, but it is just like this particular gift of the Spirit has a terrible public image. When people think about this, when people view it, even I believe Satan in his sinister ways has attempted to uh declassify it or remove its importance from Christian life and from spiritual life in whatever way he possibly can. And if he can make it something that we're afraid of or something that is way out there like Twilight Zone, then he wants to do that, right? Now we can't help necessarily the public image that tongues has, but we should encourage ourselves by the scriptures, right? We should set our doctrine based on the scriptures. Our experience should back up what the scriptures say, right? So many times in life people want their experiences to happen and then the scripture to back up their experiences. But we know in God that scripture is preeminent, is at the forefront, right? And whatever happens in our experience should be built out of doctrine that we have found in the Word of God. So we're gonna look at that this morning, and then we're also gonna talk about the experience side of it. Um, so I'm hoping that all of us can form our beliefs this morning more clearly, more fully, based on this precious gift from a loving Heavenly Father who cares

Babel, Pentecost, And Reversed Confusion

Tyler Lynde 10:45

so much about each and every one of us. To properly understand this gift, I think it's important for us to do a short history lesson. Now, I'm not a history teacher, and uh, so uh there are some among us who are, and thank you for doing that work. I'm just gonna try my best, and I'm gonna talk about the history of language, right? So when God created the heavens and the earth, we know that he created Adam and Eve, and he placed them in the garden. And what did they have the ability to do? They had the ability to communicate. They had the ability to communicate with each other, but more importantly, to communicate with God. It says that God walked and talked with them in the cool of the day in the garden. Can you imagine what perfect communion they must have experienced? We just partook of the table together, but to be able to sit and stand and walk with God and talk with him. Unfortunately, as we all know, or maybe you don't yet know, but there was something that happened. There was disobedience that occurred in the garden. Adam and Eve broke God's law, and because of that, they were cursed and banished from the Garden of Eden, along with all of their descendants. And so there was the same language, though, that was still spoken until Genesis chapter 11. Can you remember what happened in Genesis chapter 11? They had this building project going on, and that all of the people were in agreement, and they decided we're gonna build a tower that's gonna reach the heavens, and basically we're gonna make ourselves like God. And God showed up on the scene, and what did he do? He confused their languages. He confused their languages, and so that's where, if you want to know where you know, all of the ethnicity, all of the different languages on the earth came from, that was the origination of that. And who originated it? God did it. He was the one who was in control of language. We also know that um there uh so what was the intention of the people of Babel? Their intention was to make a name for themselves and thus to replace God in their hearts. How many of you know pride is the birthplace of sin? And fallen man has decided to use every advantage, including language, right, to usurp God's authority and place himself upon the throne, which is not rightfully his. So after God confused their languages and scattered them around the earth, he chose one people with one language to bring him glory and draw mankind back to himself. Abram, later called Abraham, was the one who God promised to bless. He was going to bless all nations through him, right? And eventually through the nation of Israel, the Hebrew language was used to communicate God's word to the nations. However, the rest of the world did not speak this language or understand it, and they continued to remain ignorant of God's plan of redemption. Now, when did that change? Do you remember? Fast forward, Jesus came, all of the things that we just talked about around communion happened, and Jesus told his disciples to do what? To go to Jerusalem and to wait for the promise of the Father that he was going to send the Holy Spirit, right? And the Holy Spirit was not going to just dwell with them like Jesus had dwelled with them, dwelt with them, but he was going to dwell in them. He was going to move inside, right? God in us. And so what happened on the day of Pentecost? They were gathered together in the upper room. I think there was about 120 of them. And the Bible says that there was a wind that came through that room, and then tongues as of fire sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And what? And they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. As the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, the crowd that was outside, they spilled out into the streets out of the upper room. And the crowd that was on the outside said, What? These people are crazy. See? Tongues from the very beginning. People are assuming something of it that is not accurate, that is not true. These people are crazy. They're not only crazy, they're drunk. And Peter speaks up and says, These men are not drunk as you suppose. I think it was only like nine o'clock in the morning, right? And said they are filled with the Holy Spirit. And here's the beautiful part. When the Holy Spirit began to speak through these people, languages that they did not understand themselves or learn themselves, what did the people in the crowd hear? They heard the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed in their own language. So God, in one fell swoop, undid all of the cursing that happened at Babel and the removing of people based on language. And now in this new situation, new scenario in the spirit, he's bringing people back together. Isn't that exciting? Now in heaven, an innumerable group. Can you picture heaven with me this morning? All of the saints who have gone before us are there. An innumerable group. You can't count it, you can't even imagine it. People from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue are joining together to praise God with one language, with one heart, with one spirit. And I don't believe it's English. I'm just saying, as difficult as English is to learn, I don't think it's English. But anyway, whatever the language is, it's a perfect language. It's the language of heaven, and they are speaking to God and they are understanding each other. And that's where tongues will cease. Some of you, some of you have learned in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, verses 8 through 10, it said it talks about when that which is perfect will come, that which is imperfect, there will no longer be a need for it. And so uh people have have thought that that meant that when the Bible was completed, when the canon of scripture was completed, then there would be no need for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and especially no need for the ability to speak in tongues, right? I don't believe, and and we as a leadership team don't believe that that's what the scripture teaches. We believe that that's a verse or two verses pulled out of context to fit a way of thinking, a philosophy of thinking, which is not in line with the rest of scripture. Okay. So if you've heard that, I'm just telling you, let's let's be open to the truth that is found in God's word. Um, the intention of the spiritual gifts of tongues, again, is to glorify God now. We get to glorify him now, but also to prepare ourselves as his church to glorify him forever in heaven. And eventually when he returns to this earth, we will be with him and we will get to glorify him. So

What Speaking In Tongues Is Not

Tyler Lynde 17:35

let's start with what scripture does not teach about speaking in tongues. Are you ready? This is what it does not teach that a person is not filled with the spirit if they don't speak in tongues. Some of us grew up in those churches that believed that there was there were first-tier Christians and then there were second-tier Christians. The first tier Christians were all of those that were filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and the second-tier Christians were all of those who were to be pitied who didn't understand this, and we didn't even know if they were really saved, right? I mean, we may not have ever said that like out loud, but I remember many sermons that said something about those Baptists or those Methodists, you know. And it wasn't it wasn't said in a delightful way, like we love those people. It was more like those poor Baptists and those poor Methodists. And I'm sure that in Baptists and Methodist uh, you know, assemblies that there were times when they said, those poor Pentecostals, those poor charismatics, you know, we don't even know if they're saved, right? So uh this this is not it, we don't have a corner on the market here, right? So that a person is not filled with the spirit if they don't speak in tongues. In fact, it seems to indicate in 1 Corinthians 12, 30, that not all will be given this particular gift. There are many gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit distributes those gifts as He wills to the body, right? And those who speak in tongues must be careful to never judge those who don't. Amen? It's important. So let's start with that. Secondly, a person is this is a lie. A person is more spiritual if they speak in tongues. A person is more spiritual if they speak in tongues. Paul takes a whole chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, to tell about those who are the most spiritual. And who are they? The ones who love, the ones who love God and love others. That is the greatest display of spirituality on this planet is when we share the love of God with others. So it doesn't make us more spiritual. Another thing is that a person who speaks in tongues is weird. Now, listen, I can't help personality. Don't blame personality on the Holy Spirit, right? Uh, you know, each of us are unique and we're uniquely made and we have our own, you know, character traits and personality and all of that, but you don't have to be weird in order to speak in tongues. On the contrary, Paul speaks of this gift using very normal terms. He doesn't say, no, wait a minute, fasten your seat belts. We're getting ready to in the chariot, you know. Anyway, but it's no indication anywhere in the Bible that people who speak in tongues lose self-control or become unaware of their surroundings or lapse into a frenzied condition with frothing and uh lose self-consciousness and the power for rational thinking goes away. Right? Paul insists that the one speaking in tongues can start and stop at will. How could you do that if you are out of your mind? Right? You can start and stop and will. There's a vast difference between being weird and having an emotional experience. Sometimes the gift of tongues or speaking in tongues leads to heightened emotion. Sometimes it leads to joy, sometimes it leads to exuberance, sometimes it brings peace. Sometimes you experience the love of God. All of these things are good things, right? They're great aspects of this gift that God gives to us, but none of them are what are what is classified as weird. Okay. Now listen, I talked about those who do speak in tongues, not treating those who don't improperly, but listen to this as well. Those who don't speak in tongues should celebrate the fact that God uses others in this way. Right? It's not a litmus test. It shouldn't be a litmus test for us, whether or not we can be in fellowship with somebody else, whether they do speak in tongues or they don't speak in tongues. So that's what scripture doesn't teach. What does scripture teach?

What Speaking In Tongues Does

Tyler Lynde 21:50

Let's look at that for a few minutes. When a person speaks in tongues, God knows what they're saying. The speaker doesn't understand what they're saying. But God knows what they're saying. God knows the language because he gave the language, right? It says here again in our passage, for one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God. For no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the spirit. What an honor, what a privilege to be able to speak a language given by God that when I pray it, I'm speaking to him in a way that he understands completely. Now, I'm a person that tends to be fairly analytical. In other words, I want to figure out how things work, right? I do have the ability to have faith based on um, you know, just trusting God and outside of what I can think in my own mind. Um, but when I pray in the Spirit, thankfully, I'm able to bypass the analytical side of myself, right? The Holy Spirit is speaking through me, and I can be guaranteed that I am praying God's perfect will, even though I have no idea what I'm saying. It's God's perfect will. It could be a language of this earth. You know, my wife, sometimes when she's praying in her prayer language, she uses the word corazón. And if you any of you speak Spanish, you know that corazón means what? Heart. Means heart. My wife doesn't know Spanish, but she uses that word. God gave her that word as part of the language makeup of her spiritual language, the language that God gave her as she speaks in tongues. Um, it could be a language of earth, or it could be a language of heaven, or it could be a combination. We don't need to try to figure that out, right? The key is it's a gift from God that He gives to us. I remember when I first received the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and I was, I began to speak in tongues. I was about five or six years old, and my dad was praying over me. I had asked about it because I was learning about it in church, and everybody around me was praying in tongues. This was in the 70s. In the 70s, it was wild. I can't, I don't even have the time to describe. It wasn't weird, but it was borderline. You know, it's like there was a lot going on in the 70s and uh even in church life. And so um, I went home and I was asking my parents about it, and I said, Dad, I really want to, I want to be able to speak in tongues. I want to receive this gift. And so they he began to pray for me, and nothing was coming, and my mind was sort of fighting or wrestling with this idea of me being able to just open my mouth and speak something that I had never learned before. You know, I was I was resisting it. And my brother, who was like, he was two and a half years younger than me, so he must have been about three years old at the time or four. Uh, he goes, Tyler, you do it like this, and he just starts blurting out. And I'm like, God, that's not fair. He didn't even ask for it, you know. So then my dad and I went in the other room, and I really got quiet and still before the Lord and began to talk to him. And before long, this heavenly language began to come. And I opened my mouth and began to speak. And uh, since that day, that's been with me, and I'm so grateful for this gift. So that's one thing. Speaking in tongues, another thing that is is in the Word of God is that speaking in tongues is a way to build yourself up. How many of you need to encourage yourself? If you don't believe so, if you don't believe that's true, we need to check your pulse, okay? All of us need encouragement. Remember what we started this year out with? Sharpened Christians are best equipped for crisis. And this is one of the means that God has given us for us to be sharpened in our ability to uh to be ready. So uh it says here in our passage, the one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself. Now I know this can feel like self-serving or self-centered, um, but if you're here this morning, you're hoping, and my prayers are with you too, that you're going to be edified or built up by the sermon that I'm preaching this morning, right? Sometimes we listen to music that's encouraging to us, or we read our Bibles, or we we listen to a sermon online, or we, you know, a ton of different things. In Jude verse 20, it says that we can build ourselves up on our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. When I pray in the Holy Spirit on a regular basis, I feel strengthened. I feel an increase of strength in my heart, and that translates to the rest of me, right? Either gift, every gift of the spirit, either directly or indirectly, builds up its user. That's part of the purpose of it. It's not evil to uh to desire to be built up. The fact that the ultimate purpose of gifts is for the common good. If you read 1 Corinthians 12, the gifts of the Spirit ultimately are to be a blessing to others, right? That is true, absolutely true, but that does not take away that there's a secondary effect. And the secondary effect, especially with tongues, is that it does edify us or build us up. Um, and Paul would not have encouraged us if that wasn't true, he wouldn't have encouraged us in in chapter 14, verse 5. Now I want you all to speak in tongues. His desire is was that everybody would speak in tongues. That's my desire as well. Now that's it's up to God. He's sovereign, he's ultimately in charge, and he can make the decision. But if I could make the decision for you, I would want you to have this amazing gift. And it is uninterpreted tongues that he has in mind, for he contrasts it with prophecy, insisting that the latter is better suited to edify others. So one of the things that I do on a regular basis, in fact, I try to do this every night, is to fall asleep praying in tongues. I just, that's one of the practices that I've done for as long as I can remember. I say my prayers in English. I uh do my time of being thankful. I give myself a few minutes to find things to be thankful for. And then I practice praying in tongues. And it's one of the most beautiful ways to fall into sleep and to uh sometimes the Lord even, it's like it carries over into my sleep and into my dreams. Um, his presence, like him speaking to me as well, not just through me. So just encourage you to find ways, if you have this gift,

Real Prayer Stories And Warfare

Tyler Lynde 28:35

to practice it, and if you don't have it, to desire it and to ask for it. So uh another thing the Bible teaches is that tongue speech or speaking in tongues is primarily primarily a form of prayer, right? How many of you have had this experience where you have prayed as much as you can pray in English and yet you still don't feel like you've covered it all? Or maybe you just know, like, I need to pray for this person, but you have no idea what you're supposed to pray for them. That's one of the things that the Holy Spirit does. It says again in 1 Corinthians 14, for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. So with both, I'll I'll pray in the spirit with tongues, and I will also pray in my language that I'm given, or my language that I understand. I'll do both, right? It's a means of communicating with God in supplication, petition, and intercession. It's not the only way to pray, but it is a legitimate way to pray. So let me give you a couple of examples. Speaking in tongues is not is a way of compensating for our weakness and ignorance in praying for ourselves and others. I've told this story before, but just for the sake of this point, I want to just mention it to you here. We had some friends that we met when I was in real estate, and we were working with the Lord to encourage them to know Jesus. They became Christians, and um, then the the lady had surgery on her nose, uh like on our nasal passages. And um, her husband and I were at Walmart, and we got a phone call. My wife was over with this lady, kind of helping take care of her kids, and and just and uh and the phone call is we need you home now. Now, I don't know how you are, if you're built for this or not. When I hear those kinds of words in that kind of tone, my knees start shaking. I I get nervous, yeah. And so we get there, and um, you know, first thing I say is, have you called the ambulance, right? And so the ambulance is on its way, but I go into the room where this Lisa's her name was, and she was like profusely bleeding. I don't know how you do with blood. I'm not I'm not a fan. I mean, I'm thankful for it. I need it, but I don't want to see your blood or my own. Like I tell when I go to get my blood drawn, I tell the lady drawing my blood, I'm a I'm a big baby boy. So anything you can do to distract me would be helpful. And I'm not gonna look, right? So, but anyway, she's just and she's frantic. She's realizing something is very wrong, right? So I go over to her, she and she goes, pray. Oh yeah, that's right. I can pray. So I go over to her and I I start, I lay my hands on her and I start praying for her. And I'm like stumbling with my words because I'm overwhelmed with the feelings of anxiety and nervousness. And all of a sudden, I didn't know what to do. And I'm thinking in my head, don't do it, don't do it. She doesn't know about it. And I began to pray in tongues out loud. And within just a few seconds, I'm not joking, within just a few seconds, she calmed down. In fact, I like opened my eyes to look at her to make sure she was still breathing, you know. That's where my faith level was. She was breathing fine, she was breathing well, and the blood had stopped coming from her nose. The ambulance came and took her away, and it wasn't until several weeks later, maybe even longer, she we were sitting at the table with them, and she looked at me and she goes, Tyler, what was that thing you were doing? And I said, That's pretty vague. What do you mean? And she goes, you know, when you came in and you were praying for me, you started doing something. And I said, uh, praying in tongues? She said, What? Praying in. And she said, Seriously, what was it? I said, Well, I was praying in tongues. And she said, Whenever you started, this overwhelming peace came over me. And I knew that I was gonna be okay. Right? So again, this is just an example. I didn't know how to pray. I had run out of my ability and my humanness to be able to pray in faith for her, but the spirit himself knew. And Galatians 8, verse 26, it says it like this. Likewise, the spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought. But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. The Spirit knows what's needed. The Holy Spirit knew what Lisa needed in that moment was peace. And he's, and the God of all peace, the God of all comfort, used that moment to minister to her. So, another aspect of prayer, a case could also be made for the use of tongues in spiritual warfare. I have so many stories that I'd love to go into about casting out demons and things like that. And one of the one of the key elements of that experience is the ability at times to pray authoritatively using the gift of tongues. Ephesians 6.18 says, praying that all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. So the ability to pray in tongues in a moment of spiritual warfare can be very helpful as well. Tongue speech or speaking in tongues is also a form of praise. How many of you have experienced, you don't have to raise your hands, but how many of you have experienced the joy of singing in the Spirit, singing in the language that God has given you is one of the most expressive ways that we can say to God, I love you, I worship you, I honor you, I adore you. Paul envisions using this gift to bless the person and works of God. In Acts 2, those who heard the disciples praying in tongues heard them giving thanks to God in their own languages, giving thanks to God. A lot of times when somebody does give a message in tongues and there's an interpretation of tongues, it's it's directed Godward. It's about praise, it's about blessing God, it's about adoring God. It's not as much directional this way as prophecy is or word of knowledge or word of wisdom. It's more like this. And it's powerful. And he said, I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you uh may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. So you see this mix. We're gonna pray in the spirit, we're gonna sing in the spirit, we're gonna pray in our known language, we're gonna sing in our known language. Both aspects of prayer, both aspects of praise are important. And finally, in this section, speaking in tongues should not be neglected. Speaking in tongues should not be neglected. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Quantitatively, I believe he's saying, like I do this all of the time, and I want you to do the same. Now, Paul's talking to a church that was messed up in a lot of ways. They were putting an over-emphasis, especially on the gift of tongues. It was one of the things that they were doing wrong. But he doesn't tell them, it's a mystery to me. He doesn't tell them to stop using it. Seems like that's what that would have been the prescription, but instead he tells them to use it more in the proper way, right? Many of you have had an encounter with God and were given a language, but you haven't used it since the day you were given it. And I want to encourage you, today needs to be the end of that cycle. Let's use the gifts that God has given us. Second Timothy 1, 6 says, For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Fan it into flame. The gifts that God's given us, let's

How To Pursue The Gift

Tyler Lynde 37:10

use them. All right. Everybody okay? We're all good. So let me finish by telling you just a few reasons. If you desire the gift of tongues, a few ways that you can pursue this, okay? So the first thing is I want you to know you don't have to be afraid. You do not have to be afraid. Many people have been frightened with hearing things like it's the it's it's the devil's work. You're going to be demonized if you speak in tongues. Now, Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth, and what are they coming out of? Pagan worship, idolatry. And so if if he should have been careful, if this was the case, if this was at all possible for this to be the case, it seems like he would have taken every effort in this moment in time to explain that to them. But he doesn't do that because it's not real, it's not true. Uh the church at Corinth again was filled with all of these rituals and practice. It was to these very people that said, that Paul said, I want you to speak in tongues. I want you to do it. Never does he say, I want you to be afraid of tongues, or you should be concerned about tongues, or you should be leery of tongues. And Paul's counsel is well grounded because listen to the words of Jesus in Luke 11. Now, suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish, he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? We could spend a lot of time on the reptile world right there, but we won't. We're moving on. Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? We don't need to be afraid of speaking in tongues. Okay? Second thing is you will not lose control. You will not lose control. Some again are reluctant to follow the Spirit's prompting to speak in their prayer language for fear that they will lose control of themselves, that they'll be foolish or irreverent, that they'll lose themselves in it. But as we have seen, those who speak in tongues are never described in Scripture as losing control of their faculties or falling under the influence of an irresistible power. The purpose of tongues is not to overwhelm or humiliate us, but to bless God, to bless others, and to edify ourselves. Remember, there's no safer place to be than under con under the control of the Spirit of God. Why should we in any way be resistant to that? Just a couple more, and we'll be finished. You don't have to put your brain on ice if you want to receive the Holy Spirit, if you want to be able to speak in tongues, you don't have to put your brain on ice. Praying and singing in tongues is in no way incompatible with a love for the written word of God and deep theology. We don't have to separate the two. God doesn't separate the two, and so we should not either. Speaking in tongues does not turn your gray matter into mush, but if your gray matter is mush, like I experienced, you will be able to, by the grace of God, still speak in tongues. The importance of solid doctrine must remain at the forefront of our lives. I can only speak for myself, but I have only grown in my love for God and for the scriptures as I have been filled with the Holy Spirit and as I've spoken tongues. Here's another one. If you don't speak in tongues but want to, you don't have to prime the pump. What do I mean by that? You don't have to say banana backwards three times in order to, you know, it's not that's not what it is. And ignore those who try to get you primed by doing that, right? Uh I can't even say it. Like I'm looking at the word banana and I don't think I could get it out the way that, but it's the spirit who gives utterance. It's the spirit who gives us the ability. Now, it doesn't mean that we don't need to open our mouths and allow the air to flow and the words that come with it. There is a faith step on our part, but it's not needed, we're not, we don't need to uh to prompt it in that way. Simply wait on the Lord, speak forth the words he brings to your mind. No matter how incoherent or silly they may sound, they are sweet music to your father's ear. Remember, that's a language that he gives us that is perfect, that allows us to speak back to him in a perfect way. Two more things. Persevere in prayer, persevere in praise. Some of you might say this morning, I prayed for that 20 years ago and I didn't get it. I'm here to tell you, keep praying. As long as the desire is there for it, keep praying, keep asking. Remember in that verse that I read from Luke 11, the predecessor to that is ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be open to you. That speaks of persistence. That speaks of continuing in prayer for something. Don't be ashamed of wanting this gift. It's a precious gift from God, even if the answer isn't quick in coming. And if the answer ultimately is no, then celebrate the other gifts that God has given you and use those to their fullest potential, right? That's okay. And finally, another thing that you can do if you desire this gift is devote yourself to extended times of praise. Extended times of praise. I've seen so many times in people's lives where they didn't receive their prayer language immediately when they were prayed for, but they were when they were in the quiet of their own home, in their own space, and they began to lift up their voice and praise the God, the words that they were praying in English all of a sudden began to change into tongues. Set aside a time and place where you can be uninterrupted with God. Spend time in meditation and worship, even fasting if you feel like that would be helpful. And adore the beauty of Christ, enjoy the joy of being enjoyed by Him. Open your heart, open your mouth, and sing the love songs that He has put in your heart. What happens next is between you and God. It might just be that He would give you this precious gift.

Closing Prayer And Next Steps

Tyler Lynde 44:10

Amen. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you and praise you for your word. And Lord, I thank you for first of all the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is what saves us and changes, changes us and transforms us and keeps us, and what will bring us to uh to your face and to be with you forever. And Lord, that's that's our primary gift that you've given us. But Lord, we also thank you for the secondary gifts and the gifts that allow us to live as Christians here in this life. And Lord, being able to speak in tongues is one of those amazing gifts. And so, Father, I pray for all of us, Lord, if we have received this gift, I ask that we would use it, that we wouldn't allow it to remain dormant, that we would not discount it or walk away from it just because it's not in the public purview as much as it once was. Lord, I pray in Jesus' name that you would stir it up, that you would fan into flame the gift that you've placed within each of us. And Father, for those who have not yet received it and desire for it, I pray now in Jesus' name that you would fill them with your Holy Spirit, with one of the evidences of being filled, which is speaking in other tongues. Father, would you open their hearts, open their mouths to be able to speak forth the mysteries of God in the language that you know and that you give to each and every one of them. And Father, for those who might be resistant this morning because of past experience or because of doctrine that they have heard, I pray, Lord, that you would continue to teach them and lead them and guide them and grow them in grace and bring them to the point to where they will want every gift that comes from you to be a blessing to themselves, but more importantly, to be able to glorify you and to bless others. We thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So there's going to be a prayer team. I'm going to remain up here as well at the end of the service. So if you have prayer requests, please come down. And also, if you would like prayer concerning receiving this precious gift, we want to pray for you this morning. And so we'll be here as long as it takes, as long as you would like to stay. But like I said, I've given you by the grace of God and through the word of God the steps that you can take, even on your own, just to open your heart up, open your mind up to the Lord and receive this precious gift. Amen. Would you stand to your feet?