Ep 27 - Is Speaking in Tongues Biblical or Misunderstood?

The controversial practice of speaking in tongues creates division among believers, with some embracing it as divine connection and others questioning its biblical basis. Shay and Cece fearlessly tackle this topic, sharing their personal journeys of discomfort and discovery.

Shay recounts her first encounter with tongue-speaking at a youth Bible study. "I assumed she was speaking in her language," she explains, describing her confusion when learning it was considered a spiritual gift. This sparked her quest for understanding, leading her to Scripture and revealing a significant disconnect between modern practice and biblical teaching.

Both hosts examine key passages, particularly 1 Corinthians 14:27-28: "If any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at most by three, and that by course; let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent." This requirement for interpretation challenges the common practice of unintelligible utterances that no one can translate. As they note, "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."

The conversation expands beyond tongues to challenge how we approach faith traditions generally. When church practices conflict with Scripture, the hosts advocate for personal study and seeking divine guidance rather than conforming to tradition. "Not because everyone else is doing it means they are correct," Shay emphasizes, encouraging listeners to examine their beliefs with an open heart.

Whether you currently speak in tongues or have questioned the practice, this episode provides scriptural foundation and thoughtful perspective. Take this opportunity to pray about your own spiritual practices, asking God to reveal truth as you continue your faith journey. Remember, we're all walking the narrow path together, learning and growing as we seek to honor Him.

Transcript

Introduction to Speaking in Tongues

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey Saints and welcome back to the Underbuild Christian podcast. I'm Cece.

SPEAKER_03 0:06

And I'm Shay.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

And I hope you guys are doing well. Today is my question, and my question to you, Shay, is do you believe in speaking in tongues?

Personal Experiences with Discomfort

SPEAKER_03 0:20

Short answer, no. Definitely not. Um I always found it. I remember when I started my journey, I always found it um a bit weird. I always felt uncomfortable, like my spirit never felt comfortable hearing people speak that way. Um and I I tried to do research. So like at that time I wasn't really in church. And I tried asking questions, like I tried like asking different people. I remember like um I had this friend that invited me to a Bible, uh, a Bible study. It was like for young people. So I thought, oh, this will be good. Like, you know, trying to find I was trying to find my way back, you know, in my relationship with God. And I went, and then so I didn't understand that's what they were doing, strange enough, right? So I went in and then they were all at some point when they started praying, they'd start walking around. And I thought it was speaking in their language because she was Ghanaian. So I assumed she was speaking in her language because I don't know what her language is like. Um, and then I just kept hearing it. And I just I I was just I remember standing there just looking around and everyone's eyes are closed, and I thought, what's going on? So I spoke to her and I said, Oh, what language were you guys speaking? She's like, Oh, they were speaking in tongues, and I thought, huh? Okay, this is a bit strange. Um, I didn't, I didn't recognize, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I just it was weird. And then from that point, I started asking questions. So I went to her and um I was asking her questions, and she was like, you know, it's like when you're you know really spiritually connected with God, um, this is what happens, and I was like, Yeah, but why is it something that I can't understand, only you can understand? And I I said, I don't, I don't get it. And she was trying to answer the questions, but the the answers never satisfied me. Um, and I just it just felt incorrect. And sometimes I feel like, not sometimes, but I realized recently a lot of the time Elohim will make me feel uncomfortable about something without me even knowing why. And then I go into research and I'm like, okay, this is why. Like he just I just feel my like the Holy Spirit just making me feel uncomfortable about something, and I just couldn't put my finger in it. But I just I I know that our God is not a God of confusion. I didn't necessarily know that that specific thing at the time, but I just feel like why would God give people something that none of us can understand? Like it just doesn't make any sense to me. Um, and if if he if he's gonna connect with all his children, why is he gonna create quote unquote a language or whatever people call it that nobody can have? So you're telling me that if I invite someone like to church or whatever, and everyone's speaking in tongues, you're trying to, you're basically telling that person that your faith is not strong enough to connect with God, like our faith is stronger. You know, it's like you're diminishing somebody, and I felt quite diminished as well. Like when she told me that. I was like, oh, that does that mean like I I I I'm not on the right level of God. Like I felt like you know, I felt like I had to work harder, like it puts this pressure in you as well, but I I don't believe in it at all. I think it's it's it's completely incorrect, and that's not what the word says either. Um we're probably gonna touch on that that scripture. There's a few scriptures that indicate to it, but the the Bible doesn't speak about it, it doesn't say um that it speaks of speaking in tongues in regards in regards to that way, it speaks of it in different languages. Um when the when the the disciples were blessed with the Holy Spirit, um and they were speaking in the languages of the people who were surrounding them, and that's what that was. It wasn't this babble thing where we're all babbling, that that's definitely pagan, that is not correct at all. Um, so I just it's something I cannot connect with at all, and I completely disagree with. But that's just my opinion. Some people really feel strongly about it, and they feel like it's the way they connect with Elohim, and I get that, but I would say to you, have you looked into it? Have you researched it? Have you done a Bible study about it? You know, not because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean it's correct. Um, and that's the one thing we need to look at. So, yeah, that's my very long reason towards why.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

What would you say to somebody who because obviously we're all created individually, we're all created in his image, we all do have our own um talents, whatever that may be. You know, you've got some people that they can pray po powerfully, you got some people who are ordained to speak as a pastor. Um so to somebody that say, like, I don't know, like me speaking in tongues and speaking in tongues is quote unquote when um because I don't want to disrespect anybody's faith or what they say, but it's it's when somebody feels the Holy Spirit and they start talking in in in a language that you that nobody can understand or interpret. Um so what would you say to those people who say that they feel like it's their special gift? And I know that some people use um um Acts two verses four and it says and they they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Biblical Interpretation vs Reality

SPEAKER_03 6:14

Okay Um I would say your conviction and your belief Um I cannot condemn that because that's not my place. Um my belief is my belief. I feel like if that's what you strongly believe, like Elohim is not gonna attack you because that's what you believe. Like you genuinely believe that that's okay. Um in the sense of like that's not my place. Like I don't I don't think there's much I can really add to that. I just feel like if that's how you feel, that's how you feel. The same way if this is how I feel, this is how I feel. Like if someone comes to me and says, it's genuinely just my opinion. I don't think sorry, it's not my opinion. It's what I definitely believe what the Bible says. I feel like it's been interpreted wrong. Um, but then I can't tell you you're wrong, that I'm not your judge. Um and so only it's it's only through your relationship with Elahim that you'd really know what's correct and what's incorrect. And if you haven't had that conviction, if you haven't felt like this is something that's incorrect that I'm doing, then I don't really know what to say. Like there's there's nothing that I can really add. But for me, it that's just how I felt. I just felt uncomfortable with it. I couldn't, I just couldn't connect with it. And I've had this conversation with many people that I've asked. Um, because I I thought let me ask let me ask a few people outside of my church community um that don't necessarily that are not necessarily adventists, how do they feel about it? Um, and I've had a few people say, yeah, they they feel uncomfortable, there's just something about it they don't connect with. Um and I don't feel that's an incorrect feeling. So yeah, I'm I'm I'm definitely not your judge. If that's what you believe in and that's what you feel that's the correct thing to do, that's between definitely between you and God.

Individual Gifts and Acts 2:4

SPEAKER_00 8:21

One thing that I love about ya is um no matter where you are in your water, you're growing and the closer you get to to him, the more he reveals to you individually. I think it's very important that everybody should study the Bible the Bible for themselves and pray to Yah and have that one-on-one connection because the Bible says that man will fail you and they will always continue to fail you because they're just man, we're not perfect. Um and this is a big topic around the world. Um because as Christians, some believe in speaking in tongues, some don't, some are in the middle, you have people who've never been able to do it and they do it, and then you've got some people who um have been speaking in tongues but no longer connect with it. And I just think that it's important that we can ask numerous people so many questions and we can be we can lean with man rather than the word. That's the important thing I'm saying. And there's nothing wrong with asking questions, but sometimes when we the way how we're being brought up into this world is that as a child you learn through by your mom, your dad, your family, and um with ya, we need to also read for ourselves and not just because somebody says it that you feel is more educated in the word or feel like has a better understanding that they are right, and you know, with anything, just take your time and sit down and say, Do you know what? Even with reading the Bible, sometimes reading the Bible is difficult. We might not understand, we might want to give up, but we just take that time to sit down and um just read. And the reason why I asked Shay about Acts 2 verses 4 is because it mentioned it gave them an utterance. And I don't know what it says in a a clearer trans um translation, but as humans we we interpret the Bible for what we want or for our own gain, and that's also very something that's very dangerous as well. Um because we want what we want. And I know that I d I personally don't believe in in speaking in tongues. I never for me I never understood it. Um it wasn't something that I've seen. Even church back home, I've never seen it. Um I'm trying to think where where was the first church that I've seen it. I d I don't even know. But I remember going to a church one day and um, yeah, that's it. My neighbour invited me to his church, and um I was just like, What is this? And they're like, Oh, they're speaking in tongues, and it's like when you're filled with the Holy Spirit. And I was like, Wow. And um and I'm like, What are they saying? And nobody can transl could translate it. And there's a passage in the Bible that also talks that about which I'm trying to find, that if something cannot be translated it's not of him.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

And I also feel that we need to stand up for what is the truth as well.

Studying the Word for Yourself

SPEAKER_03 12:06

I need to see if I can find that um that same scripture you're talking about. Because that's I think that's where I was paraphrasing from in regards to like if it cannot be translated, um it can't be um it can't be off God. Um something you said that my mind is just like, oh, I don't remember the first time I ever heard it, you know, like I really don't remember. Um I just remember it more recently, when I say recent, like eight years ago or something, like when I was kind of easing my way back into my journey, and just that experience from that Bible study just kind of threw me. And I think that's where I was just like, I need to I need to work out whether this is something I should or shouldn't be attempting or what to do, but it feels like force. Now, I know that feeling, you know, when you're surrounded um by other believers and you're you're in church or whatever environment it may be, and I get that feeling of the Holy Spirit, it feels really strong in that moment where you just feel like, oh, you know, so in a sense, I I can maybe like I don't know if understand is the word, but I can maybe get why when people feel that, um when people feel that when they feel the Holy Spirit that they kind of come out with it. Because I remember like my friend at church making a joke about it, saying that like, oh, I can feel the Holy Spirit, like basically want to start speaking in tongues, but like she was saying it as a joke, but it's like you can kind of get why people feel that way, but then for me, that's where it goes from it could go from feeling the Holy Spirit to now, what are you feeling? And it turns into this babble, and to me it's that it's it it just reminds me of like a trance, like you've gone into this whole different world. Um but it it it it when I experience it and I look at it, it just seems yeah, I I just it's it's for me personally, it's just uncomfortable. It's it's a very unsettling feeling I have. And I remember experiencing it again about I want to say a year and a half ago when I went to my friend's church. Um, and even my son was like jumping, like Mum, what's going on? You know, like he was so uncomfortable because he he'd never seen it here before. So that was his first experience actually witnessing um others speaking in tongues. And it's like I had to, I couldn't even, I didn't even know what to do, like how to explain it to him because it was like we're we're in the middle of the church service and he's freaking out and he's thinking, Oh my gosh, Mom, what's going on? And I just had to say to him, Um I think I remember saying to him, like, this is how others praise God. Um, you know, because yeah, that's how they praise God. That's how they that's that's their connection, you know, and that's that's that's it. Um so yeah, that's what we had to, that's the that's the only way I could kind of explain it to him. Um because I'm not I know I might say be saying this very strongly, but I'm really not trying to disrespect anybody at all as well. Like I want to say that because I know what I'm saying comes across quite strongly, but I'm speaking out out of my own opinion. I'm not speaking about like if that's what you do, or that's what you believe in, that's not like I said, I'm not your judge at all, that's not my place. Um, but I do agree with what CC said, like we must study the word and we must really look at um at what we're doing. Um, because sometimes when we are comfortable with something and we're seeing others do something, we think is correct. And I think the other thing is as well, like when we're seeing things happen in the church, we assume that that's exactly how it's meant to be. Um and so when we start questioning and challenging things, that's when people might want to shut you down. Um, because you might actually find truth in something. I'm not even speaking about this, but in general. So you see, for example, your church is doing something, you're like, hmm, this doesn't seem right. Let me seek out God, let me go to the Bible, let me pray, let me fast. And then you realize that actually this is incorrect what we're doing. Um, and that's okay. That's you growing, you know. That's you seeing that, you know what? Mm-mm, this is not correct. I don't, I don't believe in this. And not because it's happening in church means you have to confine to it. Um, we've been doing a lot of things traditionally, or whatever it may be, that we've been used to doing for such a long time that we just think, well, everyone else is doing it, so it must be normal. But we have to analyze that when it comes to our relationship with Elohim because when it's your when it's time for your judgment, that cannot be the reason why you're doing something. Um, so you need to think about it for yourself. And I'm saying that with everything, it doesn't have to just be this, but it could be with anything. We need to really think like, not because the church is doing it, means that they are correct for what they're doing. You know, things get passed on over generations and years and years, and we're doing something, and it could be really incorrect, it incorrect. Like there's things that I've grown up with that I've done all my life that I've had to like now force myself to stop because I realize it's not correct, it's not something that I should be doing. Um, and I had to remove that thought process, and it was hard, it was very hard at first because it felt uncomfortable. Um, but then eventually I got to the point where I changed my the way I spoke and my mindset towards that thing and started seeing things differently. Um so if you're even on this journey of looking into this subject and you're wondering, hmm, you know, something doesn't sit right with me, um, try and study or try to find someone that knows about it to help you study it. Um and yeah, we pray that you actually get the answer that you need.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

It's Corinthians 12 14 verses 27 and 28. It says, if any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or the most by three. And that by course let one interpretate. But if there is no interpretator, let him keep silent in the assembly, and let him speak to himself and to Elohim. Yeah.

unknown 19:11

Okay.

Corinthians on Interpretation

SPEAKER_00 19:11

And 33 says, For Elohim is not the author of confusion but of peace. So it's interesting because many would argue that okay, it's okay because it says let him speak to himself, because he's having that conversation with Yah. But at the same time, if it cannot be interpreted by one person or two people, then you know it's it's not right. And I think for me, what what we don't do, one thing that I love Islam for is wrong is wrong and right is right. And they could tell their brother and sister, like this is not how we should behave, but with us, we're very like, oh you know, I don't want to hurt this person's feelings. As long as you're not doing it out of disrespect, you should be able to correct your brother and sister because you want the best for them. But it's like when you see the Muslim community, they're such uh family, and I'm not saying that they don't have hardships because everything has hardships, but it's like them they're more willing to correct their brother and sister where we're like us alright, like they're fine, or we're not praying, we're not doing things out of love. And that's another thing that we need to learn to do is when we are correcting to say, like, actually, you know, speaking in tongues is actually wrong, and like we could study together, I could pray with you, and things like that, like that's what that's what we're not doing. It's that if if Yah has given us the word, it's like we're keeping it for ourselves rather than to speak out and speak to each other in love. I must express that in love part because we're all on a journey, we don't know what that person is going through behind the scenes. Um, so we need to also do anything we're doing, whenever we're doing correction or speaking to our brothers or sisters, we need to do it in love because a lot of us are condemning like the Pharisees, we'll go and be like, Oh yeah, I said XYZ, but there's no love in it. So you're pushing that person further away from you than bringing them to you.

SPEAKER_03 21:35

Um yeah, and the scriptures hit the ham on the L. Um, in regards to everything, it really just speaks it correctly. Um and that's though those are the scriptures that I use that basically just made me feel like, yep, this is definitely not something I would like to do, and that's it. Um and I felt comfortable with that decision.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:10

Um this one is one I thought would have been something that we'd need to speak about longer, but it's quite to me, it's quite simple unless we were we had different opinions about it.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Um yeah, and I guess the only thing to add is is the story of the Tower of Babel where a lot of things where we all spoke one language, but because they were trying to build the tower to get high up to Yah, that's when he gave them different languages. Um but in in the original version it doesn't say language, it says tongues. So because of that, when we see people speaking different tongues, we see it as different languages, like Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, rather than uh things that you cannot interpret because every language, like every anywhere you go in the world, so if somebody can understand English, they can interpret what that person is saying. So that for me is why I didn't believe in the quote unquote the confusion of what other people speak that cannot be interpreted into a language. So I think that is the difference of if speaking in the tongues that other people see, if I can bring one person, as the Bible says, and I bring another person, and they still cannot interpretate what that person is saying about feeling the Holy Spirit, that's when it's like, hmm, okay, I bought one person, I bought a second person, nobody can translate what they're saying. Whereas if I go to Spain and I find somebody that is bilingual that can speak Spanish and English, I can say, Oh, what is that person saying? And they'll be like, Oh, this is what they're saying. So I think for me, that's why when I did my study and my reading, and I'm coming across these texts, that's why I didn't believe in it. And even if you're saying, like, and even something that I do, it's like sometimes we see certain things that we're unsure of, but the Holy Spirit has brought it to your attention. Like, is this right? Is this wrong? Pray about it. If you've listened to this podcast and you're like, I speak in tongues, is it right or wrong? Pray about it. Ask the Father to show you the truth, read on it, read on the things that we've spoken about, and um pray, ask him, he would tell you, he would lead you to say this is right or wrong. And remember to be open your heart to him and pour it to him, and don't feel guilty, even if if he does say, like, you know what, this this is wrong. Don't feel guilty, like, oh, I've been dishonouring you, because none of us are innocent. We all dishonour God every day, um, with even if we don't say it with our mind and our certain things our the narrow path is not easy, it's a journey, it's about sticking with one another and pushing forward so that we could all be saved in that number. And that's all I have to say today, guys.

SPEAKER_01 25:13

Amen. Well said, well said.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Um yeah, I don't think I have anything to add. Perfectly said.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

So thank you guys, and we'll see you soon.