The type of intercession that I engage in predominately is in tongues for a very lengthy time span. A lot of times however, this type of intercession is laborious and most people get bored or have a hard time understanding why one would need to speak in tongues for such lengths. In this post we will explore the why we speak in tongues.
Let’s start with a foundational scripture,
Acts 2
2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We see from this passage that the evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit was the ability to speak with other tongues. The Spirit gave them utterance.
I have always been taught from the apostles I sat under that speaking in tongues is our heavenly language and it is the way we communicate with the Father.
There is a very familiar passage in the bible and that passage is Jude 1:20
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
In my book, Prayer Chronicles, I share about Jude 1:20.
I had a question that I asked God. That question was, “Lord, I don’t understand most holy faith. Reveal that to me please.” His response to me is below.
God asked me, “What does most holy faith mean and how does faith become holy?”.
I responded “I don’t know…”.
He began to tell me as you speak to God in tongues what He now in turn does is give instruction (revelation). These instructions you have to be obedient to.
As you are obedient to them this is considered faith. But what makes this holy? God was telling me every time you obey His commandments and operate in faith there is a testament of will that occurs because you literally put down your will to do his will.
So we see that there is a language that God gives us. He makes us linguists. Meaning that He allows us to communicate with Him and with nations. We see this in Acts 2 where they began to understand each other’s tongue.
The caveut to Acts 2 is in Acts 1. The infilling of the Holy Spirit and this tongue was the fulfillment of what Jesus said would happen to them. Let’s read that.
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Based on scripture, it is conveyed that they would receive power and the Holy Ghost but notice this as well, they were to become his witnesses and they were to do it locally and progressively throughout the earth (vs. 8).
So now you can see here why the Holy Spirit, when He came upon them, in Acts 2, He came upon them with with cloven tongues of fire. Why? Because God gave them language. He gave them the ability to be able to now communicate with Him and with others. We read this in Acts 2
2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
Isn’t that awesome! The Holy Spirit gave them utterance. God spoke through them. He has the understanding of diversity of tongues which is apart of language and apart of the utterance gifts. This is important because in the tower of Babel God came down and confused their language. So the fire always represents the ability to purify and to cleanse and it announces the move of God. So now God comes upon them with fire and language. He breaks the confusion off of language and they understand each other.
Now this is important because He told them in verse 8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
You can’t go into all the earth and not have language. I remember the time that the evengelism team went out and when we went out, the leader of the team ventured to witness to a lady who only spoke protugese. I wasn’t interested because truthfully we didn’t have a common dialect but her daughter was there and translated for us. As we’re ministering to her literally you begin to feel the presence of God fall and we ALL understood her in our native dialect just like they did in Acts 2. We all began to speak to her in English because we all heard her in English and she screamed at us, “NO NO NO I don’t speak English”. We were all confused but, God allowed us to understand her tongue, her language, and her dialect.
Here are a few more scriptures about the tongue. “For I know their works and their thoughts, it shall come that I will gather all nations and tongues and they shall come and see my glory” (Isaiah 66:18).
“With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto these people” (1 Corinthians 14:21).
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
