Hundredfold Ministries, Int'l

I fully realize that a large segment of the Christian Church does not adhere to, or believe in, the modern day use of the verbal gifts of prophecy. If such is your doctrine, I believe you will still find this chapter of interest.

For the reader whose doctrine does include the use of the gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy, this chapter deals with the guidelines for their proper use.

The Verbal Gifts

I explore the subject of the ministry gifts and what are generally described as the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in the next chapter of this book, Chapter six. However, for purposes of this chapter I have listed the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit from the King James Bible, I Corinthians 12:8-10, on the next page.

Notice that the last three listed, different kinds of tongues, the interpretation of tongues, and prophecy, are labeled the “Verbal Gifts.” By “verbal” it means that they are spoken aloud.

Let me make very clear that this book is not in any sense meant to be a discourse on the subject of speaking in tongues or glossolalia, as it is referred to in the Greek text of the New Testament. We are including this brief discussion on the verbal gifts in this chapter because it is necessary as a foundation to understanding the gift of prophecy. For a further exploration of this subject, I recommend reading a more complete book on this matter. 4

Various Operations of Tongues

1. Tongues as a Private Prayer Language

Before getting into the gift of tongues and its interpretation in a public setting, let me affirm that I believe that the use of tongues, or prayer language, for private devotion and private prayer is most vital. While Paul is clearly directing his comments in chapter 14 of I Corinthians to the public use of one's prayer language in the assembly, he is, at least indirectly, encouraging believers to use their prayer language in private prayer. He states that “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, . . .” (vs 4) as well as his statement, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” (vs 18). This statement is a clear reference to his private use of his prayer language as the next verse begins with, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words . . . .”

This private use of our prayer language enables us, by the Holy Spirit, to pray about personal burdens and needs. Using our prayer language in this setting enables us to pray for our personal needs in a manner that is inappropriate in a public setting.

2. The Verbal Gifts in the Public Setting

a. Speaking in Tongues - Let me first define this gift as “speaking in a language not learned by the speaker, through the supernatural enablement of the Holy Spirit.” There are two different manifestations of the public use of tongues.

(1) (Different) Kinds of Tongues - It was the operation of this gift that caused such an uproar on the day of Pentecost:

This is clearly the initial use of the gift of “different kind of tongues.” There are numerous modern day illustrations of this gift. I will cite one example. In 1906, when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was taking place in much of the world, Reverend Stanley Frodsham tells the story of a young immigrant to the United States who spoke only German. The Lord led her to go to a sick man's home to pray for him. In Frodsham's words, here is what happened:

God chooses to use this gift from time to time and just as in the book of Acts, it always has a powerful impact. Those who hear someone speak fluently in a previously unknown language know without a doubt that something supernatural is happening.

Notice that from the example above as well as the Acts, chapter two, experience, that the tongue or language spoken at that moment was understood by at least some of the hearers. In other words, the language spoken was the native language of the hearers.

But this is not always the case, Indeed, it is not even usually the case. Most of the time, for most of us who have and use a prayer language, we are not aware that it is a spoken language in another part of the world. It may be a language that was spoken centuries ago, it may be a language spoken somewhere in the world today, or, I believe, it may be a language known only in the spirit realm which has never been spoken here on earth. It is within the sovereignty of God to choose which language each of us receive and to cause an utterance in a known language at a specific moment as a sign to those present. Certainly, whenever this happens, it is a great encouragement to those present.

(2) A Message in Tongues - The Apostle Paul makes reference to publicly speaking in tongues under certain conditions. Look at his statement regarding speaking in tongues:

Here Paul is referring to the occasions when the Holy Spirit prompts an individual to speak aloud a message in tongues as opposed to one praying in tongues. The message spoken aloud is for the obvious intent that someone interpret the message in order to “build up the church.”

b. The Interpretation of Tongues

Often the Spirit of God moves on a person in a church or worship service and leads him or her to speak forth a message in a language unknown to the hearers. Usually the message is spoken forth with boldness and forcefulness as the Holy Spirit seeks to gain everyone's attention.

Once the message is spoken it is expected that the Holy Spirit will give the interpretation of the message in the hearers' language. When this happens God is speaking either to one or more persons present. Paul urges that those who bring such messages should pray that they may be able to interpret. (See I Cor 14:13). The speaking forth of the interpretation of a message in tongues in the hearers' own language is the operation of the gift of the Spirit known as “the interpretation of tongues.”

Paul gives a general rule regarding the use of tongues and interpretation. He states that tongues and the interpretation of tongues are used as a sign to unbelievers while prophecy is used for believers. (I Cor 14:22).

But what happens when there is a speaking forth in tongues and no interpretation follows? Does it always mean that the speaking in tongues is not from God and is therefore out of order? Not necessarily! I have been present at times when I felt the speaking in tongues was from the Lord but that the person who had the interpretation simply did not speak it out. That person may have been too shy or unsure of himself. He could just be learning to operate the gift of interpretation of tongues and simply didn't have the nerve to speak. In that case, usually, if the leadership waits long enough, the Holy Spirit will simply move on to someone who will speak it forth. Often that is why there may be a long wait between the speaking of the unknown language and the interpretation.

Then, of course, there are those times that the tongue was really not from the Lord and the Holy Spirit does not cause an interpretation to come forth. Remember, tongues and the interpretation of tongues should be judged by the same standards as prophecy.

c. Prophecy

The gift of prophecy in a public setting takes place when an individual speaks forth in the native language of those assembled and the word is taken to be from the Lord. In other words, God is speaking to the assembly directly in the language of the people bypassing the step of speaking in an unknown language.

The gift of prophecy is operative in three forms. The first form is the speaking of an immediate, rather short prophetic word, believed by the speaker, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to be directly from God. These prophetic utterances can be by either a prophet or a believer operating the gift of prophecy. The second way the Lord can speak prophetically is through a prophet's preaching. I believe there is a third way that God can speak prophetically, and that is occasionally in the praying of a prophet. Usually when the word “prophecy” is mentioned, we think only of the first of these operations, that is the momentary speaking forth of a prophetic word by someone in the assembly. The prophet's preaching and praying are generally less recognized as prophecy. The following is a brief description of all three:

(1) The Gift of Prophecy - In the church the gift of prophecy is evident when the Holy Spirit moves on an individual, usually during worship, causing him or her to boldly speak forth a divine message in the language of the hearers. This gift may be operated by any believer (I Cor 14:31) or by a prophet.

The Preaching of a Prophet - God often burns messages into the spirit of His prophets. In such cases the scope of what must be spoken is much broader than what can be spoken in a brief span of prophesying. To deliver these kinds of prophetic messages, God often thrusts His prophet into the pulpit of a church or convention meeting. Or, if the message is directed to the civic arena, the “pulpit” will likely be in the city hall or some other house of government.

Whether the prophet is directing the message to the church or in a civic context, when God places His prophet in the pulpit, the words spoken are prophecy and should be regarded as such. I recall hearing a prophet preach over 25 years ago and to this day I can give the main points of his message! We are to listen carefully to the prophet in the pulpit. When a prophet moves in his prophetic office in a preaching context, he speaks in a more direct, imperative sense than does the pastor or teacher. Please note here I am not saying that every time a prophet preaches, he is automatically operating in his prophetic authority. Again, we must listen with our ears and spirits. But when we hear a prophet deliver a powerful prophetic directive, we are to take that as the word of God.

(3) The Prayers of a Prophet - We see a number of instances of prayer by prophets in Scripture. Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Isaiah all left us excellent examples of a prophet's prayers. Often a prophet will brood over a matter heated in his spirit for hours or sometimes for days or weeks. Then one day it all begins to pour out in prayer form! I have heard such prayers. They come with the same force and power of any prophecy--and they are distinctly prophetic in content.
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4. They Speak With Other Tongues, John and Elizabeth Sherrill, Chosen Books, Lincoln, Virginia 22078.

5.  With Signs Following, Stanley H. Frodsham, Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO  65802, page 13.