What is the Gift of Tongues?
Let's be honest. For a lot of people, tongues is the weird one.
If you've ever walked into a service where someone was speaking in tongues without warning or explanation, it might have felt strange. Maybe even off-putting. And if you've grown up outside of a Pentecostal or charismatic context, the whole thing can sound like something from another planet.
But the Bible talks about it, and that means we should too.
What Tongues Actually Is
Tongues can be defined as a manifestation of the Spirit, allowing a believer to speak in a language, either earthly or heavenly, that they have not studied. Often it functions as a prayer language that bypasses human understanding.
The first time we see it is on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken." (Acts 2:4-6)
That day, tongues declared the wonders of God in the actual languages of the people standing there. It was a sign to unbelievers that God was doing something. And it kept happening throughout Acts. Cornelius and his household. The believers in Ephesus. Wherever the Holy Spirit moved, tongues often showed up alongside.
When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he gives us a clearer picture of how tongues actually function in the life of a believer. And here's where many of us need to pay close attention, because Paul makes a distinction most of us have never heard.
There are two kinds of tongues.
Private Tongues
"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit... Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves." (1 Corinthians 14:2, 4)
Private tongues are personal. It's your spirit communicating with God. The people around you won't understand it because it isn't meant for them. It's meant to build you up. Strengthen you. Encourage you. Draw you closer to God.
Paul says, "I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:15). When he prays in tongues, his spirit prays. It's a different kind of connection than what's happening when he prays in his own language.
Here's where I'll be transparent: I pray in tongues. You won't hear me speak it from a microphone, but privately, I speak in tongues often. Each week before I come out to preach, I'm backstage during the last worship song, praying in the Spirit. Why? Because I want my spirit to connect with God. I want my words to be His words. I don't want it to be me. I want it to be the Holy Spirit speaking and working through me.
I also pray in tongues during intercession, when I run out of words. When the situation is too heavy or too complex for my own language to carry. It becomes a tool for deep spiritual fighting prayers.
Tongues, in this private form, is beneficial. It's important. It's personal. It brings a depth of intimacy and connection to God that's hard to describe until you've experienced it.
Should I Want to Speak in Tongues?
Paul says, "Eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 14:1). Don't be afraid of it.
It does take some faith to step out and speak in tongues. We aren't forced into it in some uncontrolled way. We step out in faith. We begin, and we trust the Holy Spirit to fill in what comes after.
But hear me on this. You are not less than or less spiritual if you don't speak in tongues.
I've met people who have asked for this gift their whole lives and haven't received it. I know in some circles it's been painted as the dividing line between real believers and second-class ones. That's caused more damage than help.
Paul himself says, "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:5). And later: "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).
The implied answer is no. Not everyone has every gift. So eagerly desire them. Ask. See what the Holy Spirit will do. But don't let anyone tell you that you're spiritually deficient because you haven't experienced this particular one.
What This Could Mean for You
If you've never asked for the gift of tongues and you're curious, here's a starting point: ask. Tell God you want to know Him more deeply. Tell Him you'd love a way to pray that goes beyond your own understanding when you don't know what to say.
If you've experienced this gift but haven't used it in years, dust it off. Pray in the Spirit this week. Let your spirit reconnect with God in that quiet, private way it was designed for.
And if tongues isn't part of your story at all, that's okay. There's no shame in that. Pursue Jesus. Pursue the Holy Spirit. Eagerly desire whatever gifts He has for you. And keep growing closer to Him.
This is part one of a two-part series. In the next post, we'll look at how tongues works in a public setting, why order matters in the church, and the one thing Jesus actually said would identify His followers.