“the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so he will fall on his face and worship God,
declaring that God is certainly among you.”
1 Corinthians 14:25 NASB1995
https://bible.com/bible/100/1co.14.25.NASB1995
Have you ever been up a really tall building?
A small boy, with his father, was in an elevator going up the Empire State Building in
New York.
As they flashed by the 66th floor, the boy, in considerable anxiety, seized his father’s
hand, and in an awestruck whisper, said, “Does God know we are coming?”
This is an amusing story; but, the serious answer is: Yes, God knows everything about
us, and what’s best for us.
* There are over 6,000 known languages.
* There is also a language of the spiritual realm (1 Cor. 13.1) which is given by the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2.4).
* If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become
a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Cor 13:1 (NASB)
Reason 9 why believers should pray in other tongues is because we can interpret our
tongues.
“Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.”
(1 Corinthians 14:13).
We can interpret our own tongues.
When we speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit in our spirit is speaking through us to
God (see 1 Corinthians 14:15, AMPC).
o When we interpret the tongue, it is God speaking back through the Holy
Spirit to us.
The Holy Spirit is the Revealer.
The Holy Spirit carries the question to God and reveals His answer back to us.
o It may not come immediately—but it will come.
o The interpretation will be in line with God’s WORD.
There are three operations of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14. All
belong to the individual believer and should be operational in every believer’s life.
o Tongues
o Interpretation of tongues
o Prophecy
These three gifts in a believer’s life are not the same as the ministry gifts of
tongues and interpretation mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12.
o Nor is the simple gift of prophecy in a believer the same as the ministry office
of a prophet or any other ministry office (apostle, evangelist, pastor, and teacher).
Tongues and interpretation work together to draw out understanding in the form of
these expressions:
o Words
o Thoughts
o Ideas
o Concepts
o Insights
o Comprehensions o Understanding
o Actions
These come up from your spirit, not by mental activity.
It is not necessary for interpretation every time you speak with other tongues.
Flowing back and forth from tongues to English is useful for so many of the
reasons we’ve given:
o Mysteries and understanding
o Praise and thanksgiving
o Awareness of God’s presence
Tongues and interpretation are equal to prophesy in that all three will edify, exhort
and comfort (see 1 Corinthians 14:5).