“I would like all of you to speak in tongues,” writes the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth (1 Cor 14:15).

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Paul’s desire that the whole congregation speak in tongues is expressed in a passage that is ultimately about how and for whom speaking in tongues is edifying-- typically for an individual but NOT for the gathered church where more “intelligible” spiritual gifts (like prophecy) are to be preferred.

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But in the perhaps most well-known passage about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church in the book of Acts, Jesus’s followers are “filled with the Holy Spirit and beg[i]n to speak in other tongues” which there clearly means languages that ARE intelligible to the many different peoples gathered in Jerusalem at the time (Acts 2:4,7-11)

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Are these two different kinds of tongues?  In a word: yes. Does the gift of tongues inevitably accompany the experience of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on people (like we see in Acts 2)? No. Do people sometimes speak in tongues or receive the gift of tongues when they are filled by the Spirit? For sure. Are the filling of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues really wonderful modes of experiencing connection to and love by God? You bet.

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Join us to look at some biblical texts about tongues, hear about experiences of being filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues, answer questions, and seek a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and--for some!--the gift of tongues. Come with questions. Come with expectation. Come as you are and we’ll seek the good things of God together. Contact Todd.

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