By Reason of Use
I’ve heard it taught that tongues that have been interpreted are equivalent to prophecy. I have a tendency to nitpick, so it seems to me that based on 1 Corinthians 14:6, tongues that have been interpreted are equivalent to revelation OR knowledge OR prophecy OR teaching. I base this on 1 Corinthians 14:5-6 (ESV), which says:
“Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?” 1 Corinthians 14:5-6 (ESV)
Half a century ago I spent my first years as a believer as a member of Pittsburgh Church of the Brethren while Russ Bixler was still its pastor. Our Sunday morning services were strictly traditional, but on Sunday nights people came from all over Pittsburgh to see what God would do during our very charismatic Sunday evening prayer services. I can’t remember ever missing a Sunday evening while Russ was still the pastor there, and I can’t remember ever experiencing a prayer service in which miracles did not take place. I’ll tell you about the miracles in another blog. The subject that’s on my heart right now is the importance of learning how to judge prophecies and messages in tongues.
In the King James Version (we all used the KJV back then) First Corinthians 14:29 says this: “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.” Russ took the importance of judging prophecy very seriously, and because tongues that have been interpreted can be the equivalent of prophecy, Russ also believed in judging tongues. In fact, he believed in judging tongues even before they were interpreted.
Every Sunday night, three elders sat on a bench behind Russ that faced the congregation. From time to time, someone would stand up and deliver a message in what sounded like tongues. As soon as that person stopped speaking, Russ would turn around and look at the elders, who would all three simultaneously nod either “yes” or “no”. I never saw the elders disagree, and I never saw them look at each other to see what the other elders thought. “Yes” meant the utterance was a message in tongues that should be interpreted and shared with the congregation; “no” meant “NO.” When the elders voted no, Russ would tactfully explain that the utterance wasn’t a message that was meant to be shared publicly.
After I’d been attending the Sunday evening services for a while, I realized that I always knew how the elders were going to nod. I “just knew” whether a message was legitimate or not. Hebrews 5:14 (WMB) talks about people “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.” Eventually I found I “just knew” other things as well because I’d learned to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit was every so quietly telling me.
Every charismatic congregation has its own way of judging tongues and/or prophecies--or not. I thank God that He placed me in a congregation that enabled me to exercise my spiritual senses.
Margot Armer
