Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:10

Tongues are by nature not your native language. They CAN be the native language of someone who is hearing you. They also can NOT be a native language of someone who is hearing you. So how do you know what you said? Sometimes, it just isn’t important to know because it is an edification of your spirit. Your spirit doesn’t need to hear things in YOUR native language. But there are times that there needs to be edification in your MIND and that DOES require understanding. That is one reason for the gift of the interpretation of tongues.

It is a gift of INTERPRETATION, not TRANSLATION. What’s the difference? It is telling the meaning behind what is said, not putting what was said into a language that you understand. Because of this, the meaning of what is said might be longer or it might be shorter. It is not a literal translation, but the meaning behind what was said. The use of this gift is when the edification needs to be for your mind OR for the corporate body. It does the church no good if someone says something edifying, but only in tongues that they don’t understand.

“Now I want you all to speak with tongues, but even more that you may prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks with tongues, unless he interprets, in order that the church may receive edification” (1 Corinthians 14:5). This shows that when there is a word for the church – whether it is edification, teaching, or prophesy – it is important that the church understand it. Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians 6-7: “But now, brothers, if I come to you speaking with tongues, how do I benefit you, unless I speak to you either with a revelation or with knowledge or with a prophecy or with a teaching? Likewise, the inanimate things which produce a sound, whether flute or lyre, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the lyre?“

This gift is a partner of the gift of tongues. They might reside in two people or in one person, but they always operate together when what is said needs to be known. This partnership ministered by Ruach HaKodesh also prevents abuse. You can’t just mambo jambo whatever you want and then give a message that you want people to obey. It isn’t like that. This is again for edifying and building up – especially when taken together. Speaking edification to the whole church has value, but only when understood by the whole church. When the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues is working together in unison with Ruach HaKodesh who gives them, they become a word for the church that builds it up, encourages it, and helps to develop it. Whatever happens in a church, should edify that church, so this is what the pair of giftings were given for.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 1 Corinthians 14:39

“So then, my brothers, desire to prophesy, and do not prevent speaking with tongues.” We do NOT always understand what Adonai is doing. That’s okay. He is generically far above our level. What we DO understand is a gift from Him to us, not the natural order of things. What is important is that we keep ourselves humbly submitted to Him. That’s not opening ourselves to anything that might pass by (1 Thessalonians 5:21). That’s keeping submitted to Him. We KNOW His voice (John 10:27-28), but we might not understand what He is doing with it. That is why we were sent Ruach HaKodesh. An instructor, counsellor, guider, corrector, and leader. Someone we can trust to help filter what Adonai is doing in and through us according to the Word. He doesn’t leave us to interpret things on our own. He lends us a key code, He gives us His dictionary, and makes sure that we’re using His thesaurus. What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8