The next gift is that of speaking in tongues. (I Cor. 12:10) This gift, we're told, is "divers kinds of tongues," that is, speaking supernaturally. Describing the gift of tongues is a little more difficult.
People may ask the question, "What's the difference between what happened when they spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost (or in different languages) than what happened many other times afterwards in the book of Acts, when tongues were not understood, nor interpreted?"
It is quite evident in Acts 10:44-48, that while Peter was preaching in Cornelius' house, the Holy Ghost fell and they all were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues. There was no interpretation there. It seems as though the Scripture teaches that speaking in tongues is the evidence of being baptized in the Holy Ghost. Also in Acts 19:6, twelve people spoke in tongues--and even prophesied!--but they had no interpretation. It is quite obvious from Scripture that speaking in tongues was the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, Peter's defense when the Jews were contrary wouldn't have held water.
In telling what happened, Peter said to the Jews, "When I preached in Cornelius' house, the Spirit fell upon them and they spoke with other tongues as we did in the beginning."
That ended the argument because they all had to acknowledge that God had poured out His Spirit, not only upon the Jews but upon the Gentiles. I am inclined to think that both happened on the day of Pentecost. The evidence they had been filled, and also the gift of tongues (one of the nine gifts) was manifested.
Paul wrote that the Corinthians, after the day of Pentecost, taught and spoke of the nine gifts of the Spirit--and this happened after the day of Pentecost. You'll recall that on the day of Pentecost, there were 18 different languages spoken! Eighteen different groups understood. However, as wonderful as speaking in tongues and receiving the Baptism in the Holy Ghost is, is it not a greater miracle or even a greater testimony that they would speak with the gift of tongues in languages to the heathen people in their own country?
Now, am I suggesting that missionaries should go to the foreign fields without studying the language of the people? Not at all. Like all the gifts of the Spirit, when natural ability is lacking then the supernatural enables us.
At one of my meetings in Vancouver, Canada, a remarkable thing happened. We had been teaching on the gifts, and our team had said, "Be watching for the gift of tongues to come into operation."
About then we heard of a brother--who was not Chinese--living in a Chinese settlement in the country around Vancouver who had been speaking their language! So a number of us drove out and learned that, as the Chinese had come out of their vegetable gardens, he had spoken to them in their language! He'd conversed with a Chinese man, a manager of a restaurant, who spoke perfect Chinese. We invited this brother and his wife to come to our services.
One night I was informed that they were present and I hastened down to where they were sitting. I invited them to the platform and on our way I said, "Now, you just obey God tonight."
The auditorium was full of people. We invited them to speak and I remember the text on which he spoke: "No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed." (I Cor. 12:3) "No man can say Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost." Soon he broke into the Chinese language. He spoke on John 3:16 in Cantonese, and then switched to the language of the boat people (which is a combination of Chinese dialects), then closed by quoting, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest," in Mandarin. Then he gave the invitation.
His wife jumped up and gave the interpretation, since God had given her this gift.
My brother's wife--who was born in China and a missionary's daughter--was in the meeting. She stood up and stated, "I have heard some of the most perfect Chinese language tonight that I have ever heard."
The effect of this was electrifying to the crowd who had assembled that night. We saw and heard two gifts of the Spirit: tongues and interpretation. Facts are pretty difficult things to deny.
Another instance was concerning my own mother. Mother was a Norwegian who had come over from Norway. We were in a convention In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A young man had just been filled with the Holy Spirit. To my mother's amazement he was speaking in her native tongue: pure Norwegian! I can still remember my mother clapping her hands for joy!
Another time I was engaged in missionary work in Japan. Some other missionaries, my interpreter, and myself were having prayer together. We usually had Bible reading and prayer every morning. We all led out in prayer and carried a burden for Japan. That morning when it was my turn, I had a special burden for Japan, and I broke into a language not my own; It was Japanese--and I had never studied Japanese! When that happened, my interpreter exploded into laughter. I was very indignant! How dare he be so irreverent!
Later, when we went outside into the yard, I said to the brother, "I was very hurt at your laughing while we were at worship this morning."
He said, "You'd have laughed too if you were me! You broke into perfect Japanese and said 'Lord bless Japan, and I don't mean maybe, either."'
He was amused that I was speaking in Japanese and using an American colloquialism which they never use in Japan! He had lived in America for four years so he understood our idioms. The gift of the Spirit really worked that morning and is a powerful testimony to what God wants to do today. On the Day of Pentecost the people spoke 18 different languages, they all being Galileans, and yet were understood by the different nationalities present in their own tongue.
Is it unreasonable to think that, on occasion, it could happen today? Is it not wonderful to think that God can speak through us--whether it be for the evidence that we have received a heavenly tongue by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit--or the actual language of someone present? Both are wonderful!