By David J. Stewart
Speaking-in-tongues that is done in Pentecostal, Charismatic, Assemblies of God, Churches of Christ, and many non-denominational churches today is a false teaching, a demonic practice. Of all the churches that the Apostle Paul wrote Epistles to, he only addressed the issue of speaking-in-tongues to the carnal church at Corinth.
Here is an excellent passage exposing the heresy of tongues from Dr. Hugh F. Pyle's helpful book, The TRUTH about TONGUES and the CHARISMATIC movement...
“Keep in mind, then, that the word tongues in the Greek means traditional languages. It is used in the New Testament fifty times and is never used to teach some heavenly speech of ecstasy. The Bible says nothing about going into a frenzy, a trance or an ecstasy to receive a 'gift of tongues.'
Out of sixty-six books in the Bible, only three mention tongues except one reference related to the Jews in the book of Isaiah. And where it is most mentioned, in 1 Corinthians, God through Paul is correcting and regulating.
There are 1,189 chapters and 31,162 verses in the Bible, and only comparatively few verses deal with the subject in only seven chapters. All of this would surely indicate that it is hardly 'the main focal point of the teaching of Christ,' as some Charismatics teach. In fact, Jesus Christ never commanded His followers to speak with other tongues!
Jesus plainly taught that the Holy Spirit was to come to give us power and that power was to make us effectual witnesses. Soul winning, then, is the great burden of God. 'Ye shall be witnesses unto me after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you' (Acts 1:8). ...
Jameson, Fausett and Brown commentary says, 'Tongues must mean languages, not ecstatic, unintelligible rhapsodies.'
Never once were the disciples told to 'lose themselves' to allow the takeover of their reason by some spirit, nor were they ever told to allow their speech organs to wobble and their minds to 'become unfruitful,' as some tongues people today say we should.
The Bible does not say that 'speaking in tongues' is the initial evidence of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer.
In the book of Acts the gift of languages was used three times only. Great numbers of new converts were made in chapters 2,5,8 and 9. The Bible does not even imply that they ever spoke in tongues.”
SOURCE: The TRUTH about TONGUES and the CHARISMATIC movement, by High F. Pyle, pg. 84-85; Sword of the Lord Publishers; PO Box 1099, Murfreesboro, TN, 37133; copyright 1989; ISBN: 0-87398-846-9
Amen! If the church that you attend speaks in jibber-jabber tongues, then you are in a false cult my friend, and it would be advisable to leave immediately. Biblical churches center around the plain and simple preaching of God's Word and Soul Winning.
