The Language of Heaven: Crucial Questions About Speaking in Tongues

by Sam Storms

Overview

What does the gift giver say about the gift He gave?
This book will help you overcome the arguments, fears, and anxieties related to this gift.
 
FEATURES AND BENEFITS

• Shares the author’s personal testimony and spiritual journey with speaking in tongues
• Examines the history of this gift in the church for the past two thousand years
• Interacts with those who have denied that this gift is valid for today’s church
• Speaks to the relationship between Spirit baptism, Spirit filling, and the gift of tongues

Few other issues have separated the church more than the issue of tongues.  Sam Storms focuses on this controversial subject with his signature insights to theology and the gifts of the spirit. What does the gift giver say about the gift He gave?
 
Storms seeks to bring balance to this subject in The Language of Heaven as he wrestles with this sensitive issue experientially as well as theologically. He ultimately provides a platform to allow God to speak for Himself as he addresses every text of Scripture on the subject and engages with every theological issue that speaking in tongues provokes. As a pastor, Storms knows the questions that the typical churchgoer is asking and provides clear and accessible answers to them all, including:

• Is the gift of tongues for every Christian or only some?
• How does the gift of tongues operate in the life of the believer individually in private practice?
• How does the gift of tongues operate in the corporate assembly of God’s church?
• How is the Christian edified and strengthened by praying in tongues?
• How do I pray for the gift and prepare my heart to receive it?

You can overcome the arguments, fears, and anxieties related to this spiritual gift. Remember, God gives only good gifts, and it is His intention that His church utilize all that He has provided so that we might experience all that He is.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629996073
Publisher:	Charisma Media
Publication date:	06/04/2019
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	660,993
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sam Storms has spent four decades in ministry as a pastor, professor, and author. He was visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College from 2000–2004, and is currently lead pastor for preaching and vision at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. He has authored more than twenty books and founded Enjoying God Ministries. He's a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (BA), Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM), and the University of Texas (PhD).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction-Tongues: A Good Gift From the Father of Lights 1

Chapter 1 My First Experience of Speaking in Tongues 9

Chapter 2 Tongues in Scripture 19

1 What happened on the day of Pentecost? 19

2 Where else in Acts did people speak in tongues? 31

Chapter 3 Tongues and Spirit Baptism 39

3 Does the gift of tongues always and invariably follow Spirit baptism as its initial physical evidence? 42

Chapter 4 Tongues and Foreign Languages 61

4 Are tongues always human languages previously unlearned by the speaker? If not, what kind of language is speaking in tongues? 62

Chapter 5 The Purpose of Tongues, Part I 73

5 Is the gift of tongues primarily designed for the evangelism of unbelievers? 73

6 Is it OK to seek personal edification by speaking in tongues? 75

7 What does Paul mean when he says that the person who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues? Is tongues inferior to prophecy? 82

8 Is tongues-speech an "ecstatic" experience? 84

Chapter 6 The Purpose of Tongues, Part II 89

9 Is speaking in tongues a sign of anti-intellectualism or a sign that people are afraid of deep theological thinking? 90

10 Is tongues-speech primarily directed to men or to God? 94

11 If tongues is primarily a form of prayer in words we don't understand, how can it be helpful to us in our relationship with God? 96

12 Is tongues also a way to worship God? 100

13 Is it permissible for people to sing in tongues in corporate worship? 102

Chapter 7 Public Expression of Tongues 105

14 Does Paul always insist on interpretation if tongues are used in the public gathering of the church, and if so, why? 105

15 Does Paul teach that tongues may be used in private devotional prayer, or must all tongues-speech take place in the corporate assembly of the church, followed by interpretation? 108

Chapter 8 Tongues as a Spiritual Gift 123

16 What is the gift of interpretation of tongues? 123

17 Why is tongues-speech often so rapid? 132

18 Why do some say that speaking in tongues is the least important spiritual gift? Is it? 132

19 Is the fact that tongues is mentioned only in Acts and 1 Corinthians an indication that New Testament authors regarded it as comparatively unimportant in the Christian life? 136

Chapter 9 Tongues and Prayer 139

20 What does it mean to "pray in the Spirit"? Is this a reference to speaking in tongues? 139

21 Does Romans 8:26-27 refer to the gift of tongues? 143

22 Can we learn anything about tongues from Mark 16:17? 146

23 Can a person pray for another person in uninterpreted tongues? 149

24 How might tongues help us in our spiritual battle with Satan and his demonic forces? 151

Chapter 10 Tongues and Revelation 157

25 Is tongues revelatory? 157

26 Is tongues a sign of judgment against unbelieving Jews? 162

Chapter 11 Tongues and the Believer 167

27 If I don't have the gift of tongues but want it, what should I do? 168

28 Can or should all Christians speak in tongues? Is tongues a gift God intends to supply to every believer, or is it only given to some? 178

Chapter 12 Tongues in Early Christianity, Part I 189

29 Do we have good biblical reasons to believe the gift of tongues is still valid for today? 190

Chapter 13 Tongues in Early Christianity, Part II 205

30 Did tongues and other miraculous gifts of the Spirit disappear in church history following the death of the apostles, only to reappear in the twentieth century? 205

Chapter 14 Encouraging Testimonies of Others Who Speak in Tongues 229

About the Author 241

Notes 243