WHY SHOULD I SPEAK IN TONGUES?
The most obvious answer to this question is that the Scriptures encourage it. Jesus said it was one of the signs that was to follow the ministry of Christians: “And these signs will accompany those who believe…they will speak in new tongues” (Mark 16:17). And Paul, while recognising the need for propriety in the public manifestation of tongues, nevertheless urged Christians to receive and make use of this significant gift. “Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts….Now I want you all to speak in tongues….I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all” (1 Corinthians 14:1, 5, 18). As the late Reverend Samuel Shoemaker observed, “The Christian needs every gift God offers.” The willingness to yield our tongues to God may also indicate a more profound surrender than almost any other act. The tongue is the primary instrument of expression of the human personality, and until God has dominion over the tongue, His control over us is relatively slight. So the tongue is a little member ...