Speaking in Tongues no longer exists for the Church

Are Tongues for Today? Back in the Book of Acts, we see a spiritual gift called speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues has been a hot debate between Christians. So who is right? Let"s look at what tongues is, what the modern church thinks it is. How they are wrong, and the Bible is right. It seems that modern charismatics, Assembly of God, and people like the Pentecostals misuse tongues. It seems when you look into scripture you can do nothing but contrast modern tongues, and biblical tongues. So let"s take a look first at what Biblical Tongues are. I) What is Biblical Tongues? Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Act 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. Act 2:7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Act 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Act 2:10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. Here we see a very clear pictures of the purpose of tongues. It was so the church could spread the Gospel to people even if they didn"t speak the same language. Every man heard it in their own native language. It"s as simple as that. They were filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak in several languages all at once. So even before we delve into what Modern Tongues are, we can start contrasting from what we know between modern tongues, and biblical tongues. One of the largest so far is about understanding. Nobody can understand a Pentecostal when he speaks in tongues, but here it said that everyone could understand the one who spoke in tongues, even if they didn"t speak the same language! So obviously there is something wrong here. I guess the best way I can describe tongues, would be to call it a universal translator. So this raises a question. Is it for today? The answer is no. Here"s why. Tongues are a sign gift. Until we receive the entire word of God, the Holy Spirit granted sign gifts only at certain times, and normally only to the apostles. Only four instances of Speaking in Tongues are recorded in the Bible. Yes there could have been more. But the ability died off when we received the entire word of God. Even by the end of Acts it seems to be gone. So Tongues were a sign gift, it"s done, it"s not for today. How do we know? Here are some simple ways to know it is not for today. Firstly, there have been no instances of a preacher suddenly not needing a translator in a foreign country. Tongues is not a voluntary gift, it comes to you when you need it, and not when you just want it. So if tongues were for today, you would see the headlines on newspaper, "preacher seemingly speaks in more than one language at the same time." But we don"t see that. So we see what tongues are, and that they are not for today. So let"s contrast it to the modern version of tongues. II What is Modern Tongues? So I typed in the Google search engine, "How do I speak in tongues?" this is what I got. The first thing that came up was a website called, WWW.charismamag.com. They list 5 things every Christian should know about tongues. Here they are. 1 Tongues is a gift from God. True, but still this is not for the modern day Christian. 2 Tongues is a language that allows them to communicate directly with God. This is false, we clearly looked at scripture and learned that it is for communicating the Gospel to one of a foreign language. `3 Tongues is the most common spiritual gift among the believers. No, it is so rare, it is nonexistent. Literally. Tongues do not exist in the modern church. 4 The Gift of tongues is still active today. No it is not, we went over this 5 What do people say when speaking in tongues? -They declare God"s wonders -They Praise him -They are edifying themselves -The Holy Spirit is speaking through them Tongues are for giving the Gospel. They speak the Gospel. The modern version of speaking in tongues does not exist in the bible. 1Co 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. Something that people fail to recognize in the basic definition of tongues. Glossa is the Greek word for tongues in this verse. It literally means language. The four verses before the one I just listed tells us that speaking in an unknown tongue is for God. And they are right. Paul is essentially saying that if you speak in a language nobody else knows, sure God knows what you are saying, but what about everyone else? He says in verse 5 that he is glad we can speak to God, and you can do it in a foreign language (this doesn"t mean babbling, and inaudible noises). But how does this edify the brethren? It doesn"t. So he says prophecy, this is to say preach! Do it in their language, you can"t help anyone by babbling. A large problem in the modern speaking in tongues is pride. Even if they are right, why would they do it in public? It reminds me of the parable of the prideful Pharisee in prayer. Modern speaking in tongues is heresy, it is easily identifiable as heresy.