Why we Are NOT To Pray In Tongues

So what what's the hypothetical that he says if what I >> if you pray in tonesues >> the only time in the Bible where we see this speech about praying in tonesues is right here. >> Yeah. My spirit prays. >> So my spirit prays is being contrasted with what? >> My mind is unproductive. >> There you go. [music] >> Okay. What you got for me serious? Okay. So, I got on about this time you was talking about like tongues and whatnot. So, I just have a quick question about that. Do you like um not believe in like a private prayer language or like a prayer language that every believer is supposed to receive or like like um like you know like the stereotypical Pentecostal tongues, how it's like um repeating syllables and like it kind of all sounds the same. Do you think that it's like fake or like a lost language or an angelic tongue or do you just like >> Well, we don't have an example of it in the Bible. >> It's only mentioned one time and the way it's mentioned when Paul says it, it's not a it's not a positive. So let's go to first Corinthians 14 14 and can't remember exactly where it is then I do know many other so than the one who speaks in tongue. Oh there it is. If I pray in a tongue see Corey praying in tongue is biblical because it's there right now Caleb is a smart person. So, Caleb is going to exedute this text. All right, you ready, Caleb? >> Now, by the way, when I say exedute the text, >> I want you to start off by first making some observations. What do we see? >> So, let's go through it and tell me what all you see, Caleb. >> Mhm. >> So, so what do we notice? >> He says, "If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays." So, he's praying inwardly, but my mind is un >> Wait a second. Wait a second. Hold up. Hold up. Hold up. Hold him up. Swallow him up. Hold him. You said he's praying inwardly. >> Yeah. Like he's not praying with his mind. >> Hold on, Caleb. Let me tell you what you just did. You just made an interpretation without giving an observation first. You just went off and told me what it meant. You should first see what it's saying first, right? You should mark everything that you see. So now, let's go back to the text. Tell me what you see in verse, make it a little bit bigger. Tell me what you see in verse 14. >> Okay. If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive. >> Okay, pause. >> What should I do? >> Pause. Hold on one second. Let me give you exactly what I'm talking about. >> Mhm. >> In we gave an an an act an action. We gave a uh an assignment in Acts chapter 18. >> Mhm. >> Do you all do you all remember this the the assignment that I gave you guys? This was a year ago. I gave you all this assignment and the assignment was go to Acts chapter 8 and write down everything you see make an observation. So the first observation you can see well it starts off with the word but. So the first observation is uh this verse starts off with a conjunction. >> So you got to read the verse before. Well, no. No. All you do, but right now we're just making an observation on verse eight. So verse eight >> starts off with but the word but is a conjunction. So that's one observation. The other observation is that this is a continuation of a previous statement because it's a conjunction. >> Okay. [snorts] >> The word but is rather than day, it's the Greek word Allah which means rather or on the contrary. So this is a complete >> um contrast. Then another thing that says that you will receive power. You will receive. Now the you that will receive is plural. So the U is plural. So this refers to more than one person. So I observe that this refers to more than one person. >> Then it says that that they will receive power. So they will receive power. I'm observing they'll receive power in an unnamed future. Sometime in the future, they don't know for sure. they will re and so power is what those people the one who the who the who the writer or the speaker is talking to they will receive. Now I can't observe who is speaking even though we know it's Jesus and I can't observe who he's speaking to cuz verse 8 doesn't tell me. I'm just going off what verse 8 says. Obviously we have a context to to to attach us to but not yet. Then we find out that when they're when are they going to receive power? >> I observe. >> I Yeah, I observe I observe that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. I observe that the spirit will come upon them. Amen. So the this is what I mean by um observing uh certain p certain words. So the but I can also observe that this word uh epi or f in this case is on upon over. So it's kind of an all sort of inclusive um almost an overshadowing. >> Yeah. >> And you who's the you plural. So they all will be witnesses where both in Jerusalem. And I can observe they will be witnesses in Jerusalem. I mean and and in Judea, right? So this is what I mean by when we observe a text. >> Look at what the text is saying before we run to say what it means. >> So now let's go back to 1 Corinthians 14. Now I want you to observe what we read. What? So now tell me what you observe. >> Well it starts with if. >> But dog on it. Let's pause right there for a second cuz >> okay >> if is a big word. If you if you was seven feet tall, >> 300 pounds, and can dunk and shoot threes, you would be a millionaire. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> If if if if carries a lot big word. >> What does if mean? What does what's the word if? What does it mean? What does it convey? >> Um I'm pretty sure it's a conjunction, right? >> So, >> well, more than that, >> it it's like >> it's a it is a conjunction. It's a conjunction. It's a subordinated conjunction. it it's hinging on the previous thought. >> Not necessarily. >> Okay. >> If doesn't if doesn't hinge on the previous thought, but there's something um that it that's something hinges on something with if. Like if I said if I were a bird, that can't be a complete sentence. So it's so there's something else in order to make this thing a complete sentence. So it's not like and or but or for. >> But what do we know about the word if? I don't know. I'm kind of lost. >> Is Is if a hypothetical? >> Yes. Well, yeah, it is a hypothetical. >> It's a hypothetical. >> It's like if this then that. Like it's it's like a possibility. >> So, like Katrina said, per chance. Uh Derek says a condition. >> Yeah. So if I do now if I say if if I grow some hair >> does that mean that I have grown some hair? >> Not necessarily. Only if you have. >> Yeah. >> Actually happen like if you do doesn't mean it actually happens. >> Yeah. So if this were to happen so in other words what we're saying is this is a hypothetical. >> So hypothetical. Yeah. Okay. >> Paul in 14 starts off with introducing a hypothetical. Now the hypothetical is about tonesues, right? >> Yeah. >> Okay. So what what's the hypothetical that he says? If what I >> if you pray in tonesues. >> Okay. Now does Paul say I do pray in tonesues? >> No. Not necessarily. >> And no, you can take necessarily off. He doesn't say he does at all. >> Yeah. >> And so guess what? The only time in the Bible where we see this speech about praying in tongues is right here. Paul says, "If I do," Paul doesn't say, "You should." Paul doesn't say that I pray in. Now, some folks will say this, "I pray in tonesues more than all of you." That's not what the text says at all. If I pray in tonesues, now I want you to notice something about this this this uh this statement that he makes. If I pray in tonesues, what does he say happens if he were to pray in tonesues? >> His spirit would pray, but then his mind would be unproductive. >> Okay, now the good part is my spirit prays. Okay. Cool. Cool. My my spirit is is praying. What a what comes after praise? >> But >> but but is a what? What does but mean? >> Um that's a conjunction. >> But also what else? What kind of I mean what does it what does it state? >> Uh it's like a contrast, right? >> It's a contrast. Contrasting what? >> Um >> what's being contrasted? What was previously said? >> What? My spirit praise. >> Yeah, my spirit praise. >> So my spirit praise is being contrasted with what? >> My mind is unproductive. >> There you go. So on the good, my spirit prays. On the bad, my mind is unproductive. I have no clue what I'm saying. So Paul says if I were to do that thing, you know, praying in the spirit, I mean praying in tongues, yeah, my spirit prays. Spirit feels good, feels wonderful, warm, fuzzy, like I'm being hugged by a giant cat. That's how my spirit feels. >> But my mind is unproductive. All right, Caleb, cuz you're smart. Is that a good thing that your mind be unproductive? >> It's not >> not. As a matter of fact, >> you're not growing. As a matter of fact, what did he say initially? He started off by speaking about knowing what the heck it is you're saying. >> Yeah. Pray that you should be able to interpret it what what you say. >> Well, he starts off to to make the point clear, he starts off by talking about instruments and knowing what the sound makes being distinct and so forth. >> If I don't if I don't understand, >> then how will I know what's being piped out? How can I get ready for battle? All these different things. Daniel >> he says unless they make a distinction right I won't know and how does he and when when he leaves that after he starts talking about these um inanimate objects he start he goes to verse 12 says it is the same with you or so it is with you who so in the same way it is with you since you're so eager for these spiritual gifts for the manifestation of the spirit what should you seek to abound, >> build up the church. >> Exactly. So then, so then one who prays, I mean, so one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may what? Interpret. What's the word interpret? Means to explain or to understand, right? If But now look what he says though. If Now he's going to introduce a what? A hypothetical. If I pray in a tongue now, does that mean that people are probably trying to pray in tongues there? >> What do you think? >> Maybe. Yeah, probably. >> More than likely. Yeah. Because why would he introduce something that's not even happening? It's like, well, if I grew wings and flew. >> Yeah. It's not not relevant. So, so this must be some sort of way relevant. If I pray in a tongue, remember this is a letter where he's he's bringing up some errors of the people because that's all he's been doing in in in this letter to in first Corinthians. If I pray in a tongue, and we've covered the two contrasting parts. My spirit prays. Well, that's good. But my mind is unproductive. There is there can you think of any place in the Bible where being unproductive is a good thing? >> No, it's clearly not. >> No. Now, do you recall how Paul starts off this whole conversation about spiritual gifts? >> Is it I think 1 Corinthians 13 talks about love. Is that >> 12 is the beginning of it? Cuz he says makes it pretty easy. He says, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, >> right? >> Oh, build up the church." Yes. build up the church. Yes. >> Well, no, no, no. Not yet. Not yet. What does he say about concerning spiritual gifts? >> Mhm. >> What does he say >> now? Concerning spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be unaware. >> Yeah, there you go. I don't want you to be unaware. >> Or ignorant. Yeah. >> Or ignorant. I don't want So now I don't want you to be ignorant. Let's go back here. >> Okay. Okay. >> If I pray, my mind is Is my mind aware or ignorant? >> Uh unproductive. It's ignorant. >> Exactly. >> The same Greek word used. Not not unproductive, but the but the next verse does. Watch this. So, what should I do? If I say, "What should I do?" That means there's something I need to do to fix the problem, right? >> Yes. [snorts] >> I will pray with my spirit. Well, all right. Cool. I will pray with my spirit. Is that what he said here? My spirit prays. So, my spirit prays. >> Exactly. That part is good. But also, what will I do? >> Pray with my understanding. >> Exactly. or with my mind. The word >> same by the way, same word. It's the Greek word noey or no. >> Yes. >> This word that he used over here in 1 Corinthians 12. I don't want you to be agno. >> I don't want you to be opposite of 1 Corinthians 14:1 15. I want you to pray with your mind. I want you to know. I want you to have understanding. I don't want you in 1 Corinthians 12, I don't want you to be ignorant or unknowing or unaware. So now let's come back to you. What is Paul saying about praying in tongues? Well, he's saying it's it's lifting up your spirit, but your mind is unfruitful. So you should pray with your spirit and with your mind. >> Exactly. >> And then it goes on back to edifying the church. Otherwise, when you are praising God in the spirit, how can someone else who is in the position of an inquirer say amen? Because like no one else benefits from that. >> Amen. So now let's go back to your question. It what we what should we think about praying in tongues? >> We only got one time in the Bible that talks about it. >> What should you think about it now? >> Well, we should see it more beneficial to pray with our spirit and our mind. >> Yeah. Cuz if I pray if I pray with my tongue, what's going to what's going to happen? I won't know what I'm doing. >> Yeah. If I pray in tones. >> So, so what does it what does it mean to pray with spirit and in mind? >> Well, praying in the spirit doesn't mean in tonesues, right? Cuz in the spirit, >> in the spirit never means in tonesues. It just means according to with the power of. So when Paul comes in the spirit, he's not coming in tonesues. He's coming in the power of according to in leagues with. We should, by the way, we should always pray uh in the spirit, right? And we should pray without ceasing. So in the >> Jude, I think in the So if we're So let me go to Ephesians. Uh is it Ephesians? I think it's Ephesians. >> Ephesians, is it 10 or 16? What is Don't go on it. Hold on. Oh, I'm sorry. Not 10. Ephesians 6. >> Yeah, 18. >> And is it 18? Yeah. 18. Dog on it, you're way ahead of me. Uh, so he says, "With all prayer and petition, at all times pray in the spirit." So at all times, how should we pray? >> In the spirit. >> In the spirit. But if we're to pray without ceasing, if in the spirit means praying in tonesues, then Paul's telling us to pray in tonesues, that can't mean what in the spirit is. >> Yeah. Well, a possible um like understanding of that could um pray. Can you pull it back up? I'm sorry. Um it says pray at all times. Maybe what if it's not saying pray like all the time, but pray at all times meaning um how he talks to Timothy saying in and out of season like um in all times as in in all situations regardless of what it is. Continue to pray in the spirit. Well, hold on. So, this goes together. Praying in the spirit or praying in all times in the spirit. This is how we read this. >> Mhm. >> Prasuk prasukinoi and p. So, so be praying in all the times in the spirit. >> So, he's telling us how to pray when whenever we're praying, we're going to be praying in the spirit. grammatically that that's how you have to say it. >> So he's not separating >> that was just another another way that I thought it could be read but not I understand. >> Yeah. So >> yeah. >> So now if we're supposed to pray at all times whenever we pray, pray in the spirit and to pray without ceasing, >> are we now saying you have to always pray in tongues? No, that's not what he's saying. >> No. No. So Paul, >> and then I think I think John also came in the spirit, but obviously it's talking about like, >> oh, if I type in in if I type in in the spirit or in the Holy Spirit, there's a lot of verses that pop up. >> So So it doesn't mean in tonesues. So therefore, Paul is not um commanding or recommending anybody to pray in in tonesues. The only time that praying in tonesues is mentioned, there's a negative to it. That is, you don't know what you're talking about. And I don't want you to not know what you're talking about. Okay. >> So, the takeaway has to be don't even do it. Just pray. >> Yeah. >> Jesus, >> how how are we told to pray? >> Well, the Lord's prayer is an example. >> So, we so we so we he said pray like this. Give this pattern. Right. >> Yeah. >> Now, we don't have to say verbatim, but we just pray in this pattern. I can't pray in this pattern if I don't know what I'm saying. There's no way I can do that. >> Yeah. So, so somebody's going to say say by the way by the way he actually says and some people make the make the connection um that Jesus when he says do not be like them with these vain repetitious babblings. Let's be honest when we hear a lot of people praying in tongues or speaking in tonesues it's repetitious the same word >> I'm already knowing. >> Yeah. >> So so we can't come back and say dog gone it he didn't tell us not to do it. Well, he did. >> Yeah. I also see that um when Kathy's pray the rosary, it's like the same thing over and over going through the beads. It's like just going through the motions. >> But yeah. Okay. Okay. I'm seeing it. Yeah. So my part of my question too is though, is he still like is he acknowledging that it's a real thing and just warning necessarily don't do it because it's not benefiting the church? >> Well, [snorts] if it it's a if it's a real thing, the problem is we don't see it anywhere else. So now we're going to build a teaching and a behavior and a pattern off something that's never shown in the Bible. Just like just like being slain in the spirit. It's never in the Bible, but we do it. >> Yeah. No, I'm I have a hard time with that, too. I don't get it. >> So if we actually saw Christians in the Bible, believer believers, people full of the Holy Spirit falling back, then okay. But we don't see that. And we don't see it commanded. If we don't see, we never see anybody praying in tongues. Every time someone prays that we hear about it, they pray in the language and we know what they're saying. >> Yeah. >> So that can't it it just can't be. So he he there's no reason on earth to do it. As a matter of fact, if you do it, the only time he talks about it, there's a negative um that happens with it, you don't know what you're saying, and you're commanded to not know what you're I mean to know what you're saying and commanded to not be ignorant. So he wouldn't so you can't pray in tonesues. Praying in tonesues means you're going to be ignorant, >> which is a contradiction to what Paul says to not do. And Paul makes a statement to not be ignorant by the power of the Holy Spirit. So let's not be contradicted to what to to what the commands of the Holy Spirit is. Let's know what you're saying. And oh, by the way, the person with the Holy Spirit is uh alert and sober and full control. >> We come back and say, "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm supposed to be alert. >> God gave us a spirit of didn't give a spirit of fear, but of power >> and self-control, >> of love, and what's the other one? >> Mhm. >> Sound mind. >> Oh, sound mind. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> But I don't know what I'm saying. And it's the Holy Spirit. No, it ain't. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um, so like, are they faking it? Is it is it possibly true and they're just misusing it or are they just faking it? Remember what Paul says. Paul says since you are zealous. >> Mhm. >> So Paul is not saying you're not sinful. You're not in sin. Paul is saying you guys are I get it. You guys are zealous. You guys are happy. You guys are just giddy. I get it. I get it. But if you're going to be this happy and this zealous, strive for the things that build up the body, not you. So do something constructive with all of this energy. Use your powers for good and not for selfish. >> Yeah. Yeah. So for self-centerness like >> have you ever been to the whole church? >> Are I I asked you I think I asked you. Are you a sports fan of any kind? >> Yeah. >> Okay. What's your what's your sport you like? >> Um right now I like football. >> Okay. So have you ever gone to a football game? >> No I have not. No. >> Okay. When you go to a football game you're going to find some absolute idiots. Some morons. >> I mean just and they're just having good naturatured fun. >> The Buffalo Bills have this this thing inside their state. They have a they have this sculpture of a broken table. You know those little little tables you kind of set up and it's broken because they got this group called Bill's Mafia. They jump off trucks and stuff onto a table like they're at a wrestling match to break the tables, right? Just stupid stuff. They're having fun. >> They don't know what to do. >> Do they do they love the Bulls? I mean the uh the Buffalo Bills. Yes. >> Or you go to a game and they're just shouting and just yippy and and all that stuff like that. >> It's it's uncontrolled exuberance. So what we're seeing here in the church is this uncontrolled exuberance. They just, man, I'm just so happy. I want to say something or do something. So here's the test to know that you're full of the spirit and you just got to let it out. Go tell somebody. You cannot come back and say that you're full of the spirit and you just you can't contain it and then you never say anything to anybody else. You can go speak in tongues, but you can't speak to somebody on their way to hell. Well, there's a little bit of contradiction right there now. >> Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Do you think um maybe 1 Corinthians 13:1 gives us like um another example? Cuz you said 14 is the only example. >> Nope. >> Maybe let's look at it. >> Okay. >> And you keep on asking all these questions. You lucky you're young. Okay. >> Let's let's do the same thing here. >> How does this verse start off? >> Yeah. Again, >> if the same if Yeah. If the same if if I speak in tongues of men and angels, does Paul speak in the tongue? Now he speaks in tongue of men, but does he speak in the tongue of angels? It's if >> not necessarily. No, it's hypothetical. >> That's all. This is a hypothetical. If I do this, but I don't have love. If I have all prophecy, if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, does Paul, is that Paul? No. He didn't have all mystery and know all have all knowledge. No. and have all faith. No, he didn't have all faith. He couldn't heal Timothy. His point is, let me give you a hypothetical scenario that if it were to happen, but I don't have love, doesn't matter. If I can fly to the moon and back in one second, but I don't have love, doesn't matter. Can I fly to the moon and back in one second? No. >> No. >> If I if I can if I can hit the lottery every day this week, the point is if. >> Yeah. And so it's a big powerful word, small, two letters. We bypass it and miss the point of what Paul is saying. So Paul is not speaking about some hypothetical language or tongues of angels. By the way, the question is going to be, well, how do angels sound? What language do they talk in? Well, every time they spoke in the Bible, how do they speak? What language they speaking in the Bible? >> Not English. They spoke in human languages. >> What? Exactly. Whatever the language was of the person they're speaking to, how did the people speak to the angels? Whatever their language was also. So now Paul could be speaking about if I speak with with just regular human power or angelic power. Point is all we know is all we know what the Bible says, the examples that we give. There's no one ever spoken some sort of angelic language. Do they have their own language in heaven? I don't know. They might they might speak telepathically. I have no idea. Nor does anyone else. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Amen. >> Okay. Okay. All right. 100%. >> I got Now I got to put you off. You have taken up too much of my time. >> Thank you nonetheless. I appreciate it. >> Listen, this was a good conversation, brother. Good conversation. We love you over here. >> Stay safe. >> We love you over here. Bye. >> All right. Take care, brother. [music] >> [music]