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Verse:And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. —Acts 2:4
Many Christians today argue that those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit should speak in tongues as in apostolic times (Acts 2:1–13; 10:44–48; 19:1–7).
But what kind of tongues did the early Christians speak? Did they speak in ecstatic unintelligible tongues or in human languages? Although ecstatic tongues were already present in some ancient pagan religions and, later on, even in a few isolated Christian circles, a new emphasis on such tongues emerged from the famous Azuza Street Revival in Los Angeles, California. On April 9, 1906, William J. Seymour was holding charismatic prayer meetings in a couple of homes when Edward Lee and several other African Americans experienced the phenomenon.
From there, the modern tongues movement spread around the world.
But are these tongues of the same nature as those that were spoken by early Christians? The apostle Paul teaches that the true gift of tongues is given to believers by the Holy Spirit with an the purpose of outreach, not so that they can achieve a special status within a monolingual community (1 Corinthians 14:9, 18, 19, 22, 27, 28).
On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples actually spoke in known human languages so that each foreigner could listen to the gospel in his or her own language (Acts 2:4–13). In the case of Cornelius, the gift of tongues was a confirming sign that the gospel should also be preached to the Gentiles (Acts 10:44–48).
The gift in Corinth helped spread the message in that important commercial center with many alien residents and foreign travelers (Acts 19:1–7).
No doubt, the true gift of tongues may be given even today, as has been the case in some missionary settings where no translator was available.
But the presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life is made evident not so much through the spiritual gifts, which can be imitated by Satan (Exodus 7:8–13, 20–22; 8:6, 7), but rather in bearing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).
According to Ellen White, “To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit has come as a counselor, sanctifier, guide, and witness.” Regardless of your skills and gifts, you can be full of the Holy Spirit and bear His fruit.