A lot of churches either forbid tongues in public altogether or let them run with no interpretation and no order. Scripture never actually gives you those two options. So what does the Bible prescribe for the gift of tongues in church?

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:
Josh, Michael, and Michael sit down with the question that splits churches on both sides of the Word and Spirit divide: what does it actually look like to practice the gifts of tongues and interpretation, named together in 1 Corinthians 12:10, in corporate worship, biblically? Not in theory, but in practice, on a Sunday, in a room full of people, with order intact and the body edified.

Cessationist churches simply avoid the conversation entirely by not recognizing that the gift of tongues is still for today. Meanwhile, many charismatic churches practice tongues publicly with real sincerity but without the structure Paul actually prescribed: no clear call for interpretation, no one recognized as an interpreter of tongues, no accountability, no sense of "let it be done for building up," for the edification of the church (1 Corinthians 14:26). Both extremes miss what Scripture is actually asking for.

As such, many believers are left without a clear, biblical middle to stand on. We'll walk through 1 Corinthians 14 verse by verse, laying out Paul's actual instructions: what tongues in the assembly is for, why interpretation matters, who should speak and how many, and why "let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40) isn't a suppression of the gift but the framework that lets it function safely.

0:00 – Introduction
4:51 – Verifying Authentic Tongues Gift
12:14 – Interpretation Required for Every Tongue?
19:38 – Who Calls Interpretation?
33:49 – Tongue And Interpreter Roles
34:48 – Limits On Tongue Speakers
45:53 – No Interpreter Present
49:54 – Singing In Tongues
52:14 – Interpretation Accuracy Standards
1:02:59 – Shutting Down False Tongues
1:10:36 – Order Not Quenching Spirit