The Forgotten Fire: Where Have the Tongues Gone?

There is a growing tendency today to look down on the gift of tongues — to dismiss it as unimportant or outdated.

We often forget that this very gift was a driving force for nearly a century, starting with the Azusa Street Revival, which fuelled the global Charismatic movement. During that time, worship services commonly included singing in tongues, prayer groups would fervently pray aloud in the Spirit, and the power of tongues was evident to all. Believers who had not yet received this gift were stirred by what they witnessed and earnestly desired it.

Tongues and the Seeker Church: Have We Gone Too Far?

I believe the decline in the use of tongues within the Church can largely be traced back to the seeker-friendly movement that spread globally in the 1990s. In an effort to avoid offending anyone, we began to downplay anything that might seem unusual or confrontational — including spiritual gifts.

Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.
1 Corinthians 14:22

Quoting from Isaiah 28:11 (1Co 14:21) — but was this used as a curse? It does not make sense. Surely, in Isaiah 28, God used tongues as a sign to bring Israel back to Him, not to curse them. Similarly, in Acts 2, tongues was a sign to draw the unbeliever to Him. Then these scriptures make perfect sense and do not contradict each other.

Yes, the gift of tongues has been abused — just as the prophetic and healing ministries have been at times. And yes, too much emphasis on tongues in a corporate setting can lead to imbalance. But Paul’s word “rather” has somehow been twisted into “forbid.”

Do all speak in tongues? No, for obvious reasons. In the same way that not everyone gets saved, not everyone receives this gift—although salvation and the gift of tongues are available to all. However, receiving tongues requires a physical act of faith. Many people struggle because they try to make sense of tongues as a “real” language, and this intellectual approach can hinder them from speaking in tongues.

To describe a class difference between those who speak in tongues and those who do not is unhelpful. If we do that, then there is a class difference (as if they are more spiritual) between those who prophesy, those who hear from God, those who speak in tongues, and those who do none of the above. And who will you turn to when you need desperate help in prayer?

A Whisper in the Church: When Tongues Fall Silent

Today, many intercessory prayer meetings are so quiet that, if tongues are spoken at all, it is whispered. It’s become so lifeless, even the enemy would fall asleep. Our worship services have lost much of their anointing because younger generations have not been taught how to sing in the Spirit, to lead others into God’s presence, and to create an atmosphere where the gifts can flourish.

I am convinced that the gift of tongues lays the foundation and establishes the pillars from which the other gifts of the Spirit can operate. Without it, the gifts fade.

We are living in the last days, and I believe there is a deliberate attempt by the enemy to silence the gift of tongues. At the current rate, it may vanish from the Church altogether within the next five years.

We desperately need the gift of tongues in this hour!