In Rolling Stone magazine (August 10, 2010), Katy Perry of "California Gurls" fame says, "speaking in tongues is as normal to me as 'pass the salt". She goes on to say, "...it's a secret, direct prayer language to God." Some people may have a problem with Katy Perry claiming she is a Christian, and others may take issue with her for "speaking in tongues" and it being her "prayer language to God". What I have a problem with is people referring to this practice as the "gift of tongues", because these are two very different spiritual things.
First of all, like all the spiritual gifts or manifestations of the Spirit, the gifts are not for the edification of individual Christians, but rather "for the common good" (I Corinthians 12:7). This is why Paul says that the gift of tongues has to be interpreted whenever it is used (I Corinthians 14:27). In addition, only "two or at the most three" are allowed by scripture to exercise this gift in any given worship service (I Corinthians 14:27). So, if someone has the actual gift of tongues, it is not for them to use for their own edification or whenever they so desire. It is to be used publicly for whatever congregation he or she is a member of and it's use is highly regulated by scripture. I would never forbid someone from exercising the gift of tongues in a service I was involved in (See I Corinthians 14:39), but I would insist that it is used according to scripture, and I have only heard of one time in forty-five years of being a Christian where it was exercised biblically.
This instance was many years ago when two African university students visited an evangelical church in the Midwest on a certain Sunday morning. During the worship, a man in the congregation stood up and spoke in tongues. Everyone looked around for someone to interpret. The two Africa students stood up and announced that the man had spoken in their native language and he had explained the story of Jesus, which they then shared with the whole church. The message was completely in line with what is already in scripture, which is important because otherwise the "tongues" would be extra-biblical new revelation. The bottom line is that this was apparently a legitimate example of someone speaking with the gift of tongues. I believe it happens, but it is rare, and it only happens on occasions when God sees fit to make it happen.
On the other hand, people praying to God in a private prayer language, like Katy Perry, is very common. I know of many people who claim to have this ability and they say they pray in this way often. This is apparently described in I Corinthians 14:14-15. This is something to be done at home or in a private place, not when the church is gathered. When believers tell me they speak in a private prayer language, I say "wonderful...just remember not to bring it to church." If praying to God in a private prayer language is edifying for you, I am very happy for you and I hope you continue to be blessed. You can do this whenever you please or God gives you utterance. But just not during the worship of the church gathered. When Paul says that "all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner" (I Corinthians 14:40), in the context, he is addressing the use of tongues and the gift of prophecy. We should not forbid, but we must insist on following what scripture says. To do this we must delineate between the gift of tongues, which is always public, and prayer language, which is always private. One is for the edification of everyone, the other is just for one person. Viva la difference and to God be the glory!
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