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"I understand that Christians teach about baptism in the Holy Spirit" said the man "But what about the gift of speaking in tongues - what is it? What does it do?"
You will understand that different Christians do give different answers to such questions. I can only give you mine.
I believe that true Christian conversion does transform us, including the way we talk. Jesus said we all speak what our hearts and minds are full of (Luke 6:45). Our tongues get converted when our hearts, our minds, our wills and our wallets become surrendered to God: but I believe that there is a confusion between speaking in tongues in public as a supernatural sign primarily to focus the attention of unbelievers and a more private and intimate communion with God in prayer.The public gift is much rarer than many suppose, and it always demands interpretation into language that all can understand. This is called 'glossolalia' in the Greek New Testament, but there is another kind of 'tongues' which I interpret as 'prayer language', and does not require interpretation, for it is heart to heart communion with God, and can be too deep for words.Thus tongues in public speaking, and in private prayer, are two different things, and I do not believe that the New Testament teaches that every single Christian must have either, or both, of these experiences in order to be truly Christian. What it does teach is that real Christians do communicate, both with God and with people. God gives them a new tongue to tell of his mighty deeds and his nature, and also to talk to him in prayer and to listen.Thus the gift of tongues is indeed the sign that God has got hold of your life, for now you communicate to people in speech, and to God in prayer.There's much more on this subject, but for now let's hear Paul in Romans 8:26-27
"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance the God's will"
O Holy Spirit,take my prayers and translate them into the language of heaven
take my relationships and translate them into the language of love.
Now read again I Corinthians Chapter 14.
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