Question: Our church says you must speak in tongues or you don't have the Holy Spirit. Is tongues ...

Question: Our church says you must speak in tongues or you don't have the Holy Spirit. Is tongues for all?

Response: Not a single verse says that the sign of having "received the Holy Spirit" is to speak in tongues. No one can be saved without being indwelt and sealed with the Holy Spirit. A Christian has been "born again...of the Spirit" (Jn:3:7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
See All...,8) and "by one Spirit...baptized into one body" (1 Cor:12:13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
See All...). Those whom Paul asked, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost...?" (Acts:19:2-4 [2] He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. [3] And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. [4] Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
See All...) were not yet Christians. They were followers of John the Baptist and had never heard the gospel of Christ until Paul explained it to them.

Paul asks a rhetorical question: "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing?" (1 Cor:12:29Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
See All...,30).

The obvious answer is, "No. Not every Christian is an apostle, prophet, teacher, worker of miracles, healer, etc." There is no reason for the next two questions to have a different answer: "Do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" Of course not-unless all are apostles, prophets, and workers of miracles.

The spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 are said to be distributed by the Holy Spirit when and to whom He wills. "Tongues" is part of this list. Just as no one can prophecy or heal at his own initiative or power, so no one can speak in tongues except as given at the time by the Holy Spirit. A basic error of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements has been to put tongues in a different category-a "gift" that one can "learn," should continually "practice," and can use whenever one pleases. That is not biblical.

One might as well practice walking on water or raising the dead as "practice speaking in tongues." We do not get any gift from God by practicing. That false teaching has led multitudes astray and causes "tongues speakers" (including leaders) so often to fall into immorality.

"Tongues" is the most dangerous gift. One could hardly deceive anyone to believe that he was raising the dead or restoring a missing limb. But it is quite easy to deceive oneself and others into thinking one is speaking in tongues. Millions have been and still are under this delusion, with serious consequences evident everywhere.