some Believers think that Paul discouraged Christians from praying in tongues Paul writes let love be your highest goal but you should also desire the special abilities the spirit gives especially the ability to prophesy for if you have the ability to speak in tongues you will be talking only to God since people won’t be able to understand you let’s stop there look at this for a second he says that when you desire the special abilities you should desire prophecy over the gift of tongues he’s saying if you’re praying in tongues you’re talking

only to God and people aren’t able to understand you but if you if you pray or excuse me if you prophesy you’re strengthening others encouraging others comforting others and so he’s saying a person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally that’s a fact but the one who speaks a word of Prophecy strengthens the entire church so some will take that to mean that Paul the Apostle is telling us to not pray in tongues but listen to this carefully Paul was not saying that praying in tongues was bad he was saying that

prophecy is better in the context of the church he was not saying that the gift of tongues has no benefit he was saying that the gift of Prophecy is more beneficial in the context of the church he’s not saying that the gift of Tong tongues is bad he’s saying that the gift of Prophecy is better this is not a matter of condemnation but of comparison he was comparing the two in the context of church assembly and saying in this specific instance the gift of Prophecy is better because it benefits everyone so this is an often misunderstood text

and because individuals believe that Paul was a little bit hesitant with the gift of tongues they feel justified in their hesit with the gift also so there’s been this impression created in the church that the gift of T tongues is something that we should just kind of tolerate but not celebrate well that’s not at all uh what we see in scripture in fact he encouraged it 1 Corinthians chap 14:5 I wish you could all speak in tongues but even more I wish you could all prophesy there we there again we see that comparison for prophecy is greater