One of the most talked about topics in religious circles in the last decade has been tongue speaking. Contemporary tongue speaking is often confused with New Testament gifts of tongues, but they are not the same.
The New Testament gift of tongues is described in five passages and you might want to write the passages down. From these five passages three things are evident. First, the New Testament gift of tongues consisted of languages of men which were spoken miraculously, without previous knowledge of the language. Second, these tongues were given as signs to confirm that both the man who spoke and the message he spoke were from God. Third, only those who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and those who received the laying on of the apostles' hands possessed this miraculous gift.
The first mention of speaking in tongues in the New Testament is Mark 16:17-20. In this passage, Jesus promised five kinds of signs which would accompany those who believed: (1) Casting out demons; (2) speaking with new tongues; (3) picking up serpents; (4) drinking deadly poison; and (5) healing the sick.
In verse 20 Mark says that the apostles went everywhere preaching the word and the signs followed them. Jesus promised that such signs would follow. Mark said that they did. These miraculous signs confirmed the new revelation of the gospel. They did then, and they still do. The gospel was confirmed then by miracles. Both the message and the confirming miracles were recorded in the New Testament. We have in the New Testament today both the revealed message and the confirming signs.
The second passage is Acts 2:4-8. It tells the happenings on the day of Pentecost. The twelve apostles miraculously spoke in tongues which they received through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. These tongues were human languages which the apostles miraculously spoke. Testament gift of tongues. Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are of God.