Doctrine of Scripture 187

The sermon examines the biblical phenomenon of speaking in tongues through the three key instances in Acts—Pentecost, Cornelius's household, and the disciples in Ephesus—arguing that each involved known human languages, not ecstatic or unintelligible speech. It establishes that the Greek term 'glossa' consistently refers to actual languages, as demonstrated by the crowd in Acts 2 hearing the disciples in their native dialects, and affirms continuity with Acts 10 and 19 through shared terminology and theological connections to Pentecost. The speaker contends that modern Pentecostal claims of tongues as a sign of Spirit baptism diverge from the biblical pattern, which served specific evangelistic and unifying purposes in the early church. The analysis emphasizes the sufficiency of Scripture and warns against elevating contemporary experiences above the written Word, setting the stage for a deeper examination of 1 Corinthians 14 to assess whether Paul's teaching aligns with or diverges from the Acts narrative.