[jkl1122]

The gift of tongues may manifest itself in a situation where it is useful for a believer to be able to speak a language he does not know. I've met people whom this has happened to. It's not common, but not unheard of either.

Please describe the situation to which you are referring here in more detail. I am not sure I am following what kind of situation you are speaking about.

[JamesP81]

Please describe the situation to which you are referring here in more detail. I am not sure I am following what kind of situation you are speaking about.

There isn't any one situation where it's useful for a believer to speak another language, but there are some common ones. In some instances, a believer is given the gift to speak the language of someone who does not speak the believer's language, which facilitates a presentation of the gospel to someone who otherwise wouldn't have heard it. This is essentially what happened in Acts 2.

Tongues were also used a sign to the Jews to prove that God's spirit was upon the Gentiles as well.

I have a friend that experienced the gift of tongues once, and unlike the common charismatic theme of 'speaking out in faith' but not knowing what you were saying, he remembers specifically meaning to say something, thinking it in his head in English, but having it come out as some other language. To make sure it was authentic, he said the same thing over about three times and all three times it came out the same in whatever language God had empowered him to speak in. He tells me that he doesn't know what language it was, however, but it was definitely a language with consistent syntax and grammar.

That's about the extent of my practical knowledge on the subject. Not surprisingly, it lines up exactly with what Paul was saying should happen in Corinthians and what was recorded in Acts.

[Marysecretary]

There is the gift of tongues (to be used in a church setting with interpretation to follow) and prayer language, something a believer uses in private.