In any discussion of tongues, it is important to note that they were not just spiritual gifts. They also were designated as a “sign gift” and part of a cluster of gifts named by Jesus in Mark 16. These sign gifts were given to individuals to authenticate the message of the gospel. The early Christians had no New Testament in the early years following the ascension of Christ. As the gospel went to Jew and Gentile alike, it needed the witness of the signs to undergird its authority, until the written Scriptures established that authority base.