Do you " Speak in tongues "

In high school I spent my summers pulling cables for a local audio/video company. One summer we did the sound for the Church of God state assembly. It was the last night and the service had ran past the alloted stop time. We had another gig to get to so I was asked to discreetly start pulling cables from the mics and monitors that were not being used so we could get a head start on packing. While I was wrapping up a cable behind a curtain left of stage a young man fell through the curtain and started convulsing on the ground and babbling. Not knowing what was happening I ran and told my boss to get help, thinking he was having a seizure. My boss calmly pointed out over the auditorium where several other people were doing the same thing. It honestly frightened me. I have many pentecostal friends but I have never seen anything like that since.

 

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but as someone raised Pentecostal I was always told that you had to speak in tongues as evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit. As I got into my 20s and active in a large Church of God, I started feeling the pressure to do it. I was told you have to pray intensely for it to happen. I did this and nothing happened. I truly had faith it would happen. I prayed for it for hours at a time sometimes. I finally started babeling under my breath thinking it finally happened, but I knew all along it didn't and knew I was lying to myself and disrespecting God.

These churches are doing a complete disservice to new Christians who think they have no evidence of the HS unless they start babeling because it doesn't happen for them. Many Charis/Pente's genuinely do not believe that ever increasing growth of the Fruits of the Spirit are not signs of ever-increasing work of the HS inside you. You have to speak in tongues. I knew many people who claimed to have the full indwelling of the Holy Spirit yet never gave a dime or time to help anyone and acted annoyed when they had to talk to anyone at all.

 

My friend. As a former pentecostal I can relate :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

IF tongues serve any purpose today (which I doubt), there are certain rules to follow in using them. The main rule is that if they are used out loud during a church service, there MUST be an interpreter. otherwise, they must remain silent or speak only to God using tongues.

Tongues have NEVER had the importance that some put on them who say, "If you don't speak in tongues you're not saved."

 

I believe the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues may still be active in certain circumstances, but like the other "sign" gifts, they are more the exception than the rule.

A very mature Baptist minister (who was also a former college professor of mine) told me of what sounds like a legitimate expression of tongues in ONE worship service back in the "stagflation era" of the late 1970s. It was the only time he thought he witnessed a legitimate use in worship. The church was in tremendous financial crisis from the irresponsible actions of a previous pastor and some influential members who had subsequently abandoned the church when it came time to make good on their commitments. The economy had gone sour and many members of the congregation were unemployed or severely underemployed. Furthermore, the church had split a few months before with the group who created most of the trouble leaving the remaining members of the church with the financial mess they had created. The pastor had just come into the troubled situation and they had some very difficult financial hurdles to overcome. The church owed money to all sorts of businesses and had sold bonds to some retired members of the congregation where their financial security was at risk if the church defaulted. The congregation began a series of prayer meetings to seek God's guidance as they made difficult decisions in order to figure out how to repay everyone so that the name of Christ would not be shamed any more than it already had.

On the fourth or fifth evening of prayer, one of the members quietly approached the pastor and whispered that he thought he had an answer from God for the congregation. The pastor felt in his spirit that it seemed right, so he called everyone to attention and let the man speak. The man spoke for about 30 seconds in tongues. Startled, the pastor still sensed that God was somehow in it and asked if anyone had an interpretation. Another person tentatively raised his hand and nervously spoke what he had understood. Apparently the message had to do with selling of some minor assets, asking for a renegotiation of terms on a debt (something the church had already been told would not happen) and a few other things. There was also a promise to the congregation for financial blessing if they would act in faith on what they had been told. The interpretation seemed right to everyone in the room and there was a strong sense of relief and joy. The next day they approached the bank again to talk about renegotiation and an executive from the bank had been looking at their file since they were nearly in default. Because they asked again for a renegotiation of their terms, the bank was able to work with them to help their cash flow. The church also was able to get top dollar for some assets they put on the market. Added to that, the offering receipts began increasing rapidly because a number of members were able to find employment at high-paying jobs and a number of others were given raises and promotions. Within two years, the church had paid off all of their debts and had restored their reputation. The member who had spoken in tongues that night did not exercise than gift (at least in public) again, nor did the one who interpreted.

That's absolutely right. From the way I read Paul in 1 Corinthians, tongues were the least important gift.

 

Yes, I speak in tongues called Welsh, French and some German, but mostly English.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Some people on this list accuse me of writing in tongues.

 

Our deaf speak in fingers.:smilewinkgrin:

 

Several years ago, a contingent of Baptists from our area went on a mission trip to Romania, including my pastor and me. We wound up in Western Romania at a city of 150,000 called Sibiu. Our host church was one of three Baptist congregations in that big city. The host pastor told us that my pastor and I had been invited to conduct a service at a Gypsy church, pastored by a man who was known as the King of the Gypsies (more about that later). He was not present that night for some reason, but the little church was full. We asked our host if the Gypsy church was Baptist. He said no, they were sorta Pentecostal, but didn't really have a well-defined indentifiable doctrine.

Well, during the service, two ladies stood up and sang. A young man sang with a guitar, I sang three or four songs, there were several congregational songs, and my pastor preached, with Brother Mircea, our host pastor, translating. Service ran about two hours.

Afterwards, we were standing outside. The daughter of another Baptist pastor was standing with us. A lady walked up to my pastor, put her hand on his shoulder and spoke to him. My pastor whispered to Cristina "what's she saying."

"She's prophesying over you," said Cristina
"Well, what's she saying?"
"She's saying, lift up your cup, God's going to fill it."

Cristina continued to translate, then suddenly stopped, even though the woman kept talking.

"What's she saying now?" asked my pastor, Brother Mike.

"I don't know," said Cristina, "she just started speaking in tongues."

I mentioned the pastor of that Gypsy church. He was also on the city council and owned a brewery. He and his brother engaged in a power struggle over leadership of the Gypsies in Romania. His brother called himself the Ruler of All Gypsies Everywhere. The Wall Street Journal carried a story about it.

That was 15 years ago. Don't remember how it came out.

 

Acts10:
43 All the prophets give witness to Him, [that] through His name whoever believes in Him [shall] receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words,[no invitation, alter call, four spiriitual laws, or sinners prayer] the Holy Spirit fell on all those hearing the Word.
45 And those of the circumcision, who believed (as many as came with Peter), were astonished because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the nations also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 Can anyone forbid water that these, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we, should not be baptized?
The tongues spoken here was not being used to spread the gospel. Before Peter was finished speaking The Holy Spirit was poured out on them.Peter and those with him recognized this type of tongues as being used to magnify God.
1Cor. 13:1 recognizes that there are 'tongues of men and of angels'.
1Co14:2 acknowledges there are tongues that do not speak to men but to God. For no one hears, but in spirit he speaks mysteries.
1Cor.14:4 Evidently it is the 'tongues' spoken of in verse 2 which are mentioned here in verse 4 as used to build yourself up. [The one speaking in a tongue builds himself up.]

 

Up to a point, where God stopped it, Pharaohs magicians could copy what Moses could do. Whether tongues are legit today or not the ability for a work of God to be used by "the enemy" is not an unknown phenomenon.
We should be fair and consistent in our approach and reasoning.

 

I have spoken in something of a language before that I didn't know, but weather it is an actual language or just plain gibberish, I don't know. :BangHead:

 

Approach me in the morning before my second cup of coffee, and I may speak in tongues. My husband, though, will not try to translate.

I don't doubt that it does happen. I have not seen it, nor do I care to engage in it locally, as mostly what it seems to be is some sort of trance state achieved by hopping around like a maniac and screaming nonsense at any one who will listen.

 

LOL Thanks for the humor.
It is too bad though that it seems what little exposure people have had with those of the Pentecostal/Charismatic flavor have come away with a bad taste in their mouth.
I understand the reaction. I remember the first time I tasted liver. It smelled good, so my approach was positively. The taste of it just about made me lose whatever else was in my stomach. My second try at it(many Years later) came. I approached that experience very negatively. To my utter surprise It tasted good, and I ate it.This second time it had been prepared by a professional chef who new how to do it right. I have never been able to get it cooked the same way since. Tongues is not one the most important gifts of the Spirit. Sadly it is one of the most misunderstood and misused gifts. If you ever find it "fixed right" it's good. Otherwise it may make you want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

No, and I believe I have never witnessed anyone ever speaking in tongues.

 

Seems to be a common issue with pentecostal churches. Not CoG or Aog, but the small independent ones that spring up because some guy got "a hankerin' ta preach" so he started a church of his own.