- Mar 28, 2005
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It is quite true that the tongues spoken on the Day of Pentecost were the sign spoken of by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14, when he says that tongues are a sign to unbelievers. These signs were in the form of understandable languages. This has happened in our day when someone has spoken in tongues and what has been spoken has been in an understandable language speaking praise to God and His great works. I know of two occasions when this happened in my own church - through me speaking the New Zealand Maori language which I have never learned, but understood by a Maori lady who did understand the language. And the other time when a friend in a prayer meeting spoke in the village dialect of a visiting brother from Ghana, and language which my friend could never have known. These are examples of tongues being the sign that Jesus is real, alive, and the gospel is true.Hi, I think when I read Mc Author trying to see if tongues people practiced were real or fake....I stood on his side....only because even if they were suppositions...He made a good argument for them. But I do not even listen to him in the mornting anymore...after listening to one of my favorites recordings on the Radio Vernon Mcgee.....
Why? Because In my thought I see Him arriving at types of understanding....
Anyway as for tongues....I guess what I may say is what ever is done to honor God...no matter where we are in how we understand...That God would honor it.....
But at this time in my own thought... I do believe the devil can mimick many things.
And yet if the core of what we do doesn't derive at transformation in love...then is it yet to be empty.....?
I would have agreed with Mc Author...that the writings to Corinth were full of sarcasm...
And how He made a distinction between true tongues and false tongues......distinguishing between the terms [tongue "s"] and [tongue]
And it was obvious through context that there was counterfeit tongues...otherwise...why would it be said "no one speaking by the holy ghost could say Jesus is accursed".. and the tone of the chapter was their carnality. And there is a place in Corinthians that speaks on being able to know who had a true gift.
Is there anything new under the sun....
One also has to remember is Paul speaks at the level of believers and their mentality...
Becoming all thing[things even that they think for the time]to all people to win them for Christ.
Also, we see there are people who practice kandalini Yoga...and also have experiences..Think of the Hindu faith and the different experiences they have.....
Many experiences indeed brought on my emotions....I believe in tongues in acts...but recall these were understood by those listening. But in the same way we may believe He made suppositions....so do those who speak in ecstatic utterence... to make praying in the spirit mean tongues when nothing suggests it.
Plus regardless...He suggest...He prays with His mind...with understanding...
Now if Paul totally shut down their thought[level of thinking]...would they not have listened to them?
But this is not the gift of tongues as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. These tongues were for the local church and were accompanied by interpretation of tongues. These tongues were spoken to God and the interpretation had to be directed to God as well. This is different to the Day of Pentecost tongues which spoke of the great works of God to the crowd who understood the languages.
But also in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul draws a distinction between the gift of tongues that is in tandem with the gift of interpretation of tongues, and tongues spoken personally and not for interpretation. Paul say that this type of speaking should be to himself and to God. Paul says that he thanks God that he prays in tongues more than them all, yet in the church he would rather prophesy. So, taking the text literally, we see that Paul makes a distinction between praying in tongues for himself, and speaking in church. In 1 Corinthians 14:2, Paul says that the person who prays in tongues, prays to God, because no one understands him, and that he speaks mysteries in the Spirit. Those who say that the tongues is an understandable language but no one in the church knows the language, and that is why no one can understand it. But, wouldn't a person, praying in tongues pray privately in his own room and not in the church? If he is praying to God, and no one else understands him, then God is the only one who understands, and therefore that is why the tongues are directed to Him.
All I am doing is looking at what the text actually says without making any suppositions except using grade 5 comprehension which makes it clear that Paul is making a distinction between personal prayer in tongues, and prophecy in church, and if a person wants to speak out in tongues at church then there needs to be an interpreter present, otherwise it is better for him to pray to himself and to God, and that could be quietly in church with no one hearing him, or at home during his private prayer time.
I know that there are many who believe that tongues ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age, and that colours their thinking about it. But when we look at the bare text of the Scripture, we don't find anything to say that it was meant to cease. Some have said that the text doesn't say it has to continue either; but there is a flaw in that argument because there are many other important components of the gospel where the Scripture does not actually say are meant to continue after the Apostolic Age, such as church elders, adult baptism, holy living, churches in homes, gifts of helps, administrations, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and yet we assume that these things are valid today. Yet we extract just two of the gifts mentioned and say they are not valid today. Even the great commission itself could be deemed as not being valid today and just limited to the 12 Apostles and then ceased after the last one died.
So, my view is that if all the ministries and non supernatural gifts listed are valid in our churches today, then the supernatural gifts must be, because as with all giftings, the Scripture doesn't say that these are just temporary. Therefore they must be valid for the whole church age.
Now, having said that, the genuine manifestation of the gifts is suppressed in most cases because of the false teaching and kundalini manifestations that are posing as the gifts, and the great number of false prophecies given that overshadow the genuine.
The point is, that the genuine gifts, including tongues, prophecy and healing are not advertised on Youtube, because they are linked with the preaching of the gospel (the sinfulness of mankind, Jesus Christ crucified, risen again and the absolute need for living a holy life, such preaching that drives the crowds who are just there for the "lollies".).
God has not taken the gifts away. The church did by allowing paganism and the occult, and its failure to maintain standards of holiness. The Scripture says, "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance". They are still available to those who love the Lord, know they are sinners saved by grace, live in the shadow of the finished work of Christ on the cross, and who love God's law, and desire with all their hearts to live holy lives. But you won't find them in mega-conferences and mega-churches where the crowds come for the hallelujah hootenannies, claims of healing, theatrical performances, gold dust and feathers raining down from the ventilation system, and sensory, out of control experiences.
You will find them in small housegroups and churches, looked down on by the popular religious community, with members who just love God's Word in the Bible and just seek to fellowship with the real Jesus of the Bible. You have to look hard to find them, because you won't find big advertisements of the Sunday services in the newspaper or Christian magazines.
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