I witnessed someone speaking in tongues today

friend of · Mar 17, 2019

I've been fairly skeptical about tongue speaking for quite some time, as I can't say that I had honestly encountered it before today. But I do believe what I experienced this morning was real, and I'm exceedingly grateful for it.

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I was attending a prayer meeting before service for some extra fellowship and prayer time. About a dozen of us were centered around a square table, and we were all invited to pray as we felt led. A man came in late, we made eye contact, nodded, sat next to me. We started praying.

A few minutes in, this man sounded off a string of phonemes and morphemes in rapid succession in a whispered voice. It didn't sound so much like a language. He did not draw attention to himself. When he was moved to speak his prayer, it was not long but it was solid supplication and there was a tenor of strong emotion in his voice as he pleaded with God. A few minutes later, I heard this rapidity again. I felt an urging to look at him the next time he did this.

When it happened again, I looked up and he was staring right into my eyes, nodded, I averted my gaze almost immediately. Frightening. The prayers continued until our session ended a few minutes later. He introduced himself to me and to my friend.

We got up to leave and I called his name and asked if I could ask him a question. In the hall, "Were you just speaking in tongues?" His response was an immediate and confident "Yes." I told him that I had been rather skeptical of tongues and we talked a bit about it. He said tongues was "All from God." I was floored by the clarity, calmness, and peaceful composure of the man.

He spoke encouragingly to me, mentioning for me to plead with God and ask him to find what His will for my life is. To fast and pray and seek earnestly more spiritual gifts to serve our Lord. 1 Corinthians 12:31

All in all, a phenomenal day at church.

—

What are you experiences with this phenomenon? Does my account sound genuine with your own experiences? Do you speak in tongues, and if so, how often?

I will praise God for this gift and for this profound experience today. I am now decidedly less skeptical/judgemental about this claim.

Romans 8 · Mar 17, 2019

Although I have not had this experience yet I believe tongues are real. I was baptized in water today. My Pastor prayed over me in tongues, along with half of the congregation before getting dunked. My Pastor then encouraged me to speak in tongues after coming up from the water, while he continued praying over. I'm not able to do it yet because I have yet to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I did however feel the Holy Spirit in a powerful way today as everyone was called to the alter to repent and pray for the two of us who were to be baptized.
If you have repented and been baptized and believe, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of tongues is the next step. After this we can grow in His gifts and bear fruit of the Spirit. Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you. God Bless you friend of.

JacobKStarkey · Mar 17, 2019

Only you know if it was real, friend of, but I can say that I have witnessed what I have thought to be real instances of real speaking in tongues and have done so several times in my life.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

Romans 8 said:
Although I have not had this experience yet I believe tongues are real. I was baptized in water today. My Pastor prayed over me in tongues, along with half of the congregation before getting dunked. My Pastor then encouraged me to speak in tongues after coming up from the water, while he continued praying over. I'm not able to do it yet because I have yet to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. I did however feel the Holy Spirit in a powerful way today as everyone was called to the alter to repent and pray for the two of us who were to be baptized.
If you have repented and been baptized and believe, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of tongues is the next step. After this we can grow in His gifts and bear fruit of the Spirit. Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you. God Bless you friend of.

There are steps of faith to received the baptism with the Spirit. If you wait for God to do it all, you will never receive it, because God is waiting for you to exercise your faith.
1. Ask for the baptism with the Spirit. "Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full". Also, if you ask God for something, He will not give you something else. He will give you exactly what you ask for. God is totally faithful. If you ask for the baptism with the Spirit, that is exactly what you will get. He will not allow you to receive anything false, because He is jealous of the integrity of His Name.
2. Say to the Lord, "I receive the baptism with the Spirit right now, because You said when I ask, I will receive".
3. Drink in the Holy Spirit by taking a deep breath in faith.
4. Let the Holy Spirit flow out of you by starting to speak in tongues.

2 objections of the devil to try and stop you receiving the fullness of the Spirit:
a. "You are just making this up". Your answer is "Yes, I am making up the language. I have to use my mouth to speak the words, but it is the Spirit who is giving me the words to speak." As you start forming words, you will find the syllables and words will come to you. You will need to speak from your heart, because the Scripture says that "Out of your belly show flow rivers of living water."
b. This is false. It is not real. The answer is that when you ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit, that is what you will receive. The Scripture says that if a child asks his father for bread, will he give him a stone; or if the child asks for fish, will he give him a snake? So if an evil father gives good gifts to his children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask Him?

Romans 8 · Mar 17, 2019

Oscarr said:
There are steps of faith to received the baptism with the Spirit. If you wait for God to do it all, you will never receive it, because God is waiting for you to exercise your faith.
1. Ask for the baptism with the Spirit. "Ask and you will receive that your joy may be full". Also, if you ask God for something, He will not give you something else. He will give you exactly what you ask for. God is totally faithful. If you ask for the baptism with the Spirit, that is exactly what you will get. He will not allow you to receive anything false, because He is jealous of the integrity of His Name.
2. Say to the Lord, "I receive the baptism with the Spirit right now, because You said when I ask, I will receive".
3. Drink in the Holy Spirit by taking a deep breath in faith.
4. Let the Holy Spirit flow out of you by starting to speak in tongues.

2 objections of the devil to try and stop you receiving the fullness of the Spirit:
a. "You are just making this up". Your answer is "Yes, I am making up the language. I have to use my mouth to speak the words, but it is the Spirit who is giving me the words to speak." As you start forming words, you will find the syllables and words will come to you. You will need to speak from your heart, because the Scripture says that "Out of your belly show flow rivers of living water."
b. This is false. It is not real. The answer is that when you ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit, that is what you will receive. The Scripture says that if a child asks his father for bread, will he give him a stone; or if the child asks for fish, will he give him a snake? So if an evil father gives good gifts to his children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask Him?

Excellent Oscarr! I agree with everything you said. I have read non-stop on this for the past couple of months. I have been practicing at home and will continue until I become able. God Bless you brother!

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

Romans 8 said:
Excellent Oscarr! I agree with everything you said. I have read non-stop on this for the past couple of months. I have been practicing at home and will continue until I become able. God Bless you brother!

Hallelujah!!

Romans 8 · Mar 17, 2019

EastCoastRemnant said:
I am skeptical as you are based on what the Bible says about the gift of speaking in tongues... we are told in Acts that when the disciples were speaking in tongues for the first time, that there were men in the crowd that heard the message in their own tongue. The gift of speaking in tongues, to my reading of the scripture is being able to speak another language not your own so that someone that speaks that language can understand the gospel. What is the purpose of speaking in a language that no one else knows or can understand.

There are three types of tongues. One is for certain people in a congregation which comes to their specific language and dialect.
Another is for prophecy usually for the whole church, this one requires translation by someone with the gift to translate. Sometimes it's the same person that spoke in tongues.
And lastly is what we're speaking of in this thread; A personal speaking in tongues to God. Our Spirit is the one Speaking in tongues and makes petitions for us on our behalf, as the Spirit knows better our needs.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

Romans 8 said:
There are three types of tongues. One is for certain people in a congregation which comes to their specific language and dialect.
Another is for prophecy usually for the whole church, this one requires translation by someone with the gift to translate. Sometimes it's the same person that spoke in tongues.
And lastly is what we're speaking of in this thread; A personal speaking in tongues to God. Our Spirit is the one Speaking in tongues and makes petitions for us on our behalf, as the Spirit knows better our needs.

I heard a really good account of the interpretation of tongues from a preacher who often works with an interpreter when he goes to a foreign country. He said that once he said a fairly simple sentence, but the interpreter spoke for at least 2 to 3 minutes. Later he asked the interpreter why he took so long to interpret that sentence. The interpreter replied that he had to spend some time explaining to the people what the sentence meant because there were one or two expressions in the sentence that the people would not have been able to understand, so he felt the need to explain them to the people. That is why an interpretation of a tongue may be shorter or longer than the utterance in tongues itself.

In the very early days of the Pentecostal movement (1901-1910) there were frequent instances of people speaking in tongues, not knowing what they were saying, yet a foreign person in the meeting heard the tongue in his own language. There was a visitor to a meeting who was Welsh, and a person got up and made an utterance in tongues, and the visitor turned to his host and asked, "Why is that person telling me about all my sins in public?" The reason for that was that the tongues speaker was speaking in Welsh, a language he had no knowledge of at all!

It is documented that a woman got a Chinese dialect in tongues, wrote it down in the Chinese language, and the dialect was tested by linguists who recognised it as an existing Chinese dialect! I think that the written dialect that the woman recorded is in the Smithsonian.

Romans 8 · Mar 17, 2019

Oscarr said:
I heard a really good account of the interpretation of tongues from a preacher who often works with an interpreter when he goes to a foreign country. He said that once he said a fairly simple sentence, but the interpreter spoke for at least 2 to 3 minutes. Later he asked the interpreter why he took so long to interpret that sentence. The interpreter replied that he had to spend some time explaining to the people what the sentence meant because there were one or two expressions in the sentence that the people would not have been able to understand, so he felt the need to explain them to the people. That is why an interpretation of a tongue may be shorter or longer than the utterance in tongues itself.

In the very early days of the Pentecostal movement (1901-1910) there were frequent instances of people speaking in tongues, not knowing what they were saying, yet a foreign person in the meeting heard the tongue in his own language. There was a visitor to a meeting who was Welsh, and a person got up and made an utterance in tongues, and the visitor turned to his host and asked, "Why is that person telling me about all my sins in public?" The reason for that was that the tongues speaker was speaking in Welsh, a language he had no knowledge of at all!

It is documented that a woman got a Chinese dialect in tongues, wrote it down in the Chinese language, and the dialect was tested by linguists who recognised it as an existing Chinese dialect! I think that the written dialect that the woman recorded is in the Smithsonian.

Our God is an awesome God! Recently, I read of a woman who felt compelled (by the Holy Spirit) to pray in tongues, and later that day she found out she had made petitions for her husband as he has suffered some sort of heart attack. Praying in tongues is a mystery to us but I believe we are commanded to do it. The whole book of acts speaks of tongues, and gifts, and what Jesus wants us to do. It's sad to hear so many Christians short-changing themselves, and the body of Christ by not seeking these gifts. God is pouring His Spirit on us today just as He was in the days of acts. I will be celebrating every day when I receive this gift, praise God!

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

Romans 8 said:
Our God is an awesome God! Recently, I read of a woman who felt compelled (by the Holy Spirit) to pray in tongues, and later that day she found out she had made petitions for her husband as he has suffered some sort of heart attack. Praying in tongues is a mystery to us but I believe we are commanded to do it. The whole book of acts speaks of tongues, and gifts, and what Jesus wants us to do. It's sad to hear so many Christians short-changing themselves, and the body of Christ by not seeking these gifts. God is pouring His Spirit on us today just as He was in the days of acts. I will be celebrating every day when I receive this gift, praise God!

I was reading about an event that happened in a meeting where the preacher felt to call two young men to the front. He didn't know why and was wondering what to do next. Suddenly a woman fell off her chair onto the floor and started praying in the most passionate and assertive tongues he had ever heard. When she started doing that, one of the young men fell to the floor and curled up in the fetal position. When the woman paused in her speaking, the young man relaxed and when she started up again, he went back into the fetal position. After a while, the woman got back up, sat in her chair with her hands in her lap and her eyes closed in prayer. The young man got up, approached the preacher and said, "I think I need to get saved!"

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

A number of years ago when I was associated with a Charismatic church, one Sunday evening service, I was quietly praying in tongues to support the ones who had gone forward in the altar call for ministry. I was praying loud enough for just the woman beside me to hear. She was a New Zealand Maori lady, who was bilingual in English and the Maori Language. I did not know any Maori Language at that time. She told me at the end of the service that I had been speaking in the Maori language and that God was saying encouraging things to her. I had no idea that I was speaking Maori. I thought I was praying in tongues to intercede for those who were receiving ministry at the front.

Another incident in the same church during a weeknight prayer meeting. We had a fine Christian brother from Ghana visiting. He was in the prayer meeting. My friend, who could speak only a few syllables in tongues, was praying alongside him. Bahdu, the Ghanaian brother got excited and stopped the prayer meeting and asked my friend, "Do you want to know what you just said in my own village dialect?" My friend is not well-educated and has no knowledge of languages other than his own. There is absolutely no way that he could have known Bahdu's own village dialect out of all the hundreds of village dialects in the country of Ghana.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 17, 2019

I had an intercessory experience once when I heard through CF that a friend's mother was in a London hospital with uncontrolled bleeding in her stomach and there were fears for her life. The doctors were trying to control the bleeding but were not having a lot of success and only continue blood transfusions were keeping her alive. I wanted to intercede for her but couldn't find the words, so I asked the Lord to guide my tongue. Immediately when I started praying in tongues, a totally different language flowed out of me. It was very intense - a cross between Japanese and a fax machine - it was coming out that fast. After around 20 minutes it stopped, and I felt totally drained.

I heard that at the time I prayed, the flow of blood stopped and the mother was out of danger. I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit gave me the power of intercession in tongues for that mother, the spirit of infirmity was defeated and her life was saved.

I could never have made up a tongue language like that. It was totally different to what I had ever experienced before, and it has never happened that way since.

Romans 8 · Mar 17, 2019

Oscarr said:
I had an intercessory experience once when I heard through CF that a friend's mother was in a London hospital with uncontrolled bleeding in her stomach and there were fears for her life. The doctors were trying to control the bleeding but were not having a lot of success and only continue blood transfusions were keeping her alive. I wanted to intercede for her but couldn't find the words, so I asked the Lord to guide my tongue. Immediately when I started praying in tongues, a totally different language flowed out of me. It was very intense - a cross between Japanese and a fax machine - it was coming out that fast. After around 20 minutes it stopped, and I felt totally drained.

I heard that at the time I prayed, the flow of blood stopped and the mother was out of danger. I firmly believe that the Holy Spirit gave me the power of intercession in tongues for that mother, the spirit of infirmity was defeated and her life was saved.

I could never have made up a tongue language like that. It was totally different to what I had ever experienced before, and it has never happened that way since.

Praise God! Thank you for sharing your experiences, it helps build faith. When we pray we complete a circuit. It's God's will that we are asking to manifest here on earth. Sometimes, we don't know what God's will is and so praying in tongues helps achieve this. When we pray it must be done audibly. Not just in our heads. We must speak. This is why the Holy Spirit uses our tongue to pray and not just our thoughts.

Natsumi Lam · Mar 17, 2019

I speak in tongues. It is so powerful prayer and with prayer. It is edifying.

Natsumi Lam · Mar 18, 2019

EastCoastRemnant said:
I am skeptical as you are based on what the Bible says about the gift of speaking in tongues... we are told in Acts that when the disciples were speaking in tongues for the first time, that there were men in the crowd that heard the message in their own tongue. The gift of speaking in tongues, to my reading of the scripture is being able to speak another language not your own so that someone that speaks that language can understand the gospel. What is the purpose of speaking in a language that no one else knows or can understand.

With speaking in tongues..sometimes it sounds jibberish but that doesnt stop the Holy Spirit in another to interpret it. The Holy Spirit knows exactly what you are saying.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 18, 2019

Romans 8 said:
Read 1Corinthians 14. There is no mistaking this.

Prophecy and Tongues
1Co 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

1Co 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

1Co 14:3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

1Co 14:4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

1Co 14:5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

1Co 14:6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

1Co 14:7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?

1Co 14:8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?

1Co 14:9 So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.

1Co 14:10 There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,

1Co 14:11 but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.

1Co 14:12 So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

1Co 14:13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

1Co 14:14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.

1Co 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

1Co 14:16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?

1Co 14:17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.

1Co 14:18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.

1Co 14:19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1Co 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

1Co 14:21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”

1Co 14:22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers.

1Co 14:23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

1Co 14:24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,

1Co 14:25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

Orderly Worship
1Co 14:26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

1Co 14:27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.

1Co 14:28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.

1Co 14:29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.

1Co 14:30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent.

1Co 14:31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,

1Co 14:32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.

1Co 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

It is good that you have provided good and true Biblical proof of the validity of public and private tongues. But I fear that the demand for Biblical proof was made in order to side-track this thread into a vain and pointless tit for tat two-horse debate if you are not careful. Your post is valid and does not violate the forum rules, but any debating post that results will and should be reported immediately to prevent this forum being ruined and corrupted by those intending to troll the thread with vain debates.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 18, 2019

Natsumi Lam said:
With speaking in tongues..sometimes it sounds jibberish but that doesnt stop the Holy Spirit in another to interpret it. The Holy Spirit knows exactly what you are saying.

Any foreign language which we don't understand would sound like gibberish to us. I hear Chinese, Arabic, Maori, Samoan, Tongan and Hindi spoken regularly in my travels on the bus to and from work, and it all sounds like gibberish to me, but these people really do understand each other.

JacobKStarkey · Mar 18, 2019

EastCoastRemnant said:
I am skeptical as you are based on what the Bible says about the gift of speaking in tongues... we are told in Acts that when the disciples were speaking in tongues for the first time, that there were men in the crowd that heard the message in their own tongue. The gift of speaking in tongues, to my reading of the scripture is being able to speak another language not your own so that someone that speaks that language can understand the gospel. What is the purpose of speaking in a language that no one else knows or can understand.

Thank you for the excellent explanation, EastCoastRemnant.

The LDS (Mormon) Church, when doubled in size with the blue light conversion of the Rigdonites, became infused with glossolalia and the various 'gifts of the Spirit.'

By the 1870s, Brigham Young had managed to stamp out most of it, and the church had adopted the position you describe above: speaking in tongues is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit to enable the hearer to understand the message of the gospel bearer.

JCFantasy23 · Mar 18, 2019

MOD HAT ON

This Thread Has Been Moved

We are moving this thread to a section where it is a better fit.

This particular topic belongs in the Spiritual Gift's sub-forum, Sign Gifts. Please continue your discussion here.

Romans 8 · Mar 18, 2019

Oscarr said:
It is good that you have provided good and true Biblical proof of the validity of public and private tongues. But I fear that the demand for Biblical proof was made in order to side-track this thread into a vain and pointless tit for tat two-horse debate if you are not careful. Your post is valid and does not violate the forum rules, but any debating post that results will and should be reported immediately to prevent this forum being ruined and corrupted by those intending to troll the thread with vain debates.

I'm getting a lot of that actually. I understand the request to a degree but I think the whole point of spiritual discernment is for us to decipher what the Holy Spirit has for us through people in this age. The Holy Spirit can work through the members of our church and this information can come through as prophecy and word of knowledge etc. There is no reference in the bible for this kind of specific information, we must have spiritual discernment. I'm not sure if some of these people are entrapped by a religious spirit, or if it's fear, or some kind of pride preventing them from seeing that the Holy Spirit is WITH us, not just a part of a storybook. Even in the bible, the Holy Spirit is able to enlighten us on His book because He wrote it for us.
For someone to believe that these gifts ended with the apostles, they are putting a massive block in their spiritual growth. Christianity is not simply about quoting doctrines and edifying the mind and being "religious". That's what the Pharisees were all about.

I witnessed someone speaking in tongues today

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