obun deba shunobanata

Louis,

I agree with you completely. And to me the reason Peter fell in the water was  of course his drop in faith but to me the big reason was he took his eyes off Christ, which is what, in my area, the charismatic's do---their focus is on the gift and not the giver. You rarely hear about Christ but you sure hear about speaking in tongues--something is wrong with that picture.Pray I never take my eyes off Christ for any reason--a gift or a message board and pray I always teach Christ and Him crucified and not a gift. Thanks to all for an interesting topic which truely looks again like eyes are off the giver and on the gift.

cactusj

Originally posted by cactusj
Louis, 

took his eyes off Christ, which is what, in my area, the charismatic's do---their focus is on the gift and not the giver. You rarely hear about Christ but you sure hear about speaking in tongues--something is wrong with that picture.Pray I never take my eyes off Christ for any reason--a gift or a message board and pray I always teach Christ and Him crucified and not a gift. Thanks to all for an interesting topic which truely looks again like eyes are off the giver and on the gift.

cactusj

Click to expand...

Thats a lie. I am sure there are people who just do the gifts and not keep there eye on Jesus. Even Jesus said watch out for false teachers, and prophets. But unless you have been to every charismatic church or believer in your area, then you can't say that. You would have to be God to make such a statement.

Every Apostle spoke in tongues, Jesus said there will be the signs of devils being cast out, and people speaking in tongues(not to say those that don't aren't believers).

Paul said, he wished everyone would speak in tongues.

Praying in tongues is your spirit speaking to God, because the flesh doesn't know how to pray at times. Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  Praying in tongues is black and white to the mature Christian. There are many testimonys about it, and the only opposition is those who don't want to understand it, because it looks goofy. And it does look goofy, but so does telling a person about an invisible being who loves you.

Lean not on your own understanding, but trust in the Lord. Proverbs. 

"and to me the reason Peter fell in the water was_ of course his drop in faith but to me the big reason was he took his eyes off Christ, which is what, in my area, the charismatic's do---their focus is on the gift and not the giver."

Well thank God you and your church exercise the gifts and yet keep focused on Christ and Christ crucified. Yes that shld be the way

The Beauty of Spiritual Language by Jack Hayford is one of a zillion excellent resources on speaking in tongues.  Dr. Hayford presents a very balanced and scriptural perspective on this particular gift.  As one who was raised catholic I was perplexed by a great many things including prophecy, healing and words of knowledge.  I had seen these things when visiting churches with my friends and wondered "How can this be REAL?"

God's faithfulness and revelation in my own life have not only convinced me of the reality and value of these gifts but that I can be very narrow-minded in my reverential worship of ALMIGHTY God if I think I can somehow figure out all the things He might be willing to do to save and deliver his precious children from the chains of bondage.

I think so often how Jesus in demonstrations of power and faith was completely dismissed by so many Hebrew people because of their "learning".  May we learn from their example and not limit God and His gifts through people by using only our head.  If a man's heart is changed so that he glorifies our Lord by the application of any of these gifts, is that not a miracle worth celebrating or have we become too jaded.  Praise the Lord of Hosts that He never stops loving us and that we have such a great comforter as His Holy Spirit.

"The Beauty of Spiritual Language by Jack Hayford is one of a zillion excellent resources on speaking in tongues._"

Hey I have that book. It was very balanced indeed.

Another one I'd recommend is They Speak with Other Tongues by John L. Sherrill. He was a journalist and a big skeptic. The magazine he worked for sent him on assignment to investigate the tongues 'business'. Before long, he became a believer and a tongue speaking one!

I'll have to check that one out, thanks for the recommendation.

Originally posted by cactusj
n my area, the charismatic's do---their focus is on the gift and not the giver. You rarely hear about Christ but you sure hear about speaking in tongues--something is wrong with that picture.

cactusj

Click to expand...

cactusj,

I believe if you were to follow this and some of the other threads more closely you would see that statement to be untrue.

I am sure in some cases that may be, but with maturity that will change. 

I won't speak for anyone else on this but I know that I personally, have referred to Jesus many times.  He is my focus.  And as a result of Him being my focus I find that He gives me many gifts.  I like to share with others what my Daddy gives.  That's not bad.

When I talk about my Daddy I don't only tell that He saves from sin.  I want to tell of every attribute I know.  He saves, He heals, He gives good and precious gifts.  He gives me authority over devils.  He gives me authority over sin.  And I'm going to use every gift to the best of my understanding because I'm finding that sinners are attracted to a Daddy that is good and loves all over His children.

Do you put down the child who gets a new bike and say's "look at what my daddy gave me?"  Do you scold him for talking about his bike.  And of course you only held a 5-minute conversation with him so you don't really know what or who he talks about the most.  Just that for those 5-minutes he only talked about his bike so according to you he has his eyes in the wrong place.

Our eyes need to be on ourselves next to Jesus.  Hmm!  I think we're all falling short. 

Originally posted by Quaffer
cactusj,  

Do you put down the child who gets a new bike and say's "look at what my daddy gave me?"  Do you scold him for talking about his bike.  And of course you only held a 5-minute conversation with him so you don't really know what or who he talks about the most.  Just that for those 5-minutes he only talked about his bike so according to you he has his eyes in the wrong place.

Our eyes need to be on ourselves next to Jesus.  Hmm!  I think we're all falling short. 

Click to expand...

Very good point.

If you ask this person or people who "feel" this way,what some of the names of the carismatics, I bet you they couldn't even produce one single name. 

Me personaly I am guilty doing something like this way of thinking. I listen to Joyce Myers at 5pm, and right afterwards a women comes on named Jackolynn Smith, from Shilo Ministerys (sp?). Well Jackolynn has a stereo typed preaching style like the ones you see in a movie or show. She starts off slow but them momentum carrys her to where she is screaming the surmon. I am not prejudice or anything, but I would get these feelings and thoughts that say "I don't like her style, shes crazy" or something like that. The first time I listened to her, I disagreed with the message, later that week God corrected me and showed me where she was right, and how I was wrong, just because I didn't like her style I became critical.

You should have heard her last night, I didn't want to turn her off when it was time to goto work.

"Why would I speak in tongues at home by myself?"

I would think you would because that's what is written in the bible. Sometimes you don't know what to say to God at home by yourself and that's when you speak in "tongues" at home.

Originally posted by Outspoken
"Why would I speak in tongues at home by myself?"

I would think you would because that's what is written in the bible. Sometimes you don't know what to say to God at home by yourself and that's when you speak in "tongues" at home.

Click to expand...

I know that, I was asking LouisBooth.

"I know that, I was asking LouisBooth."

? Public message board? My appologies if you didn't want your question answered

Originally posted by Outspoken
"I know that, I was asking LouisBooth."

? Public message board? My appologies if you didn't want your question answered

Click to expand...

Sorry, I was a little irretant at what you posted on another thread. So I kind of dragged that attitude over to this thread.

"Sorry, I was a little irretant at what you posted on another thread. So I kind of dragged that attitude over to this thread."

no problem brother Hope you're having a good day.