Tongues is a gift. And it's not everybody that received it. Churches put pressure on individuals to pray in tongues and those who can't, are judged. As all the other gifts some persons may never receive it, even by practicing. Plus, in the Bible tongues doesn't seem to be that essential. It is fruitful for yourself alone and not for the others because they don't understand what you say in tongues. It's only between you and God. I know how to pray in tongues but I'd rather know other gifts. Note that people who want to continually pray in tongues show a sign of spiritual immaturity. The only powerful use I find to tongues is that they cast out demons and put you right up in communion with God.
At the Assemblies of God church we used to attend, before we moved across state, one of the elders on pretty much every Sunday would give a message in tongues, and the Pastor would interpret. Only those two men.
Now, the base and immature would say that it was some comfortable construct between these two men, and while the pastor spoke nothing false, it wasn't from the Spirit. Is that not false prophesying?
So, where do you go about these kinds of matters? You go to Jesus. The reply was pretty quick. My question: "Why does the message always seem to be saying the same things when the elder speaks and the pastor translates?"
As always, when Jesus explains something, there's the understanding that is more than a simple answer. He gave me the understanding that the Pastor is indeed interpreting, and the elder always says the same thing because that is what fills his heart.
Some time later, I shared what God had told me with the elder, and as he displayed some usual sign of emotion, he thanked me in that he was greatly affirmed. The gist of the message was always about God's holiness, and righteousness, and His great love and enduring power for all creation.
Both this man and the Pastor pray in Tongues in private.
Now, back track...At college, I disagreed with the official A/G position that if you do not pray in tongues, you do not have the secondary gift of grace; the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I have known people who display the gifts of healings, or discernments, or gifts of knowledge, yet do not pray in tongues. Jesus said, "If you have faith as the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'Be removed and cast into the sea', and it will be done for you." Jesus did NOT say "If you have faith as the size of a mustard seed and pray in tongues...
The A/G dogma did not much appreciate my views, while lauding me for speaking my mind and backing up my views with something resembling the truth, or something like that.
I've also had the ignominious experience of standing before an evangelist, God moving all about the place, and having gone up for prayer, was a bit unnerved by everyone in line before me being "slain in the Spirit". I was not so consumed by God that I could not stand, and He was speaking to me, and working out some things in my life. When the man approached me, he put one hand behind my head, and one hand on my forehead, and began to pray in tongues. Then, he pushed my forehead back. I resisted. He pushed again. I resisted. Finally he gave up and said, "Well, you just stand there and pray."
God can work mightily based on an individual's faith regardless of the nature of the walk of the visiting evangelist, or even the Pastor. (Eli and Hannah, 1 Samuel 1). And if tongues are not viewed as a wonderful, intimate gift of power from the Holy Spirit, then no one should feel constrained to speak in tongues, lest they speak gibberish and call it good.
