Do you?

[cycloneman]

Speak in tongues?

I have been to a church where they do and boy I got freaked out. It seemed to me that they were just making noises. Dont really know what to say about it. I thought I would ask and see what there is to know about this. I am not saying i dont believe i just found it strange. Im listening.

[carver]

1 Corinthians 14:
5 I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.

[cycloneman]

Originally Posted by carver

7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?

That says it all to me. Still keeping an opened mind ok. But if your kneeling and bobing back and forth and noises you dont know are coming out of your mouth. how do you know what your saying?

By the way who is listening? If your speaking in tongues and making a noise with your mouth then that is something only a mortal can do. Would a spirit require this message in tongues?

[JohnHenry]

I have enough trouble speaking a fair grade of American/English .

[jack404]

seeing the two biggest "toungue speakers" to visit this nation both got tossed out after shyster lawyers got them bail and everyone else i see along the same lines being so holy on sundays and rip off merchants during the week and worse ( way worse)

personally i think someone is claiming a gift from God they aint got , i dont think The Lord would tolerate these mutt's for too long , hey He may not tolerate me too well either but i aint trying to be what i aint ...

[ampaterry]

We have been members of an Assembly of God where tongues were spoken.
In that assembly, there were no fakers; it was legitimate, and extremely spiritual.

I have attended services in several other churches where messages were given in tongues and there was no interpretationl. These were fake, and revolting to witness.

There are two types of tongues presently:

1. A message given to the church is given by one member in an unknown tongue, then interpreted by another member into a language the congregation knows. These are the "tongues of men"

2. A personal prayer language which a believer uses when they do not know how to pray about a situation. These are the "tongues of angels".

I have spoken in the second one only, but have not for many years now.

This gift is OFTEN faked, abused and misused.
But it is absolutely a legitimate gift in some cases.

[Double D]

If you close your mind to speaking in tounges, you will miss out on much power and blessing and another whole level of prayer that god wants to take you to.

[H-D]

The Church (APOSTOLIC) I was raised in there were both real and fake but when its real you know it no one has to tell you it was real, there is a calm spirit when the interpretation is given , you have never felt such a spirit, I do not recall ever speaking in tongues but I have been told that I have , but I do not rememebr it ,

[ampaterry]

I will say this, though.
A Pentacostal church is NOT a good evangelistic tool for most people.
The usual response is exactly what Cyclone described.
IF he had visited as a non-beliver, this service would not have helped bring him in to God's family at all, but would have likely driven him from it.

When we were members of a Baptist church, we invited EVERYONE to services.
When we were A of G, we usually only invited folks that were already believers.

I consider this a MILK vs STRONG MEAT thing.

[CampingJosh]

I agree with Terry wholeheartedly.

Speaking in tongues is absolutely a genuine spiritual gift, and I will not discount anyone who claims to do so. It's not my place to judge others.

That said, there is a group of evangelical Christians that seem to dramatically overemphasize this gift as though anyone who does not have it is not really a Christian at all. This is a lie from Satan, and it must not be taught in our churches. It is absolutely contrary to Scripture.

Originally Posted by 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a (NIV)

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[a]? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

The desire to speak in tongues, which is listed very last in the set of gifts in verse 28, is getting our priorities absolutely backwards! Prophecy and teaching are far more important to the foundations of our churches than speaking in tongues. These are the greater gifts that we are to eagerly desire.

[RunningOnMT]

No I don't.

listen to this:

http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/1871

[ampaterry]

An interesting side note to a discussions regarding tongues is this.

Read the end of Acts Chapter 1, and continue into chapter 2.
Remember that the chapters and verses were a later division; the original writings did NOT separate chapter one and two.
Doing this gives absolute evidence that the number of people speaking in tongues was 12.

Now, cound the number of dialects that were heard when this is discussed in Chapter 2.

People heard MORE LANGUAGES than there were SPEAKERS.

IMHO, the gift given by God to these people at that time was NOT the ability to speak in unknown languages, but to somehow communicate to a large number of people in such a way that each HEARD their own language.

Telepathy?

[Double D]

I believe any teaching against speaking in tongues is of the devil. I couldnt follow that sort of teaching.

[ampaterry]

Whoa, Double D!
Easy, big fella -
Many WELL MEANING people simply get some things wrong.

[ka64]

Originally Posted by Double D

I believe any teaching against speaking in tongues is of the devil. I couldnt follow that sort of teaching.

So would that mean a Venomous Tongue??????

[RunningOnMT]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

Whoa, Double D!
Easy, big fella -
Many WELL MEANING people simply get some things wrong.

+1 Terry. That is why although I don't believe in tongues today, I try to be careful to explain why I hold that position without insulting those who do. IF speaking in tongues were a true gift of the spirit operating today one would need to be very careful about criticisms lest they commit a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

[Double D]

I will stand firm to what I said.

[H-D]

I have heard real and false tongues we had people who would go dah dah dah lalalala gagagaga and stuff like that if it was a language they were only saying 3 words and they were saying them over and over I went to a church for years that preached "works" always on and on about good works but they never had a soup kitchen never helped the homeless never went to visit members who were sick I never saw the works they were speaking about... To me the gift of explaining scripture to those who speak your language is better than the gift of speaking in tongues but they preached that you HAD to speak in tongues so people did it so they wouldn't stand out but it was blasphemy to me to demand that someone receive a gift that wasn't given to them

[Double D]

I agree. I woulnt say its first and foremost important, but to say its not real or not for today is like ripping several pages out of the bible you dont like and throwing them away. I will say that anyone who closes their mind to it will miss out on a boat load of things available to them. It doesnt stand in the way of salvation by any means. Blocking it out is like telling god you dont want that part of him for whatever reason it is.

[vanguard]

I DO, I was born again at 15, I was Baptized in the Holy Spirit ( spoke with tongues ) at 16, IT is a blessing , sometimes I feel in my spirit to pray for something ,but I do not know what.

1 Corinthians 14:14

King James Version (KJV)




14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.

1 Corinthians 14:2

King James Version (KJV)




2For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

[ampaterry]

vanguard:
Yup.

DoubleD
Yup.
I only took issue with your statement that implied anyone preaching against tongues was working for the dude in the red suit, and I don't mean St. Nick. MANY people do not believe tongues are a valid gift for today, and they are good people, saved people, people who are doing good works.

I believe ones intent is PARAMOUNT.

For instance:
Mark 16:17-18 (KJV);
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

I interpret that "take up serpents" thing to mean they will do battle with Satan, that old serpent.
There are a lot of folks in the mountains on the East end of my state that firmly believe it is a DIRECTION to them to prove their faith by handling deadly snakes, and often by drinking poison as well. Laws have been passed against this kind of thing, but they feel it is a directive from GOD, and they do it anyway. These are good, bible believing people who have a STRONG faith in God, and a drive to do what they believe to be his will in spite of what the law says.
I do not believe they are doing God's will.
But neither do I believe they are working for the devil, either.
They are merely, tragically in some cases, mistaken.

And that brings me to a very neat story.
My son found a moth that had a PERFECT crucifix on it's back. It was a very clear cross, with a human figure on it.
He put the moth in a large jar with grass in it and holes punched in the lid, and took it to Wednesday night services that night. There was a guest preacher there, and he kept glancing nervously at us as we sat in the pew, my son holding that jar. At the appropriate time, he rose and told what he had found, and everyone looked at it. When the guest preacher spoke, he said that when we walked in with that big jar with grass in it, he thought we had brought a snake. He was afraid he had volunteered to speak at a snake handling church, and would be expected to handle one!!

[CampingJosh]

Originally Posted by ampaterry

And that brings me to a very neat story.
My son found a moth that had a PERFECT crucifix on it's back. It was a very clear cross, with a human figure on it.
He put the moth in a large jar with grass in it and holes punched in the lid, and took it to Wednesday night services that night. There was a guest preacher there, and he kept glancing nervously at us as we sat in the pew, my son holding that jar. At the appropriate time, he rose and told what he had found, and everyone looked at it. When the guest preacher spoke, he said that when we walked in with that big jar with grass in it, he thought we had brought a snake. He was afraid he had volunteered to speak at a snake handling church, and would be expected to handle one!!

Somehow, I can see getting myself into something like that.

[jack404]

been snake handling folks out here too, you can see where they buried em still, Australia is the wrongest place in the world to come , ask the locals to catch deadly snakes and think you can just play with em ,, put a rattler on ice and he gets docile ( i seen that myself in the US ) put a king brown on ice then open the bag and your dead , they hate the cold and fight against it and when that bag opens he's out looking for whoso ever put him in it ... or whoever is just handy ..

some one came out here in the 1920's and did the same thing , about due for another one i reckon..

if they be good folks Terry , wise em up on aussie snakes huh ??

[ampaterry]

Most of these folks have never been outside of the county they were born in, Jack - would never dream of going to Nashville, let alone Australia -
But if I ever hear of one with that inclination, I will tell 'em -

[ampaterry]

CJ, Jerry Clower told a story about a time when they were booked to perform at a church, and when the performance started they discovered it was a snake-handling group. They started getting them out and passing them around the congregation which was between these guys and the entrance to the church. One of the performers turned to his buddy and asked "Do they have a back door in this place?"
His buddy said "Nope!"
Continuing to look toward the rear of the church, he then asked "Where do you reckon they want one?"

I have said before that if God ever asked me to pick up a copperhead or rattler, I would do it.
But God would have to speak VERY CLEARLY to me in that request.