Sunday, May 6, 2007
I’ve been reading through acts and a couple of speed-bumps keep resurfacing:
“When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Acts 19:6
I’ve always struggled with the idea of this kind of thing happening. In my experience I’ve never seen anyone prophesying, though, I know that the bible indicates that there would be more prophets. I did accept, for a time, the idea of Ellen White as a prophet in the Adventist church. But, then what about the speaking “in tongues?” I have a vague recollection of some people producing gibberish in the midst of a First Assembly of God youth meeting when I was younger, but, it certainly didn’t seem to serve a purpose. If it was real, why is the practice seemingly confined to just that church? These are the kinds of tangential issues that really begin to frustrate me at times and take my focus off of my relationship with Abba. I understand the Holy Spirit to be the voice of my conscience…the still small voice that is always there for me. So, what about the rest?
m e a n d e r s 
Perhaps because of my own dire experiences with a charismatic church, I’ve now swung a lot in the opposite direction where the Holy Spirit is involved. I have studied scripture extensively on the topic of tongues in particular, and to me, Paul seems to go out of his way to state that it is NOT something for everyone, and is only to be done in certain situations with interpretation at the same time. Like many I used to think I could speak in tongues having been “baptised in the Spirit” (where’s that in scripture!!!) – and I used to warble rubbish to the Lord a lot in my own prayer life thinking it was wonderful. Took me a long time to really hear what Paul was saying about it – that to do so is pointless – doesn’t edify either me or God. So then I started looking at some of the other things we were told were still for us, and in all honesty I can’t find solid scriptural evidence that satisfies me. I think the danger is in taking the emphasis off Jesus and on to the Spirit in many of these types of churches – everyone in them wants an ‘experience’ and anything will do. They want to FEEL something or else they feel cheated. The Holy Spirit is nobody’s puppet yet many churches try to make Him so. He absolutely is that still small voice and that is His role – to point you to Jesus, confirm the scriptures and maintain your walk with Him – not to make you (the colloquial ‘you’) FEEL good!! So rest easy my friend – I think you’re in a safer place where you are now than seeking anything more, but others with a charismatic bent will no doubt disagree 🙂 . Blessings, TKR
Indeed tounges are always counted last in the list of functions and roles in the church,the Biblical order is 1. Apostles, 2. Propets, 3. Teachers (preachers), 4. Elders & deacons. 5. Those working miracles and wonders together with gifts of tounges. However that did not mean they are unimportant. Paul at the end of that particular statement said we should not forbit tounges, but rather use them in an orderly manner. By the way the mumbling you hear in most of today’s church services is nothing compared to what the New Testament tells of, the “Shabandois…abashinda… shabaras” are meddlies of words from different ncommon languages put together in the middle of a desparate search for a “touch by the Spirit”. The real thing will amaze you and even make you laugh with disbelief. Just ask God to show you, sincerely so. But make sure you have a repentant heart lest Satan answers first because he walks better on a bridge of sin, on the other hand God wont even look at that bridge (foothold) of sin, so that gives the devil first advantage. I am not going to teach you. But I will give you a clue: It’s the simpliest thing, just listen to an infant trying to speak (Psalm 8:2). Speaking in tounges involve the toungue only, not lips. Why do you think “tounges of fire came, separated and sat on them”? (Acts 1). John said The Lord would baptize them with fire, and James said the toungues is fire. Why did “toungues of fire” come down if not to “cleanse” their toungues? The deciples did not “speak” the different languages, yes they spoke in tounges (almost to say they were speaking with their tounges as compared to lips). It is the crowd that heard their languages. But these mysteries are only received from God through inspiration by the Spirit, not by deligent study. I also did not figure this out myself, it was passed on to me.
Feel free to engage. 🙂
So do not let those who have made this a scary phenomenon discourage you from praising The Lord in spiprit and in truth.