Speaking In
Tongues...
Tongues,
speaking in unknown tongues is one of the most
controversial topics in the Christian faith.
The
Disciples, on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after
the resurrection of Jesus, preached the gospel in
languages they had not learned. This gift from
the Holy Spirit, which was sent by Jesus, allowed
ALL of the people present to hear and understand
in their own language.
I
have heard of one account where this happened as
recently as the 1980's. A Christian friend told
me about an english speaking girl who heard the
gospel, which was preached by a Mexican Pastor
who did not speak english. The Mexican Preacher
preached in his native language but the english
speaking girl heard it in english and as a
result, accepted Jesus as her saviour at that
meeting.
This,
however, is not the type of 'tongues' that I am
going to address on this page.
The
Pentecost and Assembly of God denominations are
obviously centered on this as being the foremost
issue in their doctrine. Some of the pastors in
these denominations teach that you must speak in
tongues to prove that you are of The Holy Spirit.
I know this from a personal experience!
In
1980, I was a pretty devout believer and loved
the Lord, Jesus Christ! I had seen and been
granted many miracles and there was no doubt
about my relationship with God. My mother,
however, had become deeply involved in a
tongues-based church who had convinced her that
if a person did not speak in tongues, they were
not of the Holy Spirit. My mother kept insisting
that I was not 'saved' because I did not speak in
an unknown tongue. She drove me to the point that
I walked away from living the Christian doctrine.
I 'backslid' and lived in pure hell for a decade.
If this false doctrine can cause me to fall away
from the Lord, I am sure there are other folks
out there suffering.
The
'tongue' that these churches teach is NOT the
same 'tongue' as I have previously described. The
'tongue' that these people use is a gibberish
that makes no sense. I will not completely
condemn the 'tongues' issue but it has NO PLACE
being credited with showing evidence of the Holy
Spirit.
I
am not the type of teacher that gives you a verse
here and there to prove my point because I
believe you must read the entire book which deals
with an issue. There are those who pick one line
here and there and base an entire doctrine on one
verse.
Read
1st Corinthians and 2nd Corinthians in it's
entirety! You will plainly see that the Apostle
Paul was scolding the church at Corinth for their
immature handling of the tongues issue. Paul
plainly explains that 'tongues' is a minor gift
and should not be misused. He was being as kind
as possible while trying to correct the improper
handling of tongues.
I
have several Christian friends who tell me, they
speak in tongues. They report that they pray in a
strange sounding utterance that addresses God
direct from the Holy Spirit. I have one very well
educated (in the doctrine) friend who says there
are several types of tongues.
There
is the 1st example where tongues is actually
another language that the speaker has never
learned but is able to speak when empowered by
the Holy Spirit. She further tells me that
according to her experiences she has witnessed
and has the ability to pray in an unknown
utterance AND she tells me there is a false
tongue from Satan.
The
best argument these folks have is found in Mark,
Chapter 16....
15And
then he told them, "Go into all the world
and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.
16Anyone
who believes and is baptized will be saved. But
anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17These
signs will accompany those who believe: They will
cast out demons in my name, and they will speak
new languages. 18They
will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if
they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt
them. They will be able to place their hands on
the sick and heal them."
I
do not see that the verse that declares that His
"believers will speak new languages"
means the type of "tongues" that
requires an interpreter, the type of tongues that
I am referring to here is another language that
is understood by someone who speaks another
language. In other words, the new language is
more like the "language" the disciples
spoke on the day of Pentecost. The language of a
"foreigner" who understood the message
in their own language! An actual language that
was being spoken by a messenger from God... not
utterings that are of no known language.
Based
on the literal translation of the above
scripture, one could ask, do all
who speak in tongues also heal the sick, handle
snakes, cast out demons and drink poison? I think
not. Well, was the writer talking about the
Disciples, the converted Christians and/or was it
a promise to those of that time? I don't know.
Sometimes we have to be careful about taking
EVERY verse in the bible as a stand-alone fact...
Translation from Hebrew, Greek or Latin, time,
culture and other factors can make a person
understand that we have to read and understand
the entire gospel. Not just a few scriptures here
and there.
Since
I don't speak in tongues, I can only pray for
wisdom on this topic and listen to those who are
gifted in this area. My point is this, some may
have this ability but it is not a requirement to
be kingdom bound.
Therefore,
if a church, pastor, friend or relative tells you
that you must speak in tongues to be acceptable
for their congregation or the Lord... GET OUT OF
THERE!!
It
is not a requirment to speak in tongues and is a
lie from hell to teach that.
Suggested
Reading:  www.john33.com/tongues/suggested-reading.htm
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