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Bible Questions and Spiritual Discussion
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Questions about speaking in tongues
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hi everyone
just want to hear comments from you about this church i went to tonight
so the story is, i talked to a friend at work that i'm looking for a good bible based church
she offered to take me to her mid-week church service, i just came back home from the service and feel totally uneasy
she asked me before the service if i speak in tongues, i said no
when we came to church, the pastor there said that his church believe in speaking in tongues means receiving the holy spirit
the service was ok, but i felt uneasy when everyone started speaking in tongues when asked to pray
at the end of the service, people were praying n speaking in tongues, the pastor and my work colleague took me aside and gave me a talk, saying that their church follows the bible and quoted from the bible that to be born again we need to be baptist and receive the holy spirit, the proof the we have receive the holy spirit means speaking tongues
they wanted to baptise me again, they said after the baptism, i have to leave my past behind n start going to their church only..
i felt uneasy
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Tri 02/02/2012 08:47 |
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Lanny Carlson
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02/02/2012 10:10 |
One word - RUN!
Any church that claims theirs is the only way
and tries to force you into its mold
is one I would avoid.
That's my knee-jerk reaction, anyway.
Others may have other ideas.
As for the friend,
tell her you respect her and her beliefs,
but your own convictions are important to you,
and respectfully decline to attend again.
Or just thank her for taking her,
and tell her you are going to continue your search.
By the way, you said you FELT uneasy,
but what did you SAY to the pastor and to your friend
after the experience?
Grace and Peace,
Lanny
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Catholica
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02/02/2012 12:27 |
There is precedent in the Bible for speaking in tongues, but it is certainly not a requirement for salvation. In 1 Cor. 12:30, Paul is in the midst of asking rhetorical questions, of which the answer to each is "no" (such as, are all apostles?). Another question is "do all speak in tongues"? The answer is no.
So really, if the pastor is saying that all must speak in tongues, then he is not teaching what Paul taught (which is that all apostles do not speak in tongues).
Don't get me wrong, speaking in tongues is real in some cases, and I have no problem with it, but not everyone speaks in tongues, and to say that everyone must speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit is not true. It seems that they are trying to rope you in, and soon you will be pressured into doing many things. I would stay away from that particular church and feel good about it, if I were you. Don't submit yourself to the yoke of slavery of human notions that are contrary to God.
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Catholica
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02/02/2012 12:34 |
Oops, I meant to say "(which is that all Christians do not speak in tongues)".
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wesrman
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02/02/2012 14:36 |
LOL the whole u have to go to our church only should set off alarm bells in your head.
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Davidwayne Lackey
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02/02/2012 22:31 |
Tri, This is how cults start.
The gift of tongues is real but not everybody has this particular gift. Paul made it very plain how it is the same Spirit that gives all the gifts but not all people are to have all the gifts.
1Co 12:4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.
1Co 12:5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
1Co 12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
1Co 12:8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
1Co 12:9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
1Co 12:10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
1Co 12:11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
1Co 12:12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
1Co 12:13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
1Co 12:14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
1Co 12:15 If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body.
1Co 12:16 And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
1Co 12:18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where He wants it.
1Co 12:19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
1Co 12:20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
1Co 12:21 The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."
1Co 12:22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
1Co 12:23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
1Co 12:24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
1Co 12:25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
1Co 12:26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
1Co 12:27 All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.
1Co 12:28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
1Co 12:29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles?
1Co 12:30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not!
Tri, pay particular attention to the last verse 12:30 where Paul makes it abundantly
clear that not all have the ability speak in unknown languages (tongues).
There is no place in Scripture that says or even intimates that speaking in tongues is evidence of salvation.
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Tammy
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02/03/2012 14:58 |
ditto with above.
Our family had something similar happen to us when we moved to a new community, and were looking for a church. They stared at us throughout the service because we weren't speaking in tongues. The ironic thing was that we believe in speaking in tongues. My husband grew up in a lively Pentecostal church in Mexico! Not one person spoke to us after the service.
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Ray
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02/03/2012 18:50 |
Tri,
Whenever I look at the text that Davidwayne refers to you have to keep reading in chpt 14 where Paul describes the proper context of tongues, prophesy and interpretation. Note v27 'If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.' I've rarely seen such order and life, but I have. More importantly, note that chpt 13, is inserted in the middle of the instruction, bringing emphasis that love governs the gifts.
We really need to measure all aspects of our life in the context of love, who is the person, Jesus. So, ask yourself, did they use tongues such that the body was built up, (1 cor 14:5 '...so that the church may be built up') and was love primary with the group?
Pray without ceasing.
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John T
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02/04/2012 06:54 |
There is also the matter of interpretation - the Bible says that someone should interpret - and any tongues churches I've been in haven't done this, it's been more of a babbling thing which was rather startling.
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Kris
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02/10/2012 19:54 |
Amen to what DavidWayne said.
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Tri
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02/11/2012 04:57 |
Hi all,
Thanks for the responses!
I felt uneasy because there are friends from work and I don't want this to be something that will damage our relationship at work.
I did tell them I will not come back to the church.
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