Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
"Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues?" -- I Cor 12.30
As a lukewarm member of a moderately "pentecostal" congregation, I am one of the minority who do not pray or worship in tongues. I have not been privately coerced regarding tongues. It does bother me that every verse in scriptures that mentions being "in Spirit" -- e.g. John 4.23 -- is interpreted as speaking in tongues. More troubling are these occasional "outbursts" of an individual shouting in a tongue, which mandates an unequally necessary "interpretation." These are nearly always canned regurgitations of blessings upon "My People" from Amos, or Nahum, or Obadiah, or somewhere. I'm not sure where. But everyone applauds and I feel stupid for not believing in it all.
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I want to hold my reservations for replying but I "CAN'T"!!! Bad-bad emotions!
See... this is why imho, as off the wall the LC was in many of their practices, while I did not understand what it really meant to walk in spirit or 'exercise our spirit' as we called it, over the years as I have grown in the Lord and in the Power of His Word and Spirit, I came to understand what it means to walk in spirit, " to exercise my spirit...which to me means praying the Word to the Lord a LOT and following the Spirit intuitively as a result of my prayer life). I know what it means to crucify the flesh, to be crucified in Christ. It is awesome ! Once you get it, that is the life we want to live! It does not mean the Lord does not want us to watch the Spurs play and beat the other teams!
It does not mean we cannot watch TV, enjoy the finer things of this life. I look forward to walking and living IN Spirit 24/7! I will have a lot less problems then!!
When Jesus was speaking to the woman at the well, He told her they that worship God must worship Him IN Spirit and in Truth. She did not start speaking in tongues now did she?
I do not know if the other churches Paul spoke/wrote to spoke in tongues other than the Corinthian church but they are the church that spoke in tongues and were the most carnal bunch of them all. Every 'pastor' speaks of Corinth being carnal and most people use the 'tongue' scriptures found in the Corinthian letters. I think every one agrees that the tongues spoken of in Acts were not the babbling tongues of the charasmatic/pentecostal churches but rather languages. They spoke in an unknown tongue unto themselves but to those who spoke that language, it was understood.
I just don't get what the big hoopla is about tongue speaking and while I do not make an issue of it, I am often lectured on that to speak in tongues 'edifys oneself' to God. hmm... ok whatever. I know when I am praying
IN SPIRIT, I get the same results if not better for I am praying the very WORD of God to GOD. So there!
I often ask: If you do not read the scriptures prayerfully or do not know the Word intimately (
not referring to quoting scriptures)
how do you know your tongue speaking is of the Holy Spirit.
Oh boy. There comes the backlash!! "It's not demonic babbling!! " I am told.
I did not say it was. I am merely asking
how they know it is from the Holy Spirit because I have never spontaneously 'spoken in tongues'! When I have, I force myself to 'babble' believing the Holy Spirit is praying through me. Of course, I usually 'babble' the same 'language' because I made it up. Nothing wrong with that either for we make up prayers in our own native tongue to the Lord that is not always praying the Word back to Him. So when I cannot find the words to pray in English, I will pray in 'tongues'. But it is far and few between. I am being honest here.
I explain that to them but it is not good enough.
After all. I am not smarter than a pastor am I? This is what I sometimes told.
(Probably not...as 1) I am a woman 1) I am not ordained -by man-)
But I AM A king and priest unto the Most High God! Revelation 1:6 and Revelation 5:10 says I am..as well as those who believe the Word. I believe it, receive it and walk i
n Spirit and in the Truth ! So there!!
What I do know is most true believers do not know what the scriptures mean when they read
'In Spirit' as you well pointed out
Ohio my Spurs bud! Many know we are tri parted:
spirit, soul and body.
Most however misquote 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and say
body, soul and spirit.
I do know that those who I have led to the Lord and am discliping, teaching the Word are stronger in Christ (to the Glory and Praise of Almighty God) than those who go to 'church' and beat me over the head for not being ' tongue speaking filled'.
The reason I decided to try speaking in tongues is because I started frequenting tongue speaking churches inadvertantly. I did not join any Pentecostal or assembly of God congregations. I ended up frequenting charasmatic churches that had bands and 'a worship team'. I admit I was pressured to give in. However at the same time I was curious. I did not want to miss out on something that was from the Lord if tongues really was and I was holding back because I was taught it was not for today and the Corinthians who spoke in tongues were a very carnal church.
However there might be some here on the forum whose lives have been transformed for speaking/praying in tongues. I am quite open to hear their experiences.
Thanks Ohio!
Carol G