Have You Ever Spoken In Tongues?

[aribell]

you are not wrong for your opinion... I'm not saying that...
But in my opinion
this is completely lacking in truth (woah)

God listens to everyone's prayers... you should know before your prayer that he is listening... When did God every walk away? When did He ever not listen?
I am not trying to clown you or anything, but this adds so much complexity to the simplicity of the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. And when I hear people talk like this, I feel like it is slanderous to His name and His message... He doesn't want acts, He just wants your heart...
His yoke is easy, His burden is light...
stop trying to make it so heavy...

This makes sense... but the rest... I don't really think so...
I believe God has given me words to pray... in English... that were effective... and he knew those before I even opened my mouth... Why even bring in the rest? This whole thread is wrapped up in a human practice, a facade, a show... Why not just speak about Him being greater than us, because we fall short, even when we pray... Lets make it about Him, not about us and our acts.
I think sometimes since He is so big, we want to be big too, when really we are so little... precious to Him, but so little.

Your comments remind me of this verse from James: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray...And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up...The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

It seems like you are saying that genuine faith is most important and that's what God hears. I wholeheartedly agree. The only thing about people seeking different spiritual gifts that can make me concerned sometimes is that I wouldn't want anyone to feel like because they don't currently have a particular gift that God doesn't hear them as well as He hears someone with a particular gift.

I think a part of this is humility, being able to know and accept that even if God doesn't use me in the "showy" ways He might use other people, that that in no way means that my prayers are hindered in any way or that I am not as useful in His Kingdom.

I speak of this because I have a friend who clearly has the gifts of administration and helps--you know, those gifts that no one goes "ooh and ahh" over. But she felt she wanted something more "charismatic" and couldn't appreciate the depth of faith, obedience, and gifts that the Lord did put in her. Like Paul also says, "...the parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor."

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

I don't believe this is lacking in truth at all. I will find some scriptures to post for you.

But truthfully, the bible says that God does not listen to all prayers. I think this is hard for some to digest but it's true.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" Matthew 6:14-15

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6)

31Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. John 9:31

Isaiah 59:1-2: Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Proverbs 15:29: The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”
We are to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Psalms 66: 17-19: For I cried to him for help, with praises ready on my tongue. He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins. But he listened! He heard my prayer! He paid attention to it!

1 John 5:14 –15. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Also, in Psalms King David says, "Let my prayer be set before you as incense and in the evening I will lift my hands as a sacrafice."

We actually had a good discussion on this but I will let you look at these scriptures before I go any further. Bnatural, you are so right. God loves us so much and so does Jesus Christ. It's clearly evident, this does not however mean that everyone's prayers are heard. Sin that is not willing to be dealt with can seperate a person's prayer's from being heard. Check out this scripture in Daniel.

Daniel 10:12(NLT) - Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.

And yes, you are totally right BNatural He does want your heart but what is in your heart will come and show through your actions. He is with those who are lowly and contrite and I'm not sure how my post offended you or caught you off guard. The reason I am saying it is edifying for every believer to be able to pray in The Holy Spirit is because there will be times in every human being's life that you don't know what to say or what is actually going on: it's just part of being human. BUT when you are able to pray in The Holy Spirit, you are praying in the perfect will of God and know for sure your words are heard.

"And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26

I hope you can better understand what I am saying based on scriptures.

Thanks, but... God hears everyone's prayers... He doesn't answer all of them the way we want, but he hears them all... He hears everything... I already know that he hears me, especially since I am saved and I believe he is my Lord and savior... Sin separates people from Christ. With His death and resurrection he closed the gap. He has always heard everyone's prayers. I could never bring myself to tell the kids that I teach at private school, or my own children when have them (Lord-willing) that God doesn't listen to them when they pray. If anyone listens, God does. I refuse to believe that when the woman that is being raped or when the child that goes hungry or that the man that loses his job... when they cry out, that God does not hear them. Yes he may allow certain things to happen, or he may say no, or wait, but he still hears your prayers...

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Zechariah 13:9 “. . . They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say . . . They are My people, And they will say . . . The LORD is my God.

I believe that He is my Lord and he will satisfy my needs, regardless of deeds or the things that I do or accomplish. This means that the Lord will hear my prayers just the same as the deacons or the pastor's wife, as long as my heart is in the right place.

No matter what anyone else may have told you, salvation is not by works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly declares: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Further, Titus 3:5 tells us: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

 

[music-bnatural-smile]

Your comments remind me of this verse from James: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray...And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up...The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

It seems like you are saying that genuine faith is most important and that's what God hears. I wholeheartedly agree. The only thing about people seeking different spiritual gifts that can make me concerned sometimes is that I wouldn't want anyone to feel like because they don't currently have a particular gift that God doesn't hear them as well as He hears someone with a particular gift.

I think a part of this is humility, being able to know and accept that even if God doesn't use me in the "showy" ways He might use other people, that that in no way means that my prayers are hindered in any way or that I am not as useful in His Kingdom.

I speak of this because I have a friend who clearly has the gifts of administration and helps--you know, those gifts that no one goes "ooh and ahh" over. But she felt she wanted something more "charismatic" and couldn't appreciate the depth of faith, obedience, and gifts that the Lord did put in her. Like Paul also says, "...the parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor."

Thanks i couldnt have said it better

 

[Shanh30]

"Then they said unto Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." --John 6:28, 29

 

[Ladybelle]

I think that this is one of those topics that no one will ever agree on. Universal agreement does not neccessitate right or wrong, right is right and wrong is wrong. Spiritual maturity varies from person to person and a certain understanding of the word will yield different responses based on the person you are speaking with.

Hence, i don't try to "prove" what I know is true to those who don't neccessarily know or agree. If a man or woman seeks my opinion/knowledge - I give it.

You do have to be saved to speak in tongues just like you have to be saved to be a Christian, not speaking in tongues does not make one unsaved- the only way to be saved is to confess Jesus is Lord, etc and so on and so forth. Nor do you have to be the "perfect" Christian to speak in tongues as there is no such thing.

Some people can get sick & believe God to be healed and have a wonderful testimony while others do not have the level of faith to rely on God for healing, they rely on western medicine. It doesn't make the one believing for a healing a believer and the person going to the Dr. a nonbeliever- it just different levels of faith. Some of us never move past the "I am saved" level of faith:

1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

Hebrews 5:13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe

Suffice it to say, some believers will never exercise spiritual gifts, nor live up to the potential God gave us as believers. They'll get to heaven and realize how much they missed the marked and how much more they could have done.

 

[GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I]

Sometimes G-d utilizes the gifts and talents he gave to man to give healing to man. Some may receive supernatural healing through prayer and miracles whereas, others may receive healing through the gifts of medicine G-d gave the earthly doctor. It is not always a matter of faith but of G-d's will.

There will be some who have extra supernatural gifts and there will be those who develop the gifts of charity etc. There are some who will have great earthly blessing materially and there will be those who will exhibit great love through their many sufferings. All benefit this world if lived for G-d. We have what G-d gives us. We make up a body, a full body, not just all eyes, teeth, feet...but every little bit makes up the entire body.

The greatest is....

<< 1 Corinthians 13 >>
New American Standard Bible © The Excellence of Love

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.[/URL] 9 [URL="http://biblebrowser.com/1_corinthians/13-9.htm"]For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

[moonglowdiva]

No, the Gift of Speaking in tongue is not my Spiritual Gift. I can't interpret either. I hope it doesn't make me any less of a christian. However, I do have a spiritual gift.

 

[GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I]

In thinking about this, I come back to this thread this morning. What occurs to me is that this particular gift edifies the individual (mostly). Although a personal relationship to G-d is essential, in my congregation, it's always been stressed that "We" are the congregation. Our prayers are "Our Father," "We Believe," etc. The stress is the entire Church as the community and individualism doesn't supercede as it does in protestant circles (for history's sake, no longer a magesterium and united 1 Church...other interp. develop on a regular basis). I think this is the crux of the misunderstanding with this type of issue. It would be important to protestants, very important.

Protestant churches emphasize the individual relationship to the extent that personal revelation, personal intepretation and understanding of the scripture is highly prized. In my congregation, we arrive at those conclusions together, under a Magesterium, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It's a slow, long process that makes interpretations over time and holds believers accountable to those interpretations and tenets of belief.

It's in the approach to the faith between the various denominations that causes us either to seek out these gifts or not to seek out these gifts as an essential part of living it out. For me, communion with G-d occurs with the eucharist and we receive the actual body and blood, consuming it. Although there is a charismatic movement, most do not participate in any way in it. If you don't have the actual eucharist, what would you seek? Another manifestation or personal contact with G-d. I guess the eucharist would be that personal connection....and speaking in tongues another.

I never expected this thread to last so long. It's been a great discussion and I thank all who participated.