Speaking in Tongues and the Apostolic Movement

[TrulyBlsd85]

At work one my coworkers and I were discussing Chrisitianity she stated that the only evidence of the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. I firmly believe the true evidence of the Holy Spirit are the fruits of the Spirit i.e love, patience, kindness, etc.I do believe in the gift of speaking in tongues but I dont believe everyone has it or that its needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Whats your opinion on this topic, I'm just curious.

 

[momi]

Marking my place...


Ill be back

 

[MrsHaseeb]

Hi. There are several threads on the subject as well. See thread below. There are many awesome responses from many of the sisters on here.

Speaking in Tongues - Long Hair Care Forum
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=647847

 

[Belle Du Jour]

At work one my coworkers and I were discussing Chrisitianity she stated that the only evidence of the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues. I firmly believe the true evidence of the Holy Spirit are the fruits of the Spirit i.e love, patience, kindness, etc.I do believe in the gift of speaking in tongues but I dont believe everyone has it or that its needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Whats your opinion on this topic, I'm just curious.

I think some have a misunderstanding of the gift of tongues. The apostles received the gift to communicate with people from all parts of the world in their native language/tongue. In my past experience as a Protestant, I saw a lot of people speaking "tongues" or babbling. Catholic christians are baptized with the triune formula (in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit with chrism oil at confirmation. We believe that we receive these fruits of the Spirit. So yes, I believe that Christians receive and should show evidence the fruits of the Spirit in their life. I don't believe in what many consider "speaking in tongues" because again, it was an actial dialect that others could understand.

Now, have I personally experience being "in the Spirit?" Absolutely. I can't explain or describe it but I know when I feel the flow of the Holy Spirit come over me. It is usually when I am worshipping in privacy.

 

[Shimmie]

I've been 'Saved' for a long time and in my personal experience, I've witnessed the power of God operating in both, those who speak and those who do not speak in tongues.

God's power is amazing. The proof/evidence of the 'Presence of the Holy Spirit', is the relationship and dedication that one has with the Lord. I can no longer say that one MUST speak in tongues to be use mightily by God.

I've had my "Prayer Language" for as long as I have been saved and I flow with and in it. I feel blessed and honoured. Yet, one who does not, is not less blessed nor do they honour God less, nor are they used less by and with God.

They still have a powerful walk with the Lord and I've learned to not judge them otherwise.

I also respect the valuable beliefs that one may have, if they differ. It's okay to disagree. I refuse to devalue anyone's view on this. Their hearts are more important than being right or wrong about a topic such a this.

I'd rather be at peace and love my sisters (and brothers) rejoicing that we each still love God, and that Jesus is Our Lord and Saviour, forever.

Praise God.

 

[sissimpson]

I've been a part of the Apostolic movement for a loonnngggg time....'been baptized in Jesus' name, spoke in tongues when the Holy Ghost came, and all that good stuff. I have also been privileged to be a part of a church where people were baptized using the titles 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost'. To my shock and surprise, they were saved too! Many of them did not speak in tongues, thought it was 'unseemly'. I did too at one time in my life. Paul said it was his desire that we all do it. I have found that my deepest, most intimate times with God have included prayer and worship in tongues. I have learned that I cannot judge someone else's salvation on whether they do or not. Who am I to judge another man's servant?

 

[MrsHaseeb]

I've been a part of the Apostolic movement for a loonnngggg time....'been baptized in Jesus' name, spoke in tongues when the Holy Ghost came, and all that good stuff. I have also been privileged to be a part of a church where people were baptized using the titles 'Father, Son and Holy Ghost'. To my shock and surprise, they were saved too! Many of them did not speak in tongues, thought it was 'unseemly'. I did too at one time in my life. Paul said it was his desire that we all do it. I have found that my deepest, most intimate times with God have included prayer and worship in tongues. I have learned that I cannot judge someone else's salvation on whether they do or not. Who am I to judge another man's servant?

I too started in an Apostolic/Pentecostal church and they literally feel like they are the only ones who have it right. It wasn't until I got away from that type of teaching that I began to see that salvation is not the experience they make it. They 'worship' tongues rather than giving Jesus the preeminence and making people want more of Jesus. I believe it does cause some false manifestations but the real Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the experience of Acts 2, Acts 10 and Acts 19 is alive and available to all true believers in Jesus Christ. The fact of "tongues" being used by false prophets was the plan of the enemy and has been successful making people despise and avoid it rather than seeking the Lord to find His truth about it.

 

[Successfulmiss]

I think this is a great topic because some churches will be so legalistic and judgmental against other doctrines or churches and act like "true holiness" is in clothing our your spiritual gifts. When I was first saved I lived in condemnation for so long because I was so confused by what people were telling me all over the place in my past church and I came to realize my relationship in Christ and His holy Spirit are my true guides and I try not to do what others feel is "true holiness" which will only put you into bondage, legalism and continued condemnation. I have the gift of tongues and many other gifts of the Spirit but I do not think if you don't have them your any less holy. That is bondage when we are made FREE in Christ!

 

[ImperfectlyPerfect]

I believe the gift of tongues to be one of many spiritual gifts. The lack of this gift does not mean one doesn not have the holly spirit. While, I do think the holliness church places to much emphasis on this gift, I find it equaly offensive when those that do possess it are accused of faking or speaking jibberish. I currently do not possess this gift but would like to recieve it. 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 is a good reference.

 

[ImperfectlyPerfect]

I think some have a misunderstanding of the gift of tongues. The apostles received the gift to communicate with people from all parts of the world in their native language/tongue. In my past experience as a Protestant, I saw a lot of people speaking "tongues" or babbling. Catholic christians are baptized with the triune formula (in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and are sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit with chrism oil at confirmation. We believe that we receive these fruits of the Spirit. So yes, I believe that Christians receive and should show evidence the fruits of the Spirit in their life. I don't believe in what many consider "speaking in tongues" because again, it was an actial dialect that others could understand.

Now, have I personally experience being "in the Spirit?" Absolutely. I can't explain or describe it but I know when I feel the flow of the Holy Spirit come over me. It is usually when I am worshipping in privacy.

I disagree with this statement. The Bible states those with the gift of tongues should pray for the ability to interrupt. If it was an actual language one could learn the other language and would not need to be gifted with interpretation.

 

[MrsHaseeb]

I disagree with this statement. The Bible states those with the gift of tongues should pray for the ability to interrupt. If it was an actual language one could learn the other language and would not need to be gifted with interpretation.

Girl..... Thank you!!! I was trying to avoid saying something and seeming controversial. Thats been the trick of the enemy to make people avoid it thinking that the tongues the Apostles spoke must have sounded like a language. If that were true, why were they accused of being drunk. It was not uncommon for people to be speaking different languages around them all the time, so obviously what happened at Pentecost was not something that sounded like an earthly language. Then they put people on the news and record them and say, " this is not a language so this is not what the Apostles did" and call that persons tongues pagan babble... Biggest lie ever told and also dangerous to contribute any work of the Holy Spirit to something false, pagan and demonic because it doesn't sound like something appealing to a natural mind. If you read the Bible it disproves that tongues are an earthly language all by itself. Why did each person on the day of Pentecost hear each of the 120 in their own language and some not understand at all? That's impossible if it were earthly languages. If I speak Spanish and you speak French and someone around us begins speaking Chinese it's impossible that we both will understand that Chinese person. What happened on the day of Pentecost was totally supernatural as the Holy Spirit was poured out the first time.

We also know that it wasn't to get the Gospel out, which is another lie. When they spoke the heavenly language that the Holy Spirit gave them it simply got the attention of the people for them to know this was not something of the world. When Peter got up and preached the Gospel he did so in their common language. Peter said the promise of the Pentecostal experience (Baptism of the Holy Spirit) was for everyone and this is confirmed in Acts 10 and Acts 19 when the Holy Spirit came upon people and they spoke in tongues with no interpretation. No man can tell you you've received the Holy Spirit. You will know for yourself!

The worst thing we can do is try to understand the Holy Spirit with our natural mind and downplay any of His gifts... Every believer should be seeking the Lord for the Pentecostal experience. But church today has downplayed its importance and caused believers to think they don't need to seek more of the Holy Spirit when it's quite clear that it was of great importance in the Apostles' day. Its not about seeking "tongues"..... They do come with the Baptism (complete immersion) in the Spirit.

 

[Laela]

It is my understanding on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave men the ability to speak other languages that were not of their native tongue; that's what confounded people... they spoke a language they didn't know, but were given the utterance to speak through the Holy Spirit. They appeared 'drunk' to the mockers, because they were under the power of the Holy Spirit.
But the native speakers understood what they were saying.

Acts 2: 7-8
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

They didn't have time to learn a language...so we know that was God.


2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

[sissimpson]

I was just rereading Acts 10, the story of Cornelius. In verses 44-48, my understanding is that the believers who were there knew that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost because they heard the Gentiles speaking in tongues. Any thoughts?

 

[MrsHaseeb]

It is my understanding on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave men the ability to speak other languages that were not of their native tongue; that's what confounded people... they spoke a language they didn't know, but were given the utterance to speak through the Holy Spirit. They appeared 'drunk' to the mockers, because they were under the power of the Holy Spirit.
But the native speakers understood what they were saying.

Acts 2: 7-8
And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

They didn't have time to learn a language...so we know that was God.

2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Hi Laela. I believe that the Holy Spirit can inspire a person to speak other earthly languages but I’m not sure that’s what was going on on the day of Pentecost. How was it possible that among thousands of people who spoke many different languages they each heard all of the 120 in their own language if it was simply an earthly language? I think that it has been so commonly taught that tongues should be an earthly language that people don’t even second guess it. I believe that speaking in tongues under the power of the Spirit is something much higher than an earthly language. It was a miracle because one person who spoke one language realized they could hear all the people praising God in their own language then also realized that the other person who spoke a completely different language could also understand each person as they praised God in “tongues”. If they were only natural languages, the only way for each person to hear their own language was for God to give them the ability to understand other languages because each person heard them all speak his own language. Not at all based on the text. Does a drunk man begin speaking fluently in another language praising God? No. The only way devout, religious people would accuse them of being drunk while praising God is that what they were speaking was not a language, but sounded like something foreign to them that they didn’t understand. It’s quite clear that God didn’t want everyone out there to hear because some of them were hardened. Those who didn’t understand are clearly separated from those who did because the Bible called them others, saying, “others mocked saying these men are full of new wine”! The same thing people are doing today. Mocking tongues thinking they are supposed to sound a certain way, thinking that it’s supposed to be a language understood in the natural realm. The Bible never says that. If that’s all tongues were, there would be no need for a supernatural gift of interpretation. In fact, reading the rest of the Scriptures (Acts 10, Acts 19, and 1 Corinthians 12 and 14) it’s pretty clear that it wasn’t a known language in the earthly realm. Jesus said those who believed would speak with “new” tongues, something that had never been used on this earth before. That’s all I’m saying sis. Not trying to debate. I just don’t believe it’s possible that these were earthly languages after studying it carefully.

 

[MrsHaseeb]

I was just rereading Acts 10, the story of Cornelius. In verses 44-48, my understanding is that the believers who were there knew that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost because they heard the Gentiles speaking in tongues. Any thoughts?

That's the evidence as accepted by the Apostles. This is confirmed in Acts 19 with the disciples at Ephesus. But I'm not one who believes a person is not a Christian if they have never spoken in tongues. Some do, but I don't see that supported in Scripture.