Any Pentecostal church members out there? Re: Speaking tongues

[hebrews12]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the message boards so I'm sorry if I'm doing anything wrong in advance. I've started my path in faith at the end of last year and consider myself to be saved in God's eyes as of the beginning of this year. I started attending an Assembly of God church and have been going every Wednesday and Sunday for the past three months. I have also plowed through the bible this past winter so I knew what to look for when choosing a church. I find this church to be very biblical, but the only thing I have a problem with so far is the claim that speaking tongues is INITIAL EVIDENCE that you've been blessed with the holy spirit. In the book of Corinthians, chapter 14 I believe, it discusses the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I do not see evidence that speaking tongues is necessary, just simply a gift. What is everyone's take on this? Any Assembly of God goers have thoughts, either?

 

[Consumed]

dont believe everything you hear, we are saved by grace, justified thru faith, the penalty has been paid in full undeserved unmerited favor of God. Tongues is a gift as with any other, not everyone has the same gift. Jesus has done it all for us, all He asks is we believe.... come as a child

 

[hebrews12]

dont believe everything you hear, we are saved by grace, justified thru faith, the penalty has been paid in full undeserved unmerited favor of God. Tongues is a gift as with any other, not everyone has the same gift. Jesus has done it all for us, all He asks is we believe.... come as a child

See, I didn't want to believe it because it didn't fall in line with what I read. I will definitely pray for my own gift...
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues,unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

 

[Consumed]

thats the beautiful thing about Gods Word, any doubt refer to the manufacturers manual so to speak. lol

 

[hebrews12]

This is true! Thanks for speaking to a newcomer.

 

[livingbygrace]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the message boards so I'm sorry if I'm doing anything wrong in advance. I've started my path in faith at the end of last year and consider myself to be saved in God's eyes as of the beginning of this year. I started attending an Assembly of God church and have been going every Wednesday and Sunday for the past three months. I have also plowed through the bible this past winter so I knew what to look for when choosing a church. I find this church to be very biblical, but the only thing I have a problem with so far is the claim that speaking tongues is INITIAL EVIDENCE that you've been blessed with the holy spirit. In the book of Corinthians, chapter 14 I believe, it discusses the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I do not see evidence that speaking tongues is necessary, just simply a gift. What is everyone's take on this? Any Assembly of God goers have thoughts, either?

I went to an AOG church in my youth and was told the same thing as you were.

Every Christian has the Holy Spirit in them (Rom 8:9)

But in England there is an Elim Pentecostal chuch. They be;lieve you do not have to speak in tongues as evidence that you are BAPTISED IN the Holy Spirit

My advice would be try not to get too hung up on this. I did in my youth and felt I wasn't good enough/worthy enough for God because I didn't THEN speak in tongues.

You are saved and kept and justified by faith in the son of God who loves you and gave himself for you, that is what gives you right standing with God, not whether you speak in tongues or not

 

[hebrews12]

I'm glad to hear someone else had a similar experience with an AOG church. I see so much good in the church, yet this flaw really stuck out to me! But hopefully no one sees my flaws as magnified as I've magnified this God Bless you

 

[loveschild]

Acts 2:4
And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

 

[eternally-gratefull]

thats the beautiful thing about Gods Word, any doubt refer to the manufacturers manual so to speak. lol

Amen!

As for the originator of the thread. Many "Pentecostal" churches teach that if you do not speak in tongues your not saved, I have been told this myself. Not all of them do though.

 

[livingbygrace]

I'm glad to hear someone else had a similar experience with an AOG church. I see so much good in the church, yet this flaw really stuck out to me! But hopefully no one sees my flaws as magnified as I've magnified this God Bless you

Put it this way. Biblically speaking if you ask in faith you receive what God would want you to have.
You can only have faith that you have received if you have not seen the evidence yet, would you agree?
Otherwise no faith would be being exercised. You would be going by what you can see, not faith.

I found this was the problem. All I focused on was speaking in tongues, not trusting that I had received what I had asked for. I was looking for the evidence, not looking to Christ and trusting him, hope that makes some sense

Now I don't like the expression 'putting God in a corner, but if you could look to Christ and keep trusting him for something you have not yet seen the evidence of, God would have to act if it were something he wanted you to have, wouldn't he?

 

[Consumed]

1 Corinthians 12​

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.​

4There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:8for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
​

 

[hebrews12]

Acts 2:4
And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].

While I remember reading this, I attributed this to a certain group of individuals and not being something that would happen to all God's people.

 

[hebrews12]

Put it this way. Biblically speaking if you ask in faith you receive what God would want you to have.
You can only have faith that you have received if you have not seen the evidence yet, would you agree?
Otherwise no faith would be being exercised. You would be going by what you can see, not faith.

I found this was the problem. All I focused on was speaking in tongues, not trusting that I had received what I had asked for. I was looking for the evidence, not looking to Christ and trusting him, hope that makes some sense

Now I don't like the expression 'putting God in a corner, but if you could look to Christ and keep trusting him for something you have not yet seen the evidence of, God would have to act if it were something he wanted you to have, wouldn't he?

I'm not sure I follow your first paragraph. Can you explain further? Thank you

 

[hebrews12]

1 Corinthians 12



1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.


4There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:8for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
​

Am I getting this right that 1 Cor 12:9 could be interpreted as meaning that faith could be a gift of the Spirit? Instead of tongues or prophesy?

 

[livingbygrace]

I'm not sure I follow your first paragraph. Can you explain further? Thank you

For most of my teenage years I went to an AOG church and never spoke in tongues. I figured I just couldn't be as holy as the people in the church who spoke in tongues so it was something I could never receive
When I was nineteen I read a book about how a minister received the gift. He and a friend went to a retreat. While they were there a woman asked them if she could pray with them to recive the gift of speaking in tongues. They agreed and went into a room with her and knelt on the floor. She laid her hands on their head, they waited expectantly but nothnig happened, they felt no different.
She asked them if there were any strange sounding words in their heads. The minister thought for a minute, there were jumbled up words that made no sense in his mind but he had dismissed them as just his imagination, however he told the woman this
She asked him if he would say them out loud. He felt a fool, surely it couldn't be the gift of tongues. But he and his friend spoke words that made no sense. They felt foolish, they were about to give up when all of a sudden the words flowed and tears ran down their cheeks, they had stood on faith not feelings or emotion.

Now I don't know about your church but we were led to believe when you were baptised in the Holy Spirit it would be an incredible feeling. I imagined it would be like being hit by a ten ton truck and knocked off my feet by the way people spoke in the church, BUT WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. So I had always looked for the emotion if you see what I mean, the feelings

But after reading that book I believed speaking in tongues didn't happen by being 'good enough' worthy enough' as a Christian but by faith. So I knelt by my bed, and mouthed words that sounded gibberish to me as those two ministers had done and I persevered with this, in the end the words flowed over a period of time. But I had no huge emotional experiance
A couple of years later a minister who I had never met prayed with me and confirmed my speaking in tongues was genuine
Now just because it happened that way for me does not mean it would be the same for everyone. But will we stand on faith or wait for the emotion? That is not faith

 

[hebrews12]

For most of my teenage years I went to an AOG church and never spoke in tongues. I figured I just couldn't be as holy as the people in the church who spoke in tongues so it was something I could never receive
When I was nineteen I read a book about how a minister received the gift. He and a friend went to a retreat. While they were there a woman asked them if she could pray with them to recive the gift of speaking in tongues. They agreed and went into a room with her and knelt on the floor. She laid her hands on their head, they waited expectantly but nothnig happened, they felt no different.
She asked them if there were any strange sounding words in their heads. The minister thought for a minute, there were jumbled up words that made no sense in his mind but he had dismissed them as just his imagination, however he told the woman this
She asked him if he would say them out loud. He felt a fool, surely it couldn't be the gift of tongues. But he and his friend spoke words that made no sense. They felt foolish, they were about to give up when all of a sudden the words flowed and tears ran down their cheeks, they had stood on faith not feelings or emotion.

Now I don't know about your church but we were led to believe when you were baptised in the Holy Spirit it would be an incredible feeling. I imagined it would be like being hit by a ten ton truck and knocked off my feet by the way people spoke in the church, BUT WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. So I had always looked for the emotion if you see what I mean, the feelings

But after reading that book I believed speaking in tongues didn't happen by being 'good enough' worthy enough' as a Christian but by faith. So I knelt by my bed, and mouthed words that sounded gibberish to me as those two ministers had done and I persevered with this, in the end the words flowed over a period of time. But I had no huge emotional experiance
A couple of years later a minister who I had never met prayed with me and confirmed my speaking in tongues was genuine
Now just because it happened that way for me does not mean it would be the same for everyone. But will we stand on faith or wait for the emotion? That is not faith

Thank you so much for your testimony! I will definitely be in prayer and hope for my faith to be increased so I may accept any spiritual gift the Spirit has to offer, even if it isn't tongues.

 

[Consumed]

Am I getting this right that 1 Cor 12:9 could be interpreted as meaning that faith could be a gift of the Spirit? Instead of tongues or prophesy?

good point, i have pondered on that, each has a measure given , didnt Peter ask for his faith to be increased

 

[francina]

The passage about the gift of tongues has to do with the Holy Spirit giving a message through you for the church. That is what gifts are for, other people. Praying or praising God in tongues is you speaking to God, this is not the same thing. Paul was telling the church of Corinth to speak to God in tongues in private or at least not to stand up so everyone could hear you but not understand what you are saying because it is not a message for them. If it is the gift in operation for them to receive from the Lord, then you are someone else should interpret. You need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit for both. However, neither is dependent on how close you are to God or how holy you live. God used many people in the bible ( & in my life ) who were not walking in accordance with the Word to speak to people. Prime example is Saul who prophesied when the Spirit came on him or the leader of the Council who spoke that One should die to save many, when they were plotting the death of Jesus, the writer says he prophesied because of his position. You have a good church , you should ask your pastors.
The most important truth that the Assemblies of God teaches is sanctification as evidence of true salvation. As Jesus said, many who prophesied or used gifts in any way will be rejected as workers of iniquity.

 

[PneumaPsucheSoma]

There are tongues (languages) and the unknown tongue. There is a huge distinction.

Yes, there is a gift of faith.

 

[Mark777]

Am I getting this right that 1 Cor 12:9 could be interpreted as meaning that faith could be a gift of the Spirit? Instead of tongues or prophesy?

G'day Hebrews12.
In the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Cor 12, there is an important distiction made in the greek regarding two gifts that is not evident in english. "for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues." The word "another" in the greek is "allo", which means another of the same kind, except for where He mentions tongues and faith. Here the word is "hetero", which means another of a different kind. There is only one gift of word of knowledge, working of miracles, prophecy etc. However, there are two types of "faith" that God gives and two types of tongues. The faith that we have for salvation is itself a gift. "For grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Eph 2:8) Obviously every Christian has this gift of faith. You would not be a Christian without it! As I understand it, the faith mentioned in 1 Cor 12 is the faith to see a particular thing done at a particular time. By way of example, I have often prayed for the sick and, believing the promises of God's word, expect that God would heal them. But on occassion, the gift of faith kicks in and then I know that there is no possibility of continued illness and on these occassioned the person has always been healed instantly. With tongues, there is the tongue which I use in prayer and worship to speak to God. This is available to every believer upon being filled with the Spirit (baptised in the Spirit). The other tongue is that mentioned in the above list, where a message is brought to the church in a tongue that requires an interpretation by either the original speaker or another in the congregation.
Hope this brings some clarification.