Let me offer this and only this, has it occurred to any of you which debate tongues/language that 2 things happened in Acts 2?
Acts 2.4 says the spoke in new tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. This seems to indicate they were still in the upper room and not yet out of the upper room. That is something I see people miss all the time. Acts 2.1-4 is one event and Acts 5 picks up another event.
For the below I use Blue Letter Bible, which has an online Strong's Concordance.
The original Greek word for utterance is apophtheggomai and it is the ONLY time it is used in the Bible and only used in Acts 2.4, there are 3 other times utterance is used in the whole Bible and only in the NT and that word is
The word apophtheggomai means:
Not a word of everyday speech but one "belonging to dignified and elevated discourse"
Many of you are attempting to translate the wrong word. The passage in the original Greek uses the word utterance and that is very important, because without the word utterance you lose something very important.
Acts 2.5-12 shows us supernatural manifestation of known languages because each man heard in his own language the wonderful works of God.
Acts 5:6 connects what was happening in verses 1-4.
[SUP]
6[/SUP]
Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
The verses did not say they went outside for these other people to hear this: it said this noice.. that same noise of tongues in that room... went abroad. So God was mainfesting tongues in that room to be heard abroad.
A statement it seems everyone misses is Acts 2.13 Peter and the other 11 are accused of being drunk. Now if every man heard the wonderful works of God in his own language why would they then suggest that many were drunk?
Because "some" did not understand what everyone were saying and so they assumed they were drunk.
DO NOT attribute this drunkness as belonging to God because the American Indians danced & chant for the Great Spirit to come & fall on them wherein they related the effects of drinking alcohol with when they were introduced to "firewater".
Do NOT attribute supernatuarl tongues that comes with no interpretation as being of God when the occults had it before God's gift came which was of other men's lips to speak unto the people.
SINCE we are not to believe every spirit but test them & prove all things and thereby abstaining from all appearance of evil, then God will not be copycatting Satan so that He can draw sinners away from their spirits and their tongues to a personal reconciled relationship with God the Father through the Son which is why all invitations given points to the Son: and NONE to the Holy Spirit.
Let us also not forget that were another 109 people, including Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under the power of the Holy ghost, still speaking in other tongues as the Spirit continued to give them utterance.
You are assuming that Mary, the mother of Jesus and any other women were still there in that upper room. Note the beginning of that chapter as it mentioned the beginning of another day which was Pentecost.
So note how in Acts 1 when the men had their thing as seperate from the women.
Acts 1:[SUP]
15 [/SUP]And in those days
Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,) [SUP]
16 [/SUP]
Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
Not "Men & ladies".
In Acts 2.15-14 Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
If we believe that only the miracle of hearing the the wonderful works of God in his own language happened and we intellectualize that some men said they were drunk, because they could not understand them, then you are calling the Bible a lie.
You are just reading it wrong. You separated verses 1-4 and did not see how verse 6 connects the noise in that room as they were being heard of speaking in their language.
If each man could understand the wonderful works of God in his own language and those same men then saw others that acted and sounded drunk, something else happened. If you attempt to justify it any other way, you imply the Bible contradicts itself and the word never contradicts itself.
If a member of your congegation spoke in a language that a foriegnor understood in his native tongue but some other visitor did not understand it, he would scoff and say that he was drunk too. Not that hard to fathom.
I have been on the mission field and witnessed people, that had no knowledge of the language of the country we were in speak in the native language for a day or two as they were leading others to Christ and praying for people,then never do it again. When we got back to the States they never could do it again.
Ironically the only ones I witnessed doing that were the ones that beleive and pray in their own heavenly language that one you all call gibberish and cannot wrap your fleshly minds around.
I find that circumspect.
Consider this: how can God call sinners away from their spirits and their supernatural tongues if they are going to be experiencing the same thing in christianity? How can they say to those that knew them as sinners in the occult BELIEVE that they have repented and are born again if there is no change in their tongues nor their focus on the "spirit"? It would be a poor witness.
I find it hard to believe that God would manifest His actual gift of tongues to speak unto the people and then permit His servants to give credence to that which is not of Him.. and yes, I can honestly say that it is NOT. I find that report dubious at best, especially when you are giving a general overview lacking great details.
Did God manifest tongues in believers to speak unto the people in the mission field and then stopped when they were believing that spirit that came over them with babbling nonsense to serve as a prayer language which is why they never could do it again?
2 Things happened in Acts 2.1-15 and not only one and most denominations teach only one thing happened and therfore err greatly, because they attmept to reconcile it with contradiction.
Let the arrows continue
I believe the Lord has led me to give you lines of discernment so that you do not believe every spirit as being of God, because He told us to test them... and believers are just going with the flow with whatever comes over them and the strange thing is... they can invoke it again by calling on the Holy Spirit.....which is not the will of the Father to do in approaching Him by because Jesus, the Son of God, is the only way to the Father. WHY? BECAUSE there are seducing spirits in the world and the Son is Whom the real indwelling Holy Spirit is still pointing to: the Bridegroom.
But it seems the meaning of that title is lost as well as Jesus being the only Mediator between God & man that believers broaden the way in approaching God the Father as if they can do so by way of the Holy Spirit... and they cannot in according to His word and the commandment of His invitation in John 14:6 from which the
purpose of prayer is known in John 14:13-14. Cited below.
John 14:[SUP]
6 [/SUP]Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me....[SUP]
13 [/SUP]And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do,
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [SUP]
14 [/SUP]If ye shall ask any thing in my name,
I will do it.
Going around the Son is asking for trouble & breaking the commandment of His invitation.
John 10:1Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but
climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber....[SUP]
5 [/SUP]And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers....[SUP]
7 [/SUP]Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
I am the door of the sheep. [SUP]
8 [/SUP]
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. [SUP]
9[/SUP]
I am the door:Those that have climbed up another way wind up with following a voice of strangers.. tongues that comes with no interpretation. That is what happens when they ask the Spirit directly and seek to receive Him again to get this tongues. They are thieves and robbers because they cut inbetween the bride & the Bridegroom in stealing away their personal time together by babbling nonsense thus not making known prayer requests to the Lord at that throne of grace so that the Father may be glorified in the Son for the Son answering their prayers. The Lord cannot answer prayers if they never knew what they had prayed for by allowing this spirit to cut inbetween them and the Lord.
Matthew 6:[SUP]
7 [/SUP]But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. [SUP]
8 [/SUP]
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
For that underlined to be true, then the Spirit need not say anything by using God's gift of tongues as a prayer language for Him to be praying to God. God would lead by example in giving assurances in His word.
I have heard the excuse from others that God is using this heavenly language so that the devil doesn't know what is being prayed for & interfere. The Book of Job testifies that Satan cannot do anything without God's permission & Jesus is Lord.
Pray about this, brother. The prophesy of 1 Timothy 4:1-2 is happening now. Ask Jesus for confirmation on the scripture given so that you may shun vain & profane babblings as it is a snare of the devil taken captive those that are led astray.