TONGUES is a precious gift from God

What makes you think I don't?

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Babble.

A wounded British soldier was transported to an Australian field hospital. He asked the nurse, "Did I come here to die?" The nurse replied: "No. You came in yesterday."

Now THAT'S funny!

"Waiter! Waiter! What's that fly doing in my soup?" "Breaststroke I think", replied the Waiter.

Paul taught that anyone who spoke up in tongues in a Christian service should either know that there is an interpreter present or he needs to pray for the interpretation himself, otherwise what he has spoken edifies no one present.

God?

That goes right along with what Paul said about those who were speaking tongues in church. They were giving thanks well. He wasn't saying that people should not pray in tongues during the service. He is saying not to speak up in tongues, but to pray quietly to himself and to God. That's what most Pentecostals do, and when they feel that the Spirit wants them to speak up in tongues, they do it expecting the interpretation to come, which it always does.

But in Pentecostal services there is a set corporate worship time as part of the service. This is where the members can openly worship and sing in tongues. When everyone is doing it, then interpretation is not needed nor is it expected. This is because every person is directing their worship to God Himself and not speaking to each other.

The problem is that a visitor in the service who doesn't know what is going on, goes away and criticises what happened and says that it is confused nonsense, only goes to show that during the worship time, he or she is not worshiping God along with the others, but instead casting a critical eye over the ones who are lifting their hearts in worship to God. So, who in the group are the godly ones? The ones who are worshiping God from their hearts in the service, or the ones who are just there to look around and criticise?

that's what I said...more than once actually

Amen!

Thank You!

God Bless You!

Most looking critically at the Pentecostal movement from the outside looking in don't understand the beauty of corporate worship times where the group moves into free unprogrammed, spontaneous worship. This is something that is spiritually discerned, and those who are bound into man-based programmed services where there is a one-man-band at the front and everyone else sitting passively watching the performance have no idea what corporate free worship is all about. They call a whole group of worshipers lifting their hearts all at once to the God they love chaos, because actual free worship of God is foreign to their own religious practice.

what makes you think she was implying you do not. .

is there a reason you seem to think you need to educate me about these things?

I will tell you who are the godly people. those would be the people who put aside their own whatever it is they think they want to do and consider instead those without God or even those who are believers and instead of doing their own thing, EMPLOY Paul's instructions and RESPECT the differences in people and WITNESS to everyone that yes, they actually CAN do everything decently and in order

there is nothing you can tell me about corporate worship in the spirit as I have led it....but you have to be sensitive and not just 'give the people what they want' so everyone can go home 'blessed' and feeling good and come back for their 'fix' the following Sunday.

people start to depend on a human being to 'give' them what they could have themselves if they sought God. I've taught that and encouraged that because I don't want to be employed as someone's 'Moses' between God and man and you see this happening all the time. a so called worship team up front and people pressing into them and DEPENDING on those humans to give what only God can give

silence is also worship

you are not going to correct me or anyone else with experience who has the understanding of being led by the Spirit of God without all the hooplah and knows what goes on behind the scenes

have you ever been in the place of leadership wherein you see the Holy Spirit moving over the congregation and people responding and know your place is to keep quiet and just pray without all the emotional responses that never create a lasting work of the Holy Spirit? sure we have emotions...but emotions should not rule the spirit

well I have seen this chaos...some visiting so called evangelist actually leaping from the platform onto the organ and people all clapping as if that was some kind of God inspired move when it was nothing but cheap theatrics

or some dude trying to literally climb up a support pole while gyrating around and women screaming around or another thrashing on the floor like she was possessed every single time there was actually a move of the Spirit...every single time...drawing all eyes off God and onto her...what do think that was exactly?

and many many more questionable ocurrences that people think are all God because they are believers. it is not now nor has it ever been ALL God. those same people turn up in the Pastor's office or a counsellor's office or run around asking for prayer because they have accepted the leading of a spirit that is NOT God and I am not talking about possession (that's a whole other thing anyway because many translations have translated what is happening incorrectly but I won't belabor the point) but rather oppression

I love when everyone really does have their eyes focused on our Savior and I love when everyone sings in the spirit or those songs that someone might get that are inspired by the Spirit and have never been heard before

there really is not much you can tell me and you cannot make a case for this:

and sometimes they are right. but go ahead and stubbornly refuse correction and put yourself before others. free worship...tell you what....do that at home or in hour home Bible studies and prepare for the service wherein people come because they are drawn by God and then make sense instead of pleasing yourself

and don't get angry at me because I have been there, done that, and having actually been in leadership, and I know what I am talking about

and don't quote acts wherein the people gathered accused those in the upper room of being drunk...thousands were saved and they UNDERSTOOD the tongues...you cannot compare what goes down today in so many places with that

and if anyone got to here, good on yah and be blessed in Jesus name

and here come the hearts I don't care to have attached to this or any other post quite frankly. if anyone with all the hearts actually discussed things and made sense that might be different.

kindly remember that for my next post

everything is not funny. suffering people are not funny. you making this remark in response to my comment on persecuted Christians is not funny:

Lafftur, post: 4761560, member: 254930"]Don't let the enemy still your joy Sophie.

Persecution is NOT the end... who really wins?! The Christians persecuted or their persecutors? Whose really going to be crying and laughing?

do you think God gives the Holy Spirit for your entertainment? you had an opportunity here to really discuss and be open to discussion but you insist on making these banal and insipid statements that reveal a very shallow philosophy and it would seem a lack of empathy...are you really that indifferent about others or are you just confused because you cannot stop giggling long enough to breath and get some fresh air into your lungs?

you are insulting to those of us who have worked with actual people in real life who desperately need help and prayer and have prayed with and counselled these people

do you think your hahaha spirit would offer comfort or do you think with all the giggling these folks might think you have lost it?

I really could say a whole lot more but it would be wasted. and I could not care less about your remarks following this post should there be any. you are about as effective when it comes to the topic of tongues as a donkey speaking his native language

as for joy, I have joy in the Lord and in the life He has given me without your input thank you

you have taught nothing here, shown an intolerance for those who have tried to be instructive, not applied yourself to any discussion that might change the minds of the skeptical and brushed it all away with 'oh God loves you'

yes. He does love me and the devil is not stealing anything from me...you hide behind those words and they mean nothing to me

that is my opinion and thankyou for admitting we are free to give our opinion. I would give all of it, but I don't mean to hurt others

the Holy Spirit changed Peter from a fearful man into a man bold enough to stand up in front of thousands and declare the gospel.

That same Spirit illustrated the truth of what Peter spoke by thousands receiving Christ that very day.

The Holy Spirit descended from God after Christ returned to the Father. This same Holy Spirit seals us when we are saved and anoints some for service and distributes the spiritual gifts according to the direction of God the Father

There is no school that can teach you to be a prophet or any other thing available only by God's direction.

you do not 'learn' to speak in tongues by people telling you to say absurd things like ko kah bah ha or any variation thereof

you do not lie on a grave and attempt to suck out of the ground the anointing anyone else may have had on their life

you do not tell people to regress to their childhood and imagine Jesus in any scene that may have been injurious to you

you do not line up in front of a Christian fortune teller and wait to have 'a word from God'

you do not give money so you can get something back from God

you do not send away for a prayer shawl so your prayers will be heard by God

you do not run all over God's little acre looking for God

you do not become famous by using a gift from God with God's blessing. He does not bless that and you are deceived if you think He does. that is not what those gifts are for

you do not flaunt tongues around and make it seem you have something everyone else wants and you are special

you do not tell people if they do not speak in tongues they are not saved

you do not believe every false prophet and pay them homage and then forgive them when what they say does not come true. God said to stone to death false prophets. today, you need to take away their platform and rebuke them...sadly the internet has given rise to a whole other breed of wannabe prophets who do not speak for God and they love your itching ears if you follow them

we have many warnings from Jesus and much of the NT was written to correct people already behaving badly when it comes to the gifts and especially tongues. take this to heart. do not dismiss what is written in favor of those who say God is pleased. He is not pleased and His anger will be demonstrated at the end of the age, so pay attention now while you can

and when someone tells you that you do not have to bother with Jesus words because He was under OT law, do not listen to that person. they are without truth and wish the same for you

do not make light of what I said above. I do not say 'thus saith the Lord' but I do say thus saith the Bible, the word of the Lord so pay attention

ps...any banal comments directed at me do not hurt me. you only hurt yourself in your disregard for the truth

WHEW!!

AMEN!
AMEN!
AMEN!

And I say to YOU, AMEN!

and yes, God does love you. He sent His only Son to die in your place so that you and He could be together

that is love.

what does the Bible actually say about love?

Love

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body,a but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. 6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away.

11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.