TONGUES is a precious gift from God

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
@shittim ;
on a somewhat related note :

I'm kind of fed up with hiding what God does just because it doesn't fit the doctrines of popular churches. God's people need to know how responsive to their prayers God really is, if they'd just give him credit for being good. (benevolent, kind, compassionate, willing to give good things)

And anyone who truly desires to be one of God's children needs to wake up and realize that the people (pastors, priests, popular teachers, etc) that they TRUST are the ones most likely to lead them astray...(or teach them how to pray in a way that doesn't get anything done, but sounds good and keeps them coming back.)

Don't people get tired of that?

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
8,319
3,619
113
The unfortunate thing is a lot of people aren't being guided by the Holy Spirit at all but by books that some human wrote, and they believe those books are inspired by God. They don't interpret the scriptures by the help of the Spirit but by the help of some satan-inspired book.

Not only is the broad road populated by many people, but many of those people are authors and have littered the way with many useless books. Remember, the purpose of selling books isn't to spread truth but to make $$$. There may be a few good books around, but all the mainstream books that sell by the millions aren't good.
 
Mar 17, 2021
560
165
43
There are a lot of people around today saying the Holy Spirit taught them this or that; however, it's just false doctrine they've heard somewhere else, maybe with a slight twist. The way to destruction is broad and many find it. False teachers and false prophets run in very big crowds.
When I want the Holy Spirit to teach me something, I read the Scriptures or a good expository commentary on the Scriptures. If I want the Holy Spirit to teach me verbally, I read the Scriptures out loud!
 
Mar 17, 2021
560
165
43
Money-related Testimony #2


Not long after becoming Mayor of a certain small town, we rediscovered a decades-old problem with our sanitary sewer system which handles the drainage of residential water (as opposed to the storm sewer which handles the drainage of rain water).

We tried the simple fixes like assuring sump pumps and downspouts ran to the correct sewer system, yet the problem remained. It looked like we were going to have to 'bite the bullet' and fix this problem with real money.

Well this wasn't our first significant issue, nor the first I've taken to prayer. So internally I say "Well God, You did a great job fixing the Police problem and the Public Works problem... You wanna give us a new sewer too?" Having said this half-heartedly in the middle of a council meeting I didn't exactly sit and wait for a reply. So, accidentally, I'd left it "laying at the foot of the cross" as people say.

We contacted an engineering firm, did a camera survey of our piping, and created photo album documenting the problems plaguing the southwest 1/3 of town.

MEANWHILE... a severe thunderstorm hits the area and the Governor declares our county a disaster zone. FEMA funds became available for damages proven to have been created or worsened by the storm. We already have "Before" photos. So we send the camera down again for "After" photos, and submit the application. Our reasoning was "Hey, maybe we'll get 7, 10 or maybe even $30,000". It was worth a shot.

NOTE: I’m abbreviating the remainder of the story.

While waiting, the engineers show us a cool new process of fixing sewers by re-lining them. (Pipe Re-lining Video here) We LIKE the relining option.

FEMA’s reply arrives: “We’re giving you $714,000”.
...We’re ecstatic...
We ask the engineers “Is that enough to re-line the pipes?” Engineers say “Yep.”

God says to me “But you didn’t ask for re-lined pipes.” I reply “Does that mean…??”

Someone notices FEMA’s numbers are based on a pipe depth of only 2 feet. (Ours are buried up to 28’ deep).
We submit a plan for re-lined pipes to FEMA along with a Thank-you letter and mention of the depth error.

FEMA replies “We acknowledge the depth miscalculation. We’ve increased your funding to $1.1 MILLION accordingly. We REQUIRE that you replace all damaged pipe with brand new. If it costs exceed that amount, we’ll cover that too.” (paraphrased)

Total cost of project $1.7 Million. FEMA covered $1.4 Million because we did a few extra projects while the ground was tore up.

CONCLUSION: Yep, it meant God was going to give us NEW, not relined sewer piping according to the original request. Is God good? (UNSPOILER ALERT: Yes. Yes he is.)

Thank-you Jesus!!

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
Just shows that God has everything under control even when our situation appear chaotic. We often underestimate the providence of God, when with trust and patience we see God working things out according to His will.
 
Mar 17, 2021
560
165
43
@shittim ;
on a somewhat related note :

I'm kind of fed up with hiding what God does just because it doesn't fit the doctrines of popular churches. God's people need to know how responsive to their prayers God really is, if they'd just give him credit for being good. (benevolent, kind, compassionate, willing to give good things)

And anyone who truly desires to be one of God's children needs to wake up and realize that the people (pastors, priests, popular teachers, etc) that they TRUST are the ones most likely to lead them astray...(or teach them how to pray in a way that doesn't get anything done, but sounds good and keeps them coming back.)

Don't people get tired of that?

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
We need to realise that God does everything perfectly according to His will and providence; but we have to forgive some of His servants at times.
 

shittim

Senior Member
Dec 16, 2016
13,815
7,790
113
He has revealed Himself to the born again Spirit filled believers in a way outward form Christians can not perceive.
It is our obligation to Jesus that we pass on this gift,
"Freely you were given, freely give".
 

Gardenias

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2020
2,281
1,117
113
U.S.A.
Tongues have NOT ceased according to scripture and pure simple evidence of various people (not all but some) in the Body of Christ that do speak in tongues.

Why speak against this beautiful and very precious gift from God? :unsure:




Lafftur,
I apologize to you for there was a time I didn't have much confidience in you.
She always posted as if were fantabulous to live your life and bc of this I felt you were a fru fru and had no depth.
I am sorry. We all must keep that joy apparent for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
The unfortunate thing is a lot of people aren't being guided by the Holy Spirit at all but by books that some human wrote, and they believe those books are inspired by God. They don't interpret the scriptures by the help of the Spirit but by the help of some satan-inspired book.

Not only is the broad road populated by many people, but many of those people are authors and have littered the way with many useless books. Remember, the purpose of selling books isn't to spread truth but to make $$$. There may be a few good books around, but all the mainstream books that sell by the millions aren't good.
Hi ResidentAlien,

This is mostly out of curiosity, but were you thinking of me when speaking of people who might get their ideas out of books?

I ask because I often wonder what people think of the things I share.

Thanks.

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

Lafftur

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
Lafftur,
I apologize to you for there was a time I didn't have much confidience in you.
She always posted as if were fantabulous to live your life and bc of this I felt you were a fru fru and had no depth.
I am sorry. We all must keep that joy apparent for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Hello @Gardenias :love:

What a kind and sweet post! Thank you!

I’m sure you’re not the first, last or only person that has thought I was a fru fru! Lol! :giggle::love:(y)
 

Lafftur

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
Money-related Testimony #2


Not long after becoming Mayor of a certain small town, we rediscovered a decades-old problem with our sanitary sewer system which handles the drainage of residential water (as opposed to the storm sewer which handles the drainage of rain water).

We tried the simple fixes like assuring sump pumps and downspouts ran to the correct sewer system, yet the problem remained. It looked like we were going to have to 'bite the bullet' and fix this problem with real money.

Well this wasn't our first significant issue, nor the first I've taken to prayer. So internally I say "Well God, You did a great job fixing the Police problem and the Public Works problem... You wanna give us a new sewer too?" Having said this half-heartedly in the middle of a council meeting I didn't exactly sit and wait for a reply. So, accidentally, I'd left it "laying at the foot of the cross" as people say.

We contacted an engineering firm, did a camera survey of our piping, and created photo album documenting the problems plaguing the southwest 1/3 of town.

MEANWHILE... a severe thunderstorm hits the area and the Governor declares our county a disaster zone. FEMA funds became available for damages proven to have been created or worsened by the storm. We already have "Before" photos. So we send the camera down again for "After" photos, and submit the application. Our reasoning was "Hey, maybe we'll get 7, 10 or maybe even $30,000". It was worth a shot.

NOTE: I’m abbreviating the remainder of the story.

While waiting, the engineers show us a cool new process of fixing sewers by re-lining them. (Pipe Re-lining Video here) We LIKE the relining option.

FEMA’s reply arrives: “We’re giving you $714,000”.
...We’re ecstatic...
We ask the engineers “Is that enough to re-line the pipes?” Engineers say “Yep.”

God says to me “But you didn’t ask for re-lined pipes.” I reply “Does that mean…??”

Someone notices FEMA’s numbers are based on a pipe depth of only 2 feet. (Ours are buried up to 28’ deep).
We submit a plan for re-lined pipes to FEMA along with a Thank-you letter and mention of the depth error.

FEMA replies “We acknowledge the depth miscalculation. We’ve increased your funding to $1.1 MILLION accordingly. We REQUIRE that you replace all damaged pipe with brand new. If it costs exceed that amount, we’ll cover that too.” (paraphrased)

Total cost of project $1.7 Million. FEMA covered $1.4 Million because we did a few extra projects while the ground was tore up.

CONCLUSION: Yep, it meant God was going to give us NEW, not relined sewer piping according to the original request. Is God good? (UNSPOILER ALERT: Yes. Yes he is.)

Thank-you Jesus!!

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!!! Thank You Heavenly Father!!! Glory to God!

That’s a beautiful testimony of God’s gooooooooooodness! Thank you for sharing it with us all @KelbyofGod !

Feel free to share more! :love:(y)
 

Lafftur

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2017
6,895
3,634
113
Just shows that God has everything under control even when our situation appear chaotic. We often underestimate the providence of God, when with trust and patience we see God working things out according to His will.
I loved how Kelby was thankful for the little….. then, God caused FEMA to increase it.

Within this past year, so much has happened in my life….I’m so FULL of thanksgiving!!!

Just be thankful for the little….God will multiply it if we are thankful!

Imagine what God would have done if the Israelites would have been thankful for their small just enough daily portion of manna….they missed a tremendous blessing….:unsure:
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
Imagine what God would have done if the Israelites would have been thankful for their small just enough daily portion of manna….they missed a tremendous blessing….:unsure:
That quote ought to stop us in our tracks for contemplation. (and I don't say that lightly)

Love in Jesus,
Kebly
 

Rhomphaeam

Active member
Dec 14, 2021
832
218
43
England
www.nblc.church
I loved how Kelby was thankful for the little….. then, God caused FEMA to increase it.

Within this past year, so much has happened in my life….I’m so FULL of thanksgiving!!!

Just be thankful for the little….God will multiply it if we are thankful!

Imagine what God would have done if the Israelites would have been thankful for their small just enough daily portion of manna….they missed a tremendous blessing….:unsure:
It is ever the case that the charismatic babblers endlessly inflect wrong meanings and make ruin of the word of God to uphold their persistent errors and ways.

“Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’ “ It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ “ So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. “This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’ “ The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul, and Moses was angry with them. They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.” (Exodus 16:8–21)

Whoever said that the Israelites were not grateful for their meat and their bread? Whoever said that they were not full whether they drew more than they needed or less than they needed? Whoever said they needed to draw little as though the Lord did not provide nets filled with meat and an entire desert filled with bread? Wrong emphasis and entirely the wrong meaning.
 
O

Oblio

Guest
Hey Lafftur, from one charismatic babbler to another...bless you!
Reading about the Israelites complaining about the manna in Numbers 11 reminds me to be thankful for what the Lord provides, especially in our pittied, pampered, and petted society!
 

Rhomphaeam

Active member
Dec 14, 2021
832
218
43
England
www.nblc.church
Hey Lafftur, from one charismatic babbler to another...bless you!
Reading about the Israelites complaining about the manna in Numbers 11 reminds me to be thankful for what the Lord provides, especially in our pittied, pampered, and petted society!
You are a dependable babbler, brother.
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
@Lafftur and All
In case anyone hasn't figured this out by now... I basically DESPISE fruitless gospel (words that sound good, holy, etc., but when you follow/practice/do them, they produce nothing).

Those kinds of teachings subvert the word of God into powerless words that accomplish nothing and cause the heathen to mock (laugh at & despise) God's people and God's word.

Sound impossible?? Jesus said it this way... "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered; " - Mark 7:13. It IS possible. And lest any read the context and say "But that's talking about the specific situation that Jesus was calling them out for".... Make sure to pay attention to the last part of the verse... "...and many such like things do ye".

The bible calls those teachings "vain words" and "idle words". They AREN'T from God, because God says "So shall MY word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11 KJV

BUT... That actually wasn't the reason I started this posting. There's a testimony that attaches to your quote.

In my search for God's words (words that actually PRODUCE), I heard my pastor say these this..."If you testify of what God does for you, He will do more."

Most people would take those words as good preaching, perhaps say "Amen!"or give thanks to God ...and then presently turn them into idle words by doing nothing.

But what I heard that day was a simple formula that I could test. So I determined to do my part and see how true it really is.

So the next few weeks when opportunity for testimonies was given in church, I took it, giving thanks for a few specific things God had done for me during each week.

Then came a "hard" week.

When opportunity came to testify I was so battered that even though I'd searched myself I still couldn't find anything to testify. Yes, I know that God is still worthy of praise...but before you judge the weak and battered, go tell it to those who had a "good" week and yet remain silent. (<--See what I did there? :)) But I still felt bad for it, and still felt downcast and empty inside.

So I prayed and said "God I do NOT like this feeling of having nothing and being unable to testify. If you do something [notable] for me this week I will give you praise from my heart" And I meant it deeply because I REALLY didn't like how i felt.

Continued on next post....
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
That week, God DID move for me, and I DID testify of it. Listing each item and why I appreciated it.

Now, there’s an unwritten rule of how much time each person should use for testifying. And I know I broke it. But I was non-repentant because I’d made a promise… and I REALLY didn’t like how I felt the week before. As thankful as I was not to feel that way, if he’d have done more, I would have said more. Plus, I was still running the test.

So I watched to see what happened.

That next week he exceeded his doings for me by at least 2X what he’d done the week before. And I was still deeply grateful to have ANYTHING to testify of.

So when opportunity to testify was again given in church, I gushed. I said so much and talked so long that I embarrassed myself.

No one scolded me. But after service I was talking to the pastor's wife and explained why I had said what I’d said so passionately, and that it was based on that formula that had been taught, which I’d discovered was truth indeed.. And I concluded with the honest confession that I was actually afraid of what God would do for me the coming week because I’d said all of that from the heart.

Skipping the details of “how”, I will just share the outcome which was FIVE semi loads of furniture (beds, dressers, desks, book-shelves, chairs). Three of which I’d won at auction for $22, $11, $7 respectively, and the other two by offering them $50 or $100 apiece (when God pointed out to me that those two hadn’t sold) and they accepted the $50 each offer. $140 total.

I’d been praying for cheap flooring for a building I was repairing for personal business use, and the 81” x 38” x ¾” oak veneered bed pans of 100+ solid oak bunk beds would go a long way to that purpose. :)

Plus, we’d had 3 more children before I’d turned 24 (and another a few years later) so we knew what it was like to not have beds or dressers that matched. These all matched and I could sell them cheaply to those in need. There’s actually a reason I wouldn’t just give them away. Feel free to ask if you like.

CONCLUSIONS: False teaching only sounds good (but fails if tested). God’s word produces results. Hearing God’s word and giving thanks is not enough.(Faith without works is dead). God is still good. :)

Love in Jesus,
Kelby
 

KelbyofGod

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2017
1,881
721
113
Whoever said that the Israelites were not grateful for their meat and their bread?
God did.

"And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread." - Numbers 21:5 KJV

Still, Love in Jesus,
Kelby