Speaking in Tongues

Post by **_JC** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:27 am

Steve, you said on your radio program yesterday that you speak in tongues. Is this a regular or irregular practice? Does it usually take place in times of prayer or worship? Have you ever done so in front of an interpreter?

I'd also like to hear from others on this subject with regard to your personal experiences.

Post by **_TK** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:58 am

Hi JC--

i too, am very interested in this topic. several years ago i felt rather strongly that tongues are not for today. those views have changed rather dramatically, for a variety of reasons, the primary one being that i know very Godly people who employ a "prayer language."

one of the mysteries to me is why the great majority of people that do use tongues in some form or another seem to come out of a pentecostal or other charismatic background. sure, they stress this gift and maybe this accounts for it, but one would think that if tongues is truly meant for today, then you would have a lot more people in other denominations (baptist, presby, etc) doing it.

TK

Post by **_STEVE7150** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:04 am

I pray in tongues when i feel the Holy Spirit moves me to. But i've pretty much only done it privately but as far as i can see it's ok scriptually because Paul said we can do it "until the perfect comes." I've understood the perfect to mean Jesus's second coming.

Post by **_Micah** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:17 am

I must say for myself that I am quite jaded towards this topic. I attended a church once when I was young and every now and then during prayer time, in the worship service, someone would start blurting out what seemed to me utter nonsense. Then every single time the pastor would interpret it.

I guess since I am a very analytical person that I find speaking in tongues very hard to accept because it seems unverifiable. It's not like prophecy where I can wait to see if it comes true or not. I guess if a non-christian came in, knowing that they wouldn't believe in tongues either, heard the message and understood it than I probably could it accept it more. Other than that it just comes across to me as somebody wanting to feel like God has singled them out to be special.

Post by **_Seth** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:18 pm

I grew up in the Assemblies, and I remember one Youth Camp speaker telling us that if we didn't speak in tongues, we weren't being "intimate" with God, and therefore he would say "I never knew you." (Knew in the Biblical sense)

Needless to say, I rushed to get baptized in the Spirit. Nothing happened. I tried to speak in tongues, but it didn't happen. I think maybe, in hindsight, that I was seeking the Spirit out of fear rather than love of Christ.

At this point I'm open to what God wants to pour into me, but I attend a church where tongues and the baptism of the H.S. aren't discussed. And my wife isn't so sure about the Gifts, either. Not sure how I should proceed, because I'm not sure my baptism in the Holy Spirit took.

On a lighter note, having grown up in the Assemblies, I'd really like to know what "shondola" and "hoondula" mean.

Post by **_schoel** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:11 pm

Seth wrote: On a lighter note, having grown up in the Assemblies, I'd really like to know what "shondola" and "hoondula" mean.

Or the more commonly understood :
"Shouldhaveboughtahonda"

My experiences in church growing up in the charismatic movement left me a little confused and jaded towards tongues.

However, it cleared up a lot for me when I realized that if God wants me to speak in tongues, He will provide me with that ability. Nothing I've read in the NT portrayed believers having to practice or seek the gift of tongues; it came upon them, many without prior understanding of it.

If God gives it to me, great. If not, great. My focus is on obeying Jesus and walking in the Spirit.

Post by **_TK** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:11 pm

that's where i find myself, schoel.

i'm open to it but i wont try to force it.

T

Post by **_MLH** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:05 am

I was not raised in church but a liberal home.

When baptised I was filled with Spirit and spoke in other tongues...
I didnt ask because I did not know about anything religious.
It is a real experience and when we need to pray and dont
know what words to say we can use a language that only the Lord
understands.

Post by **_Paidion** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:12 pm

I grew up in a home in which my mother and four siblings were Baptists. My father was not a disciple at all. When pressed by his sister, he would say, "I just don't have the faith."

Later in life, I did speak in tongues, but I never attained the "ability" to speak whenever I wished ---- only when the Spirit of God came upon me.

In any case, my aunt was an intinerant pentecostal minister. When pastors were on vacation, she would substitute for them until they returned. One Sunday, I visited my aunt in Thunder Bay where she was substituting. One woman got up and spoke in another language. I recognized it as Greek! I didn't know much Greek at the time, but I recognized the phrase "legei ho kurios" (Thus saith the Lord). It was uttered quite a number of times during the "tongues" speaking. The woman then gave the translation. I counted the number of times "thus saith the Lord" occurred. I couldn't tell exactly, but it seemed to me that it occurred about the same number of times as "legei ho kurios".

I was quite excited, and told my aunt about it during lunch. She said with emphasis, "I'm sure Mrs. Jones (or whatever her name was) doesn't know GREEK!" I wished I had had a tape recorder along, and analysed the Greek message.

I cannot understand why God had her speak Greek. As far as I know, no one in the congregation had any idea that it was Greek other than myself.

Any way, that is my one and only experience in hearing a person, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, speak in a human language which the person did not naturally speak or understand.

Post by **_mywiferocks** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:13 pm

When I was a teenager in the mid 70's I lived in a small west Texas town and went to an AG church with my friend cause his mom made me if I stayed the night on Sat. night. I thought all 40 of the people in that church were crazy cause they would all break out in tongues at one time. It was confusion! I vowed never to go to an AG church again. Well, I now go to an AG church (God's funny sometimes) and have since realized that they were not in line with what scripture says about tongues and orderly worship. I really had to study ICor. chp's 12-14 a lot to come to grips with the whole issue of tongues. I really believe that tongues is for the unbeliever (ICor. 14:22). As an unbeliever in West Texas I was confused, but I wonder if it would have been done in an orderly fashion if I would have been drawn in instead of pushed away. I sure don't know a lot about it but I believe that if it is Holy Spirit led then the love of Jesus will cast out confusion and doubt. Titus 2:11-13