OUt with IT!
Ok... so I wasn't going to talk about speaking in tongues here... but a Miss Katie Meyer shared her view... and now I can't resist... Yes that means it's your fault Katie. ^_^ (I learned that smile from Tai Hsing)
Ok. So who has had a good experience with speaking in tongues? Who thinks that it doesn't happen?
I'm sorry for that.
I think it's definitely possible that not only can demons/the devil turn this spiritual gift into a bad situation, but I also believe that they can influence believers into mocking the act. So I am not surprised that their would be false-tongues just like false-prophets.
There is a "how it was intended" coming up here. This is one of the big things God gave us to use! He says (Bible) we are to yearn for spiritual gifts... that we are to not disrupt worship (that means orderly worship) ... we are to praise God and tongues can be interpreted. So lets say I start speaking tongues and someone starts interpreting it... It is then definitely edifying to the church and not only to me. How will the interpreter ever hear me if I never start speaking though? If I see that their is no interpreter, I should lower my voice or just internalize it... I think you would all agree.
Here's the problem I am having... it seems like all of these believers are having poor experiences with it and letting that paint their view... or maybe not that extreme... but letting that dictate their only experience with it. I mean you have the Bible right? So, I guess that's your first experience with it. I hope that you really let those words be the truth and not the non-God inspired kind you have had...
As far as Katie's experience with it... that's different. I think that it's sad that you couldn't concentrate on your own worship and it was such a distraction. I agree with your decision to go some where else... but I have one question. Were they being biblical about it? You know Corinthians style? If they weren't... (not to be a jerk) but why didn't you say something?
Ok. So did I offend you? Maybe really talking this out will lead to better communication and not just horrible thoughts or I don't know... instigation so on.
Quick quick story about teaching yesterday. We did this exercise where the students answered the questions on this piece of paper... so Yufeng's question was "Have you ever hitchhiked?" Great what a hard word... yeah he thought so too... we didn't know how better to explain it than how we were. So he finally gets it and we tell him that he can take a different question if he would like... but he really didn't want to. Then he tells us how 10 years ago he hitchhiked in China. He was in one province and wanted to go to another province. So he hitchhiked with a semi truck driver... who was carrying many goods. This was much funnier when he was telling us.
posted by Sweet T @ 8:51 AM
5 Comments:
i have no fuel to add to the fire other than this:
I was thinking of coming down to Athens not this Friday, but the following one. Is this a good/bad day for you? I'll settle for a lunch/dinner date or something.
I'm glad for you to talk about this :) I, for one, enjoy controversial topics, so I don't mind taking the blame. Anyway, I guess I would say, from my own experience and from my own personal preference, I feel ambivalent about tongues. If I was trying to discern the truth about tongues from the bible, which I suppose is a better way of going about things, Paul seems to indicate that it is perhaps the least useful of the spiritual gifts. Also, when people speak in tongues in Acts, the purpose/usefulness seems clear: God clearly displaying his power when the Holy Spirit comes on the believers for the first time or people hearing the gospel in their own language on Passover in Jerusalem. Now, I don't want to be someone who only values things for their usefulness, but I guess I just wouldn't pray for the ability to speak in tongues at this point in my walk. I am still working on watching my tongue, Ephesians style.
Lyndsey, no not good. I am leaving town real early like on Friday...
Katie... I don't know. Let me read my Bible and then we will continue discussion. That was quite a point of view shift (mine to yours that is).
hmmmmmmmmm.
I didn't know if I should post this or just comment... so here I am...
Katie, I am glad that you are a good sport about this... or at least seem to be. It feels nice to be able to freely disagree and understand that it has no offensive whatevers.
Something I think is important to remember is the part where it says: "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, UNLESS HE INTERPRETS, SO THAT THE CURCH MAY BE EDIFIED." I totally think you are right when you say it may be the least of the gifts and really just edifying to the person doing it... but there is that loop hole. I mean he says that if it's interpreted it can be edifying to the whole church.
"For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says."
"Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even they will not listen to me, says the Lord."
"When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. ALL of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two - or at the most three - should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God."
I know you have read this... I know that you are smart. I am just trying to highlight the parts that kind of form what I believe...not leaving the other parts out of course. I just think that speaking in tongues has gotten a bad rap... but it's still a totally worthy gift from God. I guess at this point I would desire all of the gifts... including tongues. I mean it's so intimate. It's so powerful. It's so humbling.
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