Featured Why You Should Strive to Speak in Tongues

Point being made that tongues and immersion baptism were avoided about the same time period. I am Pentecostal Holiness. Most the ministers in Virginia Pentecostal Holiness churches go to Liberty University and tongues are not spoken in most the services. If someone speaks in tongues and it is considered out of order they may get a tap on the shoulder and told to stop it.

 

The bold and red is simply not true, unless you consider that Paul, himself, de-emphasized tongues purely because the immature church at Corinth was selfishly consumed with personal experience that raised their own personal status while lowering the status of God.

Throughout both letters to Corinth we see a church that was consumed by selfishness, looking out for the individual self above the community. A case in point is the abuse of the Lord's Supper where individuals promoted individual status over communal fellowship.

If you are arguing "suppression" you must admit that Corinth was immature and self-centered which required clear correction by Paul for these members to knock it off. They were consumed by self while placing God below their own personal experience. Therefore, I argue the tongues you see in Corinth are not spiritually edifying to the body of Christ and are in fact a self-centered, carnal experience meant to promote self. In short, these experiences came from hell, not heaven.

 

I sat under Pastor George Gardiner when he was Senior Pastor of Calvary Undenom in Grand Rapids Michigan. He had been raised in the charismatic/holiness church and attended a pentecostal college. He recounted a test that he and his friend did at a chapel service in college. His friend knew the 23rd Psalm in Yiddish so his friend quoted it in the service. A few students got up to interpret what had been said and not one of them got the message even remotely close. It was a moment when Pastor Gardiner changed his view on tongues and realized the pentecostal movement was promoting self-centered carnal activity. Below is a link to his small booklet titled, The Corinthian Catastrophe.

https://www.amazon.com/Corinthian-C...&dplnkId=11fbf269-b572-4749-8fe4-d2262226bb46

 

The Holy Spirit bestows His gifts as HE chooses, & men cannot change His choices. In a true Godly congregation, He enables every member to do his/her job within that church, from pastor to deacons, to groundskeepers to pew-polishers. Again, the gifts are of HIS choosing, not ours.

 

I will say this. Maybe they practiced it and did not know the correct interpretation of what they were doing. I agree with Wayne Grudem's book "The Gift of Prophecy in the NT," which lays out the best interpretation of what it is. I cannot, off the top of my head produce all of his arguments, but I can say, there is a short summary of his book that I can email anyone, about 15 pages, from the book itself, that gives all the major points.

I know that others can reproduce their arguments against it off the top of their heads. I am not that smart.

 

The Apostle Paul taught he would be face to face when he would die, 2 Corinthians 5:8, ". . . We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. . . ." 1 Corinthians 13:12, ". . . For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. . . ." Notice he changes the "we" to himself. By time the Revelation was written the Apostle Paul had passed away. Revelation 22:18, ". . . For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, . . ." See Revelation 19:10 and Luke 24:44, noting it is called, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."

 

Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. - 1 Corinthians 14:39

 

Notice the selfishness of the Corinthians, which Paul points out. Sadly that selfishness is still prevalent today.

*1 Corinthians 14:1-4*

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for their selfishness.

*1 Corinthians 14:6-12*

Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

 

It is indeed a pleasant thing to see the fruits of the Spirit in the Christian life. I believe there are three important experiences for the Christian to pursue

1. Salvation - If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. - Romans 10:9
2. Sanctification - My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. - Galatians 4:19
3. Holy Spirit Infilling - God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. - Hebrews 2:4

And to paraphrase -

1. Salvation - Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ
2. Sanctification - Seeing the Christ come alive within the believer
3. Holy Spirit Infilling - I believe God has given each believer gifts according to his own will. Some receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with speaking of other tongues.

Sanctification - I believe the fruits of the Spirit come out of the sanctified soul and it is a very pleasant thing to behold.

 

Rocky, you completely avoided the topic. If you are going to quote me, please address what I wrote. You are completely off-topic.

 

Nope
Paul has spent an entire letter correcting a very self-centered, pleasure seeking church that refuses to correct sin. Paul openly rebukes the church at Corinth for their selfish speaking in tongues that is contrary to God's gift of tongues, which is always provided as a sign to the unsaved. Look at every instance in Acts and we see that the constant is tongues being given to show the power of God over pagan idolatry.

 

Where in the Bible are we told to strive to speak in tongues?

 

Not true

the Didache says otherwise

 

I am a member of the Pentecostal Holiness Church and our oldest college is at…

Holmes Bible College
4901 Old Buncombe Road
Greenville, SC 29617

“Holmes is the oldest known Pentecostal college. It has a rich history of producing significant church leaders, both clergy and lay. Missionaries trained at the college have gone around the world. It has been said that the sun never sets on a Holmes graduate.” - ABOUT | Holmes Bible College

 

I drive past Holmes 2-3 times per week

this has nothing to do with immersion baptism, and certainly not a mandate to strive to speak in tongues

 

I am not promoting it either and think it would be a bad thing if there is not a Holmes Bible College type sanctification as a foundation before the experience.

 

Nope, nope, and nope.

Truth: Paul wanted the Corinthians to speak in tongues for the edification of all, not for selfish pride, which was the problem at Corinth. The believers were very prideful.

Truth: Tongues is always brought up as a sign to the pagans. There are four times in the book of Acts where tongues are recorded. They are all different means by which they are manifest, but they are always a demonstration to pagans that God is greater than their paganism. They are never for personal use, just as none of the gifts God gives are for personal use. All gifts are given for the edification of others.

Dead, you are missing the purpose of tongues and thus you cheapen their purpose and function.