GrannyGumbo,
Thank you for your kind words. I have been meaning to share my expierience with you, since you were not here long ago when I did so. I do tend to be more of a private person, so I don't share it often. There is a reason that I am so educated in this matter, why the Lord placed it upon my heart to learn and understand all that they believe.
My husband came from a Oneness pentecostal background (though at the time I had no idea what that meant or what they believed.) After our marriage, I rededicated myself to the Lord and began a journey of renewing my life with the Lord as my leader and guide. My husband began joining me at a non denominational in home Bible Study group on Tuesday evenings. After he began to renew his faith, he found out from his brother that their was a revival going on at his old church. We weren't sure if we wanted to go or not, but the pastor personally invited him and so we went.
Now, a little background on the family in this church. My brother-in-law was the asst. Preacher and he led the music, the preacher was his father-in-law. My brother-in-law and his wife were the ones that had taken my husband into the church when he was a youth. My husband had received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost before and he spoke in tongues. Later, after leaving that church, he got into drinking and eventually he began to delve into the occult. (the significance of that didn't register until later)
So we went to the revival at his brother's church. It was the first time I had ever been to a pentecostal church, but I didn't care. I didn't care what denomination we visited, I was just too excited that my husband and I were both attending church together! It was the first time for that, besides our wedding.
I had been brought up to believe in a second Spirit baptism, but I had never experienced it. My parents quit attending church when I was very small. After becoming saved and beginning to read my bible, I believed that tongues were a gift of the Spirit still for today, yet it wasn't a gift that everyone had, as explained in 1 Corinthians 12.
I didn't know what to expect, but as others were silently praying (many of them in tongues) before the service began, I too prayed. I thanked the Lord that my husband and I were both in church and as I knew that different denominations just meant that we worshipped differently, I prayed that I would be open to thier form of worship. I believed in submitting to my husband if this were the church he chose, I knew I would soon be joining him here. Thus began the service.
The preaching was fine, I had no real problem with the sermon. It was louder then I was used to and the people around me were also loud. A few began to dance down the aisles, and some were praising in tongues. I still was determined to not let my personal preferences of a worship style keep me from worshiping the Lord in my own way.
Then came the invitation. My husband actually went forward to the alter! Now, the baptist that I am, I had a completely different idea of what that meant and what was about to happen. While my husband was up there praying (and men began to surround him), a little girl of about 8 years or so came up to me and asked me if I wanted to pray. How can you refuse to pray with a child of God??? Let the little ones come to Him! She took my hand and she led me to the alter, and here is where the truth began to be revealed.
As I knelt down at the alter, the girl left my side! The ladies of the church began to surround me and the next thing I know all these women are trying to get me to be baptized with the Spirit and speak in tongues! I look over at my husband, whose hands are lifted in the air, and he is speaking an unintelligable language. I began to become frightened. They were all insisting and demanding that I was
almost there. I could
almost do it. I
almost had the Spirit. I was never so scared in all my life. Something felt wrong, terribly terribly wrong. I had the Spirit within me, I knew that for certain. They were telling me I did not.
After the service my brother-in-law and his wife tried to explain some things to me. They tried to convince me that I needed this baptism and speaking of tongues as the proof of it or I was damned to hell.
I asked them how come it didn't say that everyone in Acts spoke in tongues. They didn't know.
I asked them how come in Acts 2 it was actual earthly languages, but they said that the first speaking in tongues in v 4 was different from that in v 5 because it hadn't been noised abroud yet. ( I later see that the word abroad does not mean what you think it does. It means heard a sound. That is one reason I quit using the KJV. That word certainly doesn't mean today what it did then)
We talked about many of the issues and I was unconvinced. I also couldn't believe that they condemned me to hell because I didn't have one of the gifts of the Spirit that Paul tells not everyone will have. No where has anyone ever shown me anywhere where tongues as the evidence in the 3 times it is mentioned in acts is
not a gift of the Spirit.
Anyway, to make a long story short, it caused some problems in my marriage and eventually my husband and I both stopped going to our churches. My husband quit smoking, but he took drinking back up again.
During that time I began to study this subject more deeply. After all, If I was going to hell and could know it by whether or not I spoke in tongues I wanted to know.
The posts you read here a result of over 3 years of study. The book of Acts read many times and the only commentaries or sources I read other then the Bible were Apostolic ones. I didn't want my research to be influenced by what I was taught but by the Word of God alone.
Through my research and posting here, my husband has began to change his views. He will tell you he doesn't know what happened when he spoke in tongues. I think he doesn't want to think about it. He will agree that not everyone who is saved will speak in tongues. He can't believe how people can defend such a belief and read the same Bible he does. There is still a lot he is unsure of and I admit he isn't actively seeking answers on these particular issues, but he is reading the Word of God daily and that is the only source he will now use for his beliefs.
The reason I keep posting and keep at this, is for the very souls of those who are following this false doctrine. My husband had a baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues and later he was summoning demons to do his bidding. How does one explain that????
The Spirit of God that is within me will not leave or forsake me, or hand me over to demons. I haven't spoken in tongues, but I don't need that to know that I am saved. For whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I truly understand what you are going through and have been through. I am there myself. Keep studying the Word and keep seeking after truth. You are doing an excellent job defending it! May God bless you as you stand up for Him among those who want to pervert His Truth!
~Lorelei
PS. Sorry about the length, but you will soon find that seldom do I talk about personal issues. I make them lengthy so I cover everything and then change the subject back the Word of God and the Lord it speaks of! God bless!
