ajg1959 said:
Paul gave instructions to the church at Corinth, and it was during the time when the church was being established. Paul himself said that the tongues would end, and when the Bible was completed, there was no more need for tongues.
I believe he was referring to the 2nd coming of Christ as the time that all those things would cease.
Nowhere in the Bible does it instruct any other church to practice tongues in any form except to the church at Corinth. Just because it was there for them doesnt mean that it is here for us today.
I did not say Paul was giving them instructions to start practicing tongues. He addressed something that was already occurring at Corinth and disrupting the fellowship.
The point I have repeatedly attempted to make, which no one seems to understand, is that Paul did not prohibit the use of tongues "estatic utterances", but rather gave instructions on their use.
Lots of things are told about in the Bible that are for our instruction but not for our duplication. For instance, have you seen God speak to you thru a burning bush? Can you take off across the Mississippi River walking? Can you grow enough hair to make you stronger than anyone in the world?
Paul gave numerous instructions to the Corinthians that are applicable today. These included church discipline, orderly worship, the taking of the Lord's Supper, instructions concerning the importance of the resurrection...and so on. They also include instructions concerning the use of "tongues" in the fellowship. Since people are still using "tongues", Paul's instructions still apply.
What you, and others, are attempting to do is disregard what God has revealed in His Word as the proper response to the issue of those who speak in "tongues", and replace God's instructions with man-made rules, such as:
"If you speak in tongues, your not welcome here...go find someplace else to worship."
"If you speak in tongues, you can't be a missionary for us"
"If you speak in tongues, I can see your heart and read your mind and I know that you know that its all gibberish, and contrived, and unscriptural...therefore you should be excluded."
Those kinds of attitudes are clearly unbiblical. You cannot replace God's wisdom on this issue with man's wisdom.
peace to you

raying: