Awaken - you reference 1 Cor 12:3 to defend what you're saying; yet, didn't God also say "many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you."
You also keep using 1 Cor 14:17, saying that Paul told the Corinthians that they prayed well; but you aren't using the rest of the verse: "but the other is not edified."
You talk about 1 Cor 14:18, where Paul says he speaks in more tongues than any of them; but you don't acknowledge verse 19: "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding...than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
And yes, it does say "forbid not to speak in tongues"; but the first verse of the chapter says "rather that ye may prophesy", and the first part of that verse says "covet to prophesy." Take a very close look at that; where does it say to rather or covet to speak in tongues?
This "private prayer language" thing? You obviously know what you're praying, or you wouldn't be edified by it (1 Cor 14:4); Paul also says that praying in an unknown tongue without interpretation is unfruitful (1 Cor 14:14). So if you pray alone, in a tongue that you don't know/understand, how can it be edifying?
You've been asked to identify which language it is. This is very simple to answer: it's either a language of man that you haven't studied or learned; or it's a tongue of angels; or it's something else. Scripture doesn't support a tongue of angels or something else; so it must be a language of man that you haven't studied or previously learned. If you don't know which language it is, just say so. If you believe it's a tongue of angels or something else, then you should discuss how scripture supports that.
You also keep using 1 Cor 14:17, saying that Paul told the Corinthians that they prayed well; but you aren't using the rest of the verse: "but the other is not edified."
You talk about 1 Cor 14:18, where Paul says he speaks in more tongues than any of them; but you don't acknowledge verse 19: "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding...than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue."
And yes, it does say "forbid not to speak in tongues"; but the first verse of the chapter says "rather that ye may prophesy", and the first part of that verse says "covet to prophesy." Take a very close look at that; where does it say to rather or covet to speak in tongues?
This "private prayer language" thing? You obviously know what you're praying, or you wouldn't be edified by it (1 Cor 14:4); Paul also says that praying in an unknown tongue without interpretation is unfruitful (1 Cor 14:14). So if you pray alone, in a tongue that you don't know/understand, how can it be edifying?
You've been asked to identify which language it is. This is very simple to answer: it's either a language of man that you haven't studied or learned; or it's a tongue of angels; or it's something else. Scripture doesn't support a tongue of angels or something else; so it must be a language of man that you haven't studied or previously learned. If you don't know which language it is, just say so. If you believe it's a tongue of angels or something else, then you should discuss how scripture supports that.