Speaking In Tongues?

[For-Knowledge]

Throughout the years, I've heard numerous pastors and teachers(mine included) parrot a widespread misconception, namely:

On the day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples were preaching the gospel while speaking in tongues.

Has anyone ever heard such a statement?

Let's look at what the bible has to say about this.

Acts 4:4-11

4.And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5.And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.
6.Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
7.And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?
8.And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9.Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10.Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11.Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

We know exactly what was said on the day of Pentecost, for the bible leaves no ambiguity. We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

If the 120 were praising and thanking God(in foreign languages...aka tongues) for his wonderful works, how is it that some bible students, pastors and teachers miss this overt truth? I mean the bible is obviously clear as to what was said, and yet, there are people who still assert that the 120 were preaching the gospel.

If they(some pastors, teachers..) have overlooked this clear cut truth, what else have they missed?

I do not claim to be a scholar..no, not at all(far from it) however, I do expect those whom God placed over me to "grasp" clear cut, obvious truths in scripture. And in this case, the bible is "1st grade simplistic." Thank God this is not a salvation issue.

Did the 120 preach the gospel on the Day Of Pentecost?

14.But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
15.For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.............

Needless to say, the rest was history. Peter, through the boldness and power given him via the freshly received Holy Spirit preach the gospel of Christ thus turning many hearts to Christ. The gospel of Christ brought a deep contrite/convicted/repentant heart amongst the crowd that day (Men and brethren what shall we do?) Where as, on the contrary, speaking in tongues induced a euphoric response from the crowd, for they said..."We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God!!!".

Yes indeed, it was "wonderful" and "refreshing"(and quite astonishing) to hear 120 men and women praise God(foreign languages...aka tongues) like no man or women has ever done in Israel's history!(On second thought, David knew how to praise his God too But David did not have the "firstfruits" of the Spirit like the Church has.) Truly a remarkable moment in Israel' history. Praise him all ye lands!

The conclusion of the matter:

The first message(120 speaking in tongues) was a "welcomed" message by the crowd, a glorious message, a good message, a "praise God" message for all of his wonderful works. However, the second message(Peter standing up to preach Christ) brought about an "ill feeling" a deep sense of regret, a contrite and convicted heart, a sense of hopelessness(they were cut to the heart when they realized they were indeed responsible for the death of their Messiah whom God had ordained)

Two clear and contrary messages.

But then again, the goodness of God(first message) leads to repentance!(second message). Glory to His Name!

How unsearchable are his ways! Who has known the mind of God!

Who would've ever thought that God would use the first message in such a way( the 120 men and women praising him for his goodness and wonderful works) to "prepare" the crowd for the "ultimate" message which brings about repentance to life, namely, Christ and Him crucified.

Truely, the goodness of God does indeed lead to repentance, and, his ways are past finding out!

Another common misconception:

1 Corinthians 13:8-10

8.Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9.For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10.But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

Having consistency is the key to understanding this text of scripture.

I've battled many Jehovah's witnesses(some on this board think that I'm a Jehovah's withness too) on the streets over the years, and they often use this text of scripture to prove that many gifts have already been done away with.

In all honesty, if tongues and prophecies are done away with, doesnt logic demand that knowledge would also have to be done away with? Consistency, remember? We know knowledge has not ended..LOL (quite the contrary!!! Knowledge is increasing!!! We now have the ability to land a vehicle on planet Mars! And to think during the early 1900's man's instrument of transportation was via horseback..simply amazing!)

So I ask everyone in all honesty, if knowledge has not been done away with, then neither can prophesy and tongues or any other gift for that matter. We must keep this text of scripture uniform and consistent. Or, do we just pick and choose which gifts we would like to stay and which ones we would like to fade away? Is that it? Is that how we do it? "Every man did what was right in his own eyes"?

Besides everything else, that which is perfect(The Lord) has not come yet,(although the Jehovah's witnessess believe the bible is "perfect") so how could that which we do in part(prophesy, tongues....etc..etc) be done away with already? Consistency, we must have consistency. If one gift is gone, then they are all gone, if one gift stays, then they all stay until Jesus comes. Consistency, consistency. Last time I checked, the Holy Spirit still abides in the Church even till this day. God is no respecter of persons neither has he changed..Jesus the same yesterday, today...etc etc.

Feel free to post more common misconceptions, I'm sure we can all learn from one another.

John

[For-Knowledge]

Sorry:

Verses of scripture should've read as thus..

Acts 2:4-11

[Jany]

I understand Scripture in Acts to mean that the many men understood the various languages spoken by others and could converse in those languages, also. <><

[For-Knowledge]

I understand Scripture in Acts to mean that the many men understood the various languages spoken by others and could converse in those languages, also. <><

I'm not sure I follow you.

Care to expatiate?

[Jany]

What I was trying to say, is that not some "secret tongue/spiritual language" was being used by these folks <><

[For-Knowledge]

What I was trying to say, is that not some "secret tongue/spiritual language" was being used by these folks <><

Oh ok, I understand you now.
up

[jelaine]

excellent thoughts for knowledge .... we should all be like bureans and search the scriptures always to find out what we are being taught is so... i am just now realizing thanks to Jesus that a lot of the chewed up and spit out christianese ive been taught is not right ... one thing I was taught was that the old testament saints didn't have the holy Spirit at all... I was like huh (tilt head sideways like a dog) God says "I am the Lord I change not" So I continue to pray about this issue, Jesus said if I don't go away the Paraklese will not come ... I continue ask God to show me His truth....on everything encluding the 'fig tree' which I was also taught I believe falsely is Israel, but Jesus didnt say israel He said "whoever sees these things begin to happen know that it is near at the doors"

The thing about 'tongues' is that we have turned it into a 'private prayer language' but that is no where in Scripture, I think to whom Paul was speaking in Corinth and it was a thriving metropolis, a hub if you will kinda like NYC where it was a melting pot of culture and languages, so tongues I think was in each man his own language .... which is why paul said "If there is no interepture let him keep silent" That is my baptist narrow minded thinking, because paul also said "He who speaks in a tongue speaks in an unknown langauge"

Keep going for His truth my friend. Keep asking, seeking and knocking and He will open, and give with all liberality.

[For-Knowledge]

Hello Jelaine:

Is it ok to send you a P.M.?

[kenod]

A recent study from LifeWay Research on the use of private prayer language indicates that half of Southern Baptist pastors believe the Holy Spirit gives some people a special language to pray to God.

The study also indicates the majority of Protestant senior pastors (63 percent) and laity (51 percent) believe in the gift of a private prayer language.

The study was conducted by phone survey to 1,004 Protestant laity, 405 Southern Baptist (SBC) senior pastors, and 600 non-SBC Protestant senior pastors in April-May, 2007.

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_m...200812,00.html

[kenod]

I have seen Scriptural debates on this topic rage on for pages and pages. Now we all believe that the Bible is infallible, but I don't think too many of us are of the opinion that our understanding is infallible.

Those who are opposed to speaking in tongues base their arguments on experience just as much as those who support speaking in tongues (which includes Blly Graham btw). Some have been to churches where they have felt uncomfortable because of the way people behaved ... so have I. But is that a reason to reject all experiences of speaking in tongues.

Some churches are no doubt more enthusiatic in their worship than we might feel comfortable with, and some may just be downright disorderly. But there are supposed to be about 400+ million Pentecostal/charismatic Christians in the world today, and I for one, am not prepared to say that everyone of these people is deceived, especially when I see that they are sincerely following and worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is speaking in tongues for everyone ... I don't know. But I'm not going to ridicule or disaparage those who have experienced it, and who testify that they love and serve Jesus Christ.

I did not really want this thread to become a Scriptural debate because obviously there are sincere people on both sides. I'm simply raising the question of whether examining the evidence from a personal and global perspective might shed some more light on the subject.

I'm not associated with IHOP in any way but here is a quote from their website: Only in the generation of the early apostles was there a universal sense among the majority of God’s people in a long-term way that they would see the return of Jesus. This is beginning to happen again in the Body of Christ across the Earth for only the second time in history.

Is there something more happening around the world besides this expectation of our Lord's return?

[BlessedinHim]

1 Corinthians 14:38-40 (King James Version)
38But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

40Let all things be done decently and in order.

I personally do not speak in tongues. I have been in services that do. Some orderly, some not orderly. When the speaker of tongues has an interpreter, and I do not have a clue how they know or how the other congregants know, but in my experience, the speaker has a voice of command and demanding respect, I dont know how else to put it, and the congregants are very quiet, as if in awe, waiting for what the Lord has to say. I dont remember where I came up with this, whether in the scripture or in the teachings of the church, but that the interpretation would glorify God and be inline with scripture if it were a true manifestation.

[kenod]

Yes, I believe it is very important that an interpretation be judged by Scripture. When it is disorderly, I don't think it is necessarily wrong. To me it is like a child who is just learning. At times I believe the gift of wisdom has been used through me, but other times it might just be my own idea. None of us are a Paul or a Peter ... we all learn to crawl before we walk. If we are too afraid to try to use a gift the Lord may be trying to impart, we might never learn!

[TheWorkman]

I Cor 14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men,
but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit
he speaketh mysteries.

The King James rendering of the Greek word for tongues (glossolalia) as "unknown" tongues is misleading. Many readers do not understand that italicized word unknown is not in the original language, and most modern translations correctly omit it.


"Mysteries" in the Bible are not unintelligible. Biblical "mystery" is something once concealed but now revealed.
In fact, Paul speaks of a "mystery" as that of which "I have already written" (Eph. 3:3) He wrote it in greek, a known language; "mystery" here is not an unknown, unintelligible, or inexpressible private language.

[Hootmon]

The King James rendering of the Greek word for tongues (glossolalia) as "unknown" tongues is misleading. Many readers do not understand that italicized word unknown is not in the original language, and most modern translations correctly omit it.


"Mysteries" in the Bible are not unintelligible. Biblical "mystery" is something once concealed but now revealed.
In fact, Paul speaks of a "mystery" as that of which "I have already written" (Eph. 3:3) He wrote it in greek, a known language; "mystery" here is not an unknown, unintelligible, or inexpressible private language.

Good post.

A lot of the modern traditions regarding Tongues is based on a modern English understanding and not an ancient Greek one.

[TheWorkman]

Before it is used. Romans 8:26 "groans that words cannot expressed", Paul is not speaking about tongues, a gift nowhere mentioned in the passage or anywhere in Romans. Furthermore, these "groans" "cannot be uttered," while the private tongues are something that people do indeed utter, so they cannot be the same. Also, since the "groans" are expressed by the Spirit, there is no need for the believer to put them into words. Norman Geisler

[kenod]

The King James rendering of the Greek word for tongues (glossolalia) as "unknown" tongues is misleading. Many readers do not understand that italicized word unknown is not in the original language, and most modern translations correctly omit it.


"Mysteries" in the Bible are not unintelligible. Biblical "mystery" is something once concealed but now revealed.
In fact, Paul speaks of a "mystery" as that of which "I have already written" (Eph. 3:3) He wrote it in greek, a known language; "mystery" here is not an unknown, unintelligible, or inexpressible private language.

Yes, I have heard all the arguments on both sides, and I take them seriously. What I am saying is that there is a huge move of God going on among Pentecostal/charismatic Christians world wide ... God is proving your interpretation wrong.

[TheWorkman]

Yes, I have heard all the arguments on both sides, and I take them seriously. What I am saying is that there is a huge move of God going on among Pentecostal/charismatic Christians world wide ... God is proving your interpretation wrong.

There is a huge move, I agree. Whether or not it is of God is another thing. Massive amounts of people doing something doesn't prove anything.

[kenod]

There is a huge move, I agree. Whether or not it is of God is another thing. Massive amounts of people doing something doesn't prove anything.

Of course you are right. What I am saying is something is happening, so why not look a bit deeper. When I look closer I see most of these people love and serve and worship Jesus Christ. They believe His Word, the Holy Bible, and they try to follow His commandments. I see good fruit in their lives. Granted there are some who seem to go overboard, majoring on certain aspects, but generally speaking I see genuine Christians.

If indeed this is a move of God, then we need to be alert for whatever else God may choose to reveal to His Church ... the Bible always being our absolute. The Bible is infallible; our understanding is not!

[Mitsy]

If indeed this is a move of God, then we need to be alert for whatever else God may choose to reveal to His Church ... the Bible always being our absolute. The Bible is infallible; our understanding is not!

Kenod my apologies I have only shown the last two lies of your post. I just wanted to say Yes 'I Agree' to that highlighted in Bold.

I'm praying for God to help me in understanding His word more & more as I walk with Him & read His Word:-

PHP 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

[Yarev]

This is more a question and poll I suppose, but do you believe in the spiritual gifts? I mean the things like miraculous healing and prophesy still occurring today?