If I've been babtized by the Holy Spirit, why cant I speak in tongues?

[Slug1]

I believe speaking in tongues, healing, prophecies, etc...were apart of the "signs and wonders" that accompanied the birth of the church. I don't believe they still continue.

Then for all the Christians today who speak in tongues... who/what is empowering them?

Then for all the Christians today who have prayed over people for healing and the person is healed... who/what is empowering them?

Then for all the Christians today who give prophetic words... who/what is empowering them?

[ewq1938]

Then for all the Christians today who speak in tongues... who/what is empowering them?

There are those of us that believe *some* tongues are not valid.

Then for all the Christians today who have prayed over people for healing and the person is healed... who/what is empowering them?

Healing supernaturally is from God.

Then for all the Christians today who give prophetic words... who/what is empowering them?

If those prophecies come true, from God. If don;t come true, not from God.

[Slug1]

There are those of us that believe *some* tongues are not valid.



Healing supernaturally is from God.



If those prophecies come true, from God. If don;t come true, not from God.

Hooah... the person who I addressed said NONE of this happens anymore and gave a reason. So, today when all that they believe has STOPPED is continuing... then who/what do they believe is empowering Christians to speak in tongues, lay on of hands and pray for healing and the prayer is answered, or who prophecy?

As for your answer... I agree.

[ewq1938]

As for your answer... I agree.

Mandatory rep then

[amazzin]

Well i added at the end that i "don't believe we are currently in the tribulation" so in general no.

However i would assume that if someone said they were a prophet and their prophecy did not come to pass, then they were a false prophet. I have never seen a prophet though. But of course prophet is kind of a vague term.

What do people mean by the word prophet?

1 Do they mean a person who talks with God and feels strongly that something in particular may happen?

2 Or do they mean someone who thinks we are morally degrading as a nation?

3 Or do they mean that God appeared to them or spoke with an audible voice and told them something specific to tell to a particular person or people group?

4 Or do they mean something else?

I personally would not call someone a prophet unless they fit into category 3.

You're not answering my question and it would be in your best interest to do so

Are you saying that those who presently speak in tongues and operate in the gift of healing and prophecy are "false prophets performing signs and wonders"?

[Sojourner55]

It always saddens me to see someone deny that the Holy Ghost experience and gifts of the Spirit are still valid today, simply because they have failed to experience them. I remember a brother wryly commenting: "I'm sure glad I experienced the fullness of God's power--before I found out God doesn't do that anymore."

[Watchman]

Then for all the Christians today who speak in tongues... who/what is empowering them?

Then for all the Christians today who have prayed over people for healing and the person is healed... who/what is empowering them?

Then for all the Christians today who give prophetic words... who/what is empowering them?

The only power available is from Christ, who has been given plenary power in heaven and on earth. I know a man who has been used to minister in Mexico on a couple of occasions and he doesn't speak their lingo...except on these occasions. The translators have assured him the audiences have heard him in their language. Who other than the One who possesses the power could cause this? I know of folks who've been healed by a brother with a 4th grade education. He reads a children's Bible because of his literacy level, yet, when the Lord empowers him, he ministers humbly and mightily...and folks receive healing. He has no power of his own. Same goes for prophets. Power belongs to the Lord and to Him alone. However, He delegates it via His Spirit as He pleases...not as hermeneutics may attempt to specify.

W

[Slug1]

The only power available is from Christ, who has been given plenary power in heaven and on earth. I know a man who has been used to minister in Mexico on a couple of occasions and he doesn't speak their lingo...except on these occasions. The translators have assured him the audiences have heard him in their language. Who other than the One who possesses the power could cause this? I know of folks who've been healed by a brother with a 4th grade education. He reads a children's Bible because of his literacy level, yet, when the Lord empowers him, he ministers humbly and mightily...and folks receive healing. He has no power of his own. Same goes for prophets. Power belongs to the Lord and to Him alone. However, He delegates it via His Spirit as He pleases...not as hermeneutics may attempt to specify.

W

Amen... this is the truth. I'm just wondering who Jesse thinks is the source of the gifts of the Holy Spirit when they are in operation today!!

Last week I was at a conference and a 90 year old lady testified of a 4 year old and his 2 year old sister coming up to her and asking her if they can hold her hand and pray for healing. Her arthritis had been acting up BAD and a finger was completely locked up. She understood the boy was being led by the Holy Spirit and the boy took her hand and the sister held her hand over her brothers hand and they prayer for healing. She's hasn't had ANY trouble or pain since.

God will use anyone who is in surrender to Him!

[glad4mercy]

Amen... this is the truth. I'm just wondering who Jesse thinks is the source of the gifts of the Holy Spirit when they are in operation today!!

Last week I was at a conference and a 90 year old lady testified of a 4 year old and his 2 year old sister coming up to her and asking her if they can hold her hand and pray for healing. Her arthritis had been acting up BAD and a finger was completely locked up. She understood the boy was being led by the Holy Spirit and the boy took her hand and the sister held her hand over her brothers hand and they prayer for healing. She's hasn't had ANY trouble or pain since.

God will use anyone who is in surrender to Him!

Beautiful story. I never put limits on God's power. God does what He pleases when He pleases.

[keyzer soze]

I understand all of that Jayne and it makes sense. So why would christians speak in tongues in church today if everyone in the church speaks english?

Does anyone answer this question on post #23 in this thread? I looked through it and could not find any. Thanks.

[Kahtar]

I understand all of that Jayne and it makes sense. So why would christians speak in tongues in church today if everyone in the church speaks english?

Does anyone answer this question on post #23 in this thread? I looked through it and could not find any. Thanks.

I don't know if anyone answered it, but here's my answer.
Paul said, 1 Corinthians 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
Clearly, Paul views prophecy to be greater, or better, more edifying to the body, than tongues. But he clarifies that by saying 'except he interpret'. In other words, if one speaks in tongues AND interprets what he said, it is equally edifying.
And, along with that, if that tongue was a known language to some, they would have no need of interpretation. The interpretation is for those who do not understand the tongue.
That means that tongues were being used among people who did not understand them, thus requiring interpretation.
Why would God do that? For the edification of the church. Why would God choose to use tongues instead of prophecy? I don't have a clue. I think that's something that will require an answer from Him, when you see Him.
Do people in the church violate Paul's instructions here? Most certainly. Should they? No. But they do.
I can't count the number of times I have heard someone start spouting off a bunch of gibberish and then falling silent, giving no interpretation. But Paul says that if you do not have the interpretation, then don't speak it. 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

All this pertains to a church setting. Praying in tongues quietly to yourself in church is another matter, which Paul also addresses, in the previous verse. He says that he that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself. And inverse 2 he says that he who speaks in a tongue is speaking to God. And again in verse 14, he says that it is our spirit that prays in tongues. Same with singing in the spirit.
Whatever you do, publicly, in the church setting, it should be done for the purpose of edifying the church.

[Slug1]

Does anyone answer this question on post #23 in this thread? I looked through it and could not find any. Thanks.

Remind me by PM if I don't answer this by the end of the weekend.

The answer is in 1 Cor 14... but if it needs to be put in layman's terms, I can do that to help understand.

Oh... I see Kahtar posted

[ewq1938]

I can't count the number of times I have heard someone start spouting off a bunch of gibberish and then falling silent, giving no interpretation.

The issue is, no gibberish can be interpreted by definition. It's gibberish, nonsense. It's this type of "tongues" that I personally believe is not the true tongues and does not belong in the church.

[Kahtar]

The issue is, no gibberish can be interpreted by definition. It's gibberish, nonsense. It's this type of "tongues" that I personally believe is not the true tongues and does not belong in the church.

If by your use of gibberish, you are referring to the non-inspired 'look at me' type unintelligible nonsense we sometimes hear, you are absolutely correct.
My use of 'gibberish' was simply my (perhaps poorly chosen) method of referring to language I do not understand without applying any type of judgment for or against it. Since I am not an authority on either men's (or women's) hearts, or unknown languages or God's use of them, I try not to judge the legitimacy of the stuff coming from their mouth. The only thing I can judge is whether or not they interpreted their 'gibberish' or not, and if they or someone else did not interpret it, they were out of order.
Have you ever listened to the Navajo language? Utter gibberish. It most of the time does not 'sound' like a language. More like a collection of animalistic type grunts. If I heard it spoken in a church somewhere not knowing it was Navajo, I might be tempted to judge it as 'just gibberish'.
Since you spoke of the 'definition' of gibberish, you got my curiosity up, so I looked it up:

Gibberish (sometimes spelled Jibberish) is a generic term in English for talking that sounds like speech, but carries no actual meaning. This meaning has also been extended to meaningless text or gobbledygook. The common theme in gibberish statements is a lack of literal sense, which can be described as a presence of nonsense. One of the more famous examples of using gibberish in literature is the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.
One etymology asserts it is derived from the root of the Irish word gob or gab (mouth), which the same source asserts is the root of jabber, gibber and gobble.[1] The word may derive from the word "jabber" ("to talk nonsense"), with the "-ish" suffix to signify a language; alternatively, the term gibberish may derive from the eclectic mix of English, Spanish, Hebrew, Hindi and Arabic spoken in the British territory of Gibraltar (from Arabic Gabal-Tariq, meaning Mountain of Tariq), which is unintelligible to non-natives.
The term was first seen in English in the early 16th century.[2] Another theory is that the word comes from the name of the famous 8th-century Islamic alchemist Jābir ibn Hayyān, whose name was Latinized as "Geber", thus the term "gibberish" arose as a reference to the incomprehensible technical jargon often used by Jabir and other alchemists who followed.[3]

[Watchman]

The issue is, no gibberish can be interpreted by definition. It's gibberish, nonsense. It's this type of "tongues" that I personally believe is not the true tongues and does not belong in the church.

Hi Ewq1938,

I, too, have heard a lot of gibberish. Some, however, call it the tongues of angels, as Paul referenced in 1 Corinthians 13. I'm wondering if they're correct or not? I hate to use fallen angels as any sort of witness, but one Friday night about 20 years ago, I found myself in Dallas with nothing to do. I decided to attend a Church on the Rock Friday night service. Some dude from South America in a purple zoot suit was preaching and he asked that we all pray together. Everyone was standing and praying aloud. Then he said, 'switch over into your prayer language.' This lady behind me started with a repetitive 'ba ba ba balooo' sort of gibberish and clamped her hand tightly on my shoulder. Having been raised in the Church of Christ, this was all very unsettling to me. When she grabbed my shoulder, it startled me, and I prayed silently, "Father, if that's a demon, please make it stop!" Immediatedly her hand literally flew off my shoulder and she was silent. I turned to look at her and her mouth was open and her eyes wide as pie plates. I left right then. At any rate, I'm wondering how one might discern if another is speaking in the tongues of angels?

W