Comments on: What is the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues?

By: Mario Torres Meneses

Mario Torres Meneses — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:05:44 +0000

A quien corresponda:
Quisiera dar testimonio de que mi esposa al través de la oración y la meditación se le desarrollo el don de hablar en lenguas, este hecho es algo totalmente nuevo para nosotros dado que ella solo habla el español, tengo una grabación del hecho que quisiera compartir con alguien que nos pudiera decir que idioma es el que ella esta hablando y que es lo que esta diciendo, en espera de su respuesta queda de usted, S.S.S. Mario Torres Meneses

By: Konesoang

Konesoang — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:14:45 +0000

HE IS MY KING AND MY LORD FOR EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER… AMEN

By: karen page

karen page — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:50:58 +0000

Hi, my name is Karen. I speak in tongues occasionally. I find it happens when I get overfilled with the joy of the Lord. I do not know why it happens, I have always been a very shy person, but it takes control of me. I fell very connected to God everytime after the experience. Respectfully, Karen

By: James Kneberg

James Kneberg — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:49:16 +0000

When I was saved 48 yrs ago I received the gift of tounges and didn’t know what it was, I never heard of it before than.
I was at a carismatic meeting at Notre Dame universitry. A lady told me she was saying something in tounges all the time that she didn’t know what it was. So I asked her to tell me, she said Yahshua Homachach. I told her she was saying the real name of her savior. Yahshua the Messiah,tounges is a great gift I have used it for 48 yrs. I don’t think the Holy Spirit would tell a lie do you? Love in Yahshua Bro. James Kneberg

By: bpthundercloud

bpthundercloud — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:20:08 +0000

If the gospel is not spoken in a language that the children can understand then someone needs to speak it, that understands the $50 words so the children can understand. If a child does not understand your sermon full of $50 words then they need an interpreter to help them understand. Or did I use to many $50 words? The proper use of tongues.

By: wigrd

wigrd — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:22:38 +0000

Sometime during the 14C St. Thomas Aquinas considered (amongst numerous other metaphysical questions) two particularly interesting ones. The substance of these is set down below.1) Can an angel pass from A to B without passing through any points between?2) How many Angels can stand on the point of a needle? Aquinas states the problem less graphically by asking if it is possible for many angels to occupy the same space at the same time.It is easy to dismiss such problems as medieval nonesense but to do so would be hasty and unjust. Aquinas is one of the great theologian-philosophers.So, what exactly is Aquinas’ agenda here? Do the questions ring any bells?It is quite clear from the context in the ‘Summa Theologica’ that what he is doing is exploring the nature of God, the nature of the world and the nature of ideas and mind, and how each might relate to the others. Essentially he is attacking ‘Materialism’ a theory which says that matter alone exists and that mind is non-material. It has its origins in the Greek atomists (eg Epicurus) It reached its height in the Enlightenment and dominated Western intellectual thought until the beginning of the 20C. when artistic, philosophical and scientific theories challenged the status quo. Science was particularly revolutionary, as Einstein, Bohr and others questioned Newtonian physics and threw what had seemed immutable laws into doubt and confusion. Materialism from this point on quickly lost favour.Aquinas some 700 years ago is anticipating both Kant and Hume ( how do we move from the purely physical world to the world of ideas?) He anticipates some modern mathematics, (lines and points do not occupy space) and sub-atomic particle physics, (electrons can pass from A to B without passing through points between. They are not anywhere but can be everywhere at the same time.) Time and space become one: material and non-material (matter and energy) are at some point interchangable and indistinguishable.Of course one could say ‘so what?’ I suspect that if this is new to you, you will remember it because it goes so much against common sense. (‘the philosophy of the savage’ Bertrand Russell) It is so anti-intuitive; how can things both be, and not be? It seems electrons can! Science moving towards theology?I think it is worth contrasting this short account with the ‘tongues’ debate which seems to me, for the following reasons, to be utterly pointless.(Ironically, judging from the number of comments, it is incredibly popular. 1) The phenomenon pre-dates Christianity and is not restricted to it. It was one of the features of Gnosticism. In fact there are other pagan as well as Jewish examples. The Oracle at Delphi spoke in ‘tongues’. They feature in West African tribal religions and are common to some Hindu ceremonies. How does the Christian experience differ? Simply saying it does just won’t do.2) On the occasions I have heard ‘tongues’ in Assemblies of God churches in West Lancashire, I never heard a translation which amounted to anything at all. I do not doubt the sincerity of the people involved. They were certainly welcoming and kind. However the translations frequently went on for a long time! They were unfailingly repetitive, unremittingly predictable, hackneyed and well, just plain boring: quite banal really, strings of cliches, and ‘translated’ from a language which at best couldn’t have contained more than 30 words. On voicing these sorts of thoughts I was advised to try the Elim Pentecostal Church in Wigan. I did. It was just the same. Why the quality should vary is a question worth asking. Why such a clumsy and circuitous route? I am sure the mawkish platitudes can be heard equally well in Spiritualist churches or at chucking-out time on Christmas Eve. If it really is the Spirit speaking surely something worthwhile could have been said.4) If neither Nathan nor Mark’s view is correct, what difference would it make? What could possibly hang on it? This debate is so reminiscent of the supposed Phaisaic debates on ritual purity; so akin to the endless nit-picking and special pleading as attempts are made to reconcile difficult texts. (eg 1 Chronicles 21:1 with 2 Samuel24:1)Does it really matter any more than the efforts of Bishop Usher to work out the date and time of Creation, or any more value than the theoretical attemts to reconstruct the Ark to show that it could accommodate all the animals?Who is nearer to the caricature of the medieval scholastic?

By: Bogdan Unteanu

Bogdan Unteanu — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:56:09 +0000

To say that not having tounges is denying the Holy Spirit is not Biblical at all!

By: Brian Hayford

Brian Hayford — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:53:36 +0000

THis is all good food for thought. One thing that has not been mentioned,1 how have some of of you recieved the Gift of tounges?, 2, One must remember, to deny the holy ghost this will not be forgiven.3 to recive this gift you must yeild to the holy ghost, you must yeild your tounge and let the holy spirit take over, this gift is not something to be taught. Our father Jesus said to have faith above all things. our flesh is emnity to god. We must pray in the spirit we must Sing in the spirit. By doing this we excersize our faith wich makes us stronger. james also said “Faith without works is dead. We also have a God of order so to do the things hap hazardly, Paul wrote these things with warnings and not to boast about any gift.”Any man have great faith let him keep it to himself”. One must remember “All gifts are measured by your faith”. I can sing in tounges and speak in tounges and I have prophised, all came by faith by the washing af gods word! this gift is a promise to you and you children, Thank you for your time. I welcome email and comments. Peace and grace upon all.

By: Bro. J

Bro. J — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:20:34 +0000

Bogdan, you make a good point as far as ensuring that the Word of God is not taken out of context, as it is so often nowadays. I speak not only of the context of the layout of the Word, but also the cultural context, the addressee of the letter, etc. I do believe you are very much on track.

I would like to bring up the issue ‘Andre’ points out. I do not believe you were trying to belittle the gift of speaking in tongues; however when you state, “Tongues is very low in importance…” it almost sounds that way. I do agree that ‘speaking in tongues’ has received the greatest emphasis in many churches (not to the benefit of the Body, but to self) and much of the controversy surrounding this gift resides in the fact that it is the easiest gift to fake.

I believe that tongues are ‘for a sign’, but let’s remember, it’s the Jews who require a sign. The apostle Paul clearly puts the gift in its proper perspective in 1 Cor. 15:18-19, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all: Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand in an unknown tongue.

One other point I’d like to make is in regards to the ‘fruit’ of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the ‘fruits’, Gal. 5:22, 23. The fruit of the Spirit are manifested by our ‘crucified’ life in Christ (Gal. 2:20) and our walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:24-25). When you say ‘fruits’ it sounds like the Holy Spirit gives you the fruit separately instead of together, and we know that is not the case.

Bro. J

By: Phil Profit

Phil Profit — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:39:11 +0000

happa belina kerekish metajarvosa! (writing in strange languages, clearly not my gifting but its easier than French !)

Phil