Sniper762:
i dont mean to attempt to belittle the practice, for MY interpretation of paul's words is merely MY comprehension.
I was referring to Hiring you to do the interpretations....... (attempt at humor)
Your comprehension can be expected if you have never been brought up being taught about tongues or around it. All you can do is read scripture, but once you pray in tongues and are around it, then you can see how it's suppose to fit into what Paul was Saying. So, your comprehension is just fine. It's a hard subject since lots of tongues speaking churches get it all messed up, not only in application, but how they teach it. Lots, of miss-information about the subject.
What good is tongues......................... good questions.
It is a spiritual gift, and should be desired, but in the setting Paul was describing, it should be as the spirit wills, and in order.
1Co 14:18 I thank my God,
I speak with tongues more than ye all: (Was Paul bragging?? <_< )
Could be, but his point was he constantly spoke in tongues.
1Co 14:19 Yet in the church ...........................
Now Paul separates it for Church setting where other people may have gathered. So, we see a gift that operates outside the Church, and has rules of conduct for use in the Church. (If people would just follow the rules though.)
It is the Only gift mentioned outside the nine gifts that is not as the Holy Spirit wills, except in church, where it is as the Holy Spirit directs service. If it is a teaching service, then there should be no tongues, as it is not that type of service, and should be no interruptions. All the other Gifts, are as the Holy Spirit directs during service.
Nobody constantly has the gift of Healing, but some are used a lot in this area. It's as God distributes these other gifts as needed.
Tongues, Outside of Church, is a personal prayer gift, for edification of one's self. You can use it anytime you want.
There are times when things go wrong, we need edification. We need the faith we have built up. We need encouraged.
Jud 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Ghost,
Now this is building yourself up. It can be in English, but most the time it will be speaking in other tongues. If it is in English, then praying in the Holy Ghost would mean you hear word's directly from God, in your language. (Prophecy) Which is the Holy Ghost. Because it is building Yourself up, then most likely your at home, or alone.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
The Word infirmities could be translated sickness, and we can pray in tongues for that, but I am pretty sure Paul meant Weakness.
The is pray for something we don't know how to pray for, So, we are not praying in English here. Remember Paul said he prays in tongues more than ye all, So, Paul must have had lots of experience in this area.
This is the Spirit of God coming in on our behalf to pray about something we don't know the whole situation about. The Holy Spirit knows all angles of our problem, or things we need to pray about, in the natural though, we may only see part of the issue. This could be praying for someone, or a situation at Work.
When we pray to God in tongues, we pray mysteries......... (
1 Cor 14:2) Well, not to God, but to us. things we don't know. However, it's these things that come out in tongues as Mysteries to us, (And the devil, which is why he fights tongues so much.) It can be made known what we prayed, and the things we did not know about something revealed.
As Paul said, I will pray in tongues and pray then with the understanding.
So, praying in tongues can cover the things you don't know all about and cover areas in Prayer you were not aware of.
Should we all Pray in tongues as believers?
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Just as authority over devils were given to us, the gift of tongues is also for us. If you believe in Jesus and saved, then these things belong to you. The only requirement is that you believe........
Templar81
I recognise it as a gift of the spirit bt why can't I do it?
Why, Does faith ask why? It's for those that believe. In other words, believe that your filled with the Holy Spirit, and believe you have the gift of tongues. When people get saved, they don't get any certificate from heaven do they? They just believe what the Word says, and take it on good faith that Jesus is now Lord. Even if Jesus never showed up to confirm it. healing comes that way, tongues come that way, everything we get from God is that way. What we see or experience has nothing to do with it.
MY STORY ON HOW I GOT THE GIFT OF TONGUES:
Prison 1997....................
I was in a group of Christians that prayed in tongues. The gifts of the Spirit are pretty strong in Prison, but it was all new to me. I was raised in a church that did not believe in that stuff. In fact, I thought it was just strange, but it was the only Christians there to fellowship with.
After some time (Lots of time) I had decided that I wanted to pray in tongues. These Christian fellows said it was a gift if I wanted it, I just had to receive it by faith..... I had no idea what faith was........ Why not God just zap me with the stuff???????
It got pretty frustrating, I would stand next to those Brothers in Christ that always spoke in tongues. I just read where Peter's shadow fell on people and healed them, So, I figured that if I touch someone while they were praying in tongues, it would rub off on me. NO DICE, NO TONGUES............
At this point, I was looking at scriptures to prove I did not have to speak in tongues. (
Big mistake!!!! Never give up on your healing, or anything you see in the Word of God. Continue to grow, and come up to the level of God's Word, don't bring the Word down to your level of understand and miss all the blessings)
I found some scriptures that I thought got me off the hook, tongues is not for everyone, but it did not help my wanting them.
Then I started to learn more about faith. Faith believes it receives, not the other way around, receive then believe it's God's will. Faith also knows God's will, and I would never speak in tongues if I thought it was not God's will for me. This did not help much, but I was on track, and did not even know it.
So, I stated to watch them Pentecostal shows. people come up to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and ZAP, they fall down speaking in tongues. What the heck??????? Not once asking for the Holy Ghost did I even feel like falling down, and why was it so easy for them??? Had to be a gimmick. Had to be..... Yet that falling down stuff stuck in my mind.
Night after Night after Night...........
I would wait for my cell mate to go to work, and I would just stand in my cell, and ask God for the Holy Ghost. NOTHING............. Not even a little zap............. I figured that I needed to fall down with the Holy Ghost before I got to the tongue thing. This was frustrating that at times I would cry, and just go to sleep.
(
Contrary to what I thought, God was helping me, I just did not know it yet.)
Well, a few days of this asking for the Holy Ghost, I was reading my Word, and just happen to come across this scripture.
Luk 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Nothing about falling down in this scripture. Yet, Jesus said if I just asked then it was done. ummmm..... Can't be that simple, can it???
So, I Prayed.................."
Father God, I am asking for the Holy Ghost, and Jesus said you will give the the Holy Ghost, and I am never going to ask you again about it. I believe I am now filled with the Holy Ghost. amen."
It was very unsatisfying, but I settled it right there. I had the Holy Ghost. So, time to wait for the room mate to go to work, and get that tongue thing.
Now, my room mate left, and I am standing in my cell, with my mouth open, and I ask God for tongues.......Nothing but drool......... I then reminded God that I am not asking for the Holy Ghost again, So, you might as well give me tongues............ NOTHING!!!!!! ughhhhhhhhh. I went to bed crying again, like a baby Christian.
(
This happened for about 3 nights in a row with lots of frustration..............)
Back to the bible. Mind you I did not have a concordance at this time. So, looking things up came from memory. Not easy.
Jesus said, THEY shall speak............THEY.........Us!!!! I thought that my mouth would just start moving or something...........time to try this again.............
CAVEMAN!!!!!!!!
With Room mate gone, I told God I was going to speak tongues. If God liked it or not. The only thing I remembered is that Cave man movie. Gooba, oooga. Booga Booga........ And that is what I did. Just like I remember on that Caveman movie............It was horrible, and I only did it for a few seconds. I then told God that was my gift of tongues, and I told him that I was going to start praying in my new Tongues......................Back to bed crying.........
Next night...................Gooba OOGA.. Woogie, Woogie, Booga............ughhhh. sniff...... back to bed. My tongues sounded horrible, and not like everyone else which sounded like a real language, but that is what God gave me..........
Next Night..............sniff........... Gooba, OOGA............BAM!!!! something inside me and words just started to come out, I was speaking them fluently without thinking of them first...............I felt the power of God, and .......
Got scared..............and stopped. That was real tongues.........It was a language not caveman..........Had God got tired of that Caveman stuff?? I don't know, I was freaked out though.
Latter I learned.... a year latter, that God was taking me though walking in faith, and acting on his Word in faith. I felt God was just being hard on me, but learning to trust in the Word, and act on it has caused many other miracles all these years. I have learned it's never God, if you see it in his Word, it's for you, and for you to pursue until you see it come to pass.
I have been praying in tongues ever since.....
Be Blessed Everyone.
Jesus Is Lord.