How is it not in line with Acts 2:38? First let me define the setting. It is about born again Jews entering the New Covenant. They believed (were saved) or they would not have asked instructions. So, just like the saved disciples of John the Baptist in Acts 19, Peter tells them how to receive the Holy Spirit through repentance.
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1. Firstly, if instead of the word *tongues* (from the Greek glossais) we consistently say *languages*, we will have a proper understanding of this subject. And the word *unknown* should be ignored since that was inserted by the translators in good faith, but has led to much confusion.
2. Secondly we need to be clear that the ability to speak a foreign language fluently and perfectly without ever having learned it is a supernatural occurrence. It is God the Holy Spirit who enabled unlearned men to speak supernaturally. It was a miraculous *sign* gift of the Holy Spirit to show unbelieving Jews that God was the Author of the Gospel, and that Christ was indeed the Savior of the world.
3. While the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself after Christ's resurrection, they did not receive the EMPOWERMENT and the spiritual gifts until Pentecost.
4. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles and the disciples of Christ who were gathered in that upper room in Jerusalem received the power to speak about 15 foreign languages supernaturally. However, the 3,000 souls who were saved that day received the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself, but did not speak supernaturally.
5. Since the Jews (included Peter) were not fully convinced that Gentiles would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius not only received the baptism with the Holy Spirit (the gift of the Holy Spirit) but they also spoke in tongues supernaturally as EVIDENCE that they had been saved and baptized with the Spirit.
This is the common belief in the matter but I think it is incorrect. Scripture says those who speak in tongues speak not to men but to God. Which means the devout Jews also received the Holy Spirit and the gift of interpretation.......
Deborah_
Well-Known Member
So make your mind up. If they had already received the Spirit on hearing the tongues, why would they need to receive Him again through repentance?
You have taken that out of context. Let's go back to Acts 2, which is the primary chapter on tongues as originally given.
ACTS 2
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, [LANGUAGE] 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 [LANGUAGES] the wonderful works of God.
12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?
This should make it CRYSTAL CLEAR that you are mistaken. So what did Paul mean when he said what you quoted?
The context was the abuse of tongues in the Corinthian church. Paul made it perfectly clear that within the assembly tongues could only be spoken (a) if they were interpreted at the same time and (b) they were limited to just two or three individuals. In this context those who had no interpreter were simply speaking to God, since no one -- including themselves -- understood a word of what was being said. And that was totally unedifying.
Today, what was said as a rebuke has been turned around to mean praise. But that cannot be since Paul said he would rather speak 5 intelligible words than 10,000 unintelligible words.
Blessings in Christ Jesus. I would like to bring a testimony of how I received The gift of tongues, that I believe is related to the question above. I am a man that walks in The Spirit, and preaches in The Spirit, when The Lord wills. And this has been for many years. Last year I was curious about the gift of tongues and began reading about them on another forum. I came across a man, that gave simple instructions on how to receive this gift. It consisted of only 3 things to do, and a statement. So that night, after reading about the instructions, I thought I would give it a try, and do them. Below is a list of instructions that I followed:
1.Believe that it is The Lords will for you to have this gift.
2. Go down in prayer and ask Him for this gift(The Gift of Tongues).
3. Thank Him for the gift.
4. Now go do something you have never done before.
So this I did. I believed, that it was The Lords will that I have this gift. I went to my bedroom and prayed, and while I was praying I asked Him for this gift and then I thanked Him for it(Faith). When I walked out in the living room, I opened my mouth and out came a new prayer language. It was beautiful and flowed like a river. I was amazed at that moment. There was no practicing or trying to it. It was complete and beautiful just as promised. For The Lord always keeps His promises. To me, this gift, makes me feel like a sojourner here on earth, but my home is from above. I also feel more comfortable speaking in tongues than my native tongue. It is like, it was always meant to be. So if perchance there is any one reading this testimony that is truly born from above(in Christ Jesus) and you do not have the gift of tongues, just believe and ask for it. I tell you truly, that if more members of The Body, prayed in The Spirit, the tide would change in this spiritual battle.
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I must emphasize here...
1. The Holy Spirit is not flesh
2. The Holy Spirit is not ego
When we had a plating department in our facility I worked under a chemist. This chemist was very smart and very good at math. When he laid out equations he did so in very neat handwriting and there would be much activity as he turned the results of an analysis into an addition. I would take his calculations and put them in the form of visual basic functions and sub procedures.
Of all the years I worked with this man I had one opportunity to witness to him. I made my presentation while he was analyzing adhesion under a microscope in which you could hear the sounds... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! After my presentation he just continued to look under the microscope as if ignored everything I said so I just continued in my work. Then... The scratch scratch, scratching stopped! And he speaks!
"You know what I think it is?" He says while continuing to look under the microscope... "I think it is arrogance!"
And then, without taking his eyes off the microscope, he continues his work... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! I did not reply but went about my work. Inside I feared he was right. In many cases religion can inhabit too much personal ego.
I am currently studying the old South Eastern Methodist revivals...
The Life of David Sullins
The Life of George Clark Rankin
In my denomination, Pentecostal Holiness (PH), the revivals were like the Methodist before us, just subtract 100 years. The pH revivals in the 1950's were exactly like the Methodist in the 1850's.In studying the old Methodist Cripple Creek revival I find our Pentecostal Holiness church was structured exactly like their meetings. As the Methodist revivals dissipated around 1900 so ours did around 2000. I have traveled Wythe County up and down and the only soul that remembers the Cripple Creek revival was a gentleman in his 90's, and he gave me recollections of what his mother told him.
The apostle Paul says that just a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Just a little ego, and the whole lump is bad! When our evangelists were uneducated they were good as you would never know what they would pull out of the Word of God. Send them to Seminary, and they come out with an ego, and tend to be dry in their delivery.
If denominations could hold the spirit of revival I would be more of a fan. But in my experience, it all to easily becomes ego. And, I tell people all the time that the unction of God is not Ego, as a matter, as scripture says...
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. - 1 Corinthians 1
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? - 1 Corinthians 5:6
I would say that it is impossible to experience the fullness of God with an ego. The ego has got to be dispelled for the camel to go through the eye of the needle and get the beneficial things from the Spirit of God!
1. The Holy Spirit is not flesh
2. The Holy Spirit is not ego
When we had a plating department in our facility I worked under a chemist. This chemist was very smart and very good at math. When he laid out equations he did so in very neat handwriting and there would be much activity as he turned the results of an analysis into an addition. I would take his calculations and put them in the form of visual basic functions and sub procedures.
Of all the years I worked with this man I had one opportunity to witness to him. I made my presentation while he was analyzing adhesion under a microscope in which you could hear the sounds... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! After my presentation he just continued to look under the microscope as if ignored everything I said so I just continued in my work. Then... The scratch scratch, scratching stopped! And he speaks!
"You know what I think it is?" He says while continuing to look under the microscope... "I think it is arrogance!"
And then, without taking his eyes off the microscope, he continues his work... Scratch, scratch, scratch! Scratch scratch, scratch! I did not reply but went about my work. Inside I feared he was right. In many cases religion can inhabit too much personal ego.
I am currently studying the old South Eastern Methodist revivals...
The Life of David Sullins
The Life of George Clark Rankin
In my denomination, Pentecostal Holiness (PH), the revivals were like the Methodist before us, just subtract 100 years. The pH revivals in the 1950's were exactly like the Methodist in the 1850's.In studying the old Methodist Cripple Creek revival I find our Pentecostal Holiness church was structured exactly like their meetings. As the Methodist revivals dissipated around 1900 so ours did around 2000. I have traveled Wythe County up and down and the only soul that remembers the Cripple Creek revival was a gentleman in his 90's, and he gave me recollections of what his mother told him.
The apostle Paul says that just a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Just a little ego, and the whole lump is bad! When our evangelists were uneducated they were good as you would never know what they would pull out of the Word of God. Send them to Seminary, and they come out with an ego, and tend to be dry in their delivery.
If denominations could hold the spirit of revival I would be more of a fan. But in my experience, it all to easily becomes ego. And, I tell people all the time that the unction of God is not Ego, as a matter, as scripture says...
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. - 1 Corinthians 1
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? - 1 Corinthians 5:6
I would say that it is impossible to experience the fullness of God with an ego. The ego has got to be dispelled for the camel to go through the eye of the needle and get the beneficial things from the Spirit of God!
The devout Jews heard the heavenly tongue because they also received the Holy Spirit and the gift of interpretation.
“For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.” (1 Corinthians 14:2) (NASB95)
We do not experience the Holy Spirit if present, unless we repent. We only experience his fullness when we fully repent.
One big difference between the original tongues was that they were spontaneous. They didn't know what to expect but just began speaking. Today people coach each other and try to mimic the originals but they are not the same.
Often people do coach and mimic, but this does not mean no gift of tongues exists. As this brother @GTW27 and others including myself have testified on this forum, we have such a gift and your presenting your disagreement and arguing even with scriptures, does not make us wrong. All believers in God and His Son live by faith, including yourself. Before you state positively that someone else's faith in error, consider what faith is according to scripture and what your own basis for your own stand is:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 11:1
There are many ways to show today's tongues are not the original. But one main reason is that tongues and prophecy spoke the New Covenant scriptures into being. And when collected, they became the New Testament. This certainly is not the case with today's version of them.
You speak of this reason and this person and that one, or even that the scriptures support you, but my friend you refuse hear that maybe we who claim the gift really have it. You refuse the possibility that you, not we, are in error. The scriptures also support our viewpoint. The scriptures support most any viewpoint. The question always comes back to what does God say about it. Many people use the scriptures along to argue for God from either side. Perhaps you should seriously try what our friend @GTW27 suggested... but that may be more than you are able or willing to do.
You have shown yourself to be a nice fellow. I wish you were not so quick or certain in drawing your conclusion that I am either lying or deluded. You speak of yourself as being different from the crowd which attends a church meeting and follows a human leader, but you don't consider that I have not followed a human leader even like that in very many years. I simply talk to God, read the scriptures and seek to follow Him. This has been my way, which I see as His Way for me.
If tongues were original today, they would be as spontaneous as the originals. They are not. People need to mimic them to receive them.
I did not mimic anyone at any time and I do not today. I cannot and do not speak for everyone else. You make assumptions based on what you have heard or read instead considering individual cases. Should you lump people together as all being devils, because you have know some who were indeed, devils?
First century Tongue speakers understood what they were saying. Today's practitioners
do do not.
Again you are making assumptions about everyone based on your purported knowledge of some.
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