Should You Speak in Tongues?
I love the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Two days after I gave my heart to Christ, I responded to an altar call to "get more of God." This was only the second time I had stepped into a church that was not Roman Catholic. The ministers prayed over me to be filled with the Spirit and speak in tongues. I didn't even know what tongues were or how to speak in tongues. God poured out His Spirit upon me, and I spoke in tongues. It was great! That was 33 years ago. I speak in tongues every day. It edifies me. It gives me a great sense of God's presence. I'm aware that the Spirit is interceding through me. I'm a firm believer that every Christian can and ought to speak in tongues. I think it is a gift that is offered to everyone. What do you think? Should you speak in tongues? Is it a gift for all believers? Does God give the gift of tongues to some but not all? I look forward to the conversation. Pastor Tim
My whole life as a Christian
My whole life as a Christian I always desire to be baptized with the Holy spirit, speaking in tones and all the package, the reason that I always want this for my spiritual life is just because I have seem people going through this process and after the experience they had become different spiritual people, their spirituality usually sky racket to a wonderful level. I always want that for my life but for some reason, I have not being able to reach to that point in my spiritual life. My question, How you can get ready for this to happen? I mean I perceive the Lord to be somebody so Holy and excellence that I wonder in which level of spirituality you most be to be part of this experience. I love the Lord, I served him all my life and I very desire this experience but I have not being able to experience it, and I know it will change my spiritual life forever. WHY???? Where the person's heart most be to acquire this????
take heart
sometimes, i guess we have to understand or accept that the plans we have for ourselves are not the plans God has for us. i'm not suggesting that speaking in tongues is not for you. what i am saying, however, is that we cannot and should not get worked up about things like this. pray about it, and let God's plan for your life unfold the way He planned it to. do not be discouraged. for i know that He never fails.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11
fear not, He has it all figured out.
tongues
Unfortunately i am a little reserved when it comes to the gift of tongues. Maybe, my opinion and belief is wrong. I have spoken in tongues once, i am not sure if it was a gift of God or simply a desire of my own being to do this. I firmly believe that certain people are gifted this gift, because it says so in the bible. However I also believe that many people who claim to be blessed with this gift and are not. Not that i enjoy having doubts but I tend to wonder how many speak in tongues as a gift of God and how many as a conformaty or a desire of wanting to belong to the body of the church. I guess i have developed this belief based on the number of people who claim to have this gift. Certain sect's push this gift firmly on to people. However to look at it in a biblical sense of the gifts of God. Not all are given gifts. Everyone is gifted certain things. Such as not all have the gift of healing touch. The gift of tongues is something that many people who i bring t church a frightened by. My reservation on the belief that so many, even in our own church is not a belief that it is wrong to speak in tongues, as i said i truly believe that some have this gift. Perhaps more education is needed in this area. I have been conservative in this area and have studied every verse in the bible that i could find about this. To those who truly have this gift, praise the Lord. To those who don't have this gift, and have other gifts, praise the Lord. Pastor, i would love to hear a sermon on just this topic.
Acts
I would say if you study the book of acts you will see many if not all of the experiences of the baptism of the Holy Spirit were accompanied by the speaking in tongues. It is great that you are bringing many people to church, I would just encourage you to trust God and read and meditate on the Word of God in Acts and other portions in the New Testament. Then you would be able to relieve there fears of the unknown.
answering some questions
Let me try to answer some questions.
What do you need to do to prepare yourself to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues? Firstly, I think you need to be hungry for God. Secondly, I believe you need to ask the Lord Jesus to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, I would encourage you to make sure you are not regarding iniquity in your heart. You don't want to be treasuring sin while seeking more of God. Fourthly, You should seek some spiritually minded Christians to pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit. Fifthly, you need to receive.
Are tongues for everyone or just some Christians? I think the personal experience of tongues is for everyone. I think the gift of tongues is for only some people. What do I mean? There is a distinction in the Bible between a personal prayer language between the speaker and God, and the gift of tongues that requires an interpretation before the whole church. All can speak in tongues devotionally before the Lord. Only certain ones can speak in tongues as a gift in front of the whole church.
I would like to encourage everyone to read Joel 2:28-29. It is a promise to all flesh not a select few.
Those are my thoughts on the matter. We do have some teachings on it that you can pick up from guest services.
Blessings, Pastor Tim
prayer language
I would question as to why it is percieved important to pray in tongues. Developing a prayer language in a toungue? I have heard that praying in prayer language is a way to yield ones own mouth/toungue. Yet why not yield verbal language altogether. I think it is important not only to pray out loud but also to pray completely from the heart and soul, for the heart and soul can speak a language that only god understands and no words could ever explore. I am still very confused and reserved about speaking and praying in tongues as i said before in my previous post. Does it make me less spiritual because i don't pray in tongues, does it mean that someone who does is closer to god? I would think not. I guess if someone is compelled to pray in a tongue than that is the form of worship and praise that is meant for them. And if they choose not to or are not compelled to than the form of praise and worship they give, whether it be in spoken language, in song, in writing, or in complete silence is the form of worship that god has compelled them to. Please do not get me wrong I believe that those who feel drawn to pray in this manner, or who are touched by the spirit in a manner that fills them to speak in tongues than it is truly of God and truly a blessing. Perhaps my interpertation of the few versus that discuss speaking in tongues is wrong. I will definately take your advice and find the readings in the bookstore on this.
Spoken Words Have power
Someone once explained to me that spoken words have power, and my own experience has borne that out. This is modeled right in Genesis, when God spoke creation into existence. He could have just willed it, but He chose to speak. The Book of John starts by telling is that Jesus is the Word of God. James tells us the tongue is sharper than any two-edged sword. The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit interceding with groanings that cannot be understood, and praying in tongues is a great tool for intercessory prayer when you don't know the details of the situation.
You said:
That's exactly why I do like to pray in tongues. When I pray silently, my thoughts often get in the way. I think in English, but when I let my mouth pray in tongues, there's little or no thought involved. In fact, if I do start thinking about the sounds I'm making, I'll generally switch back to English to refocus. While praying in tongues, my mind seems more free to listen to God, and He often reveals things to me that would never occur to me when my mind is cluttered with its own thoughts.
It's a wonderful gift that's allowed me to have some great moments in both prayer and worship in my life. I won't say that makes me more spiritual than someone who doesn't pray in tongues, because I know people far more spiritual than me who don't. I do think it's safe to say that I am more spiritual than I was before it.
Micah
the prayer language question
Let me try to answer your questions.
Why is it important to pray in tongues? The Bible says that we do not know how to pray for things as we ought. This is our weakness in prayer. Tongues is a prayer language. The Spirit of God makes intercession through us according to the will of God. Sometimes your own words are inadequate. Tongues is a great way to pray.
Are you less spiritual because you don't pray in tongues? No! The Corinthians prayed in tongues and Paul called them carnal. However, praying in tongues will edify you. It can lead to a greater relationship with God. It can prompt you to become more spiritual.
Should you pray and sing with tongues or your own language? Paul answered that question in 1 Cor. 14 when he said, "I will pray with the understanding and pray with the Spirit." Paul said to do both.
I will offer my teaching tape on tongues at guest services this sunday. You may pick one up for free. Pastor Tim
I received the annointing of
I received the annointing of the Holy Spirit recently. The night that I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit I spoke in tongues non stop for hours until I finally fell asleep. It was like I had no control over my jaw or my words. Of course I had no idea what I was saying, but as I would think of things like a friend in need the tone of my voice would soften, when I would think of evil the tone of my voice would get louder and almost angry as If I were doing spiritual warfare. But since that night I have not spoken in tongues.
My question is..Is this something I can control? can I decide when I will speak in tongues? Should I pray in the spirit everyday? i don't want to over think it so as not to humanize it and possibly insult the Holy spirit.
Anyone that can please advise me
I have been prayed over to
I have been prayed over to receive tongues and I have prayed on my own as well yet I have never had the type of experience that others describe. I've never felt like something has "come over" me and all of the sudden I just begin speaking in tongues. I can speak in a language that sounds like tongues but how do I know that I've actually been filled with the Spirit and it's not just me making things up? Do I just continue to do it in faith and trust that it's the Holy Spirit speaking through me or should I be able to look back and be able to pin point a more supernatural experience?