Written by Dr. Neil Chadwick
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I. Scriptural Foundation
Acts 2:4 - Day of Pentecost - received while sitting in prayer. Peter's sermon:
in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Acts 2:17) and making a promise to
"children" and those who "far off" (Acts 2:39)
Acts 8:15-19 - Samaria Revival, with laying on of hands by Peter and John) :
Simon Magus impressed with what he saw
Acts 9:17 - Paul's experience when prayed over (with laying on of hands) by
Ananias in Damascus. (Note I Corinthians 14:18 - "I thank God that I speak in
tongues more than all of you.")
Acts 10:44-46 - Cornelius' house church - tongues the obvious sign, proving
to Peter and company the validity of their having been filled with the Spirit.
(Also 11:15) Received spontaneously during the preaching of Peter.
Acts 19:5 - Ephesus 12 who knew of John the Baptist. Received with the
laying on of hands by Paul. Both "tongues" and "prophecy".
I Corinthians 14:2; 14,15 - Paul's testimony and instructions.
"All you Pentecostals talk about is tongues." Why is this so? It is the distinguishing mark of Pentecostals. This is the what non-Pentecostals are most curious about. However, this has diminished over the past few years, being replaced primarily by "being slain" in the Spirit. "Speaking in tongues is only one of the gifts, and being last in the list of gifts suggests that it is the least important of them all." There's no evidence that Paul's lists are arranged according to importance. (He seems to champion "prophecy", and yet this does not appear first on the I Corinthians 12 list, although it is first in the Romans 12 list.) We must be careful to distinguish between the four uses of "tongues": Sign of Spirit Baptism, Praise, Intercession, and Edification when accompanied by "interpretation". Furthermore, even if we concede that "speaking in tongues" is the least of the gifts, perhaps that should be the starting point for involvements in the other "gifts of the Spirit." "Paul discouraged the use of 'tongues' in I Corinthians 14." But remember, in this letter Paul is trying to correct abuses. Even so, he does not dismiss tongues, he is only saying that in Corinth he'd "rather" they "prophecy". (In this case, the "rather" is not meant to say that "prophecy" is to do away with "tongues", it only marks what it is that has the preference in this case. It could read, "Prophecy should be exercised 'more readily', 'more willingly', or 'sooner.'" Besides, what's so bad about "speaking to God?" Paul makes his desire clearly known, "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues." (14:5) I Corinthians 14:39 makes it very clear that Paul is not discouraging the speaking in "tongues". He says, "do not forbid speaking in tongues" When interpreted for the edification of the congregation, "speaking in tongues" is equal to "prophecy", which Paul enthusiastically promotes. Paul's teaching merely provides for a measure of order in the worship service, for the purpose of edification and witness. Paul's desire was that they would not get "stuck" on this one gift, but go on to incorporate other gifts in their worship. "Those who do not 'speak in tongues' seem to be classified as secondary, or defective Christians, thus giving rise to spiritual pride and exclusivity. In addition, Jesus evidently didn't speak in tongues or teach about it." This is an important criticism, and must be listened to. There is no room for judgment of one another, only discernment exercised in the appointment of leadership. "Tongues" should never be considered as a criteria for acceptance or special privilege with God, or as a badge of superior spirituality. "'Speaking in tongues' is found in religious groups outside of Christianity. There are examples of this in the ancient 'mystery religions', the occult, and even in the drug culture." But the same point can be made about other Christian practices, i.e., conversions, water baptism, songs of worship, ethical systems. Yet we aren't ready to dismiss these items just because other religions practice them. It may also come as a surprise that some religions also boast of a "virgin birth" as a result of the action of the gods. "There are counterfeits who speak in 'tongues', to practice 'speaking in tongues' at all opens up to these possible counterfeits." But think about it, just because there are some counterfeit $20.00 bills in the world, should we destroy all the 20's in our pockets, and determine never to use them again? The Scripture gives us the responsibility to discern: 1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (KJV)
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether
they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world. (NIV)
"Only a small number of Biblical references are given concerning 'speaking in tongues', and it is unwise to base a doctrine on so few texts. Furthermore, 'tongues' is only noted to have been experienced in just two N.T. churches, Ephesus and Corinth." Those that are given are somewhat representative, that is, they show that the Spirit was poured out upon different groups - Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles. Other important doctrines would fall to this same criticism, i.e., the Virgin Birth, Born Again, Trinity.
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