Ok... I recently drove by this large tent where an evangelist was getting people to 'speak in tounges'. Are people really this crazy? I just sat there shaking my head while they did it. I got out of my truck and started to walk by on the sidewalk to get a closer view but as i walked by they all stopped and looked at me and stopped speaking in tounges. This to me means one of a few things. There is good and evil divinity and i had good on my side so they were freaked out by me (there was many people on the street but they were looking right at me, about 80 or more people). They weren't looking at me with happy faces either. Maybe god wants his followers to speak demonicly and i'm actually the anti christ so they were frightened by me? Other than that i'm just not sure. I guess they could be all just completely insane and were offended that i was watching them. Who knows! What's the deal with these people anyways? Wonder if they realize they're scaring children.
2007-07-19 02:23:38 · 27 answers · asked by Agnostic Front 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I was a doubter in tongues.... and God humbled my heart by pouring them into me one time... enough for me to realize that God alone has power over me that no 'earthly' person can ever have, including me.
that being said.... evangelists cannot 'get people' to truly speak in tongues.... a person cannot 'call it into being' because it is a gift of the Holy Spirit... not something to have and use at our own will...
if they were 'stopped' when you approached... my guess is that it was NOT of God .... but of man... because when the Holy Spirit calls it up, you continue to worship even when there are others around.
there ARE many fakes tho... satan can use this 'area' to work against good
there are 'churches' who claim that all saved people should be able to speak in tongues and that is NOT biblical. Tongues is the 'lessor' of the giftings (1 corinthians) and no one will have 'all' gifts all the time. some Spiritual giftings are for one time... or just called up by God when needed to serve Him.... but not everyone will have every gift... and to claim that they should, is NOT true
2007-07-19 02:34:12 · answer #1 · answered by livinintheword † 6 · 13⤊ 1⤋
I'm not one to put limitations on God, so I do believe that if He chooses to give a person the ability to speak in tongues, it will really happen.
However, there are some charismatic denominations that really go out into left field on this issue. I know because I used to belong to one of them. They will actually teach people that tongues are NECESSARY, even though the Bible says nothing of the sort. They put so much pressure on people to have the gift, that people manufacture something that they think sounds like tongues, without even realizing that they're doing it. Well, sometimes they realize it. I used to teach junior high Sunday school at one of these churches, and I know for a fact that some of my students faked tongues in order to be considered a Christian "in good standing" because of the immense pressure to produce a "heavenly language."
I think two things are VERY clear from Scripture about speaking in tongues. First of all, when a person has the true gift of tongues, they will speak in a heavenly language, but people will hear it in their own native language. That is, say you're traveling to Africa and the Spirit of God suddenly comes upon you and inspires you to speak the Gospel in tongues. You speak in tongues, but the people around you hear the Gospel in Swahili or whatever language they speak.
The second thing that is clear is that tongues are not valid without an interpreter. This is in I Corinthians. I find it rather strange that denominations that pride themselves on being
"Bible-believing" Christians will just skip over that very important part and allow a chaotic babble session that has little or no spiritual merit, but hey, that's just me.
As far as scaring kids, you don't know the half of it. Even all that fake tongues you witnessed is NOTHING compared to the barking like dogs, hysterical laughter, women going through "labor" pains and all the other insanity that was born out of the Brownsville Revival. I saw people RUSH for the door when that hooey started happening...
2007-07-19 02:36:50 · answer #2 · answered by sparki777 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a strange incident. Maybe the starring is the reason they stopped or it could have been an" interruption", I don't know. They shouldn't have just stopped because you walked up I mean they would've not cared at that time. Some Christians put on a show.
Read Acts it'll help you understand it(possibly). My husband didn't understand it until He studied it.
Speaking in tongues is just a Help to communicate with God.
I don't think I need an interrupter if I'm at home praying in tounges or at church, why Not let it be able to flow through the Church?
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom."
We're considered non-denomination, I guess thats Why we are different.
There maybe some putting on a show here but I don't care its between them and God as long as I know my relationship is real with Him I'm fine. I mean I pray too, that others recieve healing and blessings and gifts but I am not to point fingers and say their right or wrong.
2007-07-19 02:38:14 · answer #3 · answered by Bobbie 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I've been struggling with the whole speaking in tongues issue for a few months now. We have a new pastor at our church, and he is really pushing it and says all saved people should be able to speak in tongues. Now, I believe that some people do have this gift, and I don't have the right or the ability to tell who legitimately has this gift and who might be fudging it. However, it's not my belief that everyone can do it, and I think that anyone who tries to force it on others is working very unscripturally. It sounds like that's what was happening in your situation. It sounds like there was a "show" going on, and only certain people were "supposed" to see that show. Also, did you notice anyone interpreting? Whenever someone speaks in tongues publicly, there must be an interpretation or it is unacceptable.
2007-07-19 02:32:13 · answer #4 · answered by Starfall 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Well for them all to stop shows you that what they was doing was not of God. If a evanglist was trying to get them all to speak tongues means he was not of God either. Tongues is only a language, like Spanish. When God gives that gift to someone it will be a language you have never spoke and it will be used to help lead someone to the Lord who does speak that language.
2007-07-19 02:37:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What the "gift of tongues (languages) is supposed to be is the ability to utter words or sounds of a language unknown to the speaker. The origin of the modern Christian concept of speaking in tongues is the miracle of Pentecost, recounted in the New Testament book of Acts, in which Jesus' apostles were said to be filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in languages foreign to themselves, but which could be understood by members of the linguistically diverse audience.
What they are doing is called glossolalia- nonmeaningful speech, especially such speech associated with a trance state or certain schizophrenic syndromes. It can be learned.
2007-07-19 02:30:17 · answer #6 · answered by Robin W 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
When one speaks in an unknown tongues (speaking in tongues) it means that God has interupted your prayer, at this point you are praying the will of God, as one is praying the Holy Spirit gives interpretation likewise.
When they looked at you, just ignore there look is not everyone that has the gifts of speaking in tongue. But for all of them to see you and start speaking in tongues, it not possible for all of them to be speaking in tongues, don't be surprise some of them are even speaking in their dialect (local language) and you may be thinking they are speaking in tongues
2007-07-19 02:35:00 · answer #7 · answered by onoscity 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
have no idea why they stop to look at you unless they really wasn't into the Spirit, because normally when speaking in tongues anyone can walk in and the person who is speaking does not stop speaking they just keep going that is if they are really into the Spirit, I know I have been there, I do speak in tongues and have been to them tent meetings, gee its been a long time since I have heard of tent meetings though...
2007-07-19 02:32:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
It's a spiritual gift.
It's seems like some people like to pretend their speaking in tongues. At that point, you don't feel anything except for embarassment for that person. But others have a tendency of really feeling like they hold spiritual energy.
2007-07-19 02:30:41 · answer #9 · answered by otaku465 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To the outside, it may be scary. Most people who speak in tongues, I believe, do so out of peer pressure. We aren't supposed to make a scene when praying. But the Bible does speak to speaking in tongues in this manner. I think it is a real gift, but some groups put too much emphasis on it.
Paul even address the over use of tongues in the early church.
2007-07-19 02:27:11 · answer #10 · answered by nom de paix 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I believe in the gift of speaking in tongues, but it isn't like that. It is when man is given utterance by the power of the Holy Ghost, thus, it isn't just an "OnDemand" thing that can be taught by man like its a normal language.
2007-07-19 02:27:42 · answer #11 · answered by Nick B 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋