this topic is controversial so lets get what bible says.. many people point out 1 cor 12 and 14 showing that Not all speak in tongues to prove that not everyone will speak in tongues when they recieve the Holy SPIRIT to dwell in them for salvation. the only problem wiht using those scriptures is that is will contradict what happened in acts 8, 10, and 19. because the instructions for USING GIFT OF TONGUES was that 2 at MOST 3 should speak in tongues.. one at a time and there MUST be interpreter.. therefore in those chapters we obviously see that was not the case because THEY ALL spoke in tongues.. and didnt have an interpreter let alone who would he be interpreting it for.. in acts 19 paul was there.. he wouldnt allow them to be out of order and go against his own instruction.. so therefore we must conclude ther are DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS of speaking in tongues.. could one of the functions be to SHOW PROOF one has now recieved the holy spirit? how can we rule this out.. now i spoke in tongues when recieved holy spirit for first time, but i do not have the gift of speaking in tongues in the church to deliver message.. two different functions.. now i have prayed and began to speak in tongues a few times but not all the time.. so how can we disclaim the evidence of speaking in tongues
wow you just said a person recieves the HOLY SPIRIT but LACKS POWER.. thats borderline blasphemey.. how can someone recieve the HOLY GHOST but YOU SAY NO POWER.. GODS SPIRIT HAS NO POWER WOW.. if you look at acts the boook uses "indwelt" recieve, filled, fell upon, ALL INTERCHANGABLEY.. no difference.. TO SAY THAT A PERSON IS INDWELT WITH SPIRIT BUT HAS NO POWER IS TO SAY THAT GODS SPIRIT HAS NO POWER.. YOU RECIEVE JESUS BUT NOT POWER YET.. NOW THINK ABOUT THAT.. YOU GOT SAVED, BUT NOT THE POWER TO LIVE SAVED.. YOU GOT CHIRST SPIRIT IN YOU BUT THERE CAME NO POWER WITH HIM... WOW.. CAN YOU SEE HOW THIS TEACHING IS NOT CORRECT.. anyone who says this is in error.. and i ask you this... if you get indwelt but have not th4e power yet HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GET THE POWER?
I know this is old but it caught my eye as it was in a recent sermon. One can receive the Spirit yet not WALK in the Spirit and therefore do not have the power until they come to the point of walking in the Spirit.
thats a great question to ask people.. if they answer it then THEY ARE ADDING OR TAKING AWAY FROM THE WORD.. WE CAN PROVE WITH SCRIPTURE ALONE that PEOPLE CAN STILL BELIEVE AND NOT HAVE HOLY GHOST.. what explaination do they have for acts 8:12-17 and acts 19:1-6 or even cornelius in ACTS 10... and I BET thhe only thing they can say was that they was ALREADY INDWELT before the SCRIPTURE SAYS THEY GOT FILLED OR RECIEVED. and when they do YOU TELL THEM QUIT FALSELY TEACHING.. BECAUSE SCRIPTURE ITSELF WILL SAY TEHY WAS NOT SAVED OR INDWELT YET.. I CAN PROVE IT IF ANYONE WANTS TO DISAGREE.. lets scripture be true... PLEASE PEOPLE.
listen .. i can answer that real quick.. im not the one who wrote the bible and shows that people spoke in tongues WHEN the spirit first entered into people.. secondly CHRIST SPIRIT GAVE PEOPLE THE UTTERANCE. so the question is not so much about how important is speaking in tongues the issue is DID PEOPLE SPEAK IN TONGUES WHEN SPIRIT "FIRST" CAME INSIDE OF THEM.. does people deny that the scriptures say that.. and if scriptures show that then why do people make a big deal about it... and i hear many people say well CHRIST DIDNT SPEAK IN TONGUES to use this to debate about us speaking in tongues.. welll i present this to you and will be waiting for the answer... i agree i see no where in bible where mentioned Jesus spoke in tongues... BUT IS THERE ANY WHERE IN BIBLE WHERE JESUS HIMSELF SAID BELEIVERS WOULD SPEAK IN TONGUES.. thats a yes or no question... IF JESUS WAS TALKING TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIBHORHOOD RIGHT NOW AND U HEARD HIM SAY TO THEM GO OUT EVERY WHERE AND PREACH TO "EVERY" CREATURE.. AND THESE SIGNS WILL FOLLOW "THEM" THAT BELIEVE.. AND HE MENTIONS SPEAKING IN TONGUES... what would u think? Jesus never said some believers, few believers, certain beleivers, HE TOLD THEM TO PREACH TO "EVERY" CREATURE and THEM that believe will speak in tongues... MARK 16:16-19.. read it for self.. so question isnt why do ohters make tongues a big deal, its why do so many people dismiss the POWER OF GOD who HIMSELF chose to use speaking in tongues.. CHRIST CHOSE TO USE TONGUES AS A SIGN.. now did someone go talk to Him and He said He not going to use them no more... just think about it.
The book of Acts does talk about the new believers speaking in tongues... but there are also many many other believers who are not mentioned....there is no evidence that these 'many others' spoke in tonques....nor does it say that to be saved you must speak in tongues.
You cannot take one verse of the bible (Mark 16:16-19) and simply build your own theology on that one verse.
The whole of scripture states quite clearly that we are saved by faith. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is our fruit. Gal 5:22. You will know them by their fruit...
Mat 7:16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don't pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles.
Mat 7:17 A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit.
Mat 7:19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.
Mat 7:21 "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as `Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.
Mat 7:22 On judgment day many will tell me, `Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.'
Mat 7:23 But I will reply, `I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.
1 Corinthians 13
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
A Spiritual Gift is given to each of us so we can help eachother. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice, to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether the message is from the Spirit of God or from another Spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31-- We are one body with many parts.
The book of Acts was the ushering in ...and the birth and growth of the Christian Church.. It is monumental! It needed to be dramatic. It was so dramatic because it was the beginning. The Power of the Holy Spirit is certainly not limited to speaking in tongues.
Incidently, I have another question for you..
why then is it not at least mentioned once somewhere that Jesus did speak in tongues?
The bible does say that some believers would speak in tongues...but it does not say 'all believers'.
Jesus would not want any of us to be unsure of our Salvation. He wants us to be secure and sure..and to know who we are in Him.
I had this response on a similar discussion to yours so I thought I throw it in here:
1 Corinthians 12:13 (New King James Version)
13 for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (this means Everyone Born again)
—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into[a] one Spirit.
You see - we are all baptized into one body.
I speak in tongues myself, but I follow the guidelines established in the New Testament by Paul in Corinthians. Our God is a God of order.
I do not believe tongues to be the only sing that a person has been baptized into the body by the Spirit though. Tongues is but one more gift and the least of them, matter of fact, since it edifies the individual primarily. Paul says to desire the gifts that edify the body more.
When the gift of Speaking in an unknown tongue is accompanied with interpretation of it, then tongues is elevated to the importance of the other gifts that bless the body.
1 Corinthians 14
Prophecy and Tongues
1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. 3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for[a] he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
1 Corinthians 12
Spiritual Gifts: Unity in Diversity
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that[a] you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same[b] Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
i agree that speaking in tongues is not the only sign.. its the INITAL SIGN that someone has recieved the holy ghost. there should be evidence of love for GOD'S TRUTH and OBEDIENCE to his word.. i just want someone to say if its a true or false statement to say " tongues is a sign of someone recieving the holy ghost" FOR THE FIRST TIME.. thats a true or false question.. if false i ask someone to show me why.. now please dont use 1 cor 12 or 14 that talks about the "gift of tongues" that all people dont recieve and has instructions set forth when in operation.. im talking bout when they spoke in tongues by the inspiration of the spirit in ACTS 2, 10 19. please read them before you respond and try to use 1 cor 12 and 14.because we know that scripture doesn not contradict itself, so in THOSE CHAPTERS they ALL was speaking in tongues and didnt have an interpreter so OBVIOUSLY IT WASNT THE GIFT OF TONGUES IN OPERATION it was the SIGN that they recieved..
You said: … i just want someone to say if its a true or false statement to say " tongues is a sign of someone receiving the holy ghost" FOR THE FIRST TIME."
Yes bro - speaking in an unknown tongue is a sign of someone receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time, I have no problem admitting that.
The thing is that the word does not state anywhere that receiving the Holy Spirit for the first time will always be accompanied by speaking in tongues.
Can you show me where scripture says that tongues are a sign that will always accompany the receiving of the Holy Ghost for the first time?
1. (a practical question) when the baptism is preached nowadays it often includes a teaching on "tongues". i dont see that in the apostolic practice. though i understand why this is done in practice, it seems that it has often lead to focusing more on tongues than the spirit. and though their objection proves nothing, it has lead many to object to penetcostal theology becasue they are "looking from the outside in" and not understanding how we come to emphasize the "least of the gifts" so much. though we know it is not tongues, but the spirit reception we are looking for, from the outside it looks like the toungues. and i am afraid that it sometimes looks this way because it is what we are looking for.
let me note here. i believe that speaking in tongues is the least of the gifts because it is for the individual not the body (unless interpreted). but since it if for the individual it is also the most common gift. and with paul i wish for all to speak in tongues.
2. (a biblical question) in acts 2 it states that they "all" spoke in tongues. but also that "tongues of fire rested on EACH of them". the tongues of fire is not repeated elswhere, and in acts 10 and 19 we are not told that all of them spoke with tongues. i believe we read that into it. this might be illustrated by asking how many in acts 10 and 19 "prophesied or magnified god". when we ask that and look at the text we would have to say we dont know how many prophesied or maginified god, or how many spoke in tongues. i agree "maybe" they all did, but the passage doesnt say this. and if luke wanted to establish beyond doubt the "initial evidence" doctrine, he would have made it clear. i know we almost see it there because of what of the model we have been taught, but i dont see it there when i just look at the text.
3. (a theological question) the fact that paul and john both used the receiving of the spirit as "evidence". that means that those they were writing to understood without a doubt that they had received the spirit. they didnt need another "evidence" to prove the evidence. i mean to say that the receiving of the spirit is a subjective and self evident experience, it is not something that needs more "proof" (at least to the person receiveing it). the spirit was their "proof" that they had been accepted by god. so do we need "proof" for the "proof"? (note: if one argues that paul and john were speaking of a "different" receiving of the spirit, it must be noted that whatever they were speaking of was something that didnt happen without the knowledge of the receipient. evangelical teaching at this point (and pentecostals have adopted this) would say that what john an paul are refering to is the spirit received at the point of "faith". but that experience is not always being something self-evident, but taken by faith, and could not be used as "proof" that they were children of god)