Speaking in tongues

[Atalyah]

That which is perfect is here.

It is the written word of God. 

Act 2...they spoke in earthly tongues so that the foreign listeners could understand so they could hear the gospel.  This is how christianity began to spead,  That is why Paul tells us tongues is for unbelievers.  Unbelievers heard the gospel in their own tongue and came to believe.

Supernatural diverse languages are no longer necessary to spread the gospel around the world.  The Bible is written in many languages.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with this as well.

The Holy Spirit gifts were also called "the powers of the world to come", so to say that they end when Christ returns just doesn't make any sense. To understand "that which is perfect" as the completed Scriptures does make sense though.

[Willow]

Hello to all.

Might be a weird question but I am concerned for the fact I have never spoken in tongues, nor felt "drunken" in the spirit.

I have heard stories from people in prayer for a long time and it happening to him. While I have had sensational prayers, it still hasnt happened.

I just want to know how and when it happened to you. Any stories, because this might be helpful for me and possibly others.

Peace.

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Hi bobo,

I felt lead to respond to this as I come from a Pentecostal background.....I love these terms we get....holly rollers, etc.

I got it at camp one summer when I was 14. I didn't have much idea what it was or what to do with it. Hadn't even been asking for it. Over the years as I began to read scripture and talk to my youth pastors, I began to realize it's usefulness.

My idea of tongues is not the sensationalistic things you sometimes see on TV. To me it is personal, quiet, I use it in my quiet prayer time, I may even quietly do it in church during prayer.....the most beautiful thing I ever discovered was singing in tongues. I was in a room full of women, and we had no musical instrument. One woman started singing - and we continued on in the spirit for over half an hour. I have used it praying over individuals that have difficult issues to overcome, letting go of abuse, people coming out of bondage, addicts.....

The bible says eagerly desire the greater gifts....

1 Corinthians 12 (New International Version)

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright

[MrLuke]

I'd like to first say that I don't believe that you have to speak in tongues to be a Christian (and it really annoys me when Churches push it and almost force you to speak it!) and that the gift doesn't always come when you are saved. Also for anyone that says that the gifts of the Spirit are not needed today, what are you thinking!? Personally I think they are needed more than ever in today's world. Like Jesus said, 'people won't believe without signs and wonders' (or to that effect) and in this very scientifically minded world we live where everyone is led to believe that if science can't prove it, it doesn't exist - the miraculous works of God are very much needed, not necessary though, to spread to Word and show people that God IS real and is still working today!

I hope this won't be too long for people to read:

For me though, I never asked or prayed really for the gift of tongues, maybe on the odd occasion because I thought it would be a nice thing to be able to do!

But God reserved that gifting to be given to me at the right time when it was needed, just as all things are when it comes to God giving stuff out to us!

I was at my girlfriend's church at the time, October 17th 2004 to be exact (I know the date because I journal everything God does in my life!). During the worship I was just praying and taking in God's presence when I suddenly felt like I was standing on a ledge, even though my eye's were closed I could actually 'see' the ledge I was on and there was a gap between me and the other side - not a very big gap though, small enough to be able to step over in reality. But the gap in-between went for miles down into a dark abyss and I was really scared that I'd fall into it. I felt as though someone had taken my hands and was pulling me forward and God was saying "Jump! Only once you jump can I fix your heart!" But I was really scared to jump, thinking if I did, I'd land short and fall into the gap!

But I kept refusing, until the worship stopped and we went to sit down and heard the speaker. But all through the preach, I felt really guilty and stupid that I hadn't listened to God! So I prayed that He would give me another chance than night to do what He asked of me. Sure enough, in the last song of the service that night I got my chance and was standing on that same ledge again. I saw the gap and thought: 'I've got to jump now or I'll never do it!' I leaned forward and could see down the gap and saw that it was bottomless. I felt as though that was where many people had fallen down into before.

So before I leaned to far forward and fell in myself, I jumped physically forward (which confused my girlfriend at the time, because she was on stage playing keyboard and could see all that was going on!) and I cleared the gap with ease!

As soon as I 'landed' on the other side, I collapsed to my knees. It was like I had jumped into the presence of God, from the world and over hell!

Once on my knees I started to shake uncontrollably but this time with the warmth of God inside me! (The previous night to this experience I had a demon grip me and fill me with fear, which was cast out/away from me - but that's another story!)

While I was shaking, I started to do something I had never done before: speak in tongues!

I couldn't stop! After what felt like ages of being face down on the floor, shaking from the power of the Spirit, the Pastor came over to me and prayed. He put his hand on my back and prayed in tongues and as soon as he did, I started to shake even more!

My girlfriend and the guest speaker came and prayed over me in tongues and I just shook even more - I felt like jelly! All my energy went and God's Spirit came over me more, I just slumped over on to my side and started laughing! The Pastor and the speaker prophesied over me then too about my future and what God was going to use me for!

After about 40 minutes or more, I slowly stopped shaking so much, and the uncontrollable speaking in tongues stopped, and I was able to open my eyes and sit up. I saw my girlfriend looking at me and I just burst out laughing again! She took my hand to pray and then she just was over come with the Spirit and started laughing too!

When we finally stopped laughing, she prayed some more with me and just fell into shaking fits again on the floor and I felt this weird tingling feeling all over my body, like pins and needles, but without the needles! I felt it everywhere, even in my eyes and teeth which was a *really* strange feeling!

This is when it got even more bizarre! As I sat up, still having the odd shudder go through me, I went to speak to my girlfriend, and it came out in tongues! So I tried to say it again, but it still came out in this weird language! I had completely lost my ability to speak English! As I spoke I know what I was saying in my head, I understood myself, but it just naturally came out in the language of tongues. For a short while, even my thoughts were being thought/spoken in tongues! Now that was a really strange time!

But then, for the next 2 and a half hours after the service had ended, I could speak nothing but tongues to people! No matter how hard I tried, my lips just couldn't form English words!

It was funny, because I kept forgetting no one could understand me and I just went to talk to my girlfriend as we walked home, to which she just laughed at me. It was amazing though, I was so full of joy and God's Spirit that I just wanted to dance! Anyone that walked past us that night on the way back from the church got a face full of me speaking tongues to them, I couldn't help it either, it just automatically came out as people passed by - it felt as though I was blessing them in God's name.

For the rest of the night, I had to write everything down on paper to communicate until eventually it started to 'wear off' as bits of broken English was coming out.

My girlfriend's sister, who didn't like any of that "God stuff" as she called it, thought it was hilarious though what had happened to me! She treated me like a new toy getting me to say things in this strange language, it was funny. I just prayed that if I had made an impact or had some effect on her or someone else in their family that God would give me my voice back and sure enough He did.

I don't want to apologise for its length, as I believe the whole story is needed for people to be able to see that God is indeed still using His gifts today, just as much as He was in the days of the early church. You may not have received any gifts yet, but that doesn't mean you never will - it's all in God's good time.

There will probably be people who will argue against this and its truthfulness. I can assure you that all I have written is the honest truth. A similar situation happened again (not so intense) with me speaking tongues again for a couple of hours at one of the youth meetings at my church. When the parents came to collect some of the kids and some of the other members that were in the church that evening for other reasons came and heard what had happened and saw me, they actually accused me of faking it! Saying I must be putting it on and stuff like that! It angered me so much that members of our church - a Pentecostal church which is active in the Spirit and open to God's ways - would and could stand there and oppose its truthfulness.

I just pray that you will all realise that all things are possible for our Most High God, the Ancient of Days!

[Littlelite]

I'd like to first say that I don't believe that you have to speak in tongues to be a Christian (and it really annoys me when Churches push it and almost force you to speak it!) and that the gift doesn't always come when you are saved. Also for anyone that says that the gifts of the Spirit are not needed today, what are you thinking!? Personally I think they are needed more than ever in today's world. Like Jesus said, 'people won't believe without signs and wonders' (or to that effect) and in this very scientifically minded world we live where everyone is led to believe that if science can't prove it, it doesn't exist - the miraculous works of God are very much needed, not necessary though, to spread to Word and show people that God IS real and is still working today!

I hope this won't be too long for people to read:

For me though, I never asked or prayed really for the gift of tongues, maybe on the odd occasion because I thought it would be a nice thing to be able to do!

But God reserved that gifting to be given to me at the right time when it was needed, just as all things are when it comes to God giving stuff out to us!

I was at my girlfriend's church at the time, October 17th 2004 to be exact (I know the date because I journal everything God does in my life!). During the worship I was just praying and taking in God's presence when I suddenly felt like I was standing on a ledge, even though my eye's were closed I could actually 'see' the ledge I was on and there was a gap between me and the other side - not a very big gap though, small enough to be able to step over in reality. But the gap in-between went for miles down into a dark abyss and I was really scared that I'd fall into it. I felt as though someone had taken my hands and was pulling me forward and God was saying "Jump! Only once you jump can I fix your heart!" But I was really scared to jump, thinking if I did, I'd land short and fall into the gap!

But I kept refusing, until the worship stopped and we went to sit down and heard the speaker. But all through the preach, I felt really guilty and stupid that I hadn't listened to God! So I prayed that He would give me another chance than night to do what He asked of me. Sure enough, in the last song of the service that night I got my chance and was standing on that same ledge again. I saw the gap and thought: 'I've got to jump now or I'll never do it!' I leaned forward and could see down the gap and saw that it was bottomless. I felt as though that was where many people had fallen down into before.

So before I leaned to far forward and fell in myself, I jumped physically forward (which confused my girlfriend at the time, because she was on stage playing keyboard and could see all that was going on!) and I cleared the gap with ease!

As soon as I 'landed' on the other side, I collapsed to my knees. It was like I had jumped into the presence of God, from the world and over hell!

Once on my knees I started to shake uncontrollably but this time with the warmth of God inside me! (The previous night to this experience I had a demon grip me and fill me with fear, which was cast out/away from me - but that's another story!)

While I was shaking, I started to do something I had never done before: speak in tongues!

I couldn't stop! After what felt like ages of being face down on the floor, shaking from the power of the Spirit, the Pastor came over to me and prayed. He put his hand on my back and prayed in tongues and as soon as he did, I started to shake even more!

My girlfriend and the guest speaker came and prayed over me in tongues and I just shook even more - I felt like jelly! All my energy went and God's Spirit came over me more, I just slumped over on to my side and started laughing! The Pastor and the speaker prophesied over me then too about my future and what God was going to use me for!

After about 40 minutes or more, I slowly stopped shaking so much, and the uncontrollable speaking in tongues stopped, and I was able to open my eyes and sit up. I saw my girlfriend looking at me and I just burst out laughing again! She took my hand to pray and then she just was over come with the Spirit and started laughing too!

When we finally stopped laughing, she prayed some more with me and just fell into shaking fits again on the floor and I felt this weird tingling feeling all over my body, like pins and needles, but without the needles! I felt it everywhere, even in my eyes and teeth which was a *really* strange feeling!

This is when it got even more bizarre! As I sat up, still having the odd shudder go through me, I went to speak to my girlfriend, and it came out in tongues! So I tried to say it again, but it still came out in this weird language! I had completely lost my ability to speak English! As I spoke I know what I was saying in my head, I understood myself, but it just naturally came out in the language of tongues. For a short while, even my thoughts were being thought/spoken in tongues! Now that was a really strange time!

But then, for the next 2 and a half hours after the service had ended, I could speak nothing but tongues to people! No matter how hard I tried, my lips just couldn't form English words!

It was funny, because I kept forgetting no one could understand me and I just went to talk to my girlfriend as we walked home, to which she just laughed at me. It was amazing though, I was so full of joy and God's Spirit that I just wanted to dance! Anyone that walked past us that night on the way back from the church got a face full of me speaking tongues to them, I couldn't help it either, it just automatically came out as people passed by - it felt as though I was blessing them in God's name.

For the rest of the night, I had to write everything down on paper to communicate until eventually it started to 'wear off' as bits of broken English was coming out.

My girlfriend's sister, who didn't like any of that "God stuff" as she called it, thought it was hilarious though what had happened to me! She treated me like a new toy getting me to say things in this strange language, it was funny. I just prayed that if I had made an impact or had some effect on her or someone else in their family that God would give me my voice back and sure enough He did.

I don't want to apologise for its length, as I believe the whole story is needed for people to be able to see that God is indeed still using His gifts today, just as much as He was in the days of the early church. You may not have received any gifts yet, but that doesn't mean you never will - it's all in God's good time.

There will probably be people who will argue against this and its truthfulness. I can assure you that all I have written is the honest truth. A similar situation happened again (not so intense) with me speaking tongues again for a couple of hours at one of the youth meetings at my church. When the parents came to collect some of the kids and some of the other members that were in the church that evening for other reasons came and heard what had happened and saw me, they actually accused me of faking it! Saying I must be putting it on and stuff like that! It angered me so much that members of our church - a Pentecostal church which is active in the Spirit and open to God's ways - would and could stand there and oppose its truthfulness.

I just pray that you will all realise that all things are possible for our Most High God, the Ancient of Days!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First and foremost here is what I say about your experience, please try the spirits to see if they are of God. Four passages of scripture mention in tongues. Three of these are in the Acts of the Apostles where instances of the gift of tongues were given as a sign. THe Apostle Paul wrote the first epistle to the Corinthian church for the purpose of correcting some wrongs which were in this local assembly. One of the problems in Corinth which Paul addressed is the wrong practice of "tongues" Paul sets forth some specific guidelines for this spiritual gift in CHapt. 14 of 1 Cor. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches. (1 COr. 14:33) How interesting!! the apostle warns of "COnfusion" brought about by improper use of the gift of tongues. It is my opinion that this same confusion exists today in the minds of many people over the same issue.Remember Paul said, God is not the author of confusion" Ignorance about the scriptual teaching is the reason for this dilemma. The blame for this ignorance can be laid at the feet of men of God who have either not informed their churches, or have failed in having a true understanding of scripture; thus, not "rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15 YSIC Littlelite

Edited August 14, 2005 by Littlelite

[Guest tankusomaximus]

I first received my tongues 24 hrs after I gave my life to Christ. I guess you could call it an interesting situation that involved spiritial warfare. I was thrown into a situation that I knew absolutly nothing about, at the time I didn't know what tongues was let alone spiritual warfare was. I learnt in an awful hurry by having a crash course in fighting demons & much worse as the attacked both spiritually & physically I have been able to speak in tongues ever since. This happened 13 years ago. I also discoved at that time that I was given the gift of discernment, which as you can imagine can be pretty freaky sometimes, because not only can I sense them, but can also see into the spirit world. I have also been drunk in the Spirit which is also an interesting experience, especially when you have had anything to drink & can even stand up straight. Don't worry about not receiving your tongues as you are given the gifts according to the word of God read 1 Peter 4-10,11.

[MrLuke]

First and foremost here is what I say about your experience, please try the spirits to see if they are of God. Four passages of scripture mention in tongues. Three of these are in the Acts of the Apostles where instances of the gift of tongues were given as a sign.  THe Apostle Paul wrote the first epistle to the Corinthian church for the purpose of correcting some wrongs which were in this local assembly. One of the problems in Corinth which Paul addressed is the wrong practice of "tongues" Paul sets forth some specific guidelines for this spiritual gift in CHapt. 14 of 1 Cor. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches. (1 COr. 14:33) How interesting!! the apostle warns of "COnfusion" brought about by improper use of the gift of tongues. It is my opinion that this same confusion exists today in the minds of many people over the same issue.Remember Paul said, God is not the author of confusion" Ignorance about the scriptual teaching is the reason for this dilemma. The blame for this ignorance can be laid at the feet of men of God who have either not informed their churches, or have failed in having a true understanding of scripture; thus, not "rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15 YSIC Littlelite

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes but I fail to see how that is relavent to my experience. There was no doubt in me, nor the rest of the church I was in that what was happening was of God. The feeling of the Holy Spirit upon me and God's peace was more than enough.

If you're trying to relate it to the confusion thing or improper use of tongues, well sorry but I had no control over what was happening! It was the first time I'd ever spoken in tongues and ever since then I have been able to while praying or when overcome by the Spirit.

[Joe@actsii]

If you get a chance, I would like to recommend this book.

They Spoke with Other Tongues

About this title: John Sherrill was a skeptic as far as miracles were concerned. Then he set out to report on the phenomenom of speaking in tongues. Before long he became a believer. As Sherrill relates the historical background, significant contemporary events, and his personal experience, he gives valuable insight into this gift of the Holy Spirit.

[Littlelite]

I have a question for those of you who speak in other tongues.

What tongue are you speaking ..Chinese, Russian, Hindu.

How many unbelievers are you coming across that you are having to witness to in these tongues.  Tongues are for a sign to unbelievers you know.

Acts 2 explains that the tongues spoken were known earthly languages.  So again I ask.  What langurage are you speaking and what foreign unbelievers are you winning to Christ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to agree with you katyann, what language are they speaking in??? the Bible does not say anything about speaking in a heavenly language. Or vain babblings, YSIC Littlelite

[MrLuke]

I have a question for those of you who speak in other tongues.

What tongue are you speaking ..Chinese, Russian, Hindu.

How many unbelievers are you coming across that you are having to witness to in these tongues.  Tongues are for a sign to unbelievers you know.

Acts 2 explains that the tongues spoken were known earthly languages.  So again I ask.  What langurage are you speaking and what foreign unbelievers are you winning to Christ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels

The language of 'tongues' isn't always of an earthly manor. Tongues is either your spirit speaking to God in an unknown language, or it is you speaking to a person in their native tongue so that they may hear the Gospel!

[bobo81]

If you read in the Book of Acts, on the Day of Pentacost, they all were speaking different languages and thats why it bedazzled so many people cause people from all over were hearing their own language being spoken.

So yeah speaking tongues can be different languages on Earth and afar as well I believe