Act 2:5 & 6 ... I am not surprised by this .. May the lord deliver the souls listening to this logical man.. (Pls read the scripture well before you comment on my post. Thanks)
"He speaketh not unto men" does not mean that tongues are not human languages. Paul simply means that he who speaks in a tongue is praying to God and not teaching or prophesying or preaching to instruct, comfort or inform men. Even if you are praying in your own familiar language, you are not speaking to men but to God. Tongues has always been human languages as it was on the Pentecost. Paul said that "No man understand him" NOT "No man understands". And "no man understands him" who speaks in a tongue because he speaks mysteries in the spirit - NOT because he speaks humanly unintelligible languages. Mysteries are convoluted speeches like parables. The language may be discernible but no one may understand him who speaks them. That is what happened on the Pentecost. The Jews were able to identify the languages and yet did not understand the message and asked "What does this mean?" Tongues are mysteries like parables. Jesus always spoke in parables with Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew yet the Jews did not understand Him as He said, "Hearing they may hear and not understand." Paul clearly classified tongues as a human language when he referred to "diverse kinds of tongue" and also when he said that "There are many languages in the world but none is without meaning". Indeed Charles Fox Parham, the father of Pentecostalism always believed that tongues are human languages and said: “If you have the baptism of the Holy Ghost you can speak as the Spirit gives utterance. If you have never spoken a clear language, pray through until you can, for anything else is a discredit”.
Praying in the Spirit is truly praying as empowered by the Holy Spirit but it is not always speaking in tongues. Indeed Paul wrote the same instructions to the Colossians as he did to the Ephesians on family relationships, personal faith and prayer life, etc. and delivered both letters through Tychicus to the churches. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul wrote: "Praying always with all prayer and supplications in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance ad supplications for all saints, and for me that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains..." (Eph. 6:18-20). Writing the same instruction to the Colossians, he wrote: "Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains... "(Col. 4:2-4). If indeed by "Praying in the Spirit" in his letter to the Ephesians Paul meant praying in tongues, then the Colossians would miss that point since there is nothing in their version of the letter to suggest praying in tongues. Therefore praying in the Spirit is nothing more than fervent prayer empowered by the Spirit. It could be in tongues or the native language. Whenever Paul specifically meant praying in tongues, he used the nuanced expression "praying with the spirit or praying in the spirit" which is the person's spirit. May God enlighten us with understanding. Amen!
Always inspiring. Keep on with the good work. Some clarity required; is speaking in tongues the only evidence of the Holy Spirit. Seems to be that the Holy Spirit has been reduced to speaking in tongues. The first mention of tongues in scripture - the surrounding congregation understood as they were speaking in diverse human languages. This is never the case with what we hear now. Does scripture not require that if tongues are not interpreted they should not be spoken? Lots of tongues and no interpretation.
Paul taught that not all Christians have the gift of tongues (I Corinth. 14:28-30). As said, the epistles are the climax of all revelations and therefore they are more instructive than the narrative scriptures. Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18 that "These signs shall follow those who believe". This statement is an amphiboly which can be interpreted in one of several ways: (1) Every believer shall speak in tongues (2) Any believer with a strong faith to speak shall be able to speak in tongues (3) Tongues shall characterize the community of believers. Paul's teaching suggests the last interpretation. We may say that Nigerians are good footballers but not every Nigerian plays football. Similarly, Jesus could say they shall speak with new tongues without meaning everybody. In the preceding verses, Jesus referred to "He who...". If the Lord meant the same 'he', He would have said "And these signs shall follow him who believes". Let us stick to the apostolic doctrine delivered to us once (Jude 1:3) that there are many gifts (I Corinth. 12:4); that each person is differently gifted (I Corinth. 7:7; 12:8-10; Eph. 4:7) and that not all speak with tongues (I Corinth. 14:28-30).
This is good,i always wonder why people always advocate this issue of NOT EVERYBODY CAN/WILL PRAY IN TONGUES,whereas 2Cor. Clearly states that we first pray in spirit (tongues) and then with intelligence(understanable words)...Besides your approach of Interpretation of the words of Jesus is quite personal,otherwise you may by so doing implying that the words of Paul are of a greater value than Jesus...Thanks
@@purecrops5484 Dearest Pure, Note that the words of Paul do not contradict the words of our Lord Jesus. Rather, Paul's are a reconstruction of what Jesus meant for clarity. Jesus said so many things in a convoluted way and appointed His apostles to explain them to establish orthodox doctrine for the universal church. If one didn't understand Jesus, then Paul explained incontrovertibly that believers are both partially and differentially gifted. In other words, no one has all or enough of all gifts to be self-sufficient. That is why he was teaching the Corinthians to unite so that each can benefit from the other because the fulness or each believer is derived from what the other believer has (I Corinth. 12:7; Rom. 1:11-12). This is the principle of the distribution of the gifts by the Spirit (I Corinth. 12:8-10). Following this with other illustrations on how the members of the human body relate to one another, Paul asked a begging question: "Do all speak with tongues?" How would you answer Paul's question: YES or NO!
