From: John & April Correia <[email protected]>
Subject: Encouragements From The Heart - for June 8, 1998
Date: Sunday, June 07, 1998 8:40 AM

I was listening to a local Christian radio station the other day and was surprised to hear the preacher working his people up with his exhilarated voice. He repeated, "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!" then he spoke in tongues, with no one to interpret what he was saying. I sat in amazement as I listened to the people in the background yelling back at him in complete agreement. I ran to the Scriptures knowing that the true answer was there and here is what I found:

1 Corinthians 14:26-28, "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let ALL things be done for EDIFICATION. If ANYONE speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and LET ONE INTERPRET. BUT if there is no interpreter, LET HIM KEEP SILENT IN CHURCH, AND LET HIM SPEAK TO HIMSELF AND TO GOD."

The way I understand the Scriptures is that this person should of not said anything in the church but rather should of spoke to himself and to God. Paul, the apostle, said in verses 18-21 of the same chapter, "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all: yet IN THE CHURCH I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, BUT in understanding be mature. In the law it is written: 'with men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; and yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,' (Is. 28:11,12) says the LORD.

Some people confuse verse 22, :"Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe." Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible explains the verse this way, "The miraculous gift of tongues was never designed for the benefit of those who have already believed, but for the instruction of unbelievers, that they might see from such a miracle that this is the work of God, and so embrace the gospel. But as in the times of the prophet the strange Babylonish tongues came in the way of punishment and not the case now; that by dwelling on the gift ye forget the Giver, and what was designed for you as a blessing may prove to you to be a curse. For it, because you have the gift of tongues, you will choose for your own aggrandizement to use them in the public congregation where none understands them, God may curse your blessings. Prophesying, Teaching the things of God in a known language is of infinitely more consequence than speaking in all the foreign tongues in the universe." (pg. 118 verse 22). I, personally, believe that tongues was used as a "sign gift" as the only time we see many speaking in tongues is in two places. First at Pentecost, Acts 1:4-21; the whole crowd understood what was being said by the 120, who were glorifying God in several different languages. The next place we see is also in Acts, chapter 10 (read whole chapter), where Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and his household hear Peter proclaim the gospel to them, BEFORE, being baptized w/water they received the promised Holy Spirit, manifested in the new converts by them speaking in tongues. This showed Peter that God was not partial to the Jew only, like at Pentecost, but now also to the Gentile.

If they'd only read on to verses 23-25, "Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is judged by . And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his FACE, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you." I notice two things here, first, that the prophesying (not 'SOMEONE here has a or needs a...' - this is generalizing not true prophesy) convicts the heart of the unbeliever and thus he falls FACE down to worship God. Some churches practice what is called 'slain in the Spirit' but all those people fall backwards and have to be caught. I can't find anywhere (believe me I've tried) where Jesus did this practice and had the 12 "catching" those falling. Nor did He ever speak in tongues while talking to the multitudes. Oh beloved of the Lord, don't you see? We must constantly be testing! Even Christian radio. I'm not knocking Christian radio or TV, I'm strongly encouraging you all to test everything in light of Scripture. Read thoroughly for yourself 1 Corinthians chapters 12,13 and 14. You will be truly blessed. God shows us about the Spiritual gifts and places love right in the middle of the lesson, because without love they're worthless. What an Awesome God to show us, in minute detail, what He desires from us - if only we'll look and search for ourselves.

Beloved, be as the Boreans, whom Paul thought more noble minded because they searched the Scriptures to see that what Paul said was so.

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Have a joyous and bountiful day in the Lord!
April Correia
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