Tongues, boundaries, rules

[Big Dummy]

Have you ever visited a church and ran into odd situations related to tongues?

One person would give a long speech in tongues and the interpretation would be very short or a short message in tongues produces a long interpretation?

Someone takes you in the back room and says now repeat after me "jaba ..." called "priming the pump".

You know a second language and you never hear that language during a tongues worship section.

Your unbelieving friends speaks other languages and they never hear their native language spoken.

Nothing you hear even resembles a language of anykind.


You are open to any of God's gifts and you don't want to fake it, nor do you desire to "quench" the Spirit.

Where or What are the boundries and rules for determining if the tongues you are hearing are of God?

[RandyWayne]

There have been plenty of times where I have heard tongues spoken and it actually resembled something that had some grammar to it but then there have been many others where the person is doing nothing more then going "la la la la la la la la".

As far as the length of a message versus the translation goes, this is something that Hollywood has been making fun of for most of a century. Just watch some old Loony Toons cartoon where Bugs talks to some natives. He talks in their language for about 10-12 seconds and the subtitle says "Hello!", then he grunts one or two short words and a whole paragraph of subtitles appear. While it is funny there is actually SOME truth to this based on how much meaning is assigned to a word. Sometimes one word in Japanese does take a whole sentence to say in English.

[KWSS1976]

Yea I have yet to hear it done as it was on the day of pentecost,not to mention all the tongues from behind the pulpit...It clearly states not to speak in tongues unless someone understands what yo are saying and I have no idea what anyone says when they speak in tongues which goes against scripture specially in Acts when it was clearly understood by the onlookers..

[KWSS1976]

I guess my biggest beef is the tongues and how improperly they are used in the church setting

[KWSS1976]

Corithians clearly tells one how and when to speak with tongues..

[Titus2woman]

Originally Posted by KWSS1976

I guess my biggest beef is the tongues and how improperly they are used in the church setting

I share your beef.

[PASTOR'S WIFE]

Just for clarification: Translation and Interpretation are 2 different things. Translation would be word for word but interpretation could be condensed or lengthened to relay what God has spoken to the church. So interpretation of tongues is what is done in most churches. God uses our mouth and our vocabularily to get the message across.

[bbyrd009]

I believe that is true, and that there are genuine tongues. I also have witnessed BD's version, and believe that satan has gone to great lengths to obscure the truth in "tongues."

I can't help but associate "Is that really tongues?" with "Am I really high?"
You will know real tongues when you hear it, and you prolly have not heard it.
It will come from a Church that can demo genuine healing-
not to imply that they don't exist.

Sorry, pump primers, but if you are open, you are not going to be able to stop a genuine experience of speaking in tongues, which Paul will tell you should hardly be at the top of your list.

[bbyrd009]

Originally Posted by KWSS1976

Yea I have yet to hear it done as it was on the day of pentecost,not to mention all the tongues from behind the pulpit...It clearly states not to speak in tongues unless someone understands what yo are saying and I have no idea what anyone says when they speak in tongues which goes against scripture specially in Acts when it was clearly understood by the onlookers..

Originally Posted by KWSS1976

I guess my biggest beef is the tongues and how improperly they are used in the church setting

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

I share your beef.

I like beef : )
but see no reason now to prune a dead tree,
if that is in fact what it is.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by KWSS1976

Yea I have yet to hear it done as it was on the day of pentecost,not to mention all the tongues from behind the pulpit...It clearly states not to speak in tongues unless someone understands what yo are saying and I have no idea what anyone says when they speak in tongues which goes against scripture specially in Acts when it was clearly understood by the onlookers..

Actually, the operative word in I Corinthians 14:5 is "rather".

I Corinthians 14:5 "I would that ye all spake with tongues but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying."

The Greek definition for "rather" is "mallon: more, in a greater degree.

So, the passage is not forbidding to speak in tongues, it is continuing the instruction that began in verse one, expounds more in verses 12, 13, 39 and 40, when it says:

I Corinthians 14:1 "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy."

14:12 "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."

14:13 "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.

14:39 "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues."

14:40 "Let all things be done decently and in order."

Desire, seek, excel, covet, and pray for spiritual gifts, but forbid not to speak in tongues. Do everything decent and in order.

It's really very simple. It's only ridiculous when the gifts are not in operation and I believe that many do not understand that they can pray to receive them.