Subject: Been to every church? |
Bible Note: Dear Raven, Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus! I am one of 'those people.' :-) What language? I don't know. Is it nonsense or 'made up?' I don't believe so. I will only say that I have never 'made up' anything, and was not 'taught' to say the words that come forth. Is it language? Yes. Is it known? To God, certainly, to me, no, to others, I don't know. As to whether you have shown that 1 Corinthians 13 and 14 to deny a present-day tongues experience, I think you have merely stated your opinion. Your (only) key Scripture: "...but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away." 1 Corintians 13:10 NASB. Some believe that 'the perfect' refers to the Bible. The problem is that even though the Bible is perfect, man's interpretation is far from perfect. (for instance, I hardly believe that you have 'perfect' understanding of the Bible, and I would make such a foolish assumption) Other scholars believe that spiritual gifts will cease upon the return of Christ, as He is 'Perfection.' Some are even foolhardy enough to think that their church tradition is 'perfect.' This last one doesn't even bear comment. Me? I prefer the second interpretation. My own eyes tell me that simply having the Bible has not made the church perfect, and I have not yet seen a perfect church tradition. Friend, it seems to me that your main concern is the disorderly conduct of 'tongues' churches. I assure you that my own church practices order. We do not 'babble' constantly, nor do we 'show off.' We do not 'require' tongues for salvation or membership. It is a gift from God, given according to His will. Guidelines for the speaking of tongues are written in the Word. Read the Bible? Yes, I have. I must say that your wording implies that I have not read the Bible, and only listen to men. I assure you that I have come to the convictions I hold by reading the Bible thoroughly, and studying it personally, and studying the commentary of a broad spectrum of Biblical scholars. I also pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and always compare my thoughts and actions to the Word of God. Struck a chord? :-) Hurt feelings? No, I am just fine. I often say, 'Takaburi-mono wa shiawase da ne!' (bigots are happy people!) I believe it is good to have strong opinions, but to have strong opinions at the expense of another's righteousness is just arrogance. It appears that you are implying that the 'one Gospel' is YOUR Gospel. Hmmmm... Shiawase da ne! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |