Judas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 1:32 pm
From the most widely used Greek lexicon (Thayer):
A tongue, i. e. the language used by a particular people in distinction from that of other nations.
In other words, a language, used by people. The definition of the words you are referring to drives the meaning of the passage. Using it for some kind of angelic language distorts the passage. You, or the Azusuza street people who cooked this up, are twisting the actual meaning of this. As the founder of the great Christian and Missionary Alliance A.B. Simpson is reported to have said about the tongues movement:
“I think there might be some of God in this” before largely concluding it was a distraction.”
We believe that the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit does indeed manifest. But he does so through holiness and a changed life.
My answer to this limited understanding is this:
1 Corinthians 2:14
King James Bible
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Apostle Paul laid out all that we should understand about the gift of tongues. Obviously by what he taught in 1 Corinthians 12-14- it is a "Spiritual " language. It is a "gift" those given it don't need false accusations hurled at them. As I have shared before, my husband received the gift when all alone while praying. It DID edify him just as Apostle Paul taught. He DID desire the gift having read Apostles Paul's teaching. He doesn't talk about it with others. He's about the least pretentious person you can meet- but NO ONE, including Satan, can take it away from him by telling him it was not real. .
I agree that Satan tried to counterfeit the REAL with the unreal. Who would despise gifts of the Spirit more??
I also do not appreciate the assumption that those who have gifts do not "love," like Churches who don't practice the gifts of the Spirit or lack faith in them. I have known many with gifts that love in a way that astounded me.
Apostle Paul doesn't say "Gifts OR live" but he did teach live is the more excellent way. Of course! But false accusations are not love either- as if anyone knows everyone who'ever had the gifts to discern true or false.
Let the Lord sort that out.
You cannot blame Christians who read 1 Corinthians 13-14 for believing a Church service is supposed to be like this,- so if they have faith to pursue that AND love, then I know Jesus is pleased. He was neither pleased with lack of love, nor lack of faith (in supernatural and certainly warned against blaspheming the Holy Spirit - when He performed the Supernatural He was falsely accused of being of the devil. Seems Satan can still do this against Believers.
"Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers" (1 Corinthians 14:22"
I mean there's quite a bit that Apostle Paul teaches about it- those who say it's only a "foreign language" are dismissing much of what he taught. Don't want it? That's fine- pursue love is more important including loving those who desire the gifts out of obedience to the teaching about why we should decide it and the other gifts of the Spirit, prophecy being superior to tongues.