rebuttal

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Crystal L. Holton wrote:
> 
> I have never been to a service were someone is speaking in tongues and
> there is an interpretor. How does that work? The interpretor is needed
> only when someone has the gift of speaking in tongues, right? What is the
> difference between speaking in tongues and the gift of speaking in
> tongues. I would appreciate any replies to my questions. Thank you.
> 
>                                         -Crystal Lafay-


  Sister Crystal, I wiil be glad to give you my thoughts as to your question on 
tongues. First of all I would like to recommend that you attempt to purchase a
book by Carl Brumback, called " What meaneth this?". This book is getting more 
difficult to find, perhaps because it was written in 1946, but it in my opinion
it is the most indepth, easy to understand book on tongues that I have ever read. I 
don't know how many copies that I have purchased and given away. 
  As for the author, I am still a bit puzzled, because he wrote one of the worst 
books against the Oneness that I have ever read. Anyway the book mentioned will
no doubt help you.
  Again let me add, this is my understanding of tongues. I am not a preacher,nor
prophet, but I have been used in tongues. If you will read ICOr 12,13,and 14 , here 
Paul addresses the entire issue. He lays down strict guide lines that should be 
followed. I come from a background other than Oneness and their teaching  on this
subject is far less than accurate. 
  There is the SIGN of tongues, everyone receives this whenever they are filled 
with the Holy Ghost, everyone, this is their sign that the Spirit of God has 
entered into them. Some call this PRAYER tongues for whenever one is RENEWED in
the Holy Ghost they again speak in tongues. Mind you just because one speaks in 
tongues AFTER they have received the Holy Ghost doesn't mean they are living right. 
It is the FRUITS of the Spirit coupled with the tongues that confirm one's walk in
the Spirit after their inital infilling.
  These tongues are man's spirit speaking to God, and God's Spirit speaking to man.
There is no message other than to the individual, personal edification, ICor 14:4.
This is man communicating with God, and God communicating with man. ICor 14 :2,
He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh NOT unto men, but unto God: for no 
man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
  Then we have the GIFT of tongues. Not everyone has this gift, but it is possible 
for God to use anyone that has received the Holy Ghost in this gift. Just as all are
not apostles, prophets, have not tongues-[ The gift of tongues ], nor have the girts 
of healing, ICor 13:27-30.
  This supernatural manifistation of tongues is God speaking TO man THROUGH man. 
There is a message from God to an individual or individuals, and he speaks it through
someone. This gift is to be operated in order, it is for a sign to UNBELIEVERS, not
saints. ICor 14:22.
  Often more than one person in a congregatioin will get the interpretation of a 
message, I have had this happen to me, God has spoken the message in tongues through 
someone and just as another begins to give the intrepertation- it sounds clearly 
within my own mind. As Paul points out in ICor 14:27, " and let one interpret."
Only one is to give the intrepertaion at a time, only one.
  If more than one attempts to give the intrepertation there will be confusion,
especially to the UNBELIEVER, ICor 14:23, " will they not say that ye are mad?"
Paul goes on to say in ICor 14: 27-28 that after the message in tongues is given 
two or three times and no one intreprets, then the one giving the tongues should 
cease giving the message and pray quietly. All of this should be done in order, 
one at a time, and no more than three times with each message. This is where the 
pastor comes in, he is the director of order in any congregation.
  I might add tongues are no necessary whenever unbelievers are NOT present. I have 
saw a few prayer meetings, ( usually whenever the pastor is not present ) get out
of hand because of some saint wanting to give messages in tongues to other saints.
Here again sister is where the pastor comes in.
  Sometimes a person will get carried away in their desire to worship God and begin
speaking in tongues in a congregation and there is no message, they are just in
love with the Lord and need a little instruction. Once again this is where the good 
pastor comes in with his God given instruction. Someone that does this may be out of
order, but they might just be sincere and need a little pastorial guidance, we should 
try and be patient with them. 
  There was no doubt disorder in the Corinthian church or Paul would not have devoted
at least three chapters to them on the order of, and difference in tongues. When used
properly tongues are an edifying, powerful witness to a congregation, and to lost. But 
when allowed to be taken over by the spirit of man, tongues are as shallow, and 
lifeless as a corpuse. I have been to churches where it seems like a contest of who
speaks in tongues more than everyone else. On the other hand I have been in services 
where kids cease to move, and babies stop crying whenever there is a message in 
tongues from God.
  I know as a young saint I was very puzzled with some things pertaining to this 
subject. I ignorantly elevated [ in my own mind ], people who were used in tongues to 
a lofty platform just because God used them. I recall two older individuals in my 
congregation that were used quite often in tongues and intrepertation. One used to sip 
his beer and do his cussing on the side and the other had the worst spirit [ whenever 
the pastor wasn't around ] that you could imagine. This greatly perplexed me as a young 
saint. I didn't tell anyone, I just prayed about it.
  It was sometime later that God spoke to my heart some things that I never forgot. 
First of all he told me they were his children and he would deal with them, that I was 
not to judge them, or talk about them, I was to pray for them. Secondly the FRUITS
of the Spirit were the evidence of a Spirit filled life after the initial infilling of 
the Holy Ghost, NOT the gift of tongues. He went on to say that he spoke a message 
through a donkey once.
   Tongues are certainly to be desired in our lives, but they are not a fool proof
sign that we are continuing to walk in the Spirit. I hope this helps you. Once again 
let me add, this is my understanding of tongues. If you obey your pastor, seek the 
Lord in Spirit and in his word your understanding will be opened.


                          Your friend and brother in Jesus Christ

                               Roger Evans