How many times did you ask God for the Holy Ghost?

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Originally Posted by noeticknight

Indeed, I do believe in miracles. However, I believe reality has stretched this doctrine quite thin. Are you really prepared to go around validating everyone’s salvation on whether or not they’ve exhibited “speaking in tongues?” Personally, I refuse to coerce people to produce some outward manifestation of inward faith to prove something that is intimately personal, especially if that means asking them to do the impossible, unless, that is, it is commanded in scripture explicitly. The only justification for such audacity would be the ability to produce solid teaching from the Early Church leaders. Maybe even one verse commanding it would suffice?

I agree in principle. I believe tongues is the initial evidence of the Holy Ghost. Nothing anyone has said has veered me from that persuasion. But at the same time, abuse of that belief and how some people have in turn ABUSED PEOPLE with that doctrine is no reason to say the doctrine is wrong. I say that to say this: I am not going to judge a person's salvation either way. EITHER WAY! People mock the believe that tongues is evidence of the Spirit baptism in a teaching that demands Spirit baptism for salvation, as judging people, and yet there is the judgment of no need for such a thing as well. Those who usually criticize another's view of judgment for salvation are judges, themselves, on the other end of the spectrum. They insist such and such is all that is needed for salvation.

Why do people have to wind up saying lack of THIS or THAT makes for hell? Why not preach what the bible shows people preaching, leave hell out of it where the bible leaves hell out of it, mention hell where the bible mentions hell, and leave people in the hands of God to sort out later?

It seems some people JUST HAVE TO SAY people will go to hell if __________. Priscilla and Aquila showed the way more perfectly to Apollos. We read them saying no words about hell to Apollos. Yes, I believe in Acts 2:38 salvation and tongues as initial evidence of the Spirit, but I am not going to proclaim hell to anyone who does otherwise when Peter did not even do so in Acts 2. Why do people think they have to say "...or you'll go to hell?" And for the onesteppers, do not think every three stepper is a harsh hell hollering preacher either.