Speaking In Tongues Does Not Equal Salvation.

[BroGary]

Originally Posted by Falla39

Lacey,
I am 70, and all my life I have been taught that Jesus gave to Peter the
keys to the kingdom. After instructing the apostles/disciples to go to
Jerusalem and tarry/wait until they be endued with power from on high.
And while they tarried/waited, suddenly the Holy Ghost was poured down
upon those 120 waiting, as Jesus had instructed. Peter preached the first
Pentecostal message. Peter said to repent, and be baptized every one of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and ye SHALL
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the Promise is unto you (Jewish
believers, and to your children (Jewish belivers children) and to all that
are afar off, even as many as the Lord your God shall call. He's still calling
today and we who were afar off have been brought nigh.

I not only was taught the above things, but found it to be Bibical!

This is all I have ever heard in the two churches I have attended in my
lifetime. We moved from the first church we attended, when I was 11 yrs.
old. We have lived in the present location for almost 60 yrs. My late parents
founded the church we have attended for almost 52 yrs. I am so thankful for
the simple message of Pentecost I have heard and believed. Paul told young
Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15
"And that from a child though hast known the holy scriptures which are
able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith that is in Christ Jesus".

Could it be that those who were taught that you didn't have to do anything
but repent, believed that that was all they had to do. Why would you obey
anything else, if those who were supposed to be your teachers told you that
was all you had to do. I personally know a man who is older than I, who went
to our church and is presently attending a UPC some distance from here. They
retired and moved. But his Baptist mother so instilled in him that he was saved
and didn't need to speak with tongues, that he didn't pursue the Holy Ghost.
His wife came from a trinitarian background, heard the apostolic message of
Acts 2:38 many years ago, believed and obeyed it!That man so believed his
mother that he didn't feel he needed to do anything else. After all Momma said
he was saved!

YOU DON"T PURSUE tongues, you SEEK THE HOLY GHOST. If you want to
enter into the Kingdom of God, you MUST received the HOLY GHOST to do so.
For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and
joy, in the HOLY GHOST!

My late paternal grandmother searched the scriptures daily and found that
someone had deceived her. The minister she had listened to, and her mother
had been a charter member for 48 yrs in that church, and she for 21 yrs. She
heard another minister preach another message. She got mad and was going
to prove him wrong UNTIL, she searched it out and found it was true. She left
Father and Mother's religion, forsook that church and obeyed the apostolic
plan of salvation. She found it was true and promptly obeyed. Her 15 yr old
son, my late father followed her in obeying this new message they had heard.
Grandma said she was forsaken at first, by her family members. They thought
she had lost her mind. Her mother sought God in secret prayer and He reveal-
ed Himself to her. She and her husband obeyed and followed. Many other of
her family. Grandma said she felt as if a great gulf seperated her from her
parents, etc. She said they could come to her, but she couldn't and wouldn't
go back to them.

I thank GOD for that decision made by my late paternal grandmother. In a
way, she made a decision which has blessed many generations of her family.
and mine. Of course we did have to decide individually for ourselves when we
first believed!

Anything less than FULL TRUTH is error!

If someone, in FAITH, TRULY repents, is baptized in Jesus Name, they will
receive the Holy Ghost and it will be evidenced by the Spirit giving the utter-
ance. The utterance (sound, evidence) that they have indeed received the
Spirit. It is the Promise of the Father!

Let God be true and every man a liar. If there is a problem, it is with man,
Not GOD!

Lacey, like you, I have never seen anyone that received the Holy Ghost that
did not speak in tongues, when the Spirit came. There was JOY, from the
recipiant to the attendants. Those attending the New Birth!
The signs follow the believer, not the other way around.

Falla39

Amen, and some may say people have had a change in their lives without speaking in tongues, but even people who start following a false religion, even Islam, can have a change in their life and stop drinking, ect., so just having a change is not evidence enough, God has a specific initial evidence that would leave no doubt. Repentence brings a change, but repentence alone will not save anyone, they must also be born of the water and the Spirit.

It is like unto when a baby is conceived and is like when the seed of the Word is germinated by faith, but the actual birth is deemed successful when you hear the initial evidence of the new born baby crying, likewise we know a new "babe in Christ" is born of the Spirit when we hear them joyfully "crying" out in tongues :-)