Originally Posted by trialedbyfire
FIRST, I want to say these are generally questions you should ask your pastor. I'll do my best to answer them based on my experience.
I did ask my pastor, and I'm pretty sure I make her head spin sometimes with all my questions. She told me the best thing I could do was ask my brothers and sisters about their experiences, I just...IDK I guess my faith isn't good enough, I need something concrete, some kind of guide to go by, something to look for when I do something.
Ha, as this answer is uncomfortably close to my heart, I should redeem us by saying that Scripture tells us that satan will muddy the waters whenever possible, too; although the Bible does seem to outline like 3 different "speaking in tongues."
Timmy, we at least can rest secure that if we understand "love your neighbor," we have 9/10ths of the Law, and I bet if we just asked God about this "tongues" thing, which I admit I haven't done yet, the answers might be better than with your approach, or endless, circuitous study, both of which I've tried.
I do understand your attitude, and resonate with it, as I say, as my experience with tongues was fairly superficial, relatively speaking, and I don't much appreciate anyone suggesting that I'm going to hell for it, either.
If only everyone would ask God about this and all doctrines, then everyone would believe the exact same things. Wouldn't that be cool? Unity!
__________________
Hebrews 13:23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty
I did ask my pastor, and I'm pretty sure I make her head spin sometimes with all my questions.
Pastors are there to answer your questions. That's their role. Believe me her head isn't spinning. God calls those to that position to be a servant-help to protect those souls who God has placed under their care. From my own experiences serving under some of the greatest pastors in Pentecost most pastors find it refreshing when someone cares enough about their relationship with God to ask their pastor questions. It shows them not only that they are serious about their faith but that they trust their pastor enough to seek wisdom from them. Your pastor should be pleased that you are asking questions, rest assured.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Matt
She told me the best thing I could do was ask my brothers and sisters about their experiences,
That's an interesting approach. At this point I say that you've been obedient to your pastor and have asked your brothers and sisters and now it's probably time to focus less on us/them and focus more on God. It's good to discuss experiences with others, but when it comes to our relationship with God it is a personal affair between you and the God you serve.
If your faith is struggling, it is not always the best thing to do to go to other people, but rather the Bible says "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". I'd suggest you begin reading and focusing on reading the word of God over these times in order to keep yourself from struggling in faith. The Bible is the WORD of God. In reality it is no different then if God were to come down and speak to you in an audible voice. Allow the Bible to speak to you and restore your faith, focus on the WORD keep your mind on the scripture, and he will fill you.
Pastors are there to answer your questions. That's their role. Believe me her head isn't spinning. God calls those to that position to be a servant-help to protect those souls who God has placed under their care. From my own experiences serving under some of the greatest pastors in Pentecost most pastors find it refreshing when someone cares enough about their relationship with God to ask their pastor questions. It shows them not only that they are serious about their faith but that they trust their pastor enough to seek wisdom from them. Your pastor should be pleased that you are asking questions, rest assured.
That's an interesting approach. At this point I say that you've been obedient to your pastor and have asked your brothers and sisters and now it's probably time to focus less on us/them and focus more on God. It's good to discuss experiences with others, but when it comes to our relationship with God it is a personal affair between you and the God you serve.
If your faith is struggling, it is not always the best thing to do to go to other people, but rather the Bible says "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". I'd suggest you begin reading and focusing on reading the word of God over these times in order to keep yourself from struggling in faith. The Bible is the WORD of God. In reality it is no different then if God were to come down and speak to you in an audible voice. Allow the Bible to speak to you and restore your faith, focus on the WORD keep your mind on the scripture, and he will fill you.
Matt, I am sorry that I came to this discussion a bit late. However, I have a few things that I would like to share.
The feelings that each person feels when they receive the Holy Ghost is different according to the individual. I have seem some who were vibrant with joy upon receiving, others who wept, and some who were so quite that you were not sure what they felt. All said that they felt like new people.
Stammering lips are quite common before a person receives the Holy Ghost. This is mainly because generally they are struggling to submit themselves to God. When total submission occurs, the person begins to speak with other tongues. The length of time can vary between a few minutes to (for some that I have heard of) several days.
When you speak in tongues, it is a common error to search for feelings. This is not a reliable indicator of anything. There will be sometimes that you will have overwhelming sorrow, thankfulness, ecstacy, or perhaps just a since of peace. All of these are common and will of course be accompanied by their respective physical responses.
You will know that you have received the Holy Ghost when you speak with other tongues. There is no other sign constistently given in the Book of Acts as another initial sign. The only things that you will need is the faith that you can have it, the belief the He will give it, and the submission to receive it.
You asked if there was anything specific that you must say. The simple answer is no. However, that is not to say that there is nothing to say. Begging God for it does not work as a rule. Too many people in the United States spend ages seeking it, when they need to turn loose of their pride, preconceived ideas (perhaps based in pride), and simply humble themselves, submit to God, and give Him praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving are the fastest ways to receive the Holy Ghost. I do not mean by vain repitition of a couple of phrases. God gave us a vocabulary, but when in prayer too many people fail to make use of it.
You will know if you are forcing the tongues (so that they are not truly tongues). I can not exactly tell you how to tell the difference. If you start to feel like it is not truly God speaking, take some time and ask Him to renew you with the Spirit. Submit yourself to His control and pray. It could be that you are not being moved on, or you have let yourself slide into a spiritual rut and need to break free. These can eventually cause you to become so numbed to the moving of the Spiritthat you are not even aware that you have ceased to actually speak in tongues, and are now faking. I have watched this happen.
I am sorry for having been so verbose, but I do hope that something that I have said will be helpful to you.
(Keep asking your pastor questions, it is a sign of progress.)
__________________
I am an Apostolic Pentecostal. Apostolic in teaching, and Pentecostal in experience.
Forgive me if I can't come up with a catchy thread name...I just have some questions about tongues, I tried asking them in other threads but someone informed me A. Everyone might have already zoned out those threads and B. I might have some better luck around this time. My questions aren't to debate, I'm just nervous and want to make sure I'm not going to do something wrong, because I have before. And I'm sorry if you've read these questions on the other threads, I just want some honest opinions. So here's the questions...What should one feel like physically and mentally when receiving the Holy Ghost? What should one feel when speaking in other tongues (the initial evidence and praying in tongues, not the gift of tongues to be interpreted.) How does one know if he or she is speaking in real Godsent tongues? Is stammering lips another evidence of the Holy Ghost, and is it a requirement to have to Holy Ghost? Can you tell me of ways of knowing if when I speak in tongues it's real? Should I be praying any specific things to receive the Holy Ghost? Is it possible to receive the Holy Ghost a while before speaking in tongues?
There is no real validation that you will find. Feelings do not validate anything for they come and go at a moments notice. Nor is there any validation that what any of us speak in is actual tongues and not gibberish.
So if you are looking for validation you won't any. If you are looking for an experience that you can believe and feel and have faith in then maybe you'll get what your looking for
__________________
You better watch out before I blitzkrieg your thread cause I'm the Thread Nazi now!
Thank you Jay, I guess all in all my main problem is trying to tell if I was forcing tongues, I don't know if I was speaking them just from memory or if it really was tongues. I decided to just not speak at all, just pray, but I don't know if I may be blocking it altogether.
Thank you Jay, I guess all in all my main problem is trying to tell if I was forcing tongues, I don't know if I was speaking them just from memory or if it really was tongues. I decided to just not speak at all, just pray, but I don't know if I may be blocking it altogether.
At times I can just get into the flow of tongues. At other times I will just pray, well, most of the time I will just pray in English, tongues the furthest thing from my mind, and as I'm praying in English, I am interrupted, or shall I say, I yield myself to the Spirit and tongues come forth.
At times I can just get into the flow of tongues. At other times I will just pray, well, most of the time I will just pray in English, tongues the furthest thing from my mind, and as I'm praying in English, I am interrupted, or shall I say, I yield myself to the Spirit and tongues come forth.
Let me ask this. Could tongues come to mind, and I don't say them?
Linear Mode
