Have you ever tried to do damage control with people had a terrible experience in church and swear they'd never step into another one again?
There are many reasons that could happen... and I'd just like to highlight one example, which perhaps, should have been easily avoided.
Some non-Christian friends step into a church recently... and absolutely freaked out when they see people 'falling down', 'shaking' and loudly shouting in a language they can't understand... At first, they thought it was Latin!
But then, they realise it was no human language and wonder if the church was out of their minds!
These non-Christians are probably ill-prepared to see such manifestations, and got a serious 'culture shock' in the pews. They walked out and vowed to stay out.
In case anyone thinks I wanna 'hantam' any 'denomination' here, lemme clarify tat I was (in some sense, still is) a Spirit-filled, tongue-speaking, devil-casting, hand-laying, bible-believing, promise-claiming, revival-praying Charismatic...
I appreciate the good charismatic values of zeal in service, evangelism, simple trust in God, passion for Jesus, exuberant worship etc. (oh ya, dun we crack jokes abt those pretentious ivory-tower theologian who doesn't give any practical value??)
During college days, I flirted with the more fundamentalist/separatist groups of the Reformed camp... I also appreciate the good reformed values of faithfulness to scripture, passion for engaging cultural mandate, purity of doctrine and separation from error etc. (And dun we laugh at those hand-wringing anti-intellectuals?)
Of course, there are 'not-so-good' values too on both sides...
And surely, we need to learn from each other and help each other to grow...
I thank God that the atmosphere of tension during the 80's have eased much nowadays.
At this stage in pilgrimage, I'd probably fit into the awkward hybrid called "Reformed Charismatic" la!
But such cases of 'damage control' made me really wanna find out, "Why do we still practice multiple, same-time, uninterpreted 'tongues' almost every Sunday?"
Didn't the apostle Paul clearly say: (1 Corinthians 14)
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue....
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?
But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!....
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.
Could someone please tell me why do we do precisely what Paul instructed against here? What could be the biblical, theological or missional reasons for that?
Comments
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will endure forever" Mk 13:31
Gifts will cease, "you have exalted above all things your name and your word." Ps 138:2
I've got to order these thoughts more I know, but I'm just saying I've placed these things in a new priority and find my relationship with Jesus to be improved.
Xyba
Even when i was serving in a charismatic church years ago, i found justifications made to violate Paul's rule to be unacceptable (personally). Always thought it to be more a stumbling block to unbelievers!! Why does the church perceive in this? Didn't find a satisfactory answer when i was in it, haven't found one now either.
May the Lord lead you as you seek to understand His truth.
It's so true that much debate nowadays abt music styles, formulas or preaching styles has missed the point...
The fundamentals still apply.. as Luke said, authenticity, honest caring,humility, faithfulness to God's word and transformed lives would naturally result in healthy church growth...
I agree with you tat charismata in itself is not the problem here... but the ABUSE of spiritual gifts, being exercised in an unbiblical fashion tat results in seekers being driven away. :)
even if some people can get converted DESPITE wrong practices, it doesn't mean that we have the freedom to disobey biblical instruction that tongues must be done in orderly fashion though.. amen? :)
My thinking is this: the biblical gift of tongues, from the story of Pentecost, is *definitely* the ability to speak in an *existing* language you have never learned, for the purpose of declaring the mighty works of God, and manifests itself when the Holy Spirit comes upon you in a powerful way. I think this actually does still happen (I've heard stories).
It *may* be also the the charismatic gift of tongues, or 'ecstatic utterances' if you want to use a more general term. I think the bible is much less clear on this. Even if it isn't, I'll still allow that God may have introduced something new to the Christian church somewhere along the way.
What I can't deny is that churches that practice the use of tongues in this manner tend to experience incredible growth. But what I'm certain of is that tongues is the lesser of the gifts as stated in Corinthians, and it's not even unique to Christianity. The reason some folks say it's satanic is because satanists and other cults also use a form of ecstatic utterance. Of course that's like saying songs with percussion are satanic because satanists sing songs with percussion. My whole religion might just as well be based on doing only what satanists don't do.
One thing that was impressed upon me from my time with SIB, however, is "the most excellent way", which is love. Agape love is the most powerful thing you'll find in any church. You may come to Christ because you experienced something spiritual (like tongues), or by "induction" (like Lewis), but the world isn't going to know us by how powerful our spiritual or mental gifts are. They will know us by how we love one another. I did find Christians living that out at SIB, and Pastor Chew does tell them to walk the walk.
So I don't agree with charismatics on how they apply one particular gift. They have reasons, even if I am not convinced by them. I'd say tell the charismatic folks what you believe and why, hear the response, and leave it at that. That's what I did with my cell leader at SIB, and it was a very amicable discussion (it may have helped that by nature we were both very amicable people).
Lets put the whole thing in context though: the bible spends very little time discussing tongues. I feel I'd be missing the point if I chose to take them to task over it. For whatever reason, God has used this gift to grow their numbers. Yes, a lot of folks are put off by it... but hey! Reformed theology to the rescue! Let's just catch the folks they miss, eh? =)
I think ur rite on target that 'tongues' have been blown way out of proportion.. either as the must-have gift of the Spirit-filled OR the gibberish utterances of the deluded...
The truth is, 'tongues' are just one of the different gifts God sovereignly distributes to different members of the church :)
imho, churches like Dumc, Ssmc, Sib, Calvary grow bcos of love, obedience to great commission and truth (some sociological factors thrown in too)...
It is very hard to see a necessary, direct correlation between growth and 'same-time, uninterpreted, multiple' tongues during worship...
If next Sunday, we stop doing that... the church won't dwindle bcos non-Christians are frustrated that no 'tongues' were available!
Quite on the contrary, our churches may even grow more by obeying Paul's instructions, and unbelievers dun get put off! :)
It takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people :) just as every sort of church oughta submit our doctrines and practice to the authority of the scriptures