They are not following the rules for the use of the gift as set forth in I Cor. 14-22-40.
- They are not seeking to edify the church but are
selfishly seeking to edify themselves. I Cor. 13:5
love seeks not its own.
- Many speak at once, not one at a time,
- Some places they have no interpretation,
- Women are not to speak in a public meeting (14:34,35) and yet most in present day movement are women.
- In most of their meetings there is great confusion, 14:33,40.
- Seldom, if ever, are Jews present.
- Their teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is false teaching. All believers are baptized by the Spirit at the moment of salvation, I Cor. 12:13; Rom. 6:1-6.
- Their main emphasis is to be filled with the
Spirit and love one another. However, Paul in I Cor.
13 teaches that one who is filled with the Spirit
and has God's love:
- "Does not envy" - there is much envy in the tongues movement.
- "Vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up" - many of the tongues people boast of their experiences, not of Christ; they look down on those who have not had this experience.
- "Doth not behave itself unseemly" - many put on a big show. (Televangelists)
- "Seeketh not her own" - the whole movement is selfishly seeking a personal experience.
- "Is not easily provoked" - If you show these people what the Bible teaches about the gift, they reject the Word, hold to their experience, and become angry with you.
- In Acts 2, 10, 19, the display of the gift of tongues was a sign for Jews present (see Is. 28:11-17).
- In Acts, those who were filled (controlled by) with the Holy Spirit were faithful witnesses for Jesus Christ.
- They did not tell of their emotional experience they only spoke of the Living Christ who had saved them. I know of no person in the tongues movement who is a consistent witness and soul winner. (There may be some, I have not met any).
- The key passage on the Spirit filled life in the epistles is Eph. 4:20 - 6:20. Paul does not list tongues as a result of being filled with the Spirit.
- No where in the epistles are we commanded to speak in tongues. I Cor. 12-14 was not written to encourage tongues but it was written to correct the abuse and misuse of the gift of tongues. Speaking in tongues at Corinth was not a sign of spirituality but of carnality (see I Cor. 3:1-3). It caused division, discord, pride, strife and self-seeking. It is causing the same problems today.
- The tongues movement is uniting people (many
are unbelievers & even false teachers) on the
basis of love and emotional experiences. II John
7-11 forbids us to unite with anyone who does not
hold to the clear teachings of the Bible. See
also Gal. 1:6-10; Matt. 7:13-23.
True love will not compromise truth for the sake of unity but will be in line with I Cor. 13:4-7, II John 1:9-11, and Jude 1:3.
- The present-day tongues movement is a side-track
of Satan to keep the saints from being soul winners.
God is not the author of confusion or division
but this movement is causing confusion and division
among God's people all over the world.
Tongues is the primary tool Satan is using to accelerate the ecumenical movement and bring in the one-world church (Babylon Rev. 17). This movement is not resulting in the unity of true believers, the exaltation of Christ and truth, and the evangelizing of the World as we have in the book of Acts; but it is resulting in the unity of believers with unbelievers and false teachers, the exaltation of men and experience, and the sidetracking of the saints from soul winning to seeking after an experience.
Many of these people are sincere dedicated believers. However, we must remember that Satan comes as an angel of light, as a minister of Christ, and as a minister of righteousness (II Cor. 11:13-15), and that it is possible for a dedicated believer to be deceived by the devil; remember Peter in Matt. 16:13-23.
Even if you do not agree with my position that tongues have ceased, if you are a honest person you would have to agree that what is written here is true and that the present-day tongues movement is doing great harm to the cause of Jesus Christ. This movement must be exposed and avoided at all cost.
