I believe what Mt. tells us inthe parable of the sower can bring light to what so often happens on this topic, because so many have heard it wrong, so many times they have not yet seen the truth. I personally received the Holy Spirit months after I was born again, due mainly to all the unbelief and confusion I encountered seeking to know the truth about what is those tongues.
Consider this statement as we go into the topic matter of the aforementioned scriptures.
Mt 13:14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mt 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
We have three accts. of the parable of the sower and it is very clear that hearing the word as it is spoken or written is the individual choice, and those that do hear and believe and act according in faith will produce bible fruit.
The four Gospels make mention of the fact that the lord Jesus will baptize believers with the Holy Ghost and fire. In Acts ch1:4-5 Jesus told the believers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the father, which you have heard of me and reminded them they shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. In verses Jesus tells them they shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you. In Acts 2 if you will note the Spirit came upon them, not in them. These believers where already saved and when one receives Jesus the language is the Spirit within.
Peter in telling the crowd said this is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel and it is mentioned this outpouring was for all flesh. and latter in referring to this acct calls it the Gift of the Holy Spirit and in every acct all belivers that received the Holy Spirit, spoke with other tongues. in acts 10:45-46 it is said the gift of the holy ghost and they knew they had received the holy spirit because they heard them speak in tongues. In Acts eleven Peter again speaking of this acct remembers about being baptized with the Holy Spirit, the Gift is the Holy Spirit.
Notice in Acts 19 verse two Paul ask the disciples if they had received the Holy Spiritsince they believed, this very important language, showing the distinction form receiving Jesus and receiving the Holy Spirit, after they believed and where baptized, Paul laid hands on them and the Holy Ghost came on them.
In Mk 16:17 Jesus mentioned believers would speak in tongues, the afore mentioned accts are examples of believers speaking tongues as they received the Holy Spirit.
believers speak in tongues as they will and the gift on tongues is as the spirit wills and usually in assembly.
I address the topic post as a man who has been given the gift of tongues. To say that every true Christian should speak in tongues is a slippery slope for the following reasons :
* Tongues would then become a litmus test for a person's salvation.
* People would judge others without the gift as not being true Christians.
* It doesn't take into account the counterfeit tongues of men and the enemy..
One should take the Mark verse you provided in its entirety
".... drive out demons, speak into tongues, they will pick up snakes with their hands, they will drink deadly poison, it will not hurt him at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well."
*I assume you have the tongues part down, what about the rest?....I'm pretty sure you don't..... different gifts for different people at different times..... who can know the mind of God? Are His thoughts are thoughts?
Dennis I NEVER SAID OR IMPLIED ONE WAS NOT SAVED IF THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. GEORGE JUST SO YOU WILL KNOW THE POST IS ABOUT RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT.
PJ, you seem to be saying that one that is saved will speak in tongues, therefore you imply that one is not saved if they do not speak in tongues. This also implies that those who do not speak in tongues will not go to heaven. That is of course if one were to believe that Christians will "go to heaven".
Since tongues is one of the gifts and all of the gifts are evidence that one is saved then all Christians must have a gift and not all will have the gift of tongues. What's more there must be some need for a gift in a congregation in order for there to be a gift at all so if there is no need for tongues then it will not be present as a gift which of course means that no one in that congregation will go to heaven because they are not saved according to what you have implied here. We who read and understand that the gifts are given to a variety of people for a variety of needs in the congregation would believe that tongues may or may not be necessary in a congregation and therefore there may or may not be a gift of tongues given or revealed in the congregation but if there was a need for the gift of tongues in the congregation then it would be there and hopefully even though not all in the congregation would have the gift of tongues they would still all go to heaven.
