Pentecostals
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11. Dear Mr. Butindaro …. I want to ask you a question. I hope you
will give me an exhaustive answer. I have attended several worship services
in a free |
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Here is my
answer. Yes, in the light of what the Scripture teaches, the behaviour you
have eye witnessed several times is wrong. For the Scripture says: “If anyone
speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and
let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in
church, and let him speak to himself and to God” (1 Corinthians |
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First of
all, I would like you to notice that if in a Church there are believers who
speak in other tongues, not all of them are allowed (either together at the
same time or one at a time) to speak in tongues with a loud voice in order to
draw the attention of those who are present, but only two or at the most three.
And secondly, notice that those who are allowed to speak in tongues, must
speak one at a time and not at the same time. Therefore, even if only two or
three speak in tongues with a loud voice at the same time, what they do is
not in accordance with the Word of God, and consequently it must be rejected.
Thirdly, notice that what was spoken in other tongues must be interpreted by
one who has the gift of interpretation of tongues (therefore it is
unacceptable that two or three or more people interpret what was said in
tongues), but if there is no one who is able by the Spirit to interpret, then
they must keep silent in the church and speak to themselves and to God
(therefore, they can continue to speak – even in another tongue – but only in
a low voice). |
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In the
light of these orders given by the apostle Paul, therefore, if all the
believers assembled together speak in tongues – no matter how beautiful it
may appear – they don’t act rightly, and this is confirmed by Paul himself
when he asks the Corinthians the following questions: “Therefore if the whole
church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there
come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you
are out of your mind?” (1 Corinthians |
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I conclude
by pointing out to you that the custom of speaking in tongues all together at
the same time, when the whole church comes together in one place, is
widespread not only among the Free Pentecostal Churches but also among those
Pentecostal Churches who are not called or don’t call themselves in this way
(that is, Assemblies of God Churches, Elim Churches, Foursquare Gospel
Churches, etc..). Unfortunately this wrong custom is very widespread among
Pentecostals, and it is censured by those believers who are not Pentecostals.
They refute it by saying that such a practice is contrary to the Scripture,
and they are right in saying this. However, some of them say also that such a
practice shows that speaking in tongues which is among Pentecostals is not of
God! I disagree with them on this because, as I say always, Paul did not
question the genuineness of the speaking in tongues among the saints at |
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Therefore,
even though very often during Pentecostal meetings the above mentioned
commandments of God concerning speaking in tongues are not observed, I exhort
you not to think nor to say that tongues among Pentecostals are of the devil. |