[George]

Aloha Connie,

You came real close to answering your question near the end of your first post on this thread. And much of the material that you quoted is very informative and has some value, but “what saith the scriptures?”

Please read 1 Corinthians Chapter 14 (the whole Chapter). I attended an Assembly of God church for nearly 3 years (1963-1965) – not once in all of the time that I attended that church did I ever see the “gift of tongues” ever practiced or used in a “scriptural” manner (according 1 Corinthians Chapter 14). Nearly all of the people (90%+) that supposedly had the “gift” were women – in direct contradiction to the “commandment” of God. [1 Corinthians 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.]

I was a young Christian at the time – ignorant of most of “the manifest wisdom of God” and searching for the “truth”. I never did speak in tongues, but at the same time I didn’t know whether they were real or for me, since I had so little spiritual understanding.

I didn’t use any other bible than the King James Bible, but I had not yet settled the matter of God’s Final Authority for another 3 years. My wife and I left that church (and Pentecostalism) when the pastor put his Bible on the floor of the platform and declared: "I’m standing on the promises of God” – and promptly stood on his Bible right there and then!

I didn’t realize at the time, but I believe that God was teaching me to judge – to judge “righteous judgment” and to judge, not according to a person’s (or a church’s) words or works, but to judge according to their “fruits”. Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

This is a very “thorny” issue, but here is what the scriptures say: 1 Corinthians 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: According to the testimony of scriptures – the Jews didn’t only look for signs, they REQUIRED them. And even a cursory examination of the scriptures will bear this out.

Abraham (The first Jew {Hebrew}) had signs; Isaac saw miracles; Jacob saw both signs and miracles; Moses couldn’t convince the Jews (Hebrews) that he was called of God to be their deliverer until – he produced signs (and later the miracles & wonders); and so it goes throughout the history of Israel the prophets produced signs, wonders, and miracles in order to convince the people of Israel that they were come from God and were legitimate prophets.

When the Lord Jesus Christ came and dwelt among men he proved to the people of Israel Who He was by signs, wonders, and miracles also: John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

Remember 1 Corinthians 1:22 – “the Jews require a sign”? And the Lord performed all kinds of signs and miracles for over 3 years and yet they still refused to believe Him or receive Him!

And so we come to Peter, James, John, Phillip, Steven, Paul and others (Notice – all Jews!) performing signs and miracles. Why did they have signs? – because at the start of the church God was still calling out “Jews” and in order to keep His word (His promise to perform signs for the Jews) He performed these signs through those men so that the Jews who lived throughout the Roman Empire would believe that these men were from God.

And so to the issue of tongues: 1 Corinthians 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

At the end of Paul's ministry the greatest Apostle (Paul), the man who could heal people with pieces of cloth from his clothes; the man who raised the dead; the man who was bitten by a deadly snake and felt no harm - could NOT heal Timothy of a simple stomach ache and "often infirmities"!

What happened? The "sign gifts" (only) ended with the apostles (as church history bears out) and are now in abeyance until God picks up with Israel again (soon - and I hope to be gone).

Christians cannot REQUIRE signs. We shouldn't be looking for signs or for "sign gifts". We do not believe by sight our salvation is based on FAITH in the word of God to be true and in the FINISHED WORK of ou Lord on Calvary.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This is very short post - there is a lot more to this "thorny" issue - I hope I have been of some help to you.