Speaking in Tongues (or Babbling in Nonsense?)

When I was young, our family attended a "Holiness" (or Church of God In Christ) Church. People called us "Holy Rollers". 

For most of her life, my mother attended this denomination. However, my mother never participated in much of what made "Holy Rollers" Holy Rollers. She did not "shout" (dance around "in the Spirit"); she did not speak in tongues; and she did not claim to "hear from God". (Like many Christians, she believed that the way to hear from God was to read the Bible.)

My mother prayed all the time and she was steadfast in her faith. I never heard her mock the people who did all that shouting and speaking in tongues.  I remember her always sitting quietly and just watching as this kind of thing went on.

I realized something about Mama after she was gone and I was growing stronger in my own faith. She didn't attend the COGIC church because she believed in everything they did. She attended because it was the church that was around when she was growing up. My mother believed in "fellowshipping" but she was discerning about people and beliefs.

As a more mature Christian myself, I don't hold with a lot of what many Pentecostal churches do. I don't believe in forced tithing (or tithing as a mindless habit).  I don't believe in babbling in tongues that no one is able to interpret. I don't believe in all the jumping and shouting. I believe in God.

One thing I noticed about people in the church I grew up in (specifically the 2 locations my mother was associated with) was that people were a lot more Christian inside the building than they were outside it.

But the speaking in tongues thing did baffle me for a while. I wondered if there might be something to it. I didn't want to believe that so many people were just babbling nonsense - which would be a sort of mockery. What convinced me was realizing that no one was ever interpreting what was said. Also, there would be several people "speaking" at the same time. No one had a clear message to share; people were just, I almost hate to keep saying it, babbling.

There are some prominent names in "ministry" who make a habit of this kind of nonsense. 

They give people a reason to laugh at sincere Christians... We know that we would be hated by the world but to be made a target by other so-called "Christians" is really sad.

Here is one video about speaking in tongues. 

Finally, I have realized that "charismatic" worship is not for me. My faith is not a faith of feelings or experiences.  Please read your Bible for yourself. Pray and ask God for discernment. Your pastor is not your "father" and you need to hold him to biblical standards.

I can know now that while my mother was faithful in her churchgoing (unlike me), she remained discerning and did not "follow every spirit". 

Peace

--Free

You Must Take a Look at This

 As a Christian, I know that I have to constantly be on the lookout for dangerous doctrines. What surprises me is how many such dangerous things are hidden in every day situations.

This is a video from Melissa Dougherty. I love how she thinks (and teaches) in such a way that it what I call "every day relatable".  

Of course, I know to watch out for New Age teachings and pitfalls. What I didn't know much about was New Thought ideas. The Enemy is sneaky. 

I hope that anyone watching this video gets something from it to help with your discernment.

I will be going now so that I can do more Bible study and prayer about this.

Peace

--Free

Life, Death & Reality

(I wanted to post this as soon as I could. I think that the subject of Death needs to be pondered by all of us.)

I was reading a news story recently about a group of people who died on a yacht. I feel so bad for their families and loved ones. I am sure that many of us can relate to being blindsided by events that change everything. 

These people - and others we read about who die suddenly, unexpectedly, and tragically - were just living life and expecting to live another day. We do that, don't we? Take this moment and the next for granted, as if it belongs to us.

Whenever I hear of a story like the one I read, I always lament that the people might not have been ready. Not that I think anyone can be ready for an "unexpected" death. But, dying is a guarantee (for most) and some of us are prepared.  Note that I didn't say that some of us are "ready". I don't know if I will be ready when my time to die comes but I am prepared. All Christians should be.

Death is both a finality - where this mortal life is completely over - and a beginning - when the next eternal existence begins. 

One thing is certain, whether some of us believe it or not: Death is and Death will be.

Do you have Jesus? You are going to die whether you do or don't. Are you poor and downtrodden? Are you wealthy? Unattractive? Beautiful? Are you "fortunate" (by worldly standards) or not? None of that matters to Death.

Once, when a family friend died and his loved ones were trying to decide on a coffin and what type of service they would have in his memory, we all felt sorry for their ordeal. In a private conversation within our family, my mother said something that I thought (at the time) was unkind. My mother was not an unkind woman so I was shocked - at the time. During the conversation about the widow and the children stressing themselves over funeral details - especially the coffin - Mama said something along the lines of "'Henry' doesn't care what box they choose. All he can do in it is be dead."

As an adult, I now understand my mother's remarks. I thought about them when I read that news story. The people who perished were on a yacht. They were, of course, wealthy and, by worldly standards, "fortunate". Now they are dead.  How they died, where they died, and what their status was when they died doesn't change the fact that they are dead.

I'm not thinking about the status, wealth, or lifestyle of these people. All I can think about is whether or not they were prepared. 

I'm pretty sure they all had some worldly preparations made: wills, estate planning, etc. But I pray that they were prepared for eternity. I pray that in whatever moments they had left on this earth, they came to the Lord. Nothing else matters to them now.

I pray now that anyone reading this is prepared. No matter what you believe, you better be ready to believe it to death - literally. Please examine your hearts. Please think carefully about what comes after this.

Peace

--Free