Hi seven. I thought that Paul was speaking of the gift of tongues in speaking a message to the fellowship. Not all have this. But, the language of the spiritual person, all can have it. Some quit seeking for whatever reason, but my opinion on this would be a serpent lie speaking that God doesn’t want to give this to me.
The gift of tongues is equal to the gift of prophecy, but this must be interpreted or is not understood.
interesting thought and one expressed here often enough
some think that the congregation were actually praying in tongues out loud which personally I don't see indicated by Paul
I don't think it's a matter of whether or not all should speak in tongues because I think that in private life all might but this does not seem to be what happens
I've known people who earnestly wanted to speak in tongues but it just did not happen for them
on the other hand, some do at the moment of asking...that 's how it happened for me
tongues are both a sign and a gift. a sign to unbelievers and a gift to believers
while I believe that not all will speak in tongues, that is what I see actually, I would not use that as an excuse not to pray about it
frankly and this is something I'm not sure has even been discussed here, praying in tongues does open up a spiritual door with consequences ... you probably might know what I mean by that
it isn't something to be flippant about
I will agree that tongues do seem to be the first evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit as a separate event after conversion
I'm wondering about all those that were converted on the day of Pentecost with regards to being filled
IMO, there is really not enough taught in churches and people get carried away and strange beliefs happen sometimes
once we do pray in tongues, our spiritual awareness is heightened and we need to understand that employs both realms
haha...probably more than you asked for