.
I was informed by a Charismatic friend that he prayed in a tongue because
he couldn't express his deepest feelings any other way. Mind you this was an
American adult of almost fifty years old; educated in America and spoke,
wrote, and read English-- his native language --his entire life.
So I asked him how it is that his command of English was so poor that he
could only express his thoughts in a language that not even he himself could
either identify or understand?
● 1Cor 14:13-15 . . If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is
unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray
with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
In other words: there are Christians out and about blabbering incoherently
because they choose to, not because they have to. With just a simple act of
their own will they could easily switch to speaking with real words.
Why on earth would a grown-up prefer incoherent blabbering? Isn't that the
way small children communicate? Well, I can excuse small children because
they're uneducated. But shouldn't supposed educated adults be just a bit
more mature with their language and grammar than small children?
● 1Cor 14:20 . . Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be
infants, but in your thinking be adults.
The true gift of tongues is very handy for communicating with foreigners.
But in our day and age, Charismatics typically don't communicate with
anybody, either foreign or domestic . As a result, Charismatics are looked
upon with the same disdain as the kooks that hurl themselves on the floor,
and/or faint, scream, writhe, shout, and dance with rattlesnakes.
Well; not too many sensible people care to accommodate kooks, so if you're
serious about influencing people for Christ, I highly recommend sticking to
an intelligible language. Here in my country, English is a good choice
because most people can understand it without requiring the services of a
translator.
And for heaven's sake, please do not allow yourself to be drawn into
participating in a tongues meeting.
● 1Cor 14:23 . . So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks
in tongues, and some who do not understand, or some unbelievers come in,
will they not say that you are out of your mind?
_