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Via:        UK.AC.LON.SGHMS; 27 JAN 93 17:53:26 GMT
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Date:         Wed, 27 Jan 1993 17:55:53 +0000
From:         AE Panagos <sggp999@SGHMS.LON.AC.UK>
Subject:      Re: Tongues

Boy it is so difficult to answer any of these posting. I take up all my time
just reading them all. How do you all do it ?

Anyway about speaking in tongues. After I had just become a christian I
started to attend a church who spoke in tongues. Now I thought it sounded
funny especially from the denomination I came from but I just wanted
anything and everything God had on offer.

Now at these meeting they were asking people to come to the front and they
would pray for them and God would baptise them with the Holy Spirit and
they would speak in tongues. Fine, that sounded great except I was terrified
in going down in front of these people. I was only a new Christian and God
was still working on my pre-christian hang ups. Well I took the scriptures
they mentioned especially Luke 11:9-13 where it says the father will give you
the Spirit if you ask Him. So I prayed over these and asked God. Lord you
know that I am not able to go down to the front that I am afraid of people so
Lord I believe what you say in your word so FatheI don't need to go down
to the front fill me here in my room, just you and me. Well God respects
a sincere and child like heart and He filled and I sta was doing the vacuuming.
 . Well my first reaction was that it
is only me doing this not God, then God just gently reminded me, Didn't you
ask me to do this ? Didn't my word say I would ? Didn't you hold me to my
word ? Well why are you doubting that I would stick to my word ? Well that
was in 1982. It wasn't till 1 year later that I was talking to some people
who were saying that it was only for bible days, that it is no more. My
knowledge of scripture was yet in the infant stage, so all I could say, it
happened to me, no one told me I couldn't do it, no one told me it was wrong
, I only believed God.

Now this is not a very sound scriptual argument, and that I could go into
but these are being mentioned. We shouldn't rely on emotions but on the word
of God. Since then I have seen this over and over again in His word. Now
since 1982 I have seen countless people speak in tongues for the first time
from people who have been Christians for a long time, people who just finish
saying the prayer of commitment to the Lord and then break out in tongues,
to even children speaking in tongues. I am a youth leader in our church
and one meeting some one brought their nieces along 6,7 years old. Just
the worship God said to me that there are a couple of people who want to be
filled with the Spirit. Well I asked and these 2 girls came down. I asked
them what they wanted and they said we want to be baptised in the spirit.
I asked them do they know what it is all about they said no, so I spent a
few minutes explaining it then we prayed for them. We had hardly started
and down they go speaking in tongues. We were all supprised. God is so
wonderful, He never does things our way but His way and its always the best
way.

Now I'm running out of space so I'll round up. This reminds me of scripture
could you tell the blind man that Jesus healed, that God cannont heal ? He
will only laugh and LOOK at them and say don't miss out on what God can do.

Ask God, see what he will do..

Andrew Panagos
sggp999@sun1.sghms.lon.ac.uk
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU