Pathways For Sojourners

[hawkman]

In my opinion, prophesying is an altogether different gift and not relevant to
tongues.
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Here is how I have seen the operation of the Gift of prophecy work . A message from the Holy Spirit is given out in tongues and then the message is interpreted by someone with the gift of interpretation of tongues , unless there is someone in the congregation that speaks the language the tongues message is in then they can tell what the message was . Example below .

My wife told me of a Chinese lady missionary visiting here in Alabama at the local church . One of the regular church members spoke a message in tongues during a church service . But problem was after the message in tongues was given no one offered an interpretation . Then the Chinese missionary spoke up and said the message was for her , it was spoken in Cantonese . Part of the message was for her and part was for her church back home in China . She said the message was delivered in perfect Cantonese , the lady that spoke the tongues message in Cantonese spoke Appalachian like me .

 

[hawkman]

Back in 1968 when I was a young welder, a production manager at my place of
work began chatting with me about Christianity and made me aware that Jesus was
thinking of me when he went to the cross. So, in time I went with the manager to
his church and along with him and two elders went down to the front rail and
prayed this rather simple prayer.

"Lord I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's death."

Then began 57 years of Sunday school classes, seminars, sermons, Bible books,
and radio Bible teachers the likes of J.Vernon McGee and others. I appreciate your
offer but I already know as much about the gift of tongues that I'll ever need to
know at 81+ years and dying of end stage esophageal cancer.
_

Thanks for sharing with us . You know I am praying for you , carry on brother .

 

[Beetow]

.
111) 1Cor 14:29-31 . .Two, or three, prophets should speak, and everyone else
should weigh carefully what is said. If a revelation comes to someone who is sitting
down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that
everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

The Greek word translated "prophets" isn't restricted to foretelling future events. It
also pertains to inspired folks who were able to quote the new testament before it
became available in writing. In other words, some, if not all, the prophets were
walking Bibles and thus extremely valuable to congregations as in-house sources of
the word.

● 1Cor 14:32 . .The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

Though God endows certain Spirit-selected people in church with the gift of
prophecy (1Cor 12:4-11) it is not He who endows them with the compulsion to talk
all at once and/or talk out of turn. Self control and chaos prevention are the
prophets' responsibilities, viz: no matter how inspired the prophets might be, nor
how important they think their information is, Paul expected them to act like adults.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
112) 1Cor 14:34 . . Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are no
permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says.

It could be argued, with some merit, that this rule applies only to tongues and
prophecy; but Paul expanded its scope in a letter to his friend Timothy.

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to
teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first
formed, then Eve." (1Tim 2:11-13)

It's important to note that this is neither a gender issue, nor a competence issue,
nor an intelligence issue when it's so obviously a primogeniture issue, viz: it's about
seniority.

FAQ: What about women like Anne Graham Lotz and/or Tara-Leigh Cobble? Aren't
they out of order?

REPLY: The instructions are limited to congregational meetings. They don't include
public venue's, e.g. forums, town squares, street corners, coliseums, stadiums,
convention centers, radio, television, or social media like YouTube and/or Facebook.

FAQ: What about Deborah in the old testament book of Judges? Exactly how was
she an exception to the rule, if indeed she was?

REPLY: Things are quite a bit different now with Christ at the helm, i.e. Christ's
association with his church trumps Deborah's association with the Jews. I do not
recommend using her, or any other woman in the Bible, as an excuse to circumvent
Paul's instructions in matters pertaining to the management of Christian
congregations.

* Paul appealed to "the law" as the basis for 1Cor 14:34. Normally when Paul
speaks of the law he's referring to the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon
with God as its written in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Exactly where in the covenant that women are forbidden to lead an assembly
and/or speak in a mixed group I don't know. However, it's quite obvious that the
covenant is very sexist, i.e. women were not installed in either the priesthood or
the Sanhedrin, to wit; the priesthood was Israel's teaching arm and the Sanhedrin
was Israel's governing arm.

* Moses' law doesn't always specifically address certain things. Sometimes the law's
rules and procedures imply principles that we call "the spirit of the law".
_