Speaking in Tongues : Is it real or fake?

Speaking in tongues is the New Testament phenomena where a person speaks in a language that is unknown to him. This language is either the language of angels or other earthly languages (1 Cor. 13:1). It occurred in Acts 2 at Pentecost and also in the Corinthian church as is described in 1 Corinthians 14. This New Testament gift was given by the Holy Spirit to the Christian church and is for the purpose of the edification of the Body of Christ as well as for glorifying the Lord.

There seems to be three divisions in the use of tongues: First, a private prayer language that is not interpreted; second, a language that is interpreted — this defines proper usage in the Christian congregation; and third, missionary context — that is, it appears in the context of evangelism where people are presenting the gospel.

Speaking in Tongues : Must for Salvation?

Some churches maintain that you must speak in tongues in order to be saved. This is a grave mistake since not all people speak in tongues because not all people are gifted by the Holy Spirit this way. Tongues must not be focused on as being the only evidence of having received the Holy Ghost/Spirit. It is NOT the only evidence of Holy Spirit! 1 Cor. 12:27-31 Everyone does not receive the gift of speaking in tongues. Just as we must not forbid it, we must also not require it. The bible does NOT say that speaking in tongues is required and it does NOT say that speaking in tongues is the only evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost.

1 Cor. 12:7-11,28-31 — “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills…28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.

So, the gifts of the Spirit are varied and they are for the edification of the body of Christ. Speaking in tongues is not necessary for salvation and it is not a prerequisite proof of Baptism in the Holy Spirit. We must remember the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 13:1-2,13 given below.

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing….13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Speaking in Tongues : Holy Bible says

Speaking in tongues is a Real Gift from GOD. Sometimes some people speak false gibbish, some times people speak in devil tongues but other times some people do correctly use the real gift from GOD known as speaking in tongues. If and when done from and of God, it is Biblical. The ministers that forbid it are going against 1 Cor. 14:39 “forbid not to speak with tongues”! Paul’s solution to the tongues problem in the Corinthian Church was not to forbid tongues, but to correct the improper use of the gift from GOD.

It was not for just the day of Pentecost. Pentecost happened in Acts 2. But speaking in tongues was continued in Acts 10 and Acts 19. No where in the Bible does it say that it stopped being allowed or that it was reserved only for the early days of the church. In fact, it says it will also be for the end times! And if it was for the early days AND the end times, then it is also for the in-between times! Acts 2:16-20.

Do you speak in tongues? Please share your thoughts here.

Do Ghosts Exist? A confusing question for all.

Yes, spirits do exist and sometimes they pay a visit too.

Forbidden Area

First, the Church forbids us to conjure up the dead – (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2116-2117)

God’s law condemned spirit mediums, saying: “Do not turn yourselves to the spirit mediums, and do not consult professional foretellers of events, so as to become unclean by them” – Leviticus 19:31

Peter Kreeft in his book Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Heaven (pages 34-35) says the reason for “this stricture is probably protection against the danger of deception by evil spirits. We are out of our depth, our knowledge, and our control once we open the doors to the supernatural. The only openings that are safe for us are the ones God has approved: revelation, prayer, His own miracles, sacraments, and primarily Christ Himself…The danger is not physical but spiritual, and spiritual danger always centers on deception.”

3 Kinds of Ghosts

We can distinguish three kinds of ghosts.

First, the most familiar kind: the sad ones, the wispy ones. They seem to be working out some unfinished earthly business, or suffering some purgatorial purification until released from their earthly business. These ghosts would seem to be the ones who just barely made it to Purgatory, who feel little or no joy yet and who need to learn many painful lessons about their past lives on earth.

Second, there are malicious and deceptive spirits—and since they are deceptive, they hardly ever appear malicious. These are the ones who respond to conjurings at seances. They probably come from Hell. Even the chance of that happening should be sufficient to terrify away all temptations to necromancy.

Third, there are bright, happy spirits of dead friends and family, especially spouses, who appear unbidden, at God’s will, not ours, with messages of hope and love. They seem to come from Heaven. Unlike the purgatorial ghosts who come back primarily for their own sakes, these bright spirits come back for the sake of us the living, to tell us all is well. They are aped by evil spirits who say the same, who speak ‘peace, peace, when there is no peace’. But the deception works only one way: the fake can deceive by appearing genuine, but the genuine never deceives by appearing fake.

Heavenly spirits always convince us that they are genuinely good. Even the bright spirits appear ghostlike to us because a ghost of any type is one whose substance does not belong in or come from this world. In Heaven these spirits are not ghosts but real, solid and substantial because they are at home there: One can’t be a ghost in one’s own country.

That there are all three kinds of ghosts is enormously likely. Even taking into account our penchant to deceive and be deceived, our credulity and fakery, there remain so many trustworthy accounts of all three types of ghosts – trustworthy by every ordinary empirical and psychological standard – that only a dogmatic prejudice against them could prevent us from believing they exist. We believe an old apple woman when she says she ate an apple; but when she says she saw a ghost, we say ‘But she’s only an old apple woman.’ A most undemocratic and unscientific prejudice.

No Lost Souls

Once a person dies, that person’s soul is immediately judged.

And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment - (Heb. 9:27)

There are no “Lost Souls” i.e. there are no souls that are caught between death and eternity unable to cross over to the other side. After death, a soul is judged and is either saved or damned. A damned soul is in hell; a saved soul is either in heaven or in purgatory.

That said, it may be that purgatory might in some way involve the life one lived here on earth. It is not incompatible with a belief in purgatory to believe that our purgation might include “revisiting” places that were significant during our earthly lives. It may be that occasionally God allows people to see such souls in order to inspire prayers for them or in some way to teach a lesson to the people who see them.

Conclusion on Ghosts

Although Church teaching does not rule out the possibility of ghosts, and although it also does not rule out the possibility that God might allow us to see ghosts on occasions, the Church does forbid us from attempting to initiate occult contact with departed souls.

All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone – (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2116).

Are you a Jesus Youth? Do you want to be one? Wanna know more about JYs across the world?

Jesus Youth around the world are gearing up for the Jubilee Conference which is scheduled to happen in Kochi, India from 28th Dec. 2010 to 1st Jan. 2011. More than 15,000 delegates from nearly 25 countries are expected to attend this mega event and make it a truly international Catholic youth festival. We expect you too at the Jubilee conference.

Date : 28th Dec 2010 – 1st Jan 2011

Venue : Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology, Kakkanad, Kochi, Kerala, India

Refined in His fire. Renewed by His Spirit. Radiant in His love.

These three R’s encapsulate the essence of the Jubilee. They combine the two essential themes- “clothing the movement in white linen and receiving the power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

The Jubilee theme : ‘Refined Renewed Radiant’ was put together by Shelton Pinheiro (Co-ordinator, Rexband).

Jubilee Logo : A cross and a rising flame within the figure of 25 symbolises the fire of the Holy Spirit and the centrality of Jesus and His mission within the movement. The colours blue, orange and white stand for youthfulness, the fire of the Holy Spirit and the call to holiness.

Jesus Youth Jubilee 2010 Video

Watch the above video clip. It is all about the birth and growth of Jesus Youth Movement right from 1970s.

A journey across 25 spirit filled years.

The movement at a glance

Jesus – Witnessing to the relevance of Jesus the Saviour and his church among this generation

Helping the youth encounter Jesus and live the beauty of that encounter among their peers

Using the creativity of the Holy Spirit and the dynamism of youth to be a contemporary, vibrant spiritual presence in this world

Youth living in today’s world reaching out to be in union with Jesus and drawing life and joy from Him

JY Jubilee 2010 Wallpapers

History of Jesus Youth Movement

A missionary movement at the service of the Church

1970s – The flame of renewal spreads across the world through the Charismatic Renewal

The great wave of the Holy Spirit gave rise to many youth groups in the southernmost tip of India, Kerala, the state popularly known as, God’s Own Country.

1985 – In the international year of Youth, the youth from these groups came together in Kerala for a conference. The conference was called Jesus Youth ’85 and the participants began to call themselves Jesus Youth.

These young people shared their experiences and formed Prayer Groups and cell groups wherever they where – work places, parishes, schools, campuses… and when they moved into different parts of the world, they carried their lifestyle along with them.

Today the movement is alive in 25 countries around the world, making a difference among students, professionals, young families, teenagers & children in Asia, Europe, Australia and America.

This year the movement reaches a milestone – 25 years of the movement

The theme is ready – The jubilee cross has began its journey across continents – The prayers are rising – the purification has begun – the celebrations have begun – The global conference is at hand – The Holy Spirit is on the move

Are you ready for the Jubilee? Anyone can register for the JY Jubilee 2010.

Now that the Jubilee is over, please goto the official Jubilee page.

You may also read :-

Jesus Youth Jubilee Prayer

Who is a Jesus Youth (JY)