Prophesy and Tongues | Andrew Farley

let's go now to Buffalo New York and we'll talk with Chris hi Chris hey if you thanks for having me on the program I really enjoy listening to you my question thank you sir my question was regarding I did a debate between continuation ISM and cessationism continuation ISM for those who don't know is the belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit perhaps perhaps the most controversial of those tongues and prophecy still continue today and we'll until the return of the Lord and cessationism being that those gifts have ceased with the either of the completion of the canon or the death of the last apostle my reading of Scripture it's very I find that the first position is more tenable especially first Corinthians 12 through 14 and specifically in 13 how it talks about when the perfect comes the impartial will pass away and that is referring to the gifts of prophecy in tongues and I take that the perfect would probably mean the second coming of Christ which would result in the resurrection in the perfect state of existence which is not yet but until then those would continue that's so that's what I would hold you and the first Corinthians 14 seems to indicate that those were regular parts of the Corinthian worship which all had to put in order but didn't do away with him told not to forbid speaking in tongues so what do you think about that I apologize for going waited this no no that's good you articulated it well and I I agree with you I don't think that the spiritual gifts are done away with I don't believe in cessationism as it's called you know I I do think that we have misunderstood some of the gifts and I when I say we I mean some of us and the Christian world I think we've defined things wrongly Chris so you know for example do I think prophecy continues yes but not fortune-telling and not futuretelling the way I see it you know Paul tells the Corinthian church that prophecy is intended for three reasons to console to edify to comfort to exhort so this comfort console thing is one purpose to exhort or spur on to better actions and attitudes would be another and to edify or build up a person encouraging them so that's the purpose of prophecy I don't see fortune-telling in that I don't see futuretelling in that when it comes to prophecy like some of these guys who will get on the TV airwaves and get on you know the radio and other places in their platform and start it start saying that you know the Lord is coming back in three days or in three weeks or next year or you know when this astronomical phenomenon occurs the Lord's coming back you know they start prophesying so to speak at least in their own minds they think they are making predictions about the future and I don't think that's what prophecy is when you look at what you know exhortation is spurring someone on to better attitudes and actions when you look at consoling someone that's comforting them when they're hurting grieve with those who grieve when you look at edification that's building someone up with encouragement encouraging words about what encouraging words about Christ about the cross and the resurrection about our Heavenly Father about his love for us you know exhortation what would exhort us to have different attitudes and actions well the fact that Christ lives in us the resurrection new life in him being led by the spirit consoling someone or comforting them in their troubles well what would do that well the truth about resurrection new life in heaven resurrection body that our loved ones are not lost that sort of thing so that's what I think new covenant New Testament prophecy really is as Paul describes it and unfortunately you know what a lot of people are pushing as prophecy turns out to be nothing more than some sort of fortune cookie so to speak you're going to be in Africa next year God told to tell you to marry that person all this sort of junk and it misleads people it confuses people and I don't believe that that is authentic prophecy so I think the real thing exhorting and edifying and consoling a lot of Christian counselors so doing that sort of thing so I think some who are Christian counselors might have the spiritual gift of prophecy whether they call it that or not now regarding tongues I also think the gift of tongues is still around but I think we have defined it wrongly in some circles I don't think it's angel talk for example the Bible says you know even if even if I speak with the tongues of angels well it also says in that same paragraph even if I have faith to move mountains and even if I give my body to be burned well Paul's body was never burned and he never moved any mountains around the earth beaming a hill here or there never even got that far so the whole statement the whole paragraph is even if it's hyperbole so for us to take that passage and turn tongues into angel talk I don't think that's accurate I think tongues is what we see in acts 2 sharing the gospel in human languages to which people were born so that other people can hear the gospel and believe it that's why in Corinthians Paul says tongues is a sign to the unbeliever how is it assigned to the unbeliever well if I start hearing the gospel in my own native language let's say it's Swahili and you're not a native speaker of Swahili but God enables you supernaturally to share the gospel with me and Swahili I'm blown away by that that is a sign to me as an unbeliever that what you are saying is of God because God has supernaturally empowered you to speak Swahili when you don't normally do so so I think that's what the gift of tongues is I think that's why they were abusing it in Corinth you know imagine some guy shouting out Russian and other guys shouting out German and other guys shouting out Swahili in the middle of an english-speaking church service Paul's saying don't do that unless an interpreter otherwise nobody can say Amen because you're like a barbarian you don't you're speaking nonsense and only God understands you you've got some mysterious language going on there that other people are like what is that so that's why I think tongues has been misunderstood you know just as a final thought here I mean there's not a single reference to tongues being private you go through the entirety of first Corinthians twelve thirteen fourteen the whole spiritual gifts section there's not a single mention of tongues being private it's all corporate it's all mentioning tongues being used in a church service so the whole point is if you're gonna pray and a church service please pray with your mind so other people can say Amen don't abuse this gift if you're gonna sing please sing with your mind don't abuse this gift so that other people can say Amen at what you're singing so intelligibility unity and making sure there's order in the church service that was the backdrop for this tongues instruction and again there's no instruction at all about going home and doing it by yourself it is a sign to unbelievers that come in to that church service and it's also an evangelistic gift as we see in acts 2 a sign to unbelievers who need to hear the gospel in their own tongue to which they are born so are the gifts still around absolutely I believe they are have we misunderstood some of them absolutely I believe we have I hope that helps Chris that's my thoughts on spiritual gifts and appreciate your call feel free to call back anytime great to hear from you you

Channel: The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley

Views: 3,774

Rating: 4.661972 out of 5

Keywords: forgiveness, freedom, identity in Christ, Christ, Jesus, Grace, Bible teacher, Bible ministry, Andrew Farley, Andrew Farley Ministries, new life in Christ

Id: q5jJTAZZtMQ

Length: 8min 33sec (513 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 04 2019