So I just started listening to the audios (although I do like to go back into the article) in which Christopher wrote called 'speaking in tongues vs charismatic gibberish'. I'll leave it below in case someone new has not read/listened yet.
http://www.creationliberty.com/articles/tongues.phpWhat I wanted to do with this post is do a little bit of sharing of my experience in the Pentecostal church. I'm doing in this in hopes maybe one day a pentecostal church follower will come by and read it. And if not i'm leaving this in confirmation to what was said by Christopher in his teachings about speaking in tongues. I have only once told my story to a woman that had come out of the Pentecostal movement. So this will be my second time.
When I was a young child, before my mother starting taking us to a nondenominational church. She took us consistently to a pentecostal church. This was the denomination she grew up on. And also my uncle is a pastor of a pentecostal church about an hour away from us. (If people question if I know much about the denomination) There were experiences that I have had there were very horrifying now looking back. And so revealing these things to you right now are very personal. There is so much more that goes on in their churches besides their so called "speaking in tongues". I can say this because I used to speak their "language". And i'm going to come right out and say it is VERY demonic. I've been praying over this for many years now. And I just want to give a warning that not all these pentecostal churches do these types of things but this was the way the church my mother took me to was. Not to say that anything they do is right because I don't endorse them in the least bit. So they believe very much of 'the laying on of hands'. But they twist scripture and take it extremes. There can be a lot of yelling and jumping around and even laughing. Their version of worship service is very loud. And to a young child, it was extremely confusing. I remember walking into the door as worship service was starting and getting what I would call 'goosebumps'. You know when you open the door in the winter and it's freezing outside. And your hair sticks up on your arm. I hope I explained that well enough. But it was this strange sensation all through my body. When I was child, I knew something was not right. My mother assured me it was the "presence of God".
Anyway, these church leaders will do a lot of the "speaking in tongues". And they will also pray over people and they also believe they have the ability to cast out devils. Like I said i've seen many horrifying things. Anyway, they also do this thing. I'm going to try to explain it to the best of my ability. Where a group of them get together and lay hands on you. And the person they were all laying hands on.. would all of a sudden fall backwards. And as you can probably guess they would all be "praying in tongues" while doing so. One day I decided that I wanted to know what was happening to these people when they fell back because there eyes would close and it would be a while before they woke up. And so I asked my mom and she approved that I could go to the alter. Now I was really young at the time. I had to be like 6 or 7. I can't recall.. it was so long ago. But I was young. A group of "leaders" prayed over me and I lost control of my body. It was like something was throwing me backwards. And all I could see was bright white light. And I don't remember anything afterward. Talking about this leads me to the scripture where the devil is referred to as an angel of light.
Anyway, when I got a little older we ended up leaving for a non-denominational church. Which my mother never explained why. Which ended up being disguised as a charismatic church. They also spoke "in tongues" there as well. Although not all of them did that. I never heard the pastor do it. And when I was in my very early teens my youth pastors used to take the youth group to revival meetings. During one meeting, my youth leaders at the time, baptized me in a pool along with a few other of my friends. There was some crazy things that went in that revival meeting. People were being "healed" and speaking "in tongues". Very similiar to this babbling language. Which Christopher points out all sounds the same. Which I can attest to the fact they do. They all very simliar sounds. My youth leader (the wife of the youth pastor), encouraged us to pray to "receive the holy spirit" and we would then be able to "speak in tongues". She told us a story of how she prayed for hours to receive the "gift" and told God she wouldn't leave her room until "she got it". We sat on the floor together (my friends and I) for well over an hour praying for each other and crying and crying. She kept encouraging us that it was something we'd feel in our heart and it would come out. I did end up getting that "feeling". It felt hot in my chest. But something was still not right. And I don't know how else to explain it but I believe it was demonic in nature. And then afterward I honestly believe I faked it. I starting babbling what everyone else in the meeting was doing. And I guess the problem was I never understood what any of all that babbling meant. (It was very traumatic) There was no praying with understanding. Everyone including myself sounded crazy. And there had to be hundreds of people babbling and "prophesying". I even had people come to me "prophesying" that God was going to do something great in my life. Whatever that meant.
I've never shared my story because as you can see I sound like a crazy maniac. At the very end of that revival meeting I was able to "speak in tongues". It was like I lost control of myself. (More like demonic possession) And it came out naturally and I was jumping around like some kind of jelly bean. Almost like I had 20 cups of coffee at once. I was on this happy high and literally jumping around babbling. And laughing hysterically. My youth pastors never said anything to condone what I was doing. So they were in agreement. (I had few other experiences like this afterward as well) Not even a month afterward, I had an experience with a demonic entity calling my name endlessly. I could hear it like it was physically in the room and putting headphones on never helped. I could still hear it. It was something out of horror movie. I know it was demonic because my other two friends that were baptized with me. The same friends I was praying with back at the revival meeting, experienced the same voice. And my friend was at the verge of suicide as well. I even had difficulty reading my bible. I ended telling my mom I felt the devil was torturing me and so what did she do?! She took me back to pentecostal church. And they "tried" casting it out of me. It didn't work. And Ive had many experiences since being saved. And I believe I also had similiar experiences as a child and I firmly blame it on the penetcostal church we attend as a child.
Many years later when Christ saved me and I came to him in repentance. I searched the scriptures on the experiences I had. And realized none of this was biblical! I remember even going to my youth pastors and telling them about the voices I had been hearing and they told me I just need to pray about it. But I don't believe they believed me in the least bit. I had two other witnesses having the same experiences and I was treated like I was crazy. I never knew anyone who felt the same way I did until I started reading testimonies of christians who had left the penetcostal movement. And realized it was never from the Lord. I did end up going back to that church last year. In hopes maybe it would be different there. Because I knew they had stopped going to those "revival meetings". And I started to doubt maybe I was wrong about everything. And since reaching out and speaking to my old youth leaders. Mainly because of the bond I had with them. I still loved them. (But now I question if they are saved or just deceived. Only the Lord knows.). And the last time I was around them.. they sadly are still "speaking in tongues". But since then the Lord has directed me to leave there and having nothing to do with them anymore. I have since taken a lot of this to prayer and fasting and asking for forgiveness if I have offended the Lord or have been in disobedience. And have never spoken "with tongues" since I did so many years ago.
This is the scripture the Lord showed me while praying and fasting over all of this.
“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” 2 Corinthians 11:4 KJVI believe I received another spirit. So christians WAKE UP and realize the dangers. And search the scriptures for yourself to find the truth. I was foolish to believe everything those pastors were telling me. So I just want to say thank you Christopher for choosing to stand firm in the faith and exposing evil for what is it.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,” Ephesians 5:11 KJV
