Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy - Prophetic Gifts Today In The New Testament Church

The Prophetic Confusion at Corinth

teaching must not be tampered with. A test of a person's spirituality is how he or she responds to Paul's Spirit-derived directions. Verses 39-40. Paul's conclusion should be understood by every church: All of us are to "desire earnestly" to prophesy. At the same time, no church is to forbid speaking in tongues. We must simply be sure everything is done in a proper and orderly manner. Paul has given us the most basic, workable approach for an orderly expression of spiritual language in the church service. He has also heartily endorsed personal spiritual language as a beneficial devotional expression to God. In the next chapter I contend that prophecy was meant to continue throughout the Church age, and I attempt to address (and refute!) four key arguments of cessationism.

REFLECTIONS

I wish to submit that the languages spoken by people today who employ spiritual language under the enabling power of the Holy Spirit are all actual languages. I'm aware that a few instances of linguistic analysis conducted by experts who have scrutinized tapes of speakers in tongues have made such judgments as "gibberish," or,"This does not contain the usual structures of recognizable speech." But my own experience and that of many other pentecostals and charismatics I have met strongly argue against this laboratorial judgment. 49 Jack Hayford It does seem strange that in the face of well-documented evidence to the contrary,some investigators are still insisting that no one ever speaks in a tongue in a real language.Surely such a statement is unscientific! ...Our friends will not accept documentation from those who have heard these real languages spoken,or who have spoken them themselves.They insist on tape recordings in order to satisfy "objectivity." So they attend meetings with recorders ready,or ask people to come and speak in tongues for the record ing machine,searching vainly for a speaking that is recognizable by an objec tive group of listeners.Perhaps they are overlooking one very important question: If speaking in tongues is indeed the result of the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit,who is very much aware and present in the whole process, is he interested in providing them with the proof they are seeking? 50 Dennis J.Bennett The words [of prophecy] should be in the vernacular if the congre gation was to be edified; but the inspiration must be immediately from the 229 ■