What do you think of Running the Aisles?

[Amethystic]

Does anyone want to take a crack at saying why 1 Corinthians 14 doesn't seem to apply to us today?

Well we could start a huge discussion and pick that chapter apart verse by verse, but that would be rather dis-unifying, since everyone has their own unique views and experiences and we'd never come to an agreement on anything.

I guess my stance on scripture is read it, know it, and let the Holy Spirit reveal its meaning to you. Trying to take an intellectual approach to interpreting scripture is less than effective; after all, it's not the letter of the law that brings life, but the spirit behind it.

Oh, and Pentecostals aren't crackpots by definition; you'll find weirdos wherever there's church-going people.

[ric]

Oh, and Pentecostals aren't crackpots by definition; you'll find weirdos wherever there's church-going people.

I don't believe anyone was saying that.


Basically, I'm a skeptic. To pretty much everything. When I get older, I'm hopefully going to try a lot of different churches, and find what feels right for me. I don't think any one denomination is exactly right, and many are right for some people, but wrong for others. If your denomination just happens to involve 'running the aisles' or exorcisms or healings etc, that's fine with me. In fact, that's wonderful. I may not agree with it, but if the Spirit is leading you to do such things, by all means, continue. I'll forbear judgement until I have experienced such things for myself, which also means I'm probably not going to just take anybody's word for it.

[Amethystic]

Oh, and Pentecostals aren't crackpots by definition; you'll find weirdos wherever there's church-going people.

I don't believe anyone was saying that.

I know, I was using a touch of hyperbole for effect.

[Sapphire]

As long as they are honoring and praising God, then I see nothing wrong with it.

[John Chrysostom]

Wait, I'm confused here. Ayn, what's your opinion on the chapter. I'm not sure if your for or against this.

My opinion of the chapter is that God is a God of order and I am against anything that adds chaos to the church service.

I'm not really sure why it wouldn't apply to us today, but I'm not really sure... what the reason for it is in the first place.

It goes along with the verse in 1 Timothy 2:12 that says "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." If we want to start a new thread on women pastors we can but I believe that's what this is talking about.

I guess my stance on scripture is read it, know it, and let the Holy Spirit reveal its meaning to you.

Well I disagree, look at Acts 8 when St. Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch who is attempting to read Isaiah and St. Philip asks him "Do you understand what you are reading?" and the eunuch answers "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And then St. Phillip explains it to him, he engaged in an intellectual reading of the text.

I may not agree with it, but if the Spirit is leading you to do such things, by all means, continue.

As long as they are honoring and praising God, then I see nothing wrong with it.

I think St. Paul says that being lead by the Spirit or even having the right intentions does not excuse disorder.

How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.... Let all things be done decently and in order.

Let all things be done decently and in order. I mean I think St. Paul is saying specifically in relation to tongues that even if you're being lead by the Spirit but you can't do it in an orderly way do not continue.

[Amethystic]

Well everyone, including the eunuch, needs to be taught the Word, but unless the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to its meaning it's just a bunch of words. After all, how many scholars have scrutinized the Bible without feeling the slightest stirring?

And as for the scripture... it talks about an ideal situation, where there's prophesying and interpretation going on. So yeah, maybe people should keep their voices down when they're speaking in tongues--but they should also be interpreting tongues and prophesying. But, since there's a vast absence of prophets and interpreters, perhaps due to a lack of faith, speaking in tongues might be the most people can manage.

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

Speaking in tongues doesn't do much for the church as a whole, but it edifies the person speaking. And again, I'm still uncertain how this chapter is applied in practice, since I don't have a problem with people speaking in tongues. Whatever the case, I'm not going to start shutting people down when they're filled with the Holy Spirit.

[John Chrysostom]

I'm not against speaking in tongues and this chapter and St. Paul isn't either, it just lays out basic guidelines; i.e. don't speak in tongues out loud unless someone is translating and even then only two or three at a time taking turns. I'm not talking about shutting people down I'm talking about maintaining order in church, like the passage says if there's no one to translate then do it silently to God. After all if there are several people speaking in tongues out loud at once with no translating the only people they're edifying are themselves and they're keeping other people from participating in the church service.

[rickyderocher]

Well maybe not all pentecostals believe like that. A man in our Church, who use to be Pentecostal got some weird ideas, like that we should baptize only in the name of Jesus, which is not scriptural.

That's the UPC (United Pentecostal Church) belief. They are a Oneness group which means that they don't believe in the Trinity.

The majority of Pentecostals believe in the Trinity. I am a Pentecostal, and I believe 100% in the Trinity.