I paid a visit this past sunday to Metro Church Ministries. It was smallish, and seemingly-- judging from the sign out front --nondenominational, and I knew someone who claimed membership there. He's still there.
There was nothing wrong with the message; it was as Baptist as any baptist preacher I have heard. But there was tongues... and dancing.
As to tongues:
1-- It's scriptural, yet it is given by the Holy Spirit for the enlargement of the Church; the Bride of Christ.
2-- It is not-- as I've heard some call it --the "Unknown Tongue," or the "Heavenly Language." We can argue that point later. 1 Cor 12:10 speaks of...
"...divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues;"
Kinds of tongues, as in "many different," as in German, Korean, Polynesian, Vietnamese... Kinds of tongues.
1 Cor 14 however, does speak of the proper use of an 'unknown' tongue...
"For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him.... He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself..."
It is for self-edification.
Tongues in preaching is always described as a means by which those hearing the word being preached might understand the message; for with the use of this gift, language ceases to be a barrier to understanding.
3-- Paul clearly admonished the Church about its use, offering guidelines as to when, where and how.
As to Dancing:
1-- It looked silly, and was distracting. Nor can I find anything scriptural to back up its use, unless we look to David's precessional dance before the Ark of the Covenant in 2 Samuel 6:14-16, but please note the reaction of others to David's leaping and dancing... in verse 16 it says,
"...Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart."
2-- It looked silly.
But as to the Message:
No flies on Frank here. The pastor was on target.
What I came away with:
From Mark 2:1-12... The man sick of the Palsy was not healed because of any faith he had, but because of the faith of them that carried him and lowered him through the roof that they might get their friend to Jesus. God isn't limited by our faith or lack thereof. Whether or not we are healed has little bearing on the amount of faith we have. The faith of others can bring healing, even when our faith has gone bone-dry.
I'm not criticizing, however... it just doesn't make sense to me.
Here's a point: The Early Christians who were witnessing to the Jews there didn't speak in other tongues. The miracle was that the Jews heard them in their own language.
I don't believe it is for us to determine that tongues "are no longer needed."
The Apostle Paul clearly describes speaking in tongues as among the gifts of the believers.
Granted, when writing to the church in Corinth, he says there are greater gifts than speaking in tongues, and that tongues should be interpreted to benefit those who do not understand.
But Paul says he speaks in tongues more than most others. And the practice is not described as a means to deliver the Gospel to other nations. Rather, it is part of a worship service.
In 1st Corinthians, 14: 39-40, Paul writes:
"Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order." (KJV for my friends here.)
That the gift of tongues is later described as having an additional use in worship should be thought of as being... "in addition to" its primary use.
Tongues were FIRST used as a means by which everyone who had ears to hear, would hear... and understand... the Gospel.
And I also believe the gift of tongues as described in the Book of Acts is still in use today.
At Babel God countered Satan's efforts to build up a throne to Heaven itself by scrambling the tongues. But on the Day of Pentecost, rather than abolish the miracle He performed at Babel, He chose instead to work around it. By allowing anyone who heard Peter and the others preach the Gospel... to hear what these poor religious Jews said-- by the power of the Holy Spirit --in their own language, God's will in language diversity was both maintained, AND made to be no barrier at all.
Peter and the other Disciples spoke in their own language... but by the power of the Holy Spirit, the foreigners in Jerusalem (and later in other cities) heard what was preached in their own language.
The so-called "unknown tongue," as 1 Corinthians 14 states, is good only for self-edification... unless there is someone to interpret.