Hello Sandy!
Monday November 10 1997 07:57, SANDY HOOPER wrote to MICHAEL MCREARY:
 MN>> 2 Cor 12:12 states, "12  Truly
 MM>> the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all
 MM>> patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds."  This
 MM>> does not say that the miracles of healing and tongues have
 MM>> stopped.
 SH>  Now, notice the PAST TENSE!
Sure.  Paul is reminding those at Corinth of things that took place.  And
. . . ?  He does not even intimate that these things were not to continue.
 MM>> Let's put this in its context.
 MM>> I Cor 1:20-25, "20  Where [is] the wise? where [is] the
 MM>> scribe? where [is] the disputer of this world? hath not God
 MM>> made foolish the wisdom of this world?  21  For after that in
 MM>> the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
 MM>> pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
 MM>> believe.  22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks
 MM>> seek after wisdom:  23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto
 MM>> the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
 MM>> 24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
 MM>> Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  25  Because
 MM>> the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of
 MM>> God is stronger than men.
 MM>> bandwidth.  Let's drive to the point.  Let's look at the day
 MM>> of Pentecost, when the first mention of speaking in tongues
 MM>> took place.
 MM>> In Acts 2:37-39, the scriptures tell us who the gift of the
 MM>> Holy Ghost is given to.  "37  Now when they heard [this],
 MM>> they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to
 MM>> the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we
 MM>> do?  38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
 MM>> every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
 MM>> remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
 MM>> Ghost.  39  For the promise is unto you, and to your
 MM>> children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the
 MM>> Lord our God shall call."
 SH> Problem 1. What you need to notice is, "To whom is that message
 SH> addressed?" Look at verse 22 and 36 of Acts 2.  It's to "ISRAEL."
 SH> Those are law abiding, pork obstaining, Temple worshipping JEWS
 SH> Peter is talking to.
Sure, but a simple reading of verse 9 makes it clear that this gift is to
"all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Thus, the Gentiles are included.
 SH> Problem 2. Do you mean throughout the Old Testament the
 SH> Jews were
 SH> only getting the "promise" of the "miracle of speaking in
 SH> tongues???"
Where did you get this?  The baptism of the Holy Ghost, as evidenced by
speaking in tongues is a New Testament gift.
 SH> Problem 3.  Where in Acts 2 is anybody speaking in UNKNOWN
 SH> TONGUES?
In Acts 2?  Doesn't seem to be the case.  Yet, in I Cor 14, Paul makes six
different references to it.  This isn't a problem.  A simple study shows
that speaking in tongues may be a sign to the unbeliever.  Tongues are
also for prayer unto God (unknown tongues).  Tongues are also involved in
prophecy.  It's really not hard to understand unless one is fighting God.
 SH> Problem 4.  Does it even hint, insinuate, or even suggest
 SH> that those 3,000 Jews spoke in tongues?
No. Yet it doesn't say that they didn't, either.  Really not a problem.
Take care!
Michael McReary
mcreary@oz.net
michael.mcreary@pss.boeing.com
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