Speaking in Tongues

(not yet today's chlog, but from my previous chlog experience)

I'd been so curious about Tongue Speaking ever since I become an almost regular visitor of one Church in my city. Almost every week I can hear a sort of...shirarabasherabarabasherabarabarababashakurashirarabashe....

They said it is tongue speaking, but I have so many doubts about it. How can it be so easy? Just like.....ok, I want to speak in tongues, then.....I speak.
I was even told that at one workshop arranged by that church, a preacher lady from Aussie (?) taught the participants to speak in tongue! And at this church, sometimes the preacher will say, "c'mon people.....speak in the Holy Spirit!" then people will start to speak in tongues as soon as the pastor or preacher talks in tongues! And stop whenever the preacher stops. Speaking in tongues is likely to be contagious.

Not that I don't believe in Speaking in Tongues, I do believe:

- It's the authority of Holy Spirit, not human

- Not every Christian must speak in tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28-30

- There are rather 2 kind of tongues, the one that once took place at Pentecost day in Jerusalem i.e. foreign tongues and the one stated by 1 Corinthians 14 i.e. utterance tongue (although some believe they are actually identical)

- 1 Corinthians 14:9 "So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into air"

- If there is speaking in tongues practise (the utterance one), then shall it be based on 1 Corinthians 14:27-28

- What happens in some of today's churches in Jakarta more or less is just like that of Corinthian Assembly.

- Tongue speaking gives edification and instruction not only to the speaker but also the audiences i.e. not to leave the audiences blank. 1 Corinthians 14:16-19

- If no one can give the explanation about the tongues, then one should remain silent. 1 Corinthians 14:27-28

References for reading are available from the net in Indonesian Tongue and English Tongue. However must not forget that speaking in tongues is fun!

Listening is the Beginning

This time sermon is a real cappuccino! It’s awakening.
The speaker spoke about how can good and bad things absorbed by us.

It all begins by this activity: listening!

So many voices and sounds get in to and out of our ears. We hear the good and the bad things every day. But if we can only listen to the good ones, then we will learn only good things that will provide knowledge for us so we could have better understandings to finally gain wisdom. More or less like that. Of course he provided some verses, but I don't always prepare myself with a notebook and a pen. I just remember one verse about how man got into sin. It’s because Eve listened to the snake, and Adam listened to Eve. They did get wisdom about the good and the bad, but not God's wisdom.

These are the points from the lecture that have inspired him:
Listen-learn-knowledge-understand-Wisdom

So, listening is the beginning.