Why I Left The Tongues Movement - By Alfred H. Pohl

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REASON # 10

QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES PRACTISED AND CONDONED

Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul the apostle said: "For God is not the author of confusion," and "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:33,40). Having grown up in the Tongues Movement, I didn't see the import of these words as I do now. For at that time the activities in our churches were quite normal to me; they were part of that which I had been taught from childhood and up to be right and proper. But as I look back now, and in the light of these and other Scriptures, I feel ashamed of some of the proceedings, methods, and happenings that I witnessed. Even at that time I was shaken at times by what I saw.

One of the very common happenings was what we used to call "falling under the power," or to use the more refined phrase used today, "slain in the Spirit." When it involved ladies who lay prostrate and sometimes struggling on the floor, they were quickly covered with coats or blankets to prevent them from uncovering themselves. This practice is still followed today.

It is very difficult to reconcile this type of thing with the Scripture, "Let all things be done decently and in order." If these people are really "slain by the Holy Spirit," it is indeed strange that the same Holy Spirit that gave us the Scripture should go contrary to the Scriptures that He gave! This cannot be.

THREE QUESTIONS ABOUT "SPIRIT SLAYING"

But we must ask ourselves, is this practice and experience scriptural ?

Here are three questions to consider:

1) Is there any clear statement in the Epistles to support it? To my knowledge there is no doctrinal teaching there that does.

2) Is there any clear record of this happening in the biblical history of the early Church—in the Book of Acts?

Where do we see this "laying on of hands" upon believers resulting in large numbers falling to the ground or to the floor? Some refer to Saul's experience on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). But Saul, or Paul, was not a believer at that time, but, rather, a persecutor of Christians. He was being "arrested" by the Lord! Besides, no one had laid hands on him before he fell to the earth. Some others refer to John 18:6 where those who came to take the Lord Jesus captive "went backward, and fell to the ground." But these were definitely not coming to the Lord to be blessed or healed, they were, in fact, "enemies" coming to arrest Him. They were not believers, nor did they have hands laid on them. Compare this event with Psalm 27:2: "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell."

3) Is there any scriptural evidence that an evil spirit can do such a thing ?

Yes. In Luke 4:35 we read: "And when the devil [or demon] had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not." So also in Luke 9:42:

"And as he was yet a coming, the devil [or demon] threw him down, and tore him". There is ample evidence that devotees of evil spirits, such as witchdoctors, undergo similar experiences and certainly not by the Holy Spirit.

Also consider this: Often in healing prayer lines, people who come for healing just "fall under the power" or are "slain in the Spirit." Instead of being healed (that's what they came for), it appears that they are simply "side-tracked." Where is the scriptural basis for this practice?

This is not what happened when the sick came to the Lord or to His apostles!

Remember this, experiences should not automatically be accepted as from God the Holy Spirit simply because they take place in a church or in a religious environment! Any spirit manifestations that are not related to a deep conviction of sin and genuine repentance should be questioned in the clear light of Scripture.

It is true, however, that in the history of church revivals, there were those who were under such deep conviction for their sins, and in a genuine state of repentance, that they fell to the ground before the Lord. I personally heard Brother Duncan Campbell, the Scottish revivalist of our century, tell of a young woman who was instrumental in organizing a dance for the youth of her community on the first night of Mr. Campbell's revival meetings in her town. This, of course, she did in opposition to the meetings. But the Holy Spirit brought her under such conviction of sin that she came rushing into the church after the service was over and collapsed before the Lord at the altar. No hands were laid on her. It was a genuine ministry of the Holy Spirit.

There are examples of prostration in fear, humiliation, and repentance in the Scriptures as well, but what is happening in some areas today seems to be of a different character, largely man-made and manipulated. All such manifestations that are not related to a deep conviction of sin and true repentance, and do not stand the test of Scripture, particularly the Epistles, should be avoided. "Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good," is God's Word, and is so very helpful to us here (Rom. 12:9).

Further, in the area of seeking the tongues experience, it is deplorable to what extremes some will go. Over-emphasis of the value of the tongues experience has brought with it a variety of questionable methods to produce it. It appears that some are so anxious to speak in tongues that they will try almost anything to cause it to happen. Either the seeker or the person praying with him, or both, are often responsible for the methods employed.

Here are a few of the questionable methods that I observed:

The seeker, praying or praising the Lord in an audible voice, is shaken by the hands of those praying for him. The result is a vibration or quiver in the seeker's voice. "That's it, Brother" or something similar is the encouragement the seeker hears as he seemingly gets nearer to the "experience." But worse yet, the sight of a seeker having his jaw manipulated by some over-zealous helper to distort the words of the seeker and produce unusual sounds, is sickening, yet often practised. Then there are those who " teach people to speak in tongues." Repetition of certain phrases must be practised, sometimes at accelerated speeds till proper language is lost, and unintelligible sounds result. Cassette tapes to teach experience-seekers how to "speak in tongues" are available. What biblical basis is there for "teaching" believers to speak in tongues? It is completely foreign to the New Testament concept of the gift of tongues. In the three instances of tongues-speaking recorded in the Book of Acts (chapters 2,10,19), there is no hint of the recipients having first to be "taught how to speak in tongues."

NEW WAY TO SPEAK IN TONGUES

One other method that I witnessed and which disturbed me very much, though I was still wholeheartedly in the Tongues Movement, comes to mind.

In a series of special meetings held in a certain church in Saskatoon, Sask., the evangelist had a "new" way to get people to speak in tongues.

After the message of the evening he called for all seekers to come forward and be seated in the front pews. Then he briefly explained what procedures they would follow. It would be different than the conventional methods we usually used. This was his theory: "The seeker needs to initiate the sound, that's his responsibility, and the Holy Spirit's responsibility is to take that sound and produce the tongues sound from it."

He quoted the Scripture: "... Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Psa. 81:10). Then he urged all the seekers who were seated, and not kneeling, to put their heads back and open their mouths, and then make a sound. He suggested that they simply say "Ah-h-h-h"—to draw out the sound and keep on repeating it. It was a strange sight! For someone raised in the Tongues Movement even this was too much. Here were several rows of adult people sitting, heads back, mouths open, all saying "Ah-h-h-h..." And the evangelist and the pastor were walking back and forth down the rows, laying hands on them and to some extent shaking them to get a quiver into their sounds, then encouraging them to get louder and to "let go!"

And, by his standards, he was successful in getting some strange and peculiar sounds out of some of the seekers, which he labeled as "tongues speaking." But I had to ask myself, "Was this `as the Spirit gave them utterance' (Acts 2:4), or were these `man-made tongues'?"

But this wasn't all. What really startled me, and caused me to begin to think very seriously about this type of procedure, was what I witnessed a few minutes later. One dear old lady, a seeker, seated on the front pew against the wall, was praising the Lord and praying in her accustomed way, when the evangelist came back down the row of seekers to where she was. He discovered that she was not saying "Ah-h-h." So he made it very plain that he wanted her to say nothing but "Ah-h-h." She began, but by the time the evangelist had gone back down the row and returned to her she was once again back to praising the Lord and saying, "Jesus, Jesus, etc." Then to my utter amazement, I heard him say to her, words to this effect, "Lady, I told you to say `Ah-h-h'! If you don't stop praising the Lord and saying, `Jesus, Jesus,' I won't pray with you anymore!"

Was I hearing things? I could hardly believe my ears! And lest I should make a mistake in later quoting him I took out a notebook and wrote it down.

I had to seriously ask, What is this? Is this biblical? When it wrong to praise the Lord? Is it safe to omit the name of the Lord Jesus from my praying, especially when seeking the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Could not this kind of procedure leave the seeker open to the entrance of another spirit? Does not Prov. 18:10 tell us that "the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." What could the seeker be letting himself open to with this procedure?

And, simply because someone produces some unintelligible sounds does not prove that it is the Holy Spirit speaking. Evil spirits can "peep and mutter" as well. Isa. 8:19 reads: "And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God?" This incident opened my eyes to the dangers of using man-made methods, for the results are at best questionable, and not the product of the Holy Spirit Himself.

In searching the Scriptures we discover that tongues speaking was produced by the Holy Spirit, not man-made. Acts 2:4 states: "As the Spirit gave them utterance." And the gift of tongues, spoken of in 1 Cor. 12:11, as well as the other gifts, are given "to every man severally as He will," not worked-up or man-produced. It is a dangerous practice to play around with tongues or to try to manufacture them. The Holy Spirit is perfectly capable of giving the gift of tongues, if He so wills, without man's questionable methods!

Paul also refers to another disorder in the Corinthian church in 1 Cor 14:27-28: "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the Church; and let him speak to himself, and to God." There is an orderly limitation stated here. Often this is not obeyed in modern tongues meetings, and these excesses are often overlooked by the leaders for fear of hindering "the work of the Holy Spirit" or of grieving Him, or of offending someone. So confusion results.

But in verse 33 we read: "God is not the author of confusion."

In concluding this section many other questionable methods and practices could be referred to, such as catering to the sensational: sensational meetings, sensational speakers, sensational methods, advertising sensational healing and miracle meetings. Some even try to bring in the crowds by featuring child or boy-preachers, without considering the eternal harm that this might do to the child involved. Not long ago a Charismatic evangelist in Western Canada was conducting tent meetings about ten miles from our home, in which he featured a boy-preacher whose pictures adorned the colorful advertisements. I was personally invited to hear this boy- wonder. Some people got quite excited about him. There always are people who are attracted by this kind of sensationalism. But, we could ask, what are they doing to this child? How will all this popularity and acclaim affect him for time and for eternity?

In his book, Truth About Tongues, Dr. Hugh F. Pyle gives this information about Marjoe Gortner, a "child-preacher," who was "used" for years in this manner:

"Television and movie actor Marjoe Gortner was ordained to preach at the age of four and was billed as a boy-wonder on the miracle-preaching circuit. He preached for years. Women would swoon and fall to the floor at his touch and his command. He says now that he was just `acting,' and that while he could have made a lot of money in the healing-revival business, he became bitter about it all by the time he had reached seventeen, and realized what his mother had done to him. Yet great crowds had faith in his power to heal by the `laying on of hands.' Marjoe laughs about it all and says it was all psychosomatic" (Hugh F. Pyle, Truth about Tongues, Denver: Accent Publications).

QUESTIONS WE MUST ASK

Seriously, brethren, before we embark in new and sensational methods of doing the Lord's work, let us ask ourselves these questions first:

1) Is it really scriptural?

2) Is it edifying? 1 Cor.14:26: "Let all things be done unto edifying."

3) Is it decent and orderly? 1 Cor. 14:40: "Let all things be done decently and in order."

4) Is it glorifying to the Lord and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 1 Cor 10:31: "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

Please note that these questions are the very ones that the carnal Corinthian Christians undoubtedly failed to ask themselves in their church conduct, for the references that I have quoted above are all from the First Epistle to the Corinthians directed to them in the very areas of their weakness and failure. May we today be careful not to make the same mistakes that they made!

Reason #11--The fear of questioning the so-called activities of the Holy Spirit