Should all Christians speak in Tongues?

[Bob Carabbio]

I attended a Pentecostal church for a bit and really didn't know what to make of the whole 'Baptism of the Holy Spirit' speaking in tongues phenomenon.

Personally, I asked the folks in a FGBMFI Breakfast Meeting to pray for me to receive the "Baptism in the Holy SPirit" (Biblically Jesus called the "Enduement of Power"). And nothing happened.

About three weeks later at a FGBMFI Dinner meeting in Sydney, Ohio, a strange word popped into my mind, and when I spoke it, more words came, and I was "Speaking in tongues" in the 1 COr 14:4 sense. There was a certain satisfaction to the event, but not the EXPLOSIVE experience that some folks seem to have. That was 51 years ago.

I would classify by Paul as one who DOES NOT speak in tongues in the "Ministry sense", however I have been burdened to "Interpret tongues" in public many times.

And immediately AFTER receiving tongues, I was propelled into an intense period of Bible teaching in small groups, SUnday school, and CHurch venues, which was more along the REAL purpose of the "Enduement of power" than just blatting in an unknown tongue.

One practical VALUE to "Tongues" is that it DOES give you experience in speaking forth things that the Holy Spirit feeds you.

A MAJOR ERROR among Pentecostals/Charismatics is the "Priming the pump" teaching, where you're supposed to "talk baby talk", or make random sounds, to "GET IT STARTED", and then "improve with practice". This almost guarantees that your "Tongues" will be PHONY, and your perception of Spoken gifts will also be false. ANything that has to be "Practiced" is false. The TRUE GIFTS simply come into your mind, and you speak them without adding to, or subtracting from their content.