Gifts of the Spirit (Tongues, Healings)
Bible Question: I feel bad because others in my church speak in tongues and I can't. I just don't feel right about faking it like some of my friends say they are doing. Does this mean that I don't have enough faith, or what? I'm very uneasy about this subject. Please help me understand what the Bible says about tongues and healing. I saw someone who was supposedly healed of his parkinson's disease, but he still has it. Was he faking it, too?
Answer: In brief, tongues speaking was a gift of the early church to be able to communicate with those of foreign lands. It was not gibberish as we hear today. Speaking in foreign tongues was to spread the Gospel message rapidly from Jerusalem to Asia Minor and all of the Gentile lands. People in those Gentile lands did not know the one true God, and there needed to be a means to communicate with them.
As for healings, this was also a gift to help establish the early church. But, once the Apostles died, these gifts were no longer available, because they were only passed on miraculously through the 12 Apostles.
It is important to know the Bible facts on this subject in more detail, and we would recommend that you read the following articles on this important subject. They contain the Scriptures to back up our answers above.
CLICK THESE LINKS FOR MORE DETAILS:
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT: A Careful Examination (Article)
SPEAKING IN TONGUES (Booklet)