How do you tell the difference from what you claim is authentic gifts and that of the counterfeits satan does and has counterfeited today? What standard of testing is used in your church to discern these so called gifts as being authentic or not?
Asking this because there is no written accounts of people or the apostles going into uncontrollable twitching and rolling on the floor, nor of going into trances, or of the Apostles touching peoples heads and them falling over backwards............
On the contrary these outward behaviors 'are common occurrences' throughout the world among pagan tribes such as the Zulu's and other false religions of the eastern world, when they call on the spirits of their pagan Gods....in fact they commonly speak in tongues and belief they are speaking the languages of their pagan Gods.
We have to remember that Paul begins chapter 12 concerning the spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church, in that they were ignorant concerning these, and that as pagans lead astray by these very practices which they had brought into their worship in the church. They had made the focus of their worship the same as they were accustomed to before they were saved.....bringing these behaviors into the church was exactly what Paul was addressing and their abuses and ignorance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit as to that of a different Spirit...those they had been accustomed to calling on...they simply switched Gods but continued with the behaviors.
He states:...."Now concerning Spiritual Gifts..I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans somehow or another you were influenced and led astray to mute idols."
They were in fact 'cursing Jesus by the use of tongues' in which is why Paul warns and continues...." Therefore I tell you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says "Jesus be accursed"...which in fact was what they were doing for there was no order whatsoever within the Corinthian church....'they were carnal'.. seeking the ecstasy and emotional highs and confusion of what they had been accustomed to and practiced in the city of Corinth....
Interesting is to see this very same behavior today within many of these churches who focus on the spiritual gifts....their sevices are completely out of control and emotions run more than just high...they become tranced out and carry on something fierce. IMO this is not the Spirit of Christ Jesus....but something else altogether.
23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
Tongues is NOT a sign of anything for believers, certainly not a sign of salvation or filling of the Holy Spirit. That is wrong teaching because it directly contradicts what Paul teaches.
Remember, Paul is going to several different places where his native language isn't spoken so him having the gift of languages or tongue would help spread his message.
While it could be argued that Saul, as a Pharisee of the Pharisees had a great education which no doubt included languages but Saul, now Paul, is able to travel all over the place the Holy Spirit lets him go and he is always able to converse with them in their native tongue.
I'm of the opinion that speaking in tongues is akin to a clanging bell.
1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
People should also keep in mind, Deut 29:29. The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
This simply means that God and God alone knows the whole plan, we only know what has been revealed. And, for those books that are timelines, it's possible that God hasn't revealed the plan until you get into the book and God gradually reveals what he is allowing us to know.
It's also good to keep in mind what might and I say might have been on God's mind. If he laid out everything in Bible, we don't posses God's brain so it would be worthless to us as our minds can't compare to Gods; God could also have dumbed down the Bible so our human minds could comprehend it but again, there's a problem, dumb it down to much and its meaning is lost; don't dumb it down enough, and our human minds can't comprehend it.
I'm not a Biblical scholar, my understanding of the Bible is the result of me standing on the shoulders of giants who did all the heavy lifting.
If you want a no nonsense Bible study guide, I prefer Les Feldick; he's opened my mind to several parts I was having trouble with.
Although I think he's no longer producing his show, Through The Bible with Les Feldick, he is on reruns all over the place and a more humble and self effacing man you could never encounter.