I think if you study what Ellen White wrote, you will see differences.

An important point of a Holy Spirit led church is that truth will be built upon, as the Holy Spirit sends it, as opposed to being cast aside as if it were unimportant.

I must say, Daryl, given the depth that I went into in my post, your response is a bit meager. Do you really think it's a good idea to believe stories one hears regardless of whether they make sense? Because God could have done something in a different way, different than He ever has before, makes me someone who is squelching the work of the Spirit, because I question something which doesn't make sense to me, based on what inspiration has revealed? Should I cast aside what I believe, based on the inspired word, just on the word of another (and a second-hand word at that)?

I think I will do just that in examining the writings of EGW, as well as further examination of the Scriptures, that, according to two Bible Commentaries, sees this as a possible interpretation.

On another note, elling me that this evangelist told a falsehood in front of a large group of people, as well as in front of TV cameras, at a different evangelistic meeting is also questionable in my books, therefore, I am going to try to reach this person, preferably by email, and ask him about it.

I don't think I told you this evangelist or any other evangelist told a falsehood. I think what happened is this:

a)I asked you why God would act contrary to His character.
b)You responded by asking me why this evangelist would say a falsehood.
c)I responded that people tell falsehoods for many reasons, often innocently.

This is accurate, isn't it? I don't think this is questionable. Do you?

Regarding why this would be contrary to God's character, first of all, we have explanations from Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy that this was the gift of tongues, not the gift of hearing. The Spirit of Prophecy reference I provided clearly states that the users of the gift were able to accurately speak the tongues they were supernaturally given: "speaking with accuracy the languages of those for whom they were laboring." The fact that some Bible Commentary suggested something else isn't relevant, is it? Lots of Bible Commentaries say Sunday is the Sabbath. As an outside authority, doesn't Ellen White trump a Bible Commentary? You would agree that she is clear in identifying this gift as one of speaking and not hearing, correct?

As I pointed out, the gift of hearing, which you are postulating, is one which would act upon the hearers, rather than the speaker. But the speaker would be the one with the gift, right? So how could the gift operate on the ones hearing the message? This doesn't make sense, does it?

Let me give an analogy. Say someone has the gift of healing, like Jesus Christ. He went around healing people. Do we say that Jesus had the gift of healing, or the ones being healed had the gift of being healable? Who had the spiritual gift? The one from whom healing came, or the one being healed? Similarly it's the one presenting the message that needs the gift.

The most important factor to me, regarding this being contrary to God's character (from my point of view), is that there was a translator present. I simply can't imagine God acting this way. It is contrary to everything I've seen in Jesus Christ, and many, many statements, of which I cited just a few, from the Spirit of Prophecy. God uses the human agent to do that which it can do. He does not use divine power to accomplish what can be accomplished by human power. I'm sure there are many SOP statements to that effect, and it's common sense. It is Satan who appeals to the power of miracles as being a meaningful way of establishing truth. That's because he has no other recourse. But God does. The truth is on His side. He doesn't need the sensational. Not only does He not need it, it doesn't have a positive effect, as the statements from the SOP I provided state. It causes people to look for the sensational, rather than to carefully weigh truth.

Tom,

You responded in relation to what I said about a well known and respected evangelist sharing this gift of tongues experience by saying this falsehood stuff, therefore, I directly connected what you said to what I said that he said, which seems a logical conclusion to me. I do not believe you said it merely as a carte-blanche statement, however, if you didn't, then you must be in agreement to what this person said and experienced, which he didn't see as being contrary to the character of God.

I sent an email, via his church office email address, to Pastor Doug Batchelor.

Here is the wording of that email:


In the meantime, I am looking to see what EGW has to say about all of this.

This interesting discussion has caused me to ask the following question:

How does the gift of interpretation work in practice and experience?

I tried to be careful in what I was saying so that I was not accusing any person of doing anything. You'll notice, for example, in my answer I said that people say falsehoods for many reason *often innocently*. So I was trying to be as non-accusatory as possible. Goodness knows, there are enough accusations made already without my adding to it!

There are a number of reasons for my not wishing to be accusatory.

a.I often get falsely accused of things, and don't like it. Following the Golden Rule makes me not want to do this to others.
b.I don't know the circumstances involved, so I'm in no position to judge another.
c.Oftentimes in these stories details are reported wrong. (like the game where you say something to someone, who says it to someone else, and so on down the line, until you wind up with something totally different)

If I did not succeed in trying not to accuse, you may quote a portion of what I wrote which was untoward, and I'll take a look at it.

I liked your wording on the email.

I haven't studied the interpretation question. That's a good one. I've got a book by G. Hasel on speaking in tongues, which may address the issue, that I may look at tonight.

Pastor Doug Batchelor said that it wasn't him, therefore, I need to see if I can remember who it was that said that on 3ABN or Hope TV.

Whoever it was, it was one of our more known evangelists who did an evangelistic series overseas somewhere, and relayed this experience in a meeting on either 3ABN ro Hope TV.

This leaves me with the following possibilities:

1 - Mark Finley
2 - Lonnie Melashenko
3 - John Carter of The Carter Report.

I am now thinking that I may have heard it from John Carter, therefore, I will now ask him about it.