1. When the Bible relates the action of “speaking in tongues,” it is always a language that was understood by those who heard it. (Acts 2:4-11) Did those who heard you speak understand what you said?
2. When there were utterances, actually languages, that were spoken in a mixed audence, there was, of necessity, another there who could interpret what was being said for those who spoke a language different from that being spoken. (I Corinthians 12:4-11, especially verse 10) If you spoke in a language you had not studied or learned, and there were those present who did not understand your words, was there someone there who was able to translate accurately?
3.Think of Jacob, who thought his beloved son Joseph was dead. He was as sincere as any man ever had been in his belief, but he was still sincerely wrong. Today, we can be sincerely mistaken in what we believe, but we must ALL study the Word of God carefully to see if what we believe is true.
4. If we decide to be stubborn and not accept the teaching of God, He will allow us to believe a lie. (II Thessalonians 2:11-12)
5. We must constantly “search the Scriptures daily” to determine if what we hear and what we believe are, indeed, the truth of God,or just something we WANT to believe. (John 5:39; Acts 17:11)
6. God is not a respecter of persons. He does not give spiritual gifts today to some and deny those same spiritual gifts to others. (Acts 10:34-35; I Peter 1:17)
7. Finally, God has told us that the “gifts” given by the laying on of the apostles’ hands (and ONLY by the laying on of the apostles’ hands) were given only for a short while. When “that which was perfect was come,” meaning the written Scriptures, that which was temporary would pass away. (I Corinthians 13:9-10) From which apostle did you receive your gift?

Putting these things together, we see that God gave “gifts” to the early Christians for a specific period of time and for a specific purpose. We see that those gifts are no longer available, since there are no longer any of the Twelve to lay on hands and pass on the gifts. We see that God shows favor to no man, but loves us all and blesses us all alike. We see that it is possible to be sincerely mistaken and to believe a lie.

Jake, I have not written these things to hurt your feelings or to question your sincerity. I have written them because I love your soul, and I wanted to share what I found in the Bible. I urge you to read the Scriptures closely, meditate on them, and see if I have misquoted or misapplied them. If you can show me from the Scriptures (not from feelings, which can be wrong) where I err, I will have to change, won’t I?