The Bible Provocateur
The Bible Provocateur
The Lying "TONGUES" of Phillip Anthony Mitchell (PART 5 of 5)
The biblical gift of tongues has become one of the most misunderstood and controversial spiritual manifestations in modern Christianity. This episode dives deep into the stark contrast between authentic biblical tongues and what we witness in many charismatic churches today.
When we examine Scripture closely, we discover that biblical tongues involved speaking actual human languages that the speaker had never learned—a miraculous sign gift that served a specific evangelistic purpose. Today's practice, however, typically features repetitive, unintelligible utterances that correspond to no known language. This fundamental disconnect raises serious questions about what's really happening in these spiritual experiences.
The conversation tackles several key contradictions in modern tongues teaching. If speaking in tongues truly provides spiritual benefits by building up believers and helping others understand God's message, how could it ever be "abused" or practiced "too much"? And why do the most extraordinary manifestations always seem to occur in faraway, unverifiable locations?
We explore how Romans 8:26, often cited to support a "prayer language," actually describes something quite different—the Holy Spirit making "groanings too deep for words" that cannot be uttered. This passage offers profound comfort by assuring believers that when we lack words to pray, the Spirit perfectly intercedes according to God's will.
What's ultimately at stake here is biblical fidelity. When practices without scriptural foundation become elevated as essential spiritual experiences, they create division, confusion, and sometimes spiritual manipulation. They can distract from the genuine work of Christian discipleship—prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and serving others in tangible ways.
Join us as we navigate this challenging topic with both biblical clarity and pastoral sensitivity, helping believers discern authentic spiritual gifts from counterfeit experiences.
See, if what he is saying like many of these other people that preach speaking in tongues and try to get people to go into back rooms and move their lips and mumble and all that nonsense. See, here's the thing. If the fruit of speaking in tongues is what these preachers are saying, then how can you abuse it? Can you abuse it? I want to understand how it is. He can say that there are many people looking badly upon tongues because of how other people have abused it. How, what? How do you abuse it? If you're saying that it is a heavenly language? If you're saying that it is, it builds up the christian inside, if you're saying that it helps other people, the only way that I can see that it's abusive is if you have it and don't use it. But that defies logic, because God gives it for a reason, and if you're using it too much, well, how does that make any sense? How does that make sense? Because too much of a good thing, I mean really.
Speaker 2:You know what, brother, I want to support you in that part, because you'll hear people say too much, well, god's grace is sufficient for you. So when you say, oh, you love too much, how upset is the ones that love much. So the thing that when someone says that is because they don't have the love in them to not believe the love of God, is absolutely astounding. But it is so gracious and they don't get that part, because there's no such thing as loving too much, so there's no such thing as abusing a gift of god at all. How is there abuse pertaining to that in the same sentence?
Speaker 1:right and see my thing. The whole abuse thing really gets to me because it's like how can it be abused if it's pretended use? If it's pretended uses are true, if the uses that you say it provides are true, then how can you ever abuse it? If you use it to you know too much, if it's a heavenly language that allows you to communicate with God in a special way, why would you ever not be speaking in tongues? If I were in the pulpit, that's all I would do is speak in tongues. If it's helping people, like he says, if it's helping people, blessing you, blessing others, why would you ever not use it, in prayer especially? It's just beyond the pale. If it's a heavenly language, why would you ever not use it?
Speaker 4:You know what the sad thing is. You know what the sad thing is. If you got up in the pulpit right and just did a whole sermon speaking in tongues, a whole bunch of nimrods would walk out of there going. Wow, that was deep.
Speaker 5:Yeah, they would. That's true. We've got a lot of kids. We've got a lot of kids he got a lot of kids.
Speaker 2:I was in a church and I was visiting with my sister and I went up just to pray for somebody and the preacher's daughter came up to me putting her hands on me and started speaking this babble and the only thing I could do I said Lord, do you see what's happening? I said do you see what's happening? I'm not taking any of this in Now. He revealed what was happening in that church and it just so happens that I ended up rebuking the pastor in his own church and ended up leaving. But his wife was saying Angie knows the word, she studies the word, because she just came in here and just told you what you were doing in error. Exactly, yeah, it was just something that it was like the word prompted me and my sister, because I just saw you have it in and you just walked out that exit door so fast.
Speaker 1:For those of you, for those of you who actually watch, listen to that video of his, who actually listened to that video of his, you'll remember that he cited an experience that he heard about from an African preacher. And I'm like, here we go again, here we go again. Every crazy thing you want to believe from these charismatics that we've never seen and they have no evidence for they always have an experience of it or that they heard about in africa, right, for some reason it's always africa. So the story was this guy, this african preacher, was speaking in tongues, babbling away and apparently everybody in the congregation was all crying and, you know, caught up in an uproar of emotion, and then he said that the man asked.
Speaker 1:Asked the preacher, uh, or the preacher asked the man that was preaching. He goes why is everybody crying? The guy who was speaking tongues is he asked this question. Why is everybody crying? Oh, he's asking the question. He said because you preach to everybody in their own language. Now I'm like wait a minute. Now this is what Anthony Mitchell was saying. So I'm like you mean to tell me that you just got through saying that tongues is an angelic language or an unknown language that nobody understands, but these African bunch, they heard everything and understood it.
Speaker 1:And then you also said that the reason for speaking in tongues is because we don't have the common sense to know what to ask for outside of speaking in tongues. But yet these people understood in their own language. See, this whole thing it just continues to just contradict one way, every which, every which possible way, and it just it ties you up in knots, yeah.
Speaker 6:If you've ever listened to anyone who claims to speak in tongues, after a while you begin to pick up that their gibberish repeats itself. Same thing, it's the same thing. It's the same inconsistent blabbering, jabbering, whatever you want to call it. And you begin to think okay, god is saying, if God is speaking through, that he's saying the same thing over and over and over and over Right, like where is any direction in that, where is any anointing in that? And there isn't any.
Speaker 1:No, there isn't. And, brother, by the way, I'm glad you're on here tonight. I didn't think you were going to make it tonight.
Speaker 6:I called you a while ago to find out if you were going to be on. You were busy and I left a message. I guess you just didn't get it.
Speaker 1:I got all caught up. But you know this whole thing with this African thing, right. So it's like Michael made Anthony Mitchell. He made a point to say, hey, the tongues does two things. It's designed to help others, right, and to help the person inwardly who has the gift. But in this case that he cites the African guy, the African guy doesn't know what he's saying. He's not helped at all.
Speaker 6:Nobody knows what they're saying.
Speaker 1:Nobody knows what they're saying, but this, just it, just I mean like right now I can see that I can feel the headache coming on. I can get back and just feel it. I can just feel it coming on. It's not funny but it's sad, you know. But he said this that the devil is attacking. Now here's the other thing. This really bothers me a lot and I'm gonna see if you guys, anybody, you can pick up on this. He says he says this the devil attacks this gift and makes it spooky so that people don't want to have the gift or make use of the gift. He says the gift of tongues, the gift of tongues. The devil makes it so spooky so as to make it taboo and controversial. I'm using his words. I'm reading his words that I wrote down so that people would be afraid to use it. This is crazy talk.
Speaker 5:Yes, skipper. Do you remember what happened to the children of Israel when they went and joined themselves unto Molech and the Lord told Moses bring the heads of the tribes and hang them before the Lord? Yes, see when they went and bowed down and worshipped. This is the same thing happening again tribes and hang them before the Lord. Yeah, see when they went and bowed down and worshipped and formed sects. This is the same thing happening again. The devil sows tares among the weak to bring corruption and to tempt us to go and serve strange gods Right.
Speaker 6:The problem, Jonathan, is the fact that you alluded to the charismatic movement a few moments ago. Jonathan, is the fact that you alluded to the charismatic movement a few moments ago. This is so entrenched into the doctrine and the thinking of the charismatic movement and the charismatics that I won't say it's impossible for them to change, but they're right on the razor's edge of it. They're not, most of them aren't going to, they're not going to listen to something like this because it doesn't line up with what they've been taught or what they believe. Their mind is closed If you've been.
Speaker 1:If you've been having that experience, you are. There's no way in the world you're going to admit to yourself this was demonic. No exactly and I'm saying to everybody anyone listening, speaking in tongues is demonic, it's dead, it is demonic and dead yeah lisa, you're gonna say something going to say.
Speaker 7:I just typed it out there. I was piggybacking off Brother Jeffrey when he said when they're doing these tongues, these modern tongues, they're just repeating the same sounds over and over and over. They claim not to know what they said, but then, in Matthew Jesus speaking, and when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think we will be heard because of their many words. I mean, I think Banana Pancakes mentioned that in the chat as well. We're told not to do that.
Speaker 1:You know what. It's so true and you know I just like true. You heard what I just said. Some guy just wrote and said I get it. He says I'm talking dangerous talk. Let me say it again, rick, speaking in tongues Is demonic. Everyone, everyone, demonic, demonic, demonic. It is not from God. It is not from God. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. There's a reason why, when people walk into these churches, they can't believe what they're hearing and they want to freak out and run out of there. But there are certain people who do not want to lean on the word of God, who don't want to do the work of prayer, do the work of reading the scriptures, doing the work of hearing sermons preached, do the work of fellowship, doing the work of helping the poor, doing the work of providing clothes to people, giving a cup of cold water to someone who needs it. They want to do the work. They want to have experiences that they feel elevate them above everyone else.
Speaker 6:That's it, that's it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's exactly it, and it wouldn't require a particular denomination in order to ratify this gift. If it was something that was coming from God, it would affect the entire church. So, rick, dangerous to believe, dangerous, no, it's dangerous to believe. This nonsense, speaking in tongues, is demonic, and it's not even here today. And the people that are doing it today? Even if it were, we would be able to go and ask somebody what language were they speaking in? Was that spanish, was that french or whatever? Whatever it was? And then you have to ask yourself well, why were they speaking it if nobody was there as French or whatever? But we're not even dealing with the root of the problem, because the root of the problem is that, even if what we were witnessing was true, it wouldn't be what we're witnessing today.
Speaker 6:Jonathan, you can go back to the very, very basic question of why would tongues even be necessary today? Ok, we can translate the gospel into any language we want. Right, people can hear we could mass produce as many Bibles in that language easily and quickly. Ok, people go into a church where it's being done. Ok, people go into a church where it's being done. You've got somebody go in there who has been witness to it and want to find out more about who Jesus is. And they're on the verge of receiving Christ as Savior. And they see this, they hear this and, like you just said a moment ago, they come flying out of that church meeting.
Speaker 6:What in the world did I just see? Whatever it is, I want no part of it. Ok, you think God's going to take the blood off that person's hand that misled them? I don't think so. Their blood is going to be on their hands because they missed an opportunity to receive the Savior, because they got scared off by something that was totally demonic and dead and no longer in use. The whole thing to me is confusing as to why people, jonathan, still want to embrace it. Yeah, that's the part I don't get.
Speaker 1:But the part that is disturbing and then I'm going to go to Greg the part that is disturbing is that the tongues that we're seeing today has nothing to do with the biblical tongues. That's the crazy part. This is not what was done back then. They were speaking real, actual languages, real languages. It was only unknown because they didn't know it. They didn't learn it. They were given this gift. I have a nephew. I don't know what it is about this kid. He's a grown man now, but you put him in another country for two or three months. He's speaking the language. I don't understand it. He speaks five languages. I don't understand how he?
Speaker 1:does that?
Speaker 6:I'm going to say this to you, Jonathan, too If the gift of tongues were still in effect today, I could speak over in Russia to a Russian in English, and he would hear Russian. That's the way it would have worked. That's the way it worked back then.
Speaker 1:No, actually I disagree with you on that one. Actually, I think they were speaking the actual languages. See, this is what these tongues people are speaking, or this is what these tongues people are doing. They're saying that they're speaking one sort of gibberish. And if there's 14 people there from different countries, that they're speaking with one voice and they're all hearing different things, that's not what was happening. That's not what was happening. That's not what was happening. Each of them were speaking.
Speaker 1:Like Paul said I'm glad that I speak more than you all. He spoke more languages. If it was just one language that everybody could hear, whatever it is God wanted them to hear, paul wouldn't have been able to say that you follow what I'm saying. Yeah, paul wouldn't have been able to say he spoke multiple languages if all you did was just spoke some gibberish and then 15 people with different languages all heard it. That's not what was happening. This is what tongue speaking today claims to be, claims to be doing. This is what philip michael presented when he talked about the african guy. He just, he just spoke and everybody heard what was needed. But that's not how it worked. It was an actual language that a person did not learn Greg, and then Meg.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So when he says, you know, oh, the reason, people, you know, people are afraid of tongues because the devil's trying to scare them, right, right, so he's using, he's using a manipulation tactic, right, so you know what the person's supposed to think is oh well, I don't want to be a coward, Right, so I'm going to do, I'm going to be bold, I'm going to be brave, I'm going to, so that, to me, like that's the, that's the worst part of it, like it's, it's one thing, like if this guy were sincere and actually believed what he was saying. But the fact that someone resorts to, you know, a manipulation tactic like that just proves that they're insincere. So now, now, I even hate the guy more, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know Meg, and then Mariah.
Speaker 8:So I want to go to Romans eight 26, because I think a lot of people take this out of context when it says likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for, as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. I think a lot of people take this out of context and say that it's tongues right.
Speaker 1:They do.
Speaker 8:As I'm looking deeper into the scripture. It says the spirit helps us in our weakness. But what is that weakness? It's because we are. We are weak because of sin and suffering and ignorance and limitation, especially in prayer. How many times have you prayed and don't even know what to pray? But the word of God says that the spirit comes alongside us right, takes a hold of us to support and strengthen us. It says we do not know what to pray as we ought and strengthen us. It says we do not know what to pray as we ought. So in times of suffering or confusion or temptation, we may not know what aligns with God's will, but our ignorance does not hinder God.
Speaker 8:His spirit steps in. And so when it says that the spirit intercedes for us, the spirit prays on our behalf, expressing what we cannot express. He aligns our prayers with God's perfect will. And when it talks about here's the big one with groanings too deep for words, it does not mean that the spirit is literally groaning, as a creature would. Right, the groanings are not verbal nor understandable, but they reflect intense yearnings, like creation's groaning. Right, we don't hear creation's groaning, but it doesn't. It's not referring to speaking in tongues, because we see here that Paul says that the groanings are too deep for words says that the groanings are too deep for words, so that means that it's beyond speech.
Speaker 1:Another other, another, another, another passages and other translations like, like King James, whatever it says, it is the grunt the spirit makes groanings which cannot be uttered. And you're right. This is the passage that is always referred to when people talk about this, the tongues being this heavenly language. And so we, we, you know, we had a conversation a few weeks back where some guy came in and was insisting on speaking in tongues and everything, and I brought that very verse up and he brought that and he referred to that as being that being being the, the verse that talks about the, uh, angelic aspect of speaking in tongues and having this heavenly prayer language. And I, I said, well, how does that work? Because it clearly says that the spirit makes groanings that are unuttered, that are not spoken. So it can't be tongues, because it clearly states that it is unspoken, no words can speak to it.
Speaker 8:Amen.
Speaker 1:But the spirit of God in us makes intercession on our behalf.
Speaker 8:Exactly, and you know, what is so comforting in that is that even in times when you feel too weak or confused or you don't feel that you you can pray properly, like you said, the spirit is praying in you. Yep and for you, and the spirit perfectly aligns your needs with god's purpose.
Speaker 1:That's right, like wow yep, in addition to that, we have our mediator, who sits at the right hand of the father on high amen. I mean, we're just suited and booted.
Speaker 8:Do y'all know that? I mean we're just suited and booted. Do y'all know that? Like we do? You guys you know, and it makes me so emotional because I'm like, in studies like these and things like this, it's like do we really understand how much God loves us? Like really.
Speaker 1:We can never understand it enough.
Speaker 8:Huh.
Speaker 1:We can never understand it enough enough.
Speaker 8:Huh, we can never do people really understand how merciful and kind and gracious and he is to to those that he loves, and he loves us so much more than we can even think, ask or imagine he is on our side. Literally we cannot fathom it, sister we cannot fathom it, sister.
Speaker 1:We cannot fathom it. Sister Mariah, go ahead.
Speaker 3:Yes, I wanted to read John 6, 63.
Speaker 2:Go ahead.
Speaker 3:It says it is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits, nothing Profits nothing. Life the flesh profits, nothing profits nothing. The words that I speak, our spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe, and I believe that this is the heavenly language in which one speaks, that one cannot understand. They have no ears to hear, right eyes to see. Even if you speak to it, to them plainly, in their own language, they still do not know what it is that you speak of yep, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know we, we have. So, you know, we, we have so much to be thankful for, like Meg was saying, and to be grateful for. And again, you know, you know, I was really disturbed when I heard, when I saw that video with him, and I had no idea that, I didn't expect that, but it caught me off guard and I was really, uh, grieved by it, saddened by it. I was really. It really bothered me because I really liked him, his, his, his, you know his thing. But you know, so my whole thing is, you know, I'm trying to, as I get older, my old, I'm trying to, as I get older, my old age, I'm trying to be a little gentler than I have always been. But this is one of those things that just really caught me off guard and I was shocked by it and I shouldn't have been. You know I shouldn't have been, but it's the way it goes.
Speaker 1:And I'm not saying that I've cornered their market on truth, but it's the way it goes. And I'm not saying that I've cornered their market on truth. I'm sure none of us have. But there are certain things that we have to be able to recognize when it tarnishes our God, when it tarnishes his glory, when it tarnishes his word and when it dilutes his word, you know, anything that sort of just frustrates the natural truth that we understand to be gleaning, that we glean from the scriptures. And when you start, when you open the door for these kinds of things, then we also open the door up for those other groups that we have had to contend with, that we have had to contend with. We are assisting them at saying you have now justified how we conduct ourselves, you know, and so you know. Anyway, this whole thing is because I think that you know, I think most Christians don't realize that we are literally, literally, in the middle of war. We don't realize that Most of us don't understand that we are really in the throes of battle. We're in war today.
Speaker 6:Why are we reminded to put on our armor every day, brother man?
Speaker 1:but we don't know, we think it's a joke. It's no joke and this is the field that we're in. And you have these people that are doing everything they can to bring distractions so that people will believe a lie. You've been told, you know everybody, you know, like all these dispensationalists, they all believe. Well, you know, the Antichrist is going to come and he's going to be doing these miraculous wonders and whatever he's already doing it this is what I'm talking about he's already doing it. These people believe that these tongues are a miraculous gift. They're not. They are a lying sign and wonder.
Speaker 6:Who's going to have the courage to take that message to the world?
Speaker 1:John we're going to do it. Somebody's got to. That's my point. But these are all distractions. You got these people, this guy casting out demons running around and then people arguing with me all the time. That was me. No, it wasn't you, it's not even him, it's a lie. The other ones running around we're healing the sick and they always tell you well, there are people in Africa, they're doing it. You know, you know, you know. See, this is what happens all along. There is no, you know, there is no miracle in the New Testament, especially in Acts, where somebody around is not saying they're doing it, in spite of the fact that it is clear from the word of God it's done. If you understand the significance of their use, what they were for and all these kinds of things, you would know that these things are all lies.
Speaker 1:Somebody says Brian says all denominations hate what other denominations. Preach ain't got to do with dominant denominations. I don't care about the nomination, I care about what you say. The bible says that's what I care about. Either it says it or it doesn't. Yeah, it either says it or it doesn't it. As simple as that. You know the people, the people. They always throw out denominations, you know. But see if Christ said which he did say that he came to bring division. He said he came to bring division, starting with people in your own household. Yeah boy, it starts there first, that's before it even gets to the Denominations. You see what I mean, but you know.
Speaker 1:We are not here To compromise Truth for the sake of Unity. Never going to happen. No, we're conducting.
Speaker 2:Holy business here for the sake of unity. Never gonna happen. No, we're conducting holy business here. The father's-.
Speaker 1:This is like Christ said in Luke 2, 49,. Don't you know that I must be at my father's business? Amen. I don't know what you got going on, but we gotta stand on his business.
Speaker 6:Well, joni, and I love you all so much. Jonathan and everybody. It's a fact that our family here in Missouri has pretty much told us to take a hike. They want nothing to do with us because we stand on the gospel of truth. We preach Jesus that they don't want to hear. We preach and teach and share Christ. That makes them uncomfortable. They don't want to deal with that. I'm not saying that to yank our chain or anything. I mean we take a lot of abuse for that. But the point being is the fact that Jesus told us this was going to happen. We shouldn't be surprised when it does. We shouldn't be caught off guard with our own family or people that are close to us. You know that love us. My son, who I love to death, is a atheist.
Speaker 6:He's my only son, one child. You think that doesn't hurt when I tell him about Christ and he laughs in my face and tells me I'm insane.
Speaker 1:You know what, brother, I'll tell you this. This is going to sound really weird.
Speaker 6:Go right ahead, sir.
Speaker 1:Count it all joy.
Speaker 6:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because if they did it to the master, they're going to do it to you, absolutely.
Speaker 2:You know what? That's what I experienced at my sister's house. I just understood what Jesus said, that when you come home and they don't accept you because of that reason that's one of the reasons I got evicted, because I followed Jesus and she didn't want to hear it, you know. So she was like hey, how do you? So I understand what it means by your whole family pretty much rejects you, and that's fine with me, I'm okay with it because I'm with the Lord. I have faith family. So my family of the faith is my real family is what I've really learned from that.
Speaker 2:And it wasn't even the people in my biological family and it wasn't saying it was in that household that was caused division, because it was that standing on that word, when if they hate you, they will, if they hate me, they're going to hate you too. Yeah, so it was something that it's just like I had to, and thank you for all of y'all that have encouraged me in that part, but also Brother Jonathan, where he was like, just keep doing it, sister, just keep doing it, because it was the Pharisee that was coming at me. So I was dealing with that kind of thing. So I just encourage you to keep doing it, no matter what, because you got a lot of brothers and sisters in here that love you like Christ loved the church, and sisters in here that love you like Christ loved the church. So I mean I'm just saying, stand in it, because at the end of it and the end of it all, we're all going to be together with Jesus anyway. So you know, that's what matters, yep, stay strong in the Lord, no matter what, don't compromise.
Speaker 1:Well, everybody, it's about that time for me to go. I normally want to go around and have everybody get their last word, but I'm in this cramped hotel room and I got my wife over here trying to go to sleep. I told her she'd regret this, but I want to say God bless all of you. You know, you guys are just a great bunch of people, um and I.
Speaker 1:I couldn't be happier to be able to fellowship on these nights and I'm trying to get myself back into my normal routine and certainly it's going to be happening over the next couple of weeks as we get through getting to hopefully get into, uh, our house out here in um, uh, mississippi, tennessee, whateveressee, whatever where we are. But, um, but anyway, I'm looking forward to um, trying to, I'm trying to get back on the course on a daily basis and uh, but I just wanted to let you know I appreciate all of you guys, your kind attention, your generous ears and your and your, uh, abundant hearts in these conversations contributing to it. So I'm really I'm being wordy, but I'm grateful. That's all I'm trying to tell you. I really am.
Speaker 1:So, um, you guys all have a. Have a great, great night and hopefully I can get on here tomorrow and we can talk about something else than some of my issues with some of these folks out here and getting into some real biblical themes that are going to be uplifting for everybody. God bless you all and everybody. Have a great night, be provoked and be persuaded. God bless, bye-bye.
Speaker 3:We miss you, Brother Jonathan.