How to read the Bible.

Last night Sarah and I attended a newcomers dinner at church which we helped organise. After a great night of sharing our history, vision, inviting others to join with us in Jesus' work and hearing personal stories the floor was opened for questions. You could probably guess the regular hotbed topics that were raised - baptism, musical style and expression, and also the role of speaking in tongues.

Specifically, the question on tongues and the Holy Spirit was:

In Acts, when people received the Holy Spirit they spoke in tongues. Shouldn't this always be the case?

Our pastor, Andy Chung helpfully pointed us to Ephesians 1:13

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him (Jesus) were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit

Andy explained that while the gift of tongues continues, the experience of the believers in Acts was for a specific purpose in salvation history. Instead we are to associate receiving the Holy Spirit with believing the gospel of the Lord Jesus, that is, becoming Christian.

How would you expect our newcomer to respond to that? Especially considering his experience of church and teaching elsewhere has contradicted this?

Well, I can't argue with that. I can see it there in the Bible. If that's what the Bible says, then that's how it is.

And that, my friends, is how you read the Bible.