The Everyday Club

1/23/10 Krystal, about 22
At Borders bookstore, a man in the cafe reading a book turned me down when I asked if he had a few minutes for some questions, but Krystal, an attractive and friendly college student doing schoolwork, did agree and brightened up when she found out it would be about her beliefs. Krystal grew up in an "apostolic" church, with an emphasis on "catching the Holy Ghost". I recently read a book on witnessing by the great 19th century evangelist R.A.Torrey, with its final chapter's emphasis on the necessity of being "baptized in the Holy Spirit" as a prerequisite for being involved in evangelism, so I had many questions for Krystal about her experiences. At the age of 8, Krystal developed an intense desire to receive the Holy Ghost, and after a year of earnest prayer, going forward weekly in church, and intercessory prayer by others, she suddenly received this gift, evidenced by a sudden ability to speak in tongues while she prayed. She now speaks in tongues regularly and just spent 2 hours every night at the church for nightly prayer, in tongues, during a week-long revival. "Sometimes I understand what I'm praying, though it comes out in another language, and sometimes I don't" I asked if these tongues were interpreted, (as required in 1 Corinthians 14) and she said she knew of only a few times when it had. "Must a person receive the Holy Ghost to be saved?" "Yes" Can a person have the Holy Ghost and not be able to speak in tongues?" (I never have, though I am open to it) "No" "So what must I do to be saved?" I asked. "Pray and ask for the Holy Ghost, and ask God to remove any doubt and unbelief you have" R.A.Torrey, Paul the Apostle (1 Cor. 12) and I would disagree that tongues must accompany the gift of the Holy Spirit. I hope this over-emphasis on tongues does not cause the exclusion of the more important gifts. (1 Cor 14:19)