The Catholics don't believe in speaking in tongues, but I have heard of a group that calls themselves Catholic and claim to speak in tongues.
They are called charismatic catholics. I used to live in a city where they broke off from the catholic church and started their own church, because the diocese threatened to kick them out if they didn't stop praying in tongues.
I never said casting out demons stopped, or healing stopped. There are other gifts of the Spirit too that have not stopped.
This is part of your problem here. Spiritual gifts are spiritual gifts, they all came together, and they all remain together, until they are no longer needed. As I have already demonstrated with a few Scriptures, God has made all of these gifts and offices part of the church, period. As long as the church is present upon the earth, these gifts and offices will continue. Your claim that they have ceased, is nonsense and in direct contradiction to what Scripture teaches. That means...you are wrong on this point. Scripture demonstrates what is true and what is half truths (lies in disguise)...and what you hold to on this point is not truth.
However, I believe tongues, prophecies and new knowledge have ceased.
Yes...in direct opposition to what Scripture teaches.
Even miracles aren't happening exactly as was during the New Testament times. Of course the greatest of miracles are given by God for a testimony, and they aren't done anymore, because God already gave the testimony. There aren't people being raised from the dead after four days, and those born blind aren't given sight supernaturally, and those born paralyzed aren't walking supernaturally. Just like there was a time for the miracles Moses did, the parting of the Red Sea...that kind of miracle wasn't done in the New Testament time.
Here you have another kind of problem. People have been raised from the dead, primarily in missions. Smith Wigglesworth is accredited with raising 17 people from the dead during his ministry, along with speaking in tongues and prophecies, healing people of blindness, healing them from cancers, making the lame to walk again, etc. Just because YOU have never seen a miracle like these does NOT mean that they have ceased...it just means you have a very poor and limited life experience. I know of a very trustworthy person who has witnessed limbs growing where the person being healed had no arm or leg, and that was NEVER written about in Scripture...but according to you, because you have never witnessed it with your own eyes, you choose not to believe it happened. I almost feel sorry for you...
You probably believe prophecies haven't ceased either.
Yep, sure don't...I myself have had prophesies spoken over me that came to pass. Again, you choose not to believe in what Scripture says will continue, simply because you have never witnessed them before, and because you misinterpret the subject in Scripture because you have never done a complete and fully examined study on the gifts. And if you have, then you chose to ignore Scripture and cling to your false doctrine.
I went to this one church a couple of times, and the pastors said they could prophecy. They did say exactly what had been on my mind for a while, it was astonishing how they knew. The part that bothered me most though about them doing that, is why didn't they mention my amazing testimony and talk about that, and, or, why didn't they understand why I had what I had on my mind...it just didn't seem to make me feel that it was from God what they were doing, because it didn't edify me. Do you know what I mean? It was as if they were mind reading, or even psychic, but how do they think that is prophecy?
First off, the word prophecy in the NT means either one of two things, depending upon the context. The word prophetes can mean either one who foretells future events, or one who forth-tells, meaning speaks a message from God as the Holy Spirit speaks through that person. It does not just mean foretelling future events. I have had God speak through me on a number of ocassions...one time I had prepared a sermon, it took me two weeks to get it ready, and 10 minutes into my sermon the Holy Spirit stopped me and took us down another road. While it was cool, it was "unnerving" to have the Spirit speaking through me. That has happened once before, after I got saved, a missionary came back to the states for vacation and stopped by our church. I went in the prayer line and asked for God to give me more. This man put his hand under my jaw and said, "Holy Spirit speak" and my mouth opened and started speaking but it wasn't me...it was my voice and my tongue and my mouth...but not me doing the speaking. That was my first experience with the Spirit speaking through me, but it wasn't the last, being called by God into the ministry.
At any rate, I can not say anything about your experience because I was not there. And again, while there are people out there being stupid and playing church and yelling out at the top of their lungs in tongues, doing what Scripture says not to do, because some abuse the gift that does NOT mean that God has ceased with tongues. Again, both Scripture and real world experience demonstrates that you are wrong on this point. I hope you take that to heart.
Blessings
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8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
