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Harvest Bible Chapel is a conservative, evangelical, non-charismatic fellowship
that welcomes all who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and all who are seeking
Him. Those who claim to possess the gift of tongues and other sign gifts are
welcome to worship and fellowship with us if they are willing to be a source of
unity rather than division within our church body. We believe that the
Christian life is supernatural and that the Lord continues to perform miracles.
We also believe that current displays
of the gift of tongues distract from the main task of the local church, which
is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew
28:19-20).
Current displays of the gift of tongues:
· Give unwarranted prominence to the gift, which
is described in the New Testament as being only one of many spiritual
gifts (1 Corinthians 12);
· Emphasize speaking in tongues as the primary
manifestation of the Spirit's work in a person's life, while minimizing the
Spirit's work in producing a holy life (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 1:9),
and a life that displays the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22);
· Often suggest that speaking in tongues is a
required proof of being Spirit-filled or of possessing salvation in Christ,
even though the Scriptures do not teach this.
Harvest Bible Chapel
seeks to prevent the propagation of doctrines that would cause divisions within
an individual church. Therefore, members of Harvest Bible Chapel are not to
propagate the teachings and emphases of the current charismatic movement. And
though we do not control personal, individual interactions with the Lord, we prefer
that overt expressions of tongues and other sign gifts not be expressed at
meetings that are under the organization and authority of Harvest Bible Chapel.