Chavda, M. (2003).
The Hidden Power of Speaking in Tongues. Shippensburg, PA:
Destiny Publishing.
Chavda is adamant in
the use and application of Glossolalia (tongues) in christian life.
In his opinion tongues are God's gift that is not used enough or
valued enough. Glossolalia for the individual, in its devotional
aspect provides power bringing transformation for service. Chavda
describes it as a Bridal language where the bride is taught about the
groom as Rebekah is taught about Isaac by Abraham's steward. Key to
this insight is Paul's exhortation in the light of Paul's history.
Paul turns his back on his people, his heritage and his racial purity
(Chavda being a high caste Indian convert would understand how
essential such concepts were to Paul's identity) because of the
revelation of God in Christ through the Spirit. From this place of
intimacy by the Spirit believers are able to plumb the depths of God.
For this reason Paul (and Chavda) implore that we accept the
challenge to spend more time in tongues than he (1 Cor 14:18).
Chavda links
Glossolalia with sighs too deep for words and the deep things of God
that are revealed during such devotional practice. It sounds that he
is talking about is contemplation. Using Glossolalia as a way to as
Brother Lawrence says enter the presence of God enabling us to cross
the threshold into a sacred space where we can commune with God
(Lawrence, 24). Lawrence is merely one in a long line of
contemplative in church history that a Pentecostal would advocate
such a practice is rare. The difference as Veli-Matti Karkkainen
points out is with in the Pentecostal emphasis on action and
individual change whereas Lawrence's Catholic emphasis is more about
passive communal development (91, Karkkainen). That Chavda does not
mention contemplation could be that often Pentecostalism sees past
history after the Pentecost even as tainted (Rybarczyk, 83). Recent
Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue has loosely defined Glossolalia as a
sacrament, a remembering and participation of Jesus' working in the
world, an empowering for service and expressing for those sighs too
deep for words (92, Karkkainen). Apophaticism (common to Eastern
Orthodox) claims God is known by what God is not, from Apophaticism
comes the Jesus prayer simple and repetitive to quiet the mind as the
voice is active as in their hearts they seek God (Rybarczyk, 95). God
is beyond all understanding because the mystery is unfathomable and
cannot be expressed by words whereby language is left completely
behind (Rybarczyk, 86). The goal of contemplation is the same as
Chavda's, intimacy with God that changes us and transforms us as we
look upon in awe and wonder.
What Chavda
advocates is merely one way to practice the presence of God in your
life through devotional Glossolalia. The challenge is to make such a
practice the habit that it was for Paul to learn intimacy with God.
There is something beyond the rational happening here in this
“interplay between divine and human” (Rybarczyk, 94). It is
intimacy with the divine that brings about the transformational
change in our life and those around us. If this is awkward, confusing
or dangerous in the eyes of the believer then there are other
practices which can enable the same edification from the same God by
the the same Holy Spirit. God is not restrictive in how we apply
ourselves to enter into intimacy with him. He knows that each of us
is different and has given us a cornucopia of methods each one a key
to enter into God's presence and experience the heights and depths of
the divine three in one.
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