For with stammering lips and another
tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith
you may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they
would not hear (Isaiah 28:11-12; 1 Corinthians
14:21);
[Jesus is Speaking:] And these
signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues (Mark 16:17);
And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance (Acts 2:4);
Now concerning spiritual gifts,
brethren, I would not have you ignorant … To another the working of miracles;
to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers
kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:1,10);
And when Paul had laid his
hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues, and
prophesied (Acts 19:6).
WHAT IS TONGUES?
Speaking in
tongues is a direct, supernatural means of communicating with God. This FREE gift to every “born again” believer
is accessed through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the gateway or door to the
nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Through tongues, supernatural power is activated and released in the
life of the believer.
TONGUES is one of three VOCAL GIFTS of the Holy Spirit. It is a supernatural Holy Spirit-inspired utterance
that proclaims in a public meeting (church service or prayer meeting), a
message from God in an unknown language that is not understood by the person giving
it. Since the person does not know the
language, he is not speaking it out of his mind, but out of his SPIRIT. The purpose of this gift is to EDIFY, EXHORT and COMFORT the Church,
and it is always accompanied with the Gift of INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES. Together, the Gift of TONGUES and INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES equal the Gift of PROPHECY (Acts 2:4-11;
10:44-46; 1 Corinthians 14:5).
TONGUES is also a sign to the unbeliever. To illustrate:
An unbeliever
who is a native of Spain visits a Spirit-filled church in America where English
is the primary language. Since the
visitor’s knowledge of English is limited, he has difficulty understanding the
sermon. Suddenly, the pastor suddenly
stops preaching and begins speaking a message in Tongues. Afterward, he announces that the message is
for someone in attendance. To the
visitor’s surprise, the pastor has just spoken fluent Spanish and since the
message contains facts that only God could know, he knows God has just spoken
to him! After the service, the visitor
discovers that the pastor does not understand or speak Spanish! (1 Corinthians
14:22). This is the Gift of TONGUES in operation.
THE GIFT OF TONGUES is not the
prayer language of tongues that is spoken upon the INFILLING of the Holy Spirit.
Your prayer language is spoken as you
will. TONGUES is spoken as the
Holy Spirit Wills. Also, it is not a
known or learned language (1 Corinthians 14:2,14).
THREE LEVELS
OF TONGUES
The FIRST is the Initial Bible Evidence—of receiving
the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4);
The SECOND is your Personal Prayer Language, intended for
private devotion and building up your inner man (1 Corinthians 14:2; Jude 20). Singing “in the spirit” is included;
The THIRD is the Congregational Gift of Tongues—speaking a
prophetic message in TONGUES accompanied
with the INTERPRETATION
in a public assembly for the purpose of edifying the Church (Acts 2:4-11;
10:44-46).
WHAT IS
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES?
The Gift of INTERPRETATION
OF TONGUES is another VOCAL GIFT
of the Holy Spirit. It is the
supernatural impartation, by the Holy Spirit through the believer, the meaning
of a message that is delivered in TONGUES in a public assembly (church
service or prayer meeting). Its purpose
is to EDIFY,
EXHORT and COMFORT the Church (Acts 13:2;
19:6).
INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES is not a
literal, word-for-word translation. This
explains why a message in TONGUES might
be long, while the interpretation is short, or vice versa. Nor is TONGUES a
product of the human mind; rather, it is the Holy Spirit functioning through a
believer’s SOUL.
THE GIFT OF
TONGUES VS. PROPHECY
The Gift of PROPHECY is the third and last VOCAL GIFT of the Holy Spirit. Since this gift is often confused with the
Gift of TONGUES,
there are differences between the two that should be addressed, howbeit
briefly:
THE GIFT OF TONGUES:
Speaks a message
in an UNKNOWN language as the Holy Spirit Wills (Acts 2:4-11;
10:44-46);
Speaks to God
and to the sinner (1 Corinthians 14:1-2);
Edifies and
builds up the speaker (1 Corinthians 14:4).
THE GIFT OF PROPHECY:
Speaks a message
in a KNOWN language as the Holy Spirit Wills;
Speaks to the
Church;
Comforts,
Edifies and Exhorts the Church (1 Corinthians 14:3-4).
As previously
mentioned, the Gift of TONGUES and INTERPRETATON OF TONGUES,
together, equal the Gift of PROPHECY.
WHO CAN HAVE
THE GIFT OF TONGUES?
Only
“born-again” believers who have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit can
operate in the Gift of TONGUES and
the other eight supernatural gifts. The
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the door through which believers must, by faith,
pass in order to flow in the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians want to operate in these
gifts, but they are afraid to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, which
requires FAITH. Until they take this step of faith, they will
never live in the supernatural life that God wants them to enjoy.
HOW TO
ACTIVATE THE GIFT
THE GIFT OF TONGUES:
Is given by
God’s sovereign choice (1 Corinthians 12:11);
Imparted by
laying on of hands (Romans 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:6);
Received by
asking in faith (Matthew
7:11; 21:22; Luke 11:13; Mark 11:24);
Operated by
boldly moving in faith (Romans 12:6);
Exercised
through practice and constant use (Hebrews 5:14).
HINDRANCES TO
FLOWING IN THE GIFT
Lack of
knowledge (Hosea
4:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1);
Lack of desire (1 Corinthians
14:1);
Lack of faith (Romans 12:6);
Fear (2 Timothy
1:6-7);
Feeling unworthy
(Ephesians
2:10; 1 Corinthians 1:5-7).
THE BENEFIT
OF TONGUES
Satan HATES TONGUES and
FEARS this powerful spiritual weapon for a number of
reasons:
THE GIFT OF TONGUES:
Assures us of
God’s closeness and is a reminder of our relationship with Him, as we
fellowship with the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-18; 1 Corinthians 12:7);
Brings spiritual
refreshing, renewal, and rest for weary believers (Isaiah 28:10-12);
Causes the
gifts, power and anointing of God to be released in a believer’s life. The Holy Spirit will use us to manifest
spiritual gifts in the Church to be a blessing to God’s people (John 7:38; 1
Corinthians 12:1-11; Acts 19:6);
Enables us to
discuss divine secrets or mysteries between our SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit within
us, and God the Father. Since Satan
cannot understand messages spoken in tongues because the unction is Holy
Spirit-inspired, the believer has the advantage! (1 Corinthians 14:2);
Enables us to
effectively and victoriously wage spiritual warfare against “principalities,
powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in
high places.” It also helps us to resist
temptation and overcome the flesh (Romans 8:26; Galatians 5:16; 5:25; Ephesians 6:12);
Enables us to
effectively intercede for ourselves and for others, according to the Will of
God. This is especially beneficial in
situations where we don’t know how to what to pray. Our SPIRIT links up with the Holy Spirit, and
He helps us to pray God’s perfect Will in any situation (Romans 8:26-27; 1 John 5:14-15);
Enables us to
magnify, worship and thank God in an unlimited, uninhibited way (1 Corinthians
14:15-17; John 4:23-24; Acts 10:46);
Enables us to
pray for the unknown (Romans 8:26-27);
Is a means of
edifying and building up ourselves, spiritually. Speaking in tongues keeps our SPIRIT strong
in God. Singing in tongues (“in the
Spirit”) brings joy! (1 Corinthians
14:4,15; Jude 20);
Is a means of
staying free from worldly contamination (1 Corinthians 14:28);
Is a sign for
unbelievers (1
Corinthians 14:12);
Keeps our tongue
in subjection to the Holy Spirit. The
more we yield our tongue to the Holy Spirit, the more we are able to keep our
tongue and our flesh under subjection (James 3:8);
We give perfect
thanks (1
Corinthians 14:15-17).
SATAN’S STRATEGY
AGAINST TONGUES
If you were
Satan and were faced with this threatening WEAPON from the
opposition, what would you do to keep TONGUES from
being spoken in churches? Better still,
what would you do to keep the Body of Christ divided and powerless? Certainly, sowing confusion, fear and lies
about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and the nine supernatural gifts of the
Holy Spirit would achieve the desired results!
Listed below are
some false doctrinal teachings that Satan uses to his advantage to hinder or
stop many believers from receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. As stated previously, the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit is the door or gateway to all nine supernatural gifts of the Holy
Spirit. Scriptural answers have been
provided in parenthesis:
Tongues
is of the devil.
(1
Corinthians 14; Luke 11:9-15; Mark 3:28-30; 16:17; Matthew 11:18; 12:22-34;
Hebrews 10:29-31; Acts 2:17; 10:38; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Isaiah 28:11-12);
Tongues
shall cease (1
Corinthians 13:8; 10:12; Daniel 12:4);
Tongues
is not for everyone. The true meaning of 1 Corinthians 12:10 and 30 is
being misinterpreted;
Tongues
ceased after the last apostle died. This
is a false doctrine of “Cessationists.” (Acts 2:16-17,33,39; 8:14-18; 10:34, 44-46; 19:6-7; Joel
2:28-29; Isaiah 28:11);
Jesus
didn’t speak in tongues (Mark 16:17; John 11:33; Acts 2:38-39; Hebrews 8:6; Psalms
100:5; Isaiah 28:11; 1 Corinthians 14:21).
We can conclude from Scripture that Jesus also spoke
in Tongues, primarily because in Mark 16:17, He instructed His disciples
concerning this gift when He said, “And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues.”
At the tomb of Lazarus (John chapter
11), Jesus “groaned” deeply in His SPIRIT (vv. 33 and 38). He then says, “Father, I thank You that You
have heard Me. And I knew that You hear
Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may
believe that You have sent Me.” He
then charged Lazarus to come forth and Lazarus did!
Likewise
the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for
as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26).
As noted in Romans 8:26 above regarding the words “groanings” and
“uttered,” we can conclude that the term “groaned” in John 11:33 and John 11:38 meant the same. If we consider that the apostle Peter who
questioned everything, did not make any comment on this occasion regarding the
Great Commission (Mark 16:17)—nor did anyone else—nor did Jesus elaborate on
what He meant by this—we can conclude that it came as no surprise to any of
them.
Furthermore, on the day of
Pentecost when they all spoke in other Tongues, not one of them had a problem
with, or questioned, that experience. In
fact, since Peter stood up to explain it, he was already knowledgeable of the
subject of Tongues. If they had not
heard Tongues before, they would no doubt be just as disturbed as was the crowd
who was hearing it for the first time.
But, they were not.
Later, the apostle Paul corrected
the Corinthian church in its use of the Charismatic Gifts and spoke at length
about the Gift of Tongues. The
Corinthians knew the supernatural gifts as a normal and every day part of their
faith. However, because the gifts were
being abused, Paul reminded them that without love, these supernatural
endowments can be a cause of scandal to the Church and unbelievers (1 Corinthians
14).
As an intercessor who often
travails in prayer, I am well-acquainted with “groanings in the Spirit” because
I have experienced this manifestation of the Holy Spirit many times during
Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered intercession.
WHY PEOPLE
BECOME SKEPTICS
The Bible is
designed to bless believers who desire and seek TRUTH. Christians who take time to study The Bible on
their own will be enlightened. Sadly, Tongues
has become a controversial, misunderstood, and scorned subject in many
denominational churches. The
following are common reasons why people become skeptics. They …
Are easily
influenced by unenlightened people;
Are “cafeteria”
Christians who pick and choose what Scriptures to believe and what Scriptures
to ignore;
Are too proud to
leave their dead churches because they have made an idol of their denomination;
Don’t believe
that there is anything more to receive from God;
Don’t know what
God’s Word says about tongues because their pastors don’t preach or teach on
the subject;
Don’t study The
Bible themselves to discover the Truth;
Don’t hunger and
thirst after righteousness;
Don’t know any
Christians who speak in tongues;
Fear change;
Fear the unknown
and the supernatural;
Have been taught
false doctrines;
Have grown content
with spiritual mediocrity;
Have had one bad
experience that adversely affected them;
Have made up
their minds not to believe in tongues;
Have no desire
to take the next step of faith in their relationship with Jesus Christ, like Peter
did when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water;
Lack faith;
Reject anything
that their natural mind cannot understand;
Take Scripture
out of context.
For these and
other reasons, many Christians never claim the supernatural gifts and blessings
that God wants to bestow upon them (Matthew 7:7; John 8:32).
DEALING WITH
SKEPTICS
Listed below are
“guidelines” to follow when dealing with skeptics:
If a person has
a closed mind on the subject of Tongues, do not waste your time, or theirs, by
having a theological debate with them.
They are already confused and deceived and do not want to be confused
with facts that support Truth;
If a person
isn’t sure of his stand on the subject and shows genuine interest, open up your
Bible and walk him through the Scriptures, taking time first to pray, asking
the Holy Spirit to prepare the person’s HEART to
see and receive the Truth;
If a person is
satisfied and comfortable with where he is spiritually, and if he believes that
there is nothing more to receive from God, then he will not be receptive to
receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The desire to have ALL that
God has available must grow from within.
If a believer does not hunger and thirst after righteousness, he will
not be filled (Matthew
5:6);
If a person does
not believe that Mark 16:17 pertains to
Christians today, he will never speak in tongues until or unless he diligently searches
the Scriptures and renews his mind to the Truth (Acts 17:11; Romans 12:2). Any Christian that does not believe that Mark 16:17
is for today, is making Jesus out to be a liar because “God is no respecter of
persons” (Romans
2:11 and Jesus is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God does not play favorites with anyone and
all of His Promises, as outlined in The Bible, are timeless and are for ALL of His Children (Mark 16:17;
Acts 10:34; Psalms 100:5).
CONCLUSION
As stated in a
previous message, the BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT is God’s “SECRET WEAPON” because it is the DOOR to all of the spiritual gifts,
including speaking in tongues. Unfortunately,
this secret weapon is too secret in many Christian circles.
Many believers
want to experience the supernatural gifts, but they don’t understand that they must
first step out in faith and go through the DOOR
to access the supernatural. Remember,
speaking in Tongues is as the Spirit of God wills, not as man wills (1 Corinthians
12:11). In other words, man
cannot force or imitate a genuine manifestation of the supernatural gifts.
The Bible
exhorts us to desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). We are also exhorted to earnestly covet the
best gifts (1
Corinthians 12:31). These
words were written to people who already spoke in tongues, not to people who
did not speak in tongues.
I began speaking
in tongues in October of 1994 when Jesus baptized me in the Holy Spirit—not in
church—but in the privacy of my own home!
He blessed me because I was hungering and thirsting for more of God (Matthew 5:6).
Since then, I have discovered that the
more I speak in tongues and the more I pray and worship God in tongues—the more
manifestation of the other supernatural gifts I experience. On the flip side, the less I speak in
tongues, the less manifestation of the supernatural gifts I have operating in
my life.
Brothers and
Sisters, without the nine supernatural gifts in operation, the Church is SPIRITUALLY
BLIND, WEAK and at a DISTINCT MILITARY DISADVANTAGE
to war against a formidable and supernatural enemy! Too many believers in the Body of Christ are
spiritually weak and easily tempted, manipulated, and intimidated. Satan and his demons are powerful and united
in one accord to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). They are supernatural, spirit beings and they exist
and operate in the realm of the spirit:
For
we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
In our own
strength and wisdom, we cannot fight them in our physical world and expect to
win. We must attack, battle and defeat them
where they dwell—in the spirit realm. We
accomplish that by joining forces with the Holy Spirit and God’s Warrior
Angels. We also use the Sword of the
Spirit (the Word of God) and the Name and Blood of Jesus Christ! Only God knows what is coming on the world today,
tomorrow or in the future. If we will yield
ourselves to the Holy Spirit and be sensitive and responsive, He will guide us
into all Truth and show us things to come (John 16:13).
He will prepare and equip us for what lies ahead.
However, every
believer must understand that flowing and operating in the nine supernatural
gifts of the Holy Spirit COMES WITH GREAT COST—that many believers are
not willing to pay! That cost is TOTAL CONSECRATION, OBEDIENCE, HOLY-LIVING, WALKING
IN LOVE and FORGIVENESS
and CRUCIFYING SELF—the same
cost that our Lord paid for us. Prophesying,
Praying and Worshipping God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23) are excellent ways
to practice yielding to the Holy Spirit.
The more YOU or (SELF) that you put under subjection and
surrender and yield to the Holy Spirit, the more He will use you in the
supernatural gifts.
As previously
stated, TONGUES is an effective and powerful spiritual WEAPON that Satan HATES and FEARS. Why? Because he
cannot understand or interpret Holy Spirit-inspired mysteries and messages spoken
in tongues. Satan also fears the fact
that when a believer prays in tongues, his SPIRIT has joined
with the Holy Spirit to pray a powerful prayer that constitutes the Perfect
Will of God in any given circumstance or situation! Just think! God’s Warrior Angels are waiting in the wings
to hear and act on Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered prayers that thwart and destroy
demonic assignments and always produce POSITIVE, LIFE-CHANGING RESULTS!
In order to live
a SUPERNATURAL,
VICTORIOUS
LIFE IN CHRIST, every believer needs to receive the Baptism in
the Holy Spirit, the door to the supernatural gifts. The same is true for the Church. In order for the Body of Christ to pose a
serious threat to Satan’s kingdom and to be victorious over the works of the
devil, every church needs to be comprised of pastors, leaders and members who
are Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered, and operating in the REVELATION,
VOCAL and POWER Gifts
of the Holy Spirit! Satan’s worst
nightmare is that the Body of Christ today will tear down its denominational
walls to become UNITED and
comprised of supernatural, powerful Churches, as the early church was depicted
in the Book of Acts!
In closing, are you
a Spirit-filled Christian that Satan fears because you operate in the realm of the
supernatural, or are you a Christian that Satan doesn’t consider a threat to
his kingdom? Do you have Satan under
your feet, or are you under his feet? Are
you the head or the tail? (Deuteronomy 28:13). Are you walking in victory over sin, sickness,
evil thoughts, emotions, and speech, or are you walking in defeat? Are you the kind of Christian that, when your
feet hit the floor in the morning, causes Satan and his demons to tremble and
dread what you and the Holy Spirit, together, will accomplish that day? The choice is yours and I pray that you will seek
freedom from mediocrity and choose the SUPERNATURAL,
VICTORIOUS
LIFE IN CHRIST!
RECOMMENDED
READING
David M. Pizzimenti’s 1996 book, Tongues: Scriptural Answers to Common
Objections (Oklahoma: Albury Publishing);
Dr. Lester Sumrall’s 1993 book, The Gifts & Ministries of the Holy
Spirit (Pennsylvania: Whitaker House)
Dr. Norman Robertson’s 1993
teaching syllabus, The Supernatural
Church (North Carolina: NRM Publications).
Blessings!
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