Speaking in Tongues
The baptism with the Holy Ghost, is the
culminating experience in the order of salvation. The baptism of the Holy Ghost
seals all of the other experiences. The Holy Ghost is not only the agency
whereby man receives all of the experiences of salvation—the Holy Ghost
convicts (John 16:7), the Holy Ghost implants the seed of the new nature in
regeneration (Titus 3:5), the Holy Ghost brings forth the new birth (John 3:8),
the Holy Ghost sanctifies the believer (Romans 15:16)—the Holy Ghost also empowers
the sanctified believer by personally dwelling in the believer (1 Corinthians
6:19). This indwelling of the Holy Ghost occurs in the experience of the
baptism of the Holy Ghost.
The experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost
is first mentioned by John. “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:
but he that cometh after me...
he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 3:16). The baptizing agent
for this experience is Jesus. The baptizing with the Holy Ghost, the third person of the Trinity.
Although the Holy Ghost is the agency whereby
all of the experience of salvation is received by the believer, the baptism of
the Holy Ghost is distinct from these experiences. It was to people who were
already believers in Christ that the Holy Ghost was promised (John 14). The
sinner is not a candidate for the baptism of the Holy Ghost for the baptism was
promised to the believer. The promise of salvation is to the ungodly; the
promise of the Holy Ghost is to those who are already in an experience of
salvation.
The outpouring of the Holy Ghost in the history
of the early Church is characterized by at least three major distinctions. In
the second, fourth, eighth, ninth, tenth, and nineteenth chapters of Acts, it
can be ascertained that when the Holy Ghost was received it was received in a
spirit of worship by believers who then “spake in tongues.” These three
characteristics were always there: worship, believers, and speaking in
tongues (explained later). When the Holy Ghost comes into the temple of the
worshipping believer, the individual will speak in tongues as the Spirit gives
the utterance.
The Holy Ghost was promised to the church by
Jesus, and on the Day of Pentecost the Spirit came!
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as
of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts
2:1-4). The Holy Ghost is now
ever present to guide, to teach, to comfort and to empower the believer by his
indwelling (John 16:13).
As indicated above, speaking in tongues is a
phenomenon that accompanies the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Because of its
prevalence in the scriptural account, many in the kingdom of God have come to
accept speaking in tongues as the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost in
the believer’s life. As Jesus stated, “… these signs shall follow them that
believe . . . they shall speak with new tongues . . . “(Mark 16:17). The reason
why a person is justified is to be sanctified, and the reason why a person is
sanctified is to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
From a close scrutiny of the recorded history of
the church in the first century, the following facts can be ascertained. When
the Holy Ghost fell on the Day of Pentecost, the believers “began to speak with
other tongues” (Acts 2:4). There may have been “unknown tongues” (1 Cor 13:1,
1 Cor 14:1-4, Jude 1:20
tongues which no human can understand), but the scriptural record on this
occasion indicates “known” tongues (tongues which are spoken in a known
language). The people gathered in Jerusalem on this special day were amazed
that these lowly disciples spoke “that every man heard them speak in his own
language” (Acts 2:6). The disciples were speaking through the Spirit a language
they did not understand but the people who heard them “heard them speak in his
own language.”
In Acts 4:31, the Scriptures indicate a.
somewhat similar outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Although there is no reference
to speaking in tongues, this group was basically the same group as on the Day
of Pentecost and they, as a group, were accustomed to the evidence of the Holy
Ghost. The absence of any reference to speaking in tongues does not discredit
the argument. The filling of the Holy Ghost was the same as on the Day of
Pentecost only smaller in scope.
After the Samaritans “had received the Word of God”
Peter and John “prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost” (Acts
8:14, 15). How would they know they had not received the Holy Ghost unless they
believers lacked the same experience the early believers had in the upper room.
Although there is no reference again to them speaking in tongues, some kind of
an outward manifestation obviously occurred for Simon, who had previously used
sorcery to bewitch the people, and immediately asked for the same power so he
could lay his hands upon the people and they would receive the Holy Ghost. The
reaction of Simon definitely indicates an outward manifestation of some kind
when the baptism of the Holy Ghost was received by the Samaritans.
In Acts 9:17, Paul receives the baptism of the
Holy Ghost. In this account there is again no indication of speaking in
tongues; however, Paul was to later say, “I thank my God, I speak with tongues
more than ye all” (1 Corinthians 14:18). The silence of any reference of
speaking in tongues in this account is certainly no argument against tongues in
view of Paul’s later statement.
The Gentiles first received the baptism of the
Holy Ghost in the house of Cornelius. As it was on the Day of Pentecost to predominately
Jews, so it was on this day that the Holy Ghost was received by the Gentiles.
As Luke records:
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy
Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which
believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them
speak with tongues, and magnify God (Acts 10:44-46).
In both the initial receiving of the baptism of
the Holy Ghost for the Jews and the Gentiles, speaking in tongues is clearly
indicated.
Finally, Paul, in witnessing to some disciples
at Ephesus who had not heard about the Holy Ghost, preached to them this truth
and they received water baptism in Christ Jesus. Paul laid his hands upon them
and “they spake with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). Again, speaking of
tongues is clearly recorded.
From the above Scriptures, it should be easy to
come to believe “speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the
initial, physical evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.” As indicated
above, there are three distinctions that always accompany the baptism of the
Holy Ghost. The Scriptures indicate that the Holy Ghost is always given to
sanctified believers who are worshipping God and who speak in tongues when they
are baptized with the Holy Ghost. Some who have not received the Baptism of the
Holy Ghost may attempt to argue from 1 Corinthians 12, 14 that not all speak
with tongues, but to be clear on this topic, we are not referring to the
spiritual gifts of a message in tongues which is what Paul was referring to in
these references needing an interpretation, but rather the personal experience
of being able to pray in the Holy Ghost for edification which needs no interpretation
(Jude 1:20, 1 Cor 14:2, 4, Rom
8:26-27). It must also be understood that all of these believers spoke as the Spirit of God gave them utterance or the impulse, no man was directing it! Man cannot teach anyone how to speak in tongues, if someone tries, this is fleshly, and will lead to confusion. It is the Spirit of God that gives the utterance. Satan attempts to counterfeit all that is true, by false teachers, and people who are unlearned and unstable in the Word of God.
The early history of the church indicates that
due to the indwelling of the Holy Ghost the church functioned with great power
for several glorious years (Acts 4:32). The gifts and callings of the Spirit as
illustrated in Paul’s writings were in full operation for the edification of
the church. These gifts of the Spirit were to be the means by which the church
was to accomplish what it was intended for the church to accomplish.
Since the “glory days” of the first century, the
church has gone through several valleys of spiritual mediocracy. However, since the rediscovery of
Justification by Martin Luther, God’s kingdom has dug out the truths of the Bible (Gen 26:15,18-19) from the dark times of the Middle Ages (500-1500 AD).
And many believers in Christ Jesus have come to believe that the church
powerful in infancy will be the church powerful in this final age. The gifts
and callings ascertained from Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, and
Ephesians 4:11, 12 will once again be in full operation in the last day’s
church as they were in the early church of the first century.
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And Tell Someone What Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
May God through Christ bless you!
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