Is Speaking In Tongues Necessary? By Ken Raggio Speaking in Tongues I cannot scripturally separate the baptism of the Holy Ghost from speaking in tongues. They are one and the same. Please read (or re-read) my article on The Baptism of the Holy Ghost. ALSO, I urge you to you read my article about Praying in the Spirit and The Lord is that Spirit. Does everyone who has the Holy Ghost speak in tongues? YES. “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 10:45-46. “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning,” Acts 11:15.(At the beginning, they spoke in tongues. See Acts 2.) “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. If I do not speak in tongues, does that mean I am not born again and saved? “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,” Romans 8:9. “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” John 3:5. Is everyone supposed to receive this gift? YES. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call, Acts 2:38-39. “I would that ye all spake with tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:5. Jesus taught that These signs shall follow them that believe; ...they shall speak with new tongues, Mark 16:17. Paul testified that, I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all, 1 Corinthians 14:18. It is WRONG to teach against speaking in tongues. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:39. (If your church teaches AGAINST speaking in tongues, you should leave and find a church that encourages you to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.) If I do not speak in tongues, should I be praying to do so? YES! “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost,” Acts 8:14-17. When someone demonstrates that they are HUNGRY to receive the Word of God, SEND SOMEONE to pray for them to receive the Holy Ghost. Lay hands on them and pray that they will receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. When they receive it, they will speak in unknown tongues. The Bible gives no examples of anyone receiving the Holy Ghost without speaking in tongues. The Bible NEVER teaches the Baptism of the Holy Ghost apart from speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues is the first verifiable evidence that a person has received the Holy Ghost. While attending Bible College in 1970, I saw the Holy Ghost fall on a class of deaf students, and many of them were baptized in the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, even though some of them did not even speak English. They were genuinely ecstatic to have been filled with the Spirit. I have also witnessed numerous instances when people whose first language was NOT English were astonished to hear a direct message from the Lord, when they heard an English-speaking person praying in a language they did not know. One of my Bible College instructors, Ralph Harris, wrote a book documenting about 200 cases when someone speaking in unknown tongues was actually speaking a powerful word from the Lord to someone who understood the second language. I am a firm believer that speaking in tongues is a supernatural phenomenon ordained by God. Even when no one interprets it, it is a cryptic prayer language between you and God, and men or devils cannot foil or intercept it. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ, so nothing is impossible when the Spirit of the Lord is working. I urge you to find a Spirit-filled Pentecostal Church and ask them to pray for you to receive the Holy Ghost. “Covet earnestly the best gifts,” 1 Corinthians 12:31. Does being filled with the Holy Ghost require one to jump and shout? The Bible does not say anything about people jumping or shouting or having a big emotional reaction when they receive the Holy Ghost (although sometimes people do). That varies from person to person. It is OK to have an emotional response, but remember that it is YOUR PERSONAL REACTION, not the action of the Holy Ghost. Are people actually not able to control their actions when they are filled with the Spirit? The Spirit inspires the person to speak out in a language they do not understand. You still have control over your body. You may receive the Holy Ghost sitting, standing, kneeling, or whatever. (Unfortunately, you have power to resist the Holy Ghost. He does NOT FORCE HIMSELF ON YOU.) So do not resist, or be nervous, or uptight. Surrender! Give yourself in complete surrender to the LORD. You may become very excited, or you may laugh, or you may cry, or you may have a different reaction than someone else. I suggest that you begin by making sure that you have repented of all your sins and ask God to forgive you. Then take the time to pray for Gods will in your life and begin to worship the LORD. Lift your hands and your voice and worship Him, and ask Him to fill you with the Holy Ghost. Then be careful to respond when you feel the presence of the LORD. You will feel His presence, and you will feel like praying in the Spirit in other tongues. Some people develop a “mental block” that keeps them from responding. Dont let that happen to you. Do not be afraid, or reluctant to speak in the Spirit. Just let the LORD have His way with you. It will happen. Speaking in tongues – What, Why, When? As we have seen, the Purpose of Pentecost is not so much that we may speak in tongues, however speaking in tongues is a valuable means to the end of being effective in prayer and full of the power of the Holy Spirit. It is NOT sufficient for all God wants from us, and it certainly isn’t a pre-requisite for being a real Christian. Even so, speaking in tongues is important and has been too devalued by too many people. But those who really use it a lot know its power … “Speaking in tongues” refers in general to speaking in languages unknown to the mind of the speaker, by the power of the Holy Spirit. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4). They may be tongues of men or of angels (1 Corinthians 13:1). It is something which is happening in our time also! (Read the section towards the end of the lecture – are Tongues for Today?) There are many misunderstandings to do with speaking in tongues in many churches today. Therefore it is important to study carefully everything that follows in this lesson. On occasions, the hearers may understand what is being said (Acts 2:8), but usually they do not (1 Corinthians 14:11). The speaker does not speak with his mind or understanding, but with his spirit (1Corinthians 14:14). In the case of tongues inspired by the Holy Spirit (we are not dealing here with satanic manifestations of tongues), the speaker speaks words as the Holy Spirit gives him utterance. In general, he speaks not to men but to God (1 Corinthians 14:2), although God can and does give messages in tongues to people through speakers who do not know what they are saying. In most cases, however, such messages will require interpretation or they are without value to the hearer. (1 Corinthians 14:9, 11, 27). There are therefore three types of tongues: (1) Praying in tongues. Tongues from man to God, for private edification, prayer and praise to God - messages in tongues from man to God. Obviously tongues to God (1 Corinthians 14:2) require no interpretation, since God understands all languages. (2) Prophecies in tongues (with interpretation) (1 Corinthians 14:5- 9). There are also messages in tongues from God to man. Tongues which form a message to people require interpretation in most cases. This kind of tongues is a spiritual gift for the edification of others. It was of this gift and ministry that Paul was speaking of when he taught that not all speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28-30). In those verses it is talking about ministries in the church – not about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. According to Mark 16:17 all can speak in tongues in the sense mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:2 – prayer in tongues to God – see point (1). But not all those baptised in the Holy Spirit will prophesy or give messages in tongues. (3) However, in the case where the speaker is speaking by the spirit words in a human language understood by the hearers but not by himself, it can be said that tongues are a sign for the unbelieving (Acts 2:8; 1 Corinthains 14:22). This kind of sign is happening sometimes even in our days. Jesus said, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues.” (Mark 16:17). We have seen from the Book of Acts that this promise of speaking in tongues was fulfilled in the lives of believers when they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Although not all true Christians today speak in tongues, nevertheless, they may, they can and they should – when they are baptised in the Holy Spirit! This is the will of God for all Christians. Paul said, “I wish you all spoke with other tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:5) and “Do not forbid to speak with tongues.” (1 Corinthians 14:39) Some Christian leaders discourage speaking in tongues or even forbid it because they teach that it is not Biblical or not for today. Who or what gives them the right to say that? Who gives any preacher the right to say what parts of the New Testament are and what parts are not relevant for the believer today? “ALL SCRIPTURE is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Praying in tongues can be done anywhere and at almost any time after you are baptised in the Holy Spirit. (1 Timothy 2:8). You can pray in tongues while travelling, while reading, while listening as well as while kneeling in prayer. We will now consider several reasons why it is good for Christians to spend a lot of their time praying in tongues. 1. He who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). That is, he prays. But the prayers he prays are prayed with his spirit in words given by the Holy Spirit. Therefore these prayers will be effective because they are according to the will of God. 2. Speaking in tongues enables us to pray much. God says, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). While there are many forms of prayer it is great to have the ability to pray in tongues at any time, without taxing the mind. The mind can rest or do something else while the spirit prays. This ability will help us to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18) even when our minds are tired and we don’t know how or what to pray. (Romans 8:26,27) 3. Speaking in tongues allows us to pray for things and situations we don’t know about. There are a lot of important things happening or threatening to happen in life that we don’t know about. But praying in tongues helps us to pray for these things also – that God steps in and changes these things or people we don’t know about and we certainly don’t know how to pray for. 4. “He who speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself.” (1 Corinthians 14:4). This means that speaking in tongues builds up our spiritual life. Jude exhorts the Christians as follows: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God.” (Jude 20,21). Much speaking in tongues helps us to be deeply conscious of the fact that God lives in us. Speaking in tongues therefore strengthens our relationship with God which will result in greater love and faith being known in and through us than we would otherwise experience. 5. Speaking in tongues can be a spiritual gift to help others, when translated. It also helps us to train our spirits to hear the voice of God and to operate in the other gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Especially in Western culture, we have been trained to base all our speaking, thinking and actions on reasoning that we can understand. However, the place where God speaks to us first is in our spirits. Our spirit is the part of us through which we hear the voice of God. It is not through rational processes or deduction that we arrive at what God is saying. We don’t arrive at the experiential knowledge of God through philosophy (1 Corinthians1:21), but through revelation by the Holy Spirit. That does not mean that God is illogical or irrational, but that He transcends natural knowledge and brings us extra knowledge we can’t obtain by natural reasoning. By speaking in tongues much and meditating on the Word of God, or waiting silently in the presence of God, and by stepping out in faith, we will learn to hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit. 6. We should imitate Paul (1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 4:9), who spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18), and they were a church that were proud of their gifts and especially of speaking in tongues! The majority of God’s people with a significant healing ministry like John G. Lake or Smith Wigglesworth testify that speaking in tongues was a very important key to their ministry. 7. Speaking in tongues refreshes our spirits and our minds. Isaiah 28:11-12 speaks of a rest that comes to those who accept the blessing of speaking in tongues. Our minds can rest while we speak in tongues and we can receive power from God through it which affects our physical health postively also. (Romans 8:11). 8. Speaking in tongues helps God get control of our tongues. We must yield our tongues to God when we speak in tongues. This is a good habit to get into, since the tongue is by nature the most unruly member of our bodies, the most dangerous and the hardest to control. (James 3:8). By speaking in tongues much we learn to quieten our minds and quieten our tongues from saying wrong and hurtful things. Instead, we train our tongues to speak things that are positive and life- giving. It is therefore important for every Christian to speak much in tongues, so as to be of the greatest usefulness to others and to God in the work of the Kingdom of God. THE PROMISE IS FOR YOU In Acts 2:39 Peter says “For the promise is for you and your children,and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” We may be far off from the day of Pentecost but the promise is for us if God has called us to Himself. What is “the promise”? It is the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). See also Acts 1:4. This is the promise recorded in Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:17-21. “And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams (Acts 2:17). Before “the last days” the Holy Spirit was only poured out upon specially chosen servants of God, especially prophets, priests and kings. But now, the Bible teaches us, all Christians are royal priests (1 Peter 2:9). The Holy Spirit can be poured out on all mankind (Acts 2:17), so this certainly includes you. The applicable time period for the promise, the last days, is the time between Christ’s ascension and second coming. The last days aren’t over yet as Acts 2:19,20 have not yet been fulfilled. Therefore the promise is still fully applicable to all believers today. How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit We now arrive to the very important question – how to receive the promise of the Father; how to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. The word of God gives us the answers here. Remember, if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit already (Romans 8:9). The word “receive” is used in the sense of making a guest welcome. The Holy Spirit is holy, and also a gentleman. He will not barge in if you don’t want Him to. His power is freely available to those who will trust and obey (Acts 5:32). It is not essential to have hands laid on you to receive the Holy Spirit, but it is helpful provided the believer who lays hands on you is spirit-filled and of good character. There is a spiritual impartation that comes with the laying on of hands. We see the laying on of hands mentioned in connection with receiving the Holy Spirit in Acts 8:17, Acts 9:12 and Acts 19:6. Its important to realize that we receive the Holy Spirit by faith, and not merely by the laying on of hands. This is what needs to happen for you to be mightily filled with the Holy Spirit. REPENTANCE (necessary for salvation. See Acts 17:30; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38) Examine yourself. Be honest with yourself and God. God demands thorough repentance from ALL KNOWN SIN. Decide to live for God wholeheartedly. Confess and forsake your sins, trusting Jesus for forgiveness (Prov 28:13; 1 John 1:9). If you have unforgiveness in your heart towards anyone, you must forgive that person (Mark 11:25) RENOUNCE EVIL POWER If you have ever dabbled in false religions or ANY form of the occult (including astrolgy) you must renounce that evil power now in the name of Jesus. It is from Satan and his demons. If you are in doubt about some practice or habit then renounce that too (Romans 14:23). God’s power and demon power don’t mix well! THIRST AFTER GOD Jesus explains in John 7:37,38 “If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water’”. The next verse tells us that this refers to the Holy Spirit. We must have a desire to experience more in God in order to be filled with the Spirit. The more intense our desire is, the more powerfully we will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. We should never give up seeking God. Faith is born out of desire. ASK IN FAITH Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13). “Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24) We can have faith because we know from God’s word the promises such as these. See also Acts 2:17,38-39. It is obviously God’s will to keep his promises. DRINK “We have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). In Hebrew and Greek the word for spirit is the same as the word for breath. When coming to God to be baptised in the Spirit, it is sometimes helpful after prayer to take a few deep breaths in faith, and as it were, to breath in the Holy Spirit. We should come with a thirsty heart to Jesus and drink. (John 7:37- 39). RECEIVE We receive the Holy Spirit as a gift, not on the basis of works, but by “hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:5). We don’t receive by doing outward things, we must simply believe that we receive. Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” YIELD TO GOD As the expression of our faith in God’s word, we yield control of our tongue to God. This yielding is an ACTIVE thing – WE do the speaking, and the Holy Sprit gives the language. Paul says “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14). Acts 2:4 says “And they … began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Margin reads “ability to speak out”). You must begin speaking, trusting God to give the language. Do not worry about whether you understand the sounds you make – you will make the sounds according to the language that the Holy Spirit gives you. Keep speaking in tongues, allowing the Holy Sprit to flood your spirit, soul and body, drenching you in his presence. Keep receiving until you are absolutely full of the Holy Spirit. Begin to praise God in your new language from God, thanking him for what he has done! Suggested Prayer to Ask for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Dear Jesus, thank you for the most wonderful gift of all – the gift of salvation. Lord, you promised another gift – the gift of the Holy Spirit. I want all you have for me. Baptize me in the Holy Spirit like you did in the days of the Early Church. I consecrate my life to you. I am a believer and you said Lord that believers would speak in unknown languages (tongues). Give me now this gift of tongues. I believe I have now received the power to do what I have asked for. Thank you Jesus! (Now concentrate on Jesus. Your step of faith here is to open your mouth and make syllables you don’t understand. Trust that the Holy Spirit within you will control what you say and make it into a language for prayer and praise! It really happens when you believe enough to act this way.) Some Common Questions Is tongues for today? Yes, today multitudes experience the power and blessing of God as they speak in other tongues (languages given by the Holy Spirit). God has never withdrawn tongues from the church, but they largely died out through unbelief, ignorance and apostacy – the predominating characteristics of the institutional church for hundreds of years. We know tongues, prophecies and knowledge will cease when the perfect comes (i.e. Jesus comes again and the Kingdom of God is fully manifest) but then they will be swallowed up into something far greater. (1 Corinthians 13:82). Even throughout church history men and women have spoken in tongues (e.g. Charles Finney (see his autobiography), the Huegenots and many other groups) but this has been largely ignored or suppressed until the 20th century, where God is restoring more Biblical truth. Certainly, the new Testament is not outdated. We ought to speak in tongues for the same reasons as the early church did. If you start with the unproven assumption that the supernatural is not for today, large portions of the Scriptures become irrelevant, describing a God whose ways have fundamentally changed. But all Scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). How do I know its from God? We know on the basis of God’s promise in his Word. God is our Father. If we ask Him for a good thing he will not give us something of no value that will waste our time, or worse yet, a demonic counterfeit. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). In Luke 11:13 Jesus says in identical fashion that God will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. It is clear then that our loving Father wants to give us what we ask for, not something evil. But isn’t love the better way? Of course love is the more excellent way. But love does not replace the gifts, nor the need for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. “Pursue love, and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1). God’s will is not one or the other – but both. If we had to choose between love and the gifts of course we should choose love (1 Corinthians 13:1), for without love we are nothing. But there is nothing to say we must choose one or the other. In fact, all our practising of the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be done in a loving way, with a motivation of love for all that we do. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit should cause us to receive and reveal a greater measure of God’s love than we would otherwise know. And speaking in tongues is a form of praying in the Holy Spirit which helps us to keep ourselves in the love of God. Be filled with the Spirit continually. Ephesians 5:18 tells us, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled continually with the Spirit.” The Greek tense for filled implies the idea of keeping on being filled. It has been stated that it takes just as much consecration to remain filled with the Spirit as it does to get filled with the Spirit or baptised in the Spirit in the first place. Perhaps it takes more. In any case, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an introduction to the realm of the Holy Spirit. We must continue to “walk by the Spirit”, and so, “not fulfil the lusts of the flesh”. It is possible to begin in the Spirit and then later “fall from grace” (Galatians 3:3; 5:4). This happens if we turn back to the law and ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we must not become proud and self-satisfied with the idea that we have been baptised in the Holy Spirit, but we must continually humble ourselves, deny the flesh and be led by the Spirit day by day (Luke 9:23). The Holy Spirit wants us to meditate on the Word and on good things (Philippians 4:8). Let us not grieve Him. Let us be obedient to Him. Let us talk to Him and continue in a wonderful relationship with Him. Then the purposes of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit will be achieved in our lives. It would be good to re-read this lesson and meditate more on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in us. Share and Enjoy
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 03:13:57 +0000
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