Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who
believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison,
it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and
they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18 NIV)
Beloved speaking in tongues is for the New Covenant
believers. However, Pastor Joseph Prince speaks also of a Jewish Rabbinical
teaching which says that in the days of the Letter, when a high priest would go
into the Holy of holies, for the brief moment (when he would commune with God)
the Shekinah glory of God would descend and for that time the high priest would
speak in another tongue. Isn't that amazing, a supernatural gift previously
reserved for a privileged few under the Old Covenant is freely available to all
those who believe in Jesus Christ today. Hallelujah!!
Paul took a whole chapter in his first letter to the
Corinthians to explain speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14), the gift of
tongues and the ministry of tongues. So this bible study is dedicated to this
beautiful gift which we receive as the Lord Jesus baptizes us in the Holy
Spirit. Another amazing truth is that this is the ONLY gift of the Spirit which
operates as we choose; all the other gifts operate as and when the Spirit wills
but the gift of tongues manifests when a believer speaks out in faith.
Hallelujah!!
Why tongues
Beloved, the book of Genesis records the account of people
wanting to build a tower that would reach up to heaven; the tower of Babel
(Genesis 11:1-9). God foiled their egoistic endeavor by making them speak in
diverse tongues. So that one could not understand the other and they could not
co ordinate with each other to finish building the tower. Under the new
covenant the gift of diverse tongues is bestowed upon those who believe and
this helps UNITE people of diverse social and geographical backgrounds.
On the day of Pentecost the Jewish Proselytes from various
countries marveled as they heard Galilean fishermen speak in foreign tongues;
3000 were saved that day (Acts 2) as it was beyond doubt a sign from God, a
manifestation of the power of the LIVING YAHWEH.
Brother Dhinakaran talks about two kinds on tongues in his
book “the Gifts of the Holy Spirit”; tongues which are languages used in the
world and a heavenly tongue. Paul urges those who speak in tongues to pray that
they may also interpret (1 Corinthians 14:13), as the interpretation of a message
in tongues is beneficial to all whilst speaking in tongues to God is for
personal edification(1 Corinthians 14:4). At the infilling of the Holy Ghost a
believer may speak in either of the types of tongues, as the Spirit gives
utterance. Brother Dhinakaran talks of an incident where an unbelieving man
standing outside the church heard a little girl speak fluently in Hebrew as she
was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later the same man came to Dhinakaran to
inquire about the strange phenomenon and was saved. What changed his mind was
the manifestation of the Spirit. The manifestation of the Spirit is for each
individual for the BENEFIT of ALL (1 Corinthians 12:7). Hallelujah!!
Brother Hagin speaks of a time when a believer newly filled
with the Holy Spirit spoke for a while in tongues and another person
interpreted it saying that “Jesus was coming soon”. Many in that congregation
rejoiced. But brother Hagin understood (and confirmed with other experienced
men of God) that the Spirit was helping the newly baptized believer pray for
certain things in his own life. Beloved, misinterpreting tongues or wrongly
interpreting divine utterances without the unction of the Holy Ghost is wrong
and it greatly harms the congregation. That is why Paul urges those who speak in
tongues to speak to themselves unless they or anyone else have an
interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:28).
To summarize, a believer speaks in tongues as the Spirit
gives utterance and a believer may an interpretation ONLY when the Spirit gives
it.
Immediately after the baptism in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit
of God helps a believer to pray with moaning and groaning which cannot be
uttered (Romans 8:26). These prayers are generally to edify the believer; to
make him/her a ready vessel to be used by God. At this stage it is not right
for a believer to try to interpret his/her utterances. Beloved the gift of
interpretation of tongues manifests only as the Spirit wills, it is NOT our job
to interpret. At this stage it is wise to speak as much as possible in tongues,
to pray effective prayers guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and usher in
the manifestation of the all the other gifts as the Spirit wills. This is what
Paul urges Timothy to do in 2 Timothy 1:6.
Pastor Joseph Prince points out that the gift of tongues is
the only gift that ushers in the manifestation of all other gifts. Beloved,
there are days when I speak a lot in tongues. Those are the days I am most
happy and more at rest, despite any issue which may arise. I have seen for myself that on those days I
end up being more productive at work and am unknowingly am brought to the right
place at the right time. Paul said, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more
than all of you.” (1 Corinthians 14:18) I believe that what God could do in the
life of Paul had a strong correlation with how much time he spent speaking in
tongues. This is how the Apostle edified himself. Hallelujah!! Pastor Prince
speaks of a missionary in China who began speaking in tongues for 15 minutes a
day and saw remarkable progress in her ministry.
Biblical Evidences
There is a prophecy in Isaiah 28:11, “For with stammering
lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.” Paul quotes this in 1
Corinthians 14:21, he says, “In the Law it is written: "With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then
they will not listen to me, says the Lord."
The only evidence
indicating the infilling of the Holy Ghost is that Spirit filled believer
speaks in strange tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. (We will discuss the
diversities of tongues in another study.) For now let us look at what the Bible
says on the infilling of the Spirit and the gift of tongues.
Beloved, in Acts 2:4 when the disciples in the Upper Room
were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak in other tongues and
magnify God (Acts 2:11). People from various nations who had gathered in
Jerusalem that day (for the feast of the Pentecost) heard them speak in their
own different languages and were surprised to see Galilean fishermen speak in
foreign languages (Acts 2:6).
(Note: Beloved, tongues is a miraculous sign, it is for the
unbeliever, a sign to make them believe (1 Corinthians 14:22) and for the
believer, a powerful gift unto his/her spiritual, emotional and even physical
edification (1 Corinthians 14:4)).
At the house of Cornelius, Peter and the other Jewish
disciples knew that the same gift or anointing which they had received in the
Upper Room was poured out on the gentile family when they heard the entire
household of Cornelius speak in tongues (Acts 10:45-46).
Acts 19:6 records that when Paul laid hands on the disciples
of Apollos, they began to speak in other tongues and prophesy.
These three instances indicate that every time a believer is
baptized in the Spirit; the Breath of God gives them the utterance to speak out
in an unknown language.
It is safe to put inside your mouth
According to Leviticus 11:3, the Jews are only allowed to
eat those animals which have cloven hooves. Beloved, the tongues like as of
fire which came and rested on the heads of all those gathered in the upper room
were cloven tongues (Acts 2:3). It was a beautiful sign, through which God was
telling them that it was safe, it was kosher, for them to put it in their
mouths.
In the book of Joshua, the Lord instructs Joshua saying,
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all
that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then
thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 KJV) The Hebrew word for meditate is
hagah, which literally means to mutter under one’s breath all the time.
Religious Jews keep muttering the Scriptures under their breath all the time.
The Apostle Paul says, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of
you.” (Acts 14:18 ESV) Speaking in tongues is for the personal benefit of the
believer (1 Corinthians 14:4). When a believer speaks in another tongue, he
speaks mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2), the Spirit stirs up his heart and
prays perfect prayers in line with the Word (Romans 8:26) and he speaks unto
his own edification (1 Corinthians 14:4)
In his letter to Timothy, he writes, “… I remind you to fan
into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands”.
(2 Timothy 1:6 NIV). Let us see in Acts
19:6 what happened when Paul laid hands on the disciples of Apollos, “And when
Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began
speaking in tongues and prophesying.” In the letter to Timothy Paul used the
word charisma, for gift, which translates as a miraculous manifestation or a
spiritual gift. Another word, in Greek, for gift is dorea, which Peter uses in
Acts 2:38 when he urges the crowd to “"Repent and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Dorea is used whilst talking about a gift
in the conventional sense, like a birthday gift, something tangible.
We receive the dorea of the Holy Spirit when we ask Jesus to
baptize us and the Holy Spirit enables us to manifest or stir up the charisma
which is in us because of His Presence in our lives. Hallelujah!!
Final Words
Beloved, the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a life altering
event meant for everyone who believes in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Being born of water and Spirit is how we enter into the Kingdom of God (John
3:5). John the Baptist urged the people to repent, to change the way they
think, because the kingdom of God was at hand. The Kingdom of God was ushered
in when Jesus came with Grace and Truth. The same Kingdom of God, which Jesus
asks us to seek first and above all else (Matthew 6:33), is not a fleshly
kingdom, it is not of eating and drinking, it is RIGHTEOUSNESS (of God through
the finished work of Jesus), PEACE (for which Jesus was chastised on our
behalf) and JOY (everlasting undiluted unconditional joy which we have being
justified freely through Grace by the redemption that we have in Christ Jesus)
in the HOLY GHOST.
Beloved this is why the Spirit was sent on the Day of
Pentecost. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, the same life
giving power, the creative dunamis of El Shaddai that created the universe,
dwelling in us; the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is what
believers receive; this is our inheritance, our gift. The baptism in the Spirit
is an unmerited, undeserved gift available freely because of the righteousness
which we have through the finished work of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Hallelujah!!
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