Jesus is the Reason we Live.
As we continue to focus on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, let us not lose sight of the fact that the most important aspect of Christianity is the salvation provided by the crucifixion, death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more important than what Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary. However, we shouldn’t be ignorant of what was provided by Jesus to help us live in spiritual victory. The Helper has been the focus of the last several posts and episodes. We worship Jesus and only Jesus because He was the One who died for us. However, let us not forget that in Jesus’ own words, He promised us a “Helper,” the Holy Spirit. You might ask, why did Jesus provide us with a Helper, and what does the Helper do? Jesus provided the Helper because Jesus didn’t want to leave us alone in our own strength to live the Christian life, a life of righteousness. Show More
The Apostle Paul warns us of being uninformed or unaware of our power and authority as disciples of Jesus Christ. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: “1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV). Paul also says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (NKJV). God’s ways are not man’s ways. It is a challenge to live by faith because God’s ways are often the opposite of how we have been taught to live by the world system we live in. We are told, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) The world says, show me, and then I will believe; the Kingdom of God says, believe, and then I will show you!
Resistance to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
It is my personal belief that there are leaders who, over the past generations, “tried” the Holy Spirit expecting to have some emotional or physical experience. When they didn’t get what they expected, they wrote the Baptism of the Holy Spirit off and decided that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not for today. This experience became their doctrine, and then they passed it on to others.
Well, let me say that you don’t “try” the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; you are either in or you’re out. It is very clear that the Lord said that if you ask for the Holy Spirit, you will receive Him! While the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, not everyone has an emotional or physical experience. Remember, we are talking about spiritual events.
Another reason for resistance to the Holy Spirit is that many leaders find it “messy” or “distracting,” especially during church services. Many would prefer to have a religion that is proper and without controversy. Well, it is a good thing that these types of leaders didn’t live during Jesus’ day. To the religious leaders of Judaism, Jesus was a “troublemaker” and a “heretic.” We know that, in fact, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV) This kind of attitude drove the religious leaders to the point of plotting to kill Him.
My point here is that the ministry of Jesus was “messy and distracting.” I know someone will quote 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NKJV), “Let all things be done decently and in order.” The question is, who defines decently and in order, the Lord or man?
Tongues is a gift of the Spirit.
The gift of tongues is presented as one of the nine gifts of the Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NKJV) “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:” The Apostle Paul introduces the Gifts of the Spirit, making sure we understand the following.
- Notice the use of the words Spirit, Lord, and God (bold for emphasis) in the same statement, a reference to the Trinity.
- The purpose of the Gifts of the Spirit is to build up the Body of Christ, the people of God. The gifts are not for personal use and not to profit one’s reputation, standing, or finances.
Then Paul continues to define each gift.“8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
We don’t have time to review each of the gifts today, but notice the last two gifts, different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues (bold for emphasis).
Now, let’s look at a common area of confusion about Tongues; the gift of tongues is available in two ways, publicly for the building up of the church and privately for the building up of the individual.
Public Tongues are used in the congregation.
It is obvious from 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14 that Tongues were very common when Christians gathered to Worship the Lord. It was expected that when one spoke to the church in tongues, there would be an interpretation of that message for the church. Either the speaker of tongues would interpret or someone else. After all, tongues may sound like nonsense to the human mind when in truth, it is the language of the Spirit of God. When you have tongues with interpretation, you have prophecy. 1 Corinthians 14:5 (NKJV) “5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.”
Apparently, what happened in the early church was that many were speaking out loud in tongues at the same time, but no one was interpreting. Paul makes it clear that this is not what the Lord wants, and it was causing confusion and did not edify or enlighten anyone. If a public tongue is expressed, it must be followed by interpretation, or else it does not benefit the Body of Christ. Understand this, Tongues + Interpretation = Prophecy.
Private Tongues, a personal prayer language.
Praying in tongues is the language of the Spirit. John 4:23 (NKJV), “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” We can worship and pray with our understanding, but a more powerful way is to learn how to pray in the Spirit. When you pray with your understanding, you are limited by the human mind or intellect. However, when you pray in the Spirit, all obstacles are removed. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:26 (NKJV), “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” The Apostle Paul makes it clear that when we pray in the Spirit, the prayers are always perfect because it is the Spirit of God interceding for us.
The Lord is not interested in memorized ritualistic prayer; the Lord is interested in relational prayer, prayer from the heart, and there are times when we don’t know what to say or how to say it; that is when we should pray in the Spirit. When we pray in the Spirit, we are encouraged, built up, and strengthened.
The Lord has given us the ability to pray in the Spirit as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers and our actions. Remember, the Holy Spirit was given to us as a helper to live the Christian life and to encourage us to fulfill the call of God in our lives. It is a lonely Christian and weak Believer who denies the work of the Spirit in their lives.
Praying in tongues is a gift of Jesus and is meant to encourage us to build up our confidence and faith in the Lord and what He can accomplish in and through us. Jude 1:20 (NKJV) tells us to “maintain our life with God by praying in the Spirit. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
Tongues, a Stumbling Block?
The stumbling block for some seems to be the manifestation of tongues. It has been my experience that God works in ways that don’t make sense to the human mind. For example, I have seen the following:
- The speaking in tongues happened spontaneously during the salvation experience.
- The speaking in tongues happened spontaneously at water baptism.
- The speaking of tongues happened spontaneously as the individual was prayed for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- The speaking of tongues happened days, weeks, and months after the person was prayed for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
My point is, “don’t put God in a box.” The Lord doesn’t have to prove Himself to you or anyone else; He is the Lord! If you have not experienced speaking in tongues, keep this in mind, you should earnestly seek the evidence of speaking in tongues; it is for your good. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t move in the other gifts of the Spirit. If you have learned how to hear the Spirit and follow his promptings, then exercise the other gifts of the Spirit, and the speaking in tongues will come in time.
Conclusion
What we believe should be based upon the Word of God, the Bible, and not on the opinions of others. The Bible is our map to life and godliness; the Holy Spirit is our compass to help us find the one true way. Remember the way is narrow, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
Peter’s sermon. Finally, let me close with a verse from Peter’s first sermon that he preached after being baptized in the Holy Spirit found in Acts 2:38 (NKJV), “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you is baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Let me repeat verse 39,” For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
We are the “afar off”; the Bible and history show countless times how important the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues was, and continues to be today.