WHAT ABOUT SPEAKING IN TONGUES?

I do not know of any other experience in relation with the Holy Spirit that has generated as much controversy in the body of Christ as speaking in tongues! I believe this is born out of a diabolic plan of the enemy to rob us of the means by which we are to walk in victory and bring the kingdoms of the world on their knees before our God and His Christ just before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

For those who know the truth of the word of God, this should not be difficult to believe and understand because prophecy has already gone ahead of this experience even before the first advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 28:11-12, we read:

“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

From this scripture, we can see that in spite of the fact that God said He would speak to His people with strange tongues as a sign, they still would not hear! This I believe is one of the reasons why this matter has generated so much controversy. I believe this is the fulfillment of a negative prophecy, but I have made up my mind not to be caught on the side of the fulfillment of a negative prophecy. I refuse to be a Judas in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

When the Lord came in his first advent, He also prophesied this event. He said it would be one of the signs that would follow those who believe in Him. In Mark 16:17, we read:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;” (emphasis mine)

With this scriptural authority glaring at us from the word of God, I find it very amazing that this matter should generate any controversy in the Church to the point of influencing some Church leaders to serve some brethren in some denominations the left hand of fellowship for embracing a truth that the Lord himself prophesied about even though we all claim that He is our Lord.

Furthermore, in the book of Acts of the Apostles; as we shall be seeing in the course of this study, we would find that in three of the five accounts where people received the infilling of the Holy Spirit for the first time, we are expressly told that they spoke in other tongues. In the other two instances where this is not mentioned, we are not told that they did not speak with tongues either. We can even infer that they did!

The first of these two instances was in Acts 8 where Peter and John went to Samaria to impart this gift on the converts of Christ there through Philip. Simon the sorcerer saw and heard something that made him want to buy the grace to impart this gift through the laying on of hands! I believe what he saw and heard were the people speaking in other tongues.

The second of the two instances where we are not expressly told people who got filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time spoke with other tongues is the account in Acts 9 where Ananias laid hands for Saul (who later became Apostle Paul) to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We can however infer from the letter of Apostle Paul to the Church at Corinth in 1Cor.14 that he spoke with tongues. In fact, in 1Cor.14:18, Apostle Paul says:

“I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:”

The truth is that we cannot isolate one scripture from others because the bible says in Isaiah 34:16:

“Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.”  

Thus when we match Saul’s testimony in Acts 9 with that of 1Cor.14:18, we can conclude that in all instances in the bible where people received the infilling of the Holy Spirit for the first time, they spoke with tongues.

Let me quickly say here that the infilling of the Holy Spirit empowers you to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ as Jesus said in Acts 1:8:

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…”

Being a witness however has to do with who you are first; before what you do. The reason the Lord emphasizes who we are here is that the Holy Spirit first comes to make you before He uses you to do the will of God. The bible says in Philippians 2:13 that God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is who we are that will dictated what we will do and as such when we seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we are not to stop at speaking in tongues, but to proceed to building our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit always to enable us become pure witnesses for the Lord.

If you are not yet born again, you cannot manifest the nature of God and consequently you cannot receive this Gift. The Lord said the world cannot receive Him. But you can be born again now by saying the prayer below and when you do, write to jointheirsfamily@gmail.com and let us know and we will send you an e copy of our believers guide to growth.  

THE SINNER'S PRAYER



THE SINNER’S PRAYER

Father in Heaven,

I come to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your word says in John 6:37 that you will not cast me out when I come to you. So I thank you that you will take me in.

You also said in Romans 10:9-10 that if I shall confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in my heart that you raised him from the dead, I shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God. I believe that he was raised from the dead for my justification and I confess him now as my Saviour and Lord.

I believe that I have now become your righteousness in Christ whom you made to be sin for me on Calvary’s Cross.

Thank you father that I am saved from this day in Jesus’s name!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations, the Holy Spirit will take you up from there and make you a new creation and help you live for God for the rest of your life.