Have Tongues "Passed Away?"

          Another objection to tongues that I have heard quite often is that tongues was a gift that was only intended for the early church, but now it has passed away, and we no longer need that gift. I Cor. 13:8 does say, "if there are tongues, they shall cease." Taken out of context one might very well claim that the bible teaches that tongues have ceased; however, taken in context there is more to it than that.
      If you read a little further, verses 8-12 explain that there will come a time when the spiritual gifts will no longer be necessary. Paul specifically mentions only three gifts, prophecy, tongues, and knowledge just to make his point. In verses 9-10 Paul instructs us,"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away." Some would say that "the perfect" is referring to the bible, hence they reason that now that we have the bible we no longer need the spiritual gifts, especially the ones Paul mentions; however, if you continue reading verses 11 and 12 Paul explains what he means.
       I Cor. 13:11-12 says, "When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known." Verse 11 speaks of what is appropriate for two different situations, one as a child, the other as an adult. He is not speaking literally of physical childhood and adulthood, but is using this metaphor to compare our life here on this earth to life in heaven with Christ.
       In verse 12 he tells us that now we "see in a mirror dimly." Mirrors in Paul's day were not like ours; they did not give a clear reflection. Paul is saying we don't have a clear picture of spiritual things; therefore, we need the spiritual gifts God has given us in order to function spiritually. We only know spiritual things "in part." When Paul says, "but then face to face," he is referring to the time when we will be with Christ. "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is." I John 3:2
       When we see Jesus, we will no longer see only "in a mirror dimly." When we see Him "face to face" we will no longer need prophecy or tongues or knowledge because we will be in His presence. We shall then "know fully" even as we have been "fully known." We will finally be like Jesus for we shall see Him as He truly is. We will finally know all the truth. Until that time, I want to function in all of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has for me so that I can effectively be His witness.
       "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  John 8:32

Are Tongues of the Devil?

           
           I hope that my last few posts will help to clear up some of the misconceptions that exist regarding the use of the gift of tongues. I have encountered quite a few people who have objections to the use of this gift whether it is used privately or corporately, even though tongues is obviously meant to be a part of the Christian experience as evidenced by many scriptures, and even though Paul clearly states in I Cor. 14:39, "Do not forbid to speak in tongues." God knew that it would be a difficult thing for some people to accept, so He inspired Paul to write that admonition for our benefit and instruction. In spite of our prejudices we need to approach the scriptures with an open mind and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us and teach us whatever the Father is trying to tell us.

          There are two main objections that I have heard regarding the use of tongues. One is that tongues is "of the devil," and the other is that tongues have "passed away," and are no longer necessary or relevant. I would like to address the first of these objections in this post, and I will tackle the second in my next one.

          First of all, many people are afraid of tongues because they don't understand it. Some pastors have increased that fear by telling people that the gift of tongues is of the devil, although that is not at all what the scriptures teach. There is no scripture that teaches that tongues is of the devil. In fact, Luke 11:9-13 says just the opposite. "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion will he? 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?" So, what happened in the book of Acts when people received the Holy Spirit? They spoke in tongues. The Lord knew that tongues would one day be maligned, and so Jesus assures us that if we ask for something good from the Father, we will not receive something evil. If we ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and receive the gift of tongues, we have not received a demonic thing (a serpent or scorpion), but something good and nourishing (a fish or an egg).

            In the above passage snakes and scorpions obviously represent something evil or demonic. For more evidence of this see Luke 10:17-20 where Jesus refers to demons as serpents and scorpions. On the contrary, fish and eggs represent things that are nourishing and good for you.  Jesus sums up by saying, “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?” This passage teaches two things. One is that if we have not yet received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of being able to pray in the Spirit we should be asking the Father to “baptize us with the Holy Spirit,” as Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:5. Secondly, this passage tells us that if we are asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit, then that is exactly what we will receive. We need not fear that we will receive something evil. The Father and the Son love us and desire that we grow in our relationship with them. The Holy Spirit is the One who is to be our Teacher, Guide, Advocate, Counselor, etc. If we neglect to cultivate this relationship with the Holy Spirit we have no one to blame but ourselves if we do not grow into the mature believers that God wants us to be. The Body of Christ is trying to function with both hands tied behind our backs if we neglect such a wonderful gift as the infilling of the Holy Spirit and all that this relationship offers.

Paul Instructs on Tongues

In I Corinthians, chapter 14, Paul gives us a lot of information about the use of the gifts of tongues and prophecy, especially the use of tongues. I believe these instructions are as relevant for believers today as they were for the early church, so let's continue listening to what Paul has to say on this topic.

Paul explains in verses 6-13 that tongues do not edify anyone except the one who is speaking, unless what he says is interpreted for the others who are present. If tongues are interpreted, then that is equivalent to prophecy which edifies all who are present. In verse 12, Paul encourages us to seek the gifts that will edify the whole church; therefore, if we are going to speak in tongues in a gathering of believers, we should pray that we can interpret what we are saying. If there is no interpreter, Paul tells us to keep silent in the church, and only speak to ourselves and to God. He does not say we should stop speaking in tongues; we should just do it in such a way that it does not disrupt what is going on. We all know how to talk quietly to ourselves. Paul also confirms here that when we speak in tongues we are speaking to God.

From what Paul wrote here it seems the Corinthians had a lot of people talking out loud in tongues in the service, but there wasn’t too much interpreting going on; therefore, the only ones who were being edified were the ones who were speaking in tongues, and this created a lot of confusion because I imagine they were all speaking out loud at the same time (verse 23). Verses 26-33 explain how the gifts of tongues, interpretation of tongues, and prophecy should properly function in a corporate worship setting.

In verses 14-15, Paul contrasts praying in tongues with praying in our natural language. He says, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I shall pray with the spirit and I shall pray with the mind also; I shall sing with the spirit and I shall sing with the mind also.” This passage reveals a couple of important things. First of all, praying in tongues is also referred to as praying in or with the spirit, and one can also sing with the spirit. I have participated in corporate worship in which many were singing in the spirit together and harmonizing. It is one of the most beautiful things you will ever hear on this earth. It truly sounds like my idea of a heavenly choir. In contrasting praying with the spirit and praying with the mind, Paul is making it clear that when we pray in the spirit (in tongues) we don’t understand what we are saying, even though we are being edified spiritually, so he is saying we should also pray  with our mind so that we understand what we are saying. Both types of prayer are equally valid and necessary. Paul goes so far as to say, “I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind, that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.” (verses 18-19)

To sum up this teaching, Paul states, “Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.” (verses 39-40) Due to the abuses that have taken place with tongues, a lot of churches and/or pastors have thrown the baby out with the bath water and now forbid people to speak in tongues. In fact, some of them go so far as to say it is of the devil, but we know from the scriptures that this is not true. Tongues is a wonderful gift from the Holy Spirit that was given to edify the believers. It should not be neglected or forbidden. In fact, in Eph. 6:18 Paul tells us to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” Jude 20 speaks of the edification of praying in the Holy Spirit. In my own prayer time I pray more in the Spirit than I do with my mind, partly because I either run out of things to pray, or else I don’t know how to pray about a particular situation. When I pray in the Spirit I know that I am praying according to the will of God because the Holy Spirit is praying through me.  In Romans 8:26-27 Paul explains, “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Praying in the Spirit brings a closeness to God and a fellowship with Him that I have not found in any other way. This is truly a gift that is essential to the Body of Christ. It grieves me that so many are missing out on this wonderful means of communication with our God.

"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." I Cor. 14: 26

Gifts of Tongues and Prophecy

A lot of Christians today question the validity and/or necessity of spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues. There exists a negative stereotype of "those crazy tongue talkers." In I Corinthians, chapter 14, Paul writes to the Corinthian church about the use of two of the spiritual gifts given to the church for the believers’ edification, tongues and prophecy. A lot of people use this passage of scripture to denigrate the gift of tongues, but that was not Paul’s intent. He is merely trying to shed some light on the purpose and proper use of these two very important gifts. Paul explains that prophecy is superior to tongues because all can be edified by prophecy, not just the person prophesying, unless tongues are interpreted, and then they are of equal value.

I want to focus on the gift of tongues because it seems to be the one that is attacked most often. The gift of prophecy is more acceptable, although it is not practiced much either, but tongues is very often not only denigrated, but also, contrary to Paul’s admonition in I Cor. 14:39, "...desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues," it is often forbidden. It seems that Satan would love to keep us from the very thing that would edify us in the Lord. So, I would like to share with you what the scriptures tell us is the purpose for the gift of tongues.

First of all, Paul tells us to desire earnestly spiritual gifts. Then he begins to compare the gifts of tongues and prophecy. In verses 2-3, he tells us that “one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries, but one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation, and consolation.” So, if I am speaking in tongues, I am speaking to God in a language even I do not understand. In my spirit I am speaking “mysteries.” So, why do it, if I don’t even understand what I am saying? Paul answers that question in verse 4 where he tells us that one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, just as one who prophesies edifies the whole church. This is why prophecy is a superior gift, because everyone who hears prophecy can be edified by it, whereas the one speaking in tongues is the only one edified unless it is interpreted so all can understand what is being said and be edified also.

The definition of the word edify is to instruct, especially so as to encourage intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement. It comes from the Latin word which means to build, which is why we sometimes call a building an edifice. When we pray in the Spirit (in tongues) we are being built up or edified spiritually. I like to think of it as building up my spiritual muscles, making me stronger spiritually. Don’t we all need that? I have been praying in the Spirit (in tongues) for over 30 years now, and I would not have wanted to live my life without this beautiful way of communicating with God. It has brought a closeness to God and a peace in my life that is truly beyond comprehension. I cannot explain it. I only know it is true because I have experienced it, and I know that it is of God because I have diligently searched the scriptures for God's will in this matter.

In verse 5, Paul says, “Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues…” Why would he say that unless he believed that this was something that would help us tremendously? Obviously, not all the Corinthian believers spoke in tongues, but I interpret his statement to mean that they all could if they chose to. From the passages we read in Acts, it seems that when believers received the Holy Spirit, they also received the ability to speak or pray in tongues. Do I believe every Christian must speak in tongues? No, but I do believe that every Christian should seek all of the gifts that God has for them, and not be afraid of something just because they don't fully understand it. The spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the Body of Christ so that we can minister to one another and also go out and be a witness to the world in His name. In order to do that, we need all the edification we can get. In my next post I will talk some more about Paul's instructions to believers on the use of tongues.

"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." I Cor. 2:14

 

Receiving the Holy Spirit

In the book of Acts there are several accounts of people receiving the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. I would like to share three of these accounts with you, as it will help us understand God's will for us in this regard. It is important that we apply the scriptures to our own lives and not just read them like a history book.

 Acts, chapter 8, tells us that when the church in Jerusalem heard that some in Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John, “who came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (vs. 15-16)   It is interesting to me that some Christians today assume that when someone makes a profession of faith in Jesus, and is water baptized, they automatically receive at that moment the infilling of the Holy Spirit and all that God has for them. That could be true in some cases; however, here is a scripture that paints a different picture. Verse 17 says that when they (Peter and John) began laying their hands on these new believers they were receiving the Holy Spirit. How did Peter and John know that these believers were receiving the Holy Spirit? Verse 18 tells us that a man named Simon, “saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands.” In fact, Simon was so impressed with what he saw that he actually offered the apostles money so that he could lay hands on people and see the same result. What did he see that so impressed him? We are not told in this passage exactly what he saw. All we have to go by is what other passages tell us about what was usually happening when people were receiving the Holy Spirit. The only evidences that are mentioned in other passages are that they spoke in tongues, prophesied, and/or glorified God.

The next passage I would like you to read is Acts, chapter 10, which tells the story of a Gentile man named Cornelius who, along with others in his household who were hearing the gospel, suddenly received the Holy Spirit. How did Peter know that they had received the Holy Spirit? Read verses 44-48. This is amazing! Peter knew that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on these people because he was hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter ordered that these people be baptized in water since God had already baptized them with the Holy Spirit. This was not the usual sequence of events, but God was showing us that we should not try to put Him in a box and expect Him to always do things the way we think He should. It was also showing Peter that God intended salvation for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

On seeing what was happening, Peter said, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” (vs. 47) Notice that Peter says these new believers were receiving the Holy Spirit just as he and the other disciples did on the day of Pentecost, and how did they receive? The evidence was that they spoke in tongues and glorified God.

Another account of believers receiving the Holy Spirit is in Acts 19:1-6. Paul came to Ephesus and found some disciples. He asked them whether they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. That question proves that Paul was not so sure that they had received all that was necessary. It was very important to him to be sure that they had received the Holy Spirit. He did not just assume that they had. As it turned out, these disciples had only been baptized into John’s baptism of repentance. Then Paul told them about Jesus, they believed and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, “and when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” (vs. 6) When believers received the Holy Spirit we can see that it didn’t always happen in the exact same way for everyone, but there are some definite similarities for all. There was always some evidence that a change had taken place. They received gifts of the Holy Spirit. (See I Cor. 12:4-11)

    Is there evidence in your life that the Holy Spirit is filling you? Have you been blessed with any spiritual gifts? Is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life? These are questions we should all be asking ourselves. Let's pray in faith and expect God to give us everything He has for us. He will not override our will, so let's be asking, seeking and knocking. Luke 11:9-13

Be Filled With the Spirit

 Jesus made it clear in Luke 24:49 that it was essential that His disciples wait to be filled with the Holy Spirit before they attempted to go out and be His witnesses. These men already had the benefit of walking with Jesus for three years. How much more do we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit today? Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8 was fulfilled during the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers in Jerusalem. (See Acts 2:1-21) Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” Peter assures us that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not just for the believers who were there that day. In Acts 2:38-39 he says, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 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.” It is God’s will that all believers be filled with His Holy Spirit.

Do we know the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Guide? Are we baptized with the Holy Spirit? See Matt. 3:11, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, and Acts 1:5. Have we received the power to be His witnesses? Are we clothed with power from on high? If not, why do we not experience the fulfillment of these promises? Usually it is either because we don’t even know that these promises exist, (Hosea 4:6), or else we are just too busy to take the time to seek the things of God. Jesus told us, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion will he? 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 11:9-13) So, if we are not receiving things from God that we are sure are God's will for us, it has to be because we are just not asking, seeking or knocking. Have you asked God to fill you with His Holy Spirit?

Someone once said we have as much of God as we want. That is so true. God is not trying to hide Himself from us. In fact, He has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to us. (Heb. 1:1-3) So, if we are clueless about God, it’s not His fault. He wants us to know Him in a deep, intimate way, to be able to hear what His Spirit is saying to us. Many people know God only through what they have read in the scriptures or through what other people have taught them, but they don't know Him personally. Seven times in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Usually, our problem is that we don’t have those spiritual ears open and ready to hear.

The book of Acts is the story of the early church and how the Holy Spirit filled the new believers and empowered them to do what Jesus sent them out to do, be His witnesses. I am going to be doing some more studying on this topic. Until next time...