Hello again all of my sisters in Christ. Now this is going to be kind of long so please bear with me. I only ask that you forget about previous bad experiences or false ideas about what it really means to speak in tongues. This is not in any way saying that those who do not speak in tongues will go to hell or are not saved. Please don’t misinterpret me. I will explain why I believe that speaking in tongues is the evidence of baptism in the Holy Ghost and I will begin with the Words of Jesus Himself.
John 3:5-8
In verse 8, Jesus likens the Holy Spirit to a wind, which you hear the sound of. The Greek word here for sound is phone (fonay) and it literally means voice, speech, language. This is totally different from the word typically used to describe just a sound. That’s a very significant point that is often overlooked when people claim that speaking in tongues is not the evidence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself identifies the Holy Spirit by a voice that will be heard when He makes His appearance to the believer.
Acts 2:1-13
Now here, the Holy Spirit makes His appearance for the first time and comes in like a rushing mighty wind. The sound used here is different. It refers to a literal sound. But when the believers were filled with the Holy Ghost, they “spoke” in other tongues. The word there in the Greek is to utter a sound, to speak, to talk. Just as Jesus said, when the believers were filled, the sound (phone) of the Holy Ghost was heard.
For my next point, I am going to be the odd man out even to those who do believe that speaking in tongues is the evidence of the Holy Ghost. I don’t believe they were speaking in known languages, but a heavenly language that God allowed to be interpreted for the purpose of getting the message out. A lot of people use the point that God allowed them to speak the languages of the people to get the message out and that’s why it’s not required today. Here is why I disagree. Not all the people out there spoke one language. Verse 6 says that each man heard them speak HIS OWN language. But verse 13 clearly shows that every person out there didn’t understand because they accused them of being drunk. How do I know that those who accused them of being drunk didn’t understand? Because verse 5 tells us that these were devout people. No devout person would accuse someone glorifying God of being drunk unless what they were speaking was pure gibberish to them. It also separated them from those who understood because it referred to those who mocked as others.
Acts 8:12-18
Now here we see some people who received the word of God and were baptized. But Peter and John still needed to go lay hands on them. Well if you receive the Holy Ghost upon conversion, why did Peter and John need to go and what was it that confirmed that they received the Holy Ghost to Simon, who offered money to have the same power? First off, these were unsaved people following the formula of Acts 2:38. The Holy Ghost is for believers. He cannot be received by the world (John 14:17). So after these people received the word and repented, they were baptized. But there was a subsequent experience they needed to have after they believed. Simon obviously knew they had received it because the Holy Ghost made his entrance as Jesus said He would in John. His sound (phone) was heard.
Acts 10 tells us about Cornelius who was a believer, but he didn’t know about Jesus. Of course he needed to hear the Gospel of the Kingdom since he had no knowledge of it. But what’s important about this passage of scripture is this; If speaking in tongues were only to get the message out, why did Cornelius and those in his household speak in tongues here? Peter and the people with him didn’t need the message. Hearing them speak in tongues just as they did was the evidence that He had indeed fallen on the Gentiles. It was the witness of the Spirit.
Last for the book of Acts is chapter 19 when Paul meets the believers who were John the Baptists disciples. Again, they were believers, aware of Jesus but didn’t know about the Holy Ghost. Only Paul was there and he had the message yet they spoke in tongues and that is how Paul knew they were indeed filled with the Holy Ghost.
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul speaks of ministry gifts and their necessity in the church (body of Christ). Many people get tripped up by verse 30 but if read in context it makes perfect sense considering he is talking about speaking in tongues as a gift that ministers to others. How do we know this? Because all of the “gifts” that he speaks of are things that should be practiced by all believers in their personal lives to some degree such as faith, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, and healing. According to Mark 16:17-18 all believers would be able to pray for the sick and they recover and all believers would speak with new tongues. This shows that all believers equipped with the Holy Spirit have a gift of healing to a certain degree. Paul picks up talking about speaking in tongues in chapter 14. In verse 2 he says that those who speak in tongues didn’t speak to men but to God and they spoke mysteries so no man understand him. This obviously isn’t the same thing talked about in chapter 12 or this is an obvious contradiction. In verse 14 he describes the use of this tongue as prayer and says his understanding is unfruitful. What person would want their private prayers interpreted for the church? Makes sense that he is talking about different things. What Paul is talking about in Chapter 14 is speaking in tongues in church, yet having order because we all know God is a God of order. Simply put (and to save space) Paul is talking about speaking in tongues out of place. He says in verses 18-19 that he thanks God he speaks in tongues more than them all but in church he’d rather speak where he was understood. If he wasn’t speaking in tongues in church, where was he doing it? Obviously in his personal prayer life. Verses 27-28 says “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.” Many people take that to mean that you shouldn’t speak in tongues at all in church. It doesn’t say that, it says let him speak to himself and to God not to forbid speaking in tongues later in the chapter. Simply put, this was about order and not whether all believers spoke in tongues. I have read all the old threads on speaking in tongues and I know that many believers here struggle with the concept. I have even read where one person said that people needed to be careful coveting to speak in tongues because Satanist would come into churches and speak in tongues very loudly to confuse the other people and make them repeat curses to God. My response to that is this “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:3. If it is indeed the Holy Spirit causing the believer to speak in tongues there would be no way possible to confuse them and make them curse God. For those who have had bad experiences, please don’t take that to mean that you shouldn’t desire to speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues is not someone taking you into a room and telling you to say, “ ha bababalalala” It’s not even close. God says to open your mouth wide and He will fill it. Lift up your voice in praise to him and open your heart to all that He has for you. Forget those people and whatever foolishness they had going on. The evidence of the Holy Spirit may be speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance but the fruit of the Holy Spirit is LOVE. When God comes in it is a beautiful experience and if anyone ever truly speaks in tongues under the anointing of the Holy Ghost they will never again question if it was from God or not. I could share a lot more but this is already super long so I will refrain.
DISCLAIMER: THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO SAY THAT ANYONE IS GOING TO HELL OR IS UNSAVED BECAUSE THEY DO NOT SPEAK IN TONGUES. I AM ONLY DESCRIBING MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD BASED ON MY STUDIES AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE HOLY GHOST.
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look
I mean finger wagging in my face and all!
