I'm talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit...particularly the part about the manifestation of speaking in other "tongues."
I know this was brought up in Bible study. I was pretty determined not to say anything.
[fail]
To be perfectly frank with you, the way it was talked about really hurt me.
It felt like someone was putting down or discounting my best friend. I felt really sad, to be honest, which is why I'm writing this.
Ok, let me start at the beginning of your concerns/disinterest.
1. "I saw someone doing it and it was weird." or "They tried to make me speak in tongues like them." or "The person I saw doing it was a really bad person."
Believe me, growing up in Pentecostal churches, I have seen this gift abused.
And on behalf of the gift itself, and for those of us that have received it and try not to abuse it--
I'm very sorry.
I wish you hadn't had a bad experience...but let me tell you something very important:
Satan will use anything to keep you from this gift. Misgivings, fear, indifference. Why? Because he knows it's the power of God--it's the Holy Spirit using Christians to pray God's perfect will. It's for intercession.
He hates that, and he'll use bad experiences, faulty doctrine about this gift no longer being in use, and fear to stop believers from receiving this blessing from God.
So what is speaking in tongues? What's the deal?
Well, when Jesus left earth, he promised to send "The Comforter" (The Holy Spirit). He said "It's better that I leave, that way The Comforter can come."
And why does He come? What's His purpose?
In John 16, Jesus lays it out:
When the Comforter (Holy Spirit) comes, He'll:
- expose error
- convince the world of its sins
- guide us (Christians) into all truth
- show us things about the future
- glorify Jesus and bring Him honor
He says "When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect...to the ends of the earth."
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to those in the Upper Room. You can find the whole account in Acts 2. Tongues of fire were on their heads and they began to speak in other languages. Many people were saved that day when Peter preached, full of the new power he had just received.
All throughout the book of Acts, as I'm sure many of you remember from when we spent a year in that book, the apostles prayed for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When they did, it almost always says that they "spoke in other tongues."
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul talks further about this gift to the church of Corinth. His advice is good. It sounds like some of you have experienced what the people in the church of Corinth were doing--speaking in tongues publicly, but no one interpreting or explaining what the Spirit was saying. Paul wrote to them to put an end to that. He also talked about the importance of prophecy, but I'll skip my spiel on prophecy for now. Paul said he was glad that "he spoke in tongues more than all of you."
Speaking in tongues in your private prayer time and in a service where someone can interpret is wonderful.
Speaking in tongues builds up your inner Spirit.
Speaking in tongues allows you to pray God's perfect will, without your own thoughts/motives/desires getting in the way.
Speaking in tongues is a blessing--a rich blessing and it brings intimacy with God that regular spoken prayer does not.
What else?
The Father says "Ask, and it will be given to you."
Jesus says, "What father, if his son asks for bread gives him a stone? If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father give good gifts to them that ask?"
If Jesus said the Comforter would bring all these things, then I want that in my life.
If Paul talked about how speaking in tongues brings greater intimacy with God, then I want that in my life.
If this gift of the Holy Spirit, manifested by the apostles speaking in tongues, changed the entire world in the 1st century, then I want that gift!
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not something to be afraid of--that kind of fear is not from God. It is the Enemy trying to keep you from one of God's wonderful gifts.
It's not something to be made fun of--it is the Spirit of God.
He (the Holy Spirit) brings joy!
He is good! Like, for real good...not just cliche good.
What is it like?
uhhh....it's good, first off. Have you ever tried to explain why being a Christian is good and beneficial and what it feels like to a non-believer? You already know how good it is, but sometimes it's hard to put it into words. You wouldn't want that goodness to leave your life, right?
Well...it's pretty much the same emotion once you receive this gift. It's a blessing. God, Jesus, prophets, apostles--they all talked about it. Therefore, it must be pretty important.
But let me describe it generally. You’re aware of your surroundings...you’re not really out of control, or in some trance or anything. It basically is a couple of different ways for me (for me, at least).
1. When I am earnestly praying in tongues, it feels like a tightening in my stomach-area. My whole body feels like it's concentrating on getting out the words.
2. When I am praying in the "background" (driving, working, Bible study, wherever/whenever I think to do it), it's kind of like multi-tasking with your brain. I can pray in tongues in my head on the backburner, and still carry on a conversation or drive or do a task, all while praying quietly.
A Few more things--hang in there!
In Romans 8, it talks about when you don't know what to pray--and your Spirit intercedes for you in "groanings which cannot be uttered."
There are many times I don't know how to pray for a situation. There are times when I'm too emotional to try to formulate a prayer. Praying in tongues is God's gift for these situations. You pray His will--not yours. His words--not Yours.
It takes you out of the equation. Which is good, because we are fallible...and He isn't.
If there's one thing I could ask of you, pray about it. In English (or Spanish or whatever your primary language is).
Please don't dismiss it so simply. Please don't be too busy or too wary or too whatever to look deeper into this gift. I know it may look strange, but be encouraged! God gives good gifts to His children--and we are His children! He loves us.
Like the gift of salvation and baptism, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, shown by speaking in tongues is important.
It's life-changing.
I really believe that God wants to give it to each of His children. You can pray for it and God can fill you when you're by yourself at home. God can use someone to pray with you to receive this gift. There isn't some special formula to receive it. It's a gift--He won't force it on you. But trust me--it helps. It is something you want--even if you don't realize it yet.
I promise.
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