March 13, 2017
Shortly ago, I wrote some on the topic, ‘Life Really Is Spiritual’. And because life is spiritual it is necessary to worship in spirit and in truth, because God is spirit. John 4:24 (KJV).
There are nine manifestations of the spirit as recorded in 1 Corinthians 12. Six of those manifestations need revelation to be performed, and two of them need to be operated in the context of a believers’ meeting. There is one and only one that can be operated anywhere, anytime a believer thinks to do it and that is speaking in tongues.
Speaking in tongues first became available on the Day of Pentecost; and from that point on there are several sections of scripture in the Book of Acts where believers spoke in tongues upon first receiving holy spirit.
In out day and time the Devil has tried to put the lid on speaking in tongues, by having the organized Church ignore it for the most part and then having satellite churches and TV preachers dramatize it with choreography and wrong teaching. Thus what we have is a lot of confusion regarding this wonderful working of the spirit, that has, for the most part, ‘freaked out’ or disturbed the general public, primarily the Christian community, because they don’t understand.
In Acts 2:11, it tells us that when the Apostles spoke in tongues, they spoke ‘the wonderful works of God.’ The Word does not tell us exactly what those wonderful works of God are: but we do know that when we speak in tongues, it is the tongues of either men or of angels – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (KJV). In Acts 2, when the Apostles spoke in tongues, it just so happened that lots of people present heard them speaking in their own languages, and it was described in Acts 2:11 as ‘the wonderful works of God.’
Sometimes people present do understand the tongues spoken: sometimes not!
Let’s entertain another thought, the new birth of Christ in you, which occurs when you make Jesus lord in your life and believe God raised him from the dead is a spiritual work – Romans 10:9,10 (KJV); and thus, it can’t be felt in the five senses. However, you can get yourself all worked up emotionally with the thought of possibly being born again. But that’s emotional and not spiritual!
And you could very well be born again of God’s spirit; you just don’t know it through the senses. God, in His goodness and love to us, has given us this wonderful manifestation to show us that we are born again of God’s spirit.
Speaking in tongues is the proof in the senses realm to an individual that he or she is born again of God’s spirit. Now, don’t take anybody’s word for it, work the Word and see for yourself. Or talk to God about bringing someone into your life who can help lead you into the manifestation of speaking in tongues.
I would think it would make all the sense in the world, that God would not leave us to wonder and ramble when it comes to the seriousness of the new birth, which is the ‘miracle of all miracles’. Being the benevolent and loving God that He is, He has given us the new birth by spirit so that we can live a more abundant life now on earth: plus, we have the hope of the return of His Son from Heaven, in due time, to gather his Church.
In the meantime, we have the ‘earnest of the inheritance’ – Ephesians 2:14: and that ‘earnest’ is a ‘token’ which is the new birth, shown forth by speaking in tongues. I am very blessed that we have proof in the senses realm of the new birth, otherwise, many people, such as myself, would wonder a lifetime – ‘Am I or am I not?’ No Christian wants that kind of confusion in their life.
Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 14:5 that ‘…I would ye all spake with tongues’. He was dealing with problems in the Church at that time, but he knew the importance of speaking in tongues. Another place in Corinthians, he says, ‘I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all’.
In Acts 10:46, the household of a man named Cornelius heard the Word of God spoken by Peter. In vs 33 of that chapter, Cornelius told Peter, ‘Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.’ Like so many of us today, they wanted to know God’s Word. Peter spoke it in the following verses, and in vs 45, it tells us that those that came with Peter were astonished, ‘because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost, for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.’
How blessed Cornelius’ household must have been to have heard God’s Word and then to have heard themselves speaking in tongues, because they knew. And God wants us to know! He wants me to know, and He wants you to know!
Keeping in mind that speaking in tongues is a spiritual matter: It is worshiping God in spirit and in truth and the Devil doesn’t want that to happen. Let’s put it to the Devil and strike a chord for the one true God and speak in tongues much!
It’s fun to speak in tongues, which is why I speak in tongues! And it helps me to have funglimpses! Thanks for reading. Will Grove