Speaking in Tongues

I have spoken so much about the Gift of Tongues but you may as well ask: if it is God's will for all Christians to speak in tongues, then why do some have trouble receiving their prayer languages? When properly instructed, most Christians receive their prayer language quickly and easily. However, there are very sincere believers who, for whatever reason, struggle in this area. For some, it becomes a source of frustration and discouragement. Why does this happen? While I can't address every possible scenario, here are a few of the most common:

Religious Tradition:

If you come from a church background that is hostile to speaking in tongues, I realize that old prejudices can be hard to overcome. Nevertheless, we cannot allow religious traditions to make God's Word ineffective to us (Mark 7:13). Thank God for the Bible truths you may have learned from your denominational church, but keep in mind that speaking in tongues will not nullify any of them! The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), and the prayer language He gives you will both reinforce the truth you already know, as well as prepare your heart to better receive truth you may not yet know.

Condemnation:

Some Christians feel that they are not "worthy" to speak in tongues. However, if we were perfect, we wouldn't need it anyway! The only prerequisite to being baptized in the Holy Spirit is that you be born again. Remember, you do not receive it through your performance; you receive it through faith in God's grace (Galatians 3:2). If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, then you are ready to receive! You are no longer unworthy in His sight. You are forgiven and accepted by Him. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). Claim this wonderful promise as yours, and determine to never again allow condemnation to rob you of God's blessing.

Fear:

Although we discussed this in the previous message, it bares stating again: Jesus promises in Luke 11:9-13 that if we ask Him for bread, He will not give us a stone. Verse 13 assures us beyond any question that if we ask God for the Holy Spirit that is exactly what we will get.

Not Understanding What To Expect:

A common misconception is that when we speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit "grabs" our mouths and forces words out of us. This is not true at all. In Acts 2:4, notice that the people "...began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." It was the Spirit who gave the utterance, but they were the ones who had to do the speaking. In addition, Paul's instruction on when it is and is not appropriate to speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:6-13; 16-17; 23-25, 27-28) further shows us that the response is an act of our will. See, getting your prayer language is not difficult. It is a simple matter of asking and receiving. Just ask God in faith to baptize you in the Holy Spirit, then open your mouth and speak whatever He gives you. At first it may just be a syllable or two but don’t worry. You didn't learn to speak English all at once, so you needn't expect a complete, fluent language to come all at once.

Use what you get, and more will come as you make it a point to pray often in tongues. Yes, it's that simple! You may also ask, "Do I have to speak in tongues?" No, you don't HAVE to, you GET to! As we discussed in the previous message, Scripture exhorts us to covet, or as the literal Greek puts it, to "pursue with passion" the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31). Being filled with the Spirit and operating in this realm is an awesome privilege! You can be genuinely saved, love Jesus with all your heart, and go to Heaven when you die, and never speak in tongues. At the same time, however, you will miss out on many of the wonderful blessings and benefits that God has for you that are directly linked to speaking in tongues. God is a Spirit, and He wants to relate to us on the spirit level (John 4:24). The natural person can't receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).

We must go into the Spirit realm to draw them out. Without tongues, we will never fully enter into that spirit realm in our prayer lives. We can, and should pray to God in our natural language (1 Corinthians 14:15). He understands English perfectly well! However, we are still very finite, limited creatures, with only three and a half pounds of brain with which to communicate with the vastness of the creator of the universe! When we pray in tongues, our spirit prays (1 Corinthians 14:14), and we communicate with God Spirit to spirit, speaking mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2) to Him. The word "mysteries" in the Greek means "divine secrets, knowledge unrevealed to the uninitiated." We will further explore this, as well as the many other benefits of praying in tongues, in the next message. One of the reasons Jesus died was so that we could experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives (John 16:7). Don't miss it!

The subject of speaking in tongues has always aroused a great deal of curiosity among Bible students. Sadly, it is often seen through the eyes of negative stereotypes of people swinging from chandeliers, foaming at the mouth, and playing with rattlesnakes. In any movement, there are extremists, of course, but as a rule, this is not true at all. Christians from all races, denominations, and nationalities have had their lives totally transformed by praying in tongues. In fact, you probably know some of them! The Bible gives a number of reasons why every Christian should pray in tongues, and many ways that praying in tongues will tremendously benefit any Christian who practices it.

Here are the reasons why you should speak in tongues, and how it will benefit your Christian life:

Praying in other tongues will edify you (1 Corinthians 14:4). To edify means to build up, strengthen, recharge.
Praying in other tongues is evidence that the Holy Spirit resides in you (Acts 10:45-46).
Praying in tongues builds up your faith, and helps you trust God more fully (Jude 20)
Praying in tongues is a great way to give thanks to God. Corinthians 14:15-17
Praying in tongues helps us to yield our tongues, as well as the rest of our bodies, to the control of the Holy Spirit (James 3:8).
Praying in tongues helps us to pray God's perfect will, even when we don't know what or how to pray (Romans 8:26).
Praying in tongues brings us into God's rest and refreshing (Isaiah 28:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:21).

Praying in tongues has been humorously compared to Popeye eating a can of spinach! Just like the spinach gives him an immediate boost of strength, so will our prayer language strengthen and build up our spiritual lives. We are only beginning to discover the wonderful benefits that come through communicating with God in our Heavenly languages. In fact, if we are going to receive the fullness of God's promises for our lives, then it is absolutely essential. For example, lets look at one of the most beloved promises in the entire Bible, which is found in Romans 8:28: "...And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." This passage has been a source of comfort and encouragement to countless believers facing trials in their lives. However, in order to fully grasp the impact of this verse, it is vitally important that we read it in its proper context.

In order to attain the benefits of Romans 8:28, we must first look ahead two verses at verse 26: "...we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself (Himself) maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." In literal Greek, it means "Uttered in articulate speech." In other words, God will take the things that we pray out in our prayer languages, and turn them around to our good. Once I learned this truth, I gained a new appreciation for just how wonderful this promise is. No matter how tough or complex life may seem, God will work through our prayer languages to bring it all into focus and bring good out of even the most difficult circumstances. Praise God! Even medical science is beginning to take notice. I recently read about a fascinating study done by Dr. Carl Peterson, a brain specialist at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In his research, Dr, Peterson discovered that as people pray and worship God in tongues, the brain releases two chemical secretions which give our immune systems a 35-40% boost, and promotes healing in our bodies! As amazing as this seems, the secretion comes from a part of the brain which has no other apparent activity in humans. The only way to activate it is by praying in the Spirit! So how do you activate it if you don't speak in tongues? As more and more people come to discover the power of praying in tongues, it is awesome to think about the things we may learn next. You see, the physical proof of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the same evidence that the disciples had: speaking in tongues. You may have other evidences as well, but the one evidence you should have is speaking in tongues. There are five examples in the Bible of people receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44; 19:6).

In three out of the five examples we are told that specific signs took place. In the other two examples, the manifestation of physical signs taking place are implied, but not mentioned. Based on these two cases we cannot build any solid evidence as to what should happen when someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit. However, based on the other three examples we can build a good, solid case as to what should happen when someone is baptized in the Spirit. We are told in these three examples that certain physical manifestations took place. In each case, more than one physical sign took place, which teaches us that there are usually more than one sign taking place when people are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Yet, there is one sign and only one sign that is common to all three examples. The identical sign was speaking in tongues. Based on this observation we can conclude that the standard sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.

Speaking in tongues is the physical, biblical evidence that one is baptized in the Holy Spirit. We should not settle for anything less than the scriptural evidence. As we complete this study, I will now ask that you take some time and reflect on what you have read here. You may have seen some concepts that are very new to you, and coming from a church that do not believe in tongues speaking myself, I can certainly understand that. I honestly do not know where I would be spiritually if not for my prayer language. It is as natural to me as breathing. I encourage you to get your Bible and carefully review the Scriptures we have shared. As you will recall, the underlying theme of this teaching has been "How intimate with Jesus do you want to be?" Now, it is time to personalize that question even more.

If you haven't been baptized in the Holy Spirit, seek God about it and pray for it in faith. God never lets a thirsty soul go dry. Consider the wonderful possibility that there is an avenue to greater intimacy with our God, an avenue which will build your faith, increase your awareness of God's presence, and make you a more joyful, productive Christian than you've ever been before. Best of all, what if it is only a prayer away? A simple matter of asking and receiving? Wouldn't you want it? Is there anything that is worth missing out on it for? May God richly bless you in your journey toward this new adventure in Him.