Speaking in Tongues

Speaking in tongues is one of the most debated phenomena in Christianity. Pentecostals have brought speaking in tongues to the forefront. Pentecostals are undoubtedly the fastest-growing movement among "Christian" churches. The Pentecostal movement is impacting the world more than any other group. Yet, with all the talk about speaking in tongues, only some understand it.

Most people will be surprised that the Bible mentions speaking in tongues thirty-five times. That is a lot, so this subject should not be brushed lightly aside as insignificant to the Church. God did not fill His Word with things that don't matter.

One of the things about the debate over tongues that disturbs me is how many people who have never spoken in tongues speak as though they're experts on the subject. When in reality, they teach only from the standpoint of ignorance of Tongues

Who should know more about tongues: those who speak in tongues or those who don't? Well, shouldn't we learn from those who do speak in tongues!? Since I speak in tongues, I can bring some scriptural wisdom, with experience, to the subject.

In this article, I will clarify common misunderstandings concerning tongues and show the importance and benefits of speaking in tongues.

First, What is the Benefit of Speaking in Tongues?

The Apostle Paul writes, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues..." (1 Corinthians 14:4,5). With these positive statements about tongues, why do so few Christians speak in tongues? The answer is that there is minimal sound, logical, and scriptural teaching as to the scope and value of speaking in tongues.

Once, at a gathering of a group of students at a famous university, a young man shared his testimony on how God saved and filled him with the Holy Spirit with the "sign" of speaking in tongues. After the talk, the students asked the number one question about speaking in tongues. They asked, "What does speaking in tongues do for you?"

He replied, "It does exactly what the Bible says it does: He who speaks in tongues edifies himself." The word "edify" means to "build up" or "charge up" - much like charging up a battery. We all need a spiritual charge. All of us, at times, feel spiritually drained. One of God's ways to charge your spirit is through speaking in tongues.

Second, Tongues are a heavenly language.

Many people inaccurately define speaking in tongues as "gibberish" or "talking nonsense." The truth is that speaking in tongues is the most intelligent, perfect language in the universe. It is God's language. You say that there is no such thing as a heavenly language? Then what language do you suppose people speak in Heaven? What language do you think that God speaks? English? How arrogant! 

Languages are given their name based on the countries they come from. For example, English comes from England. Spanish comes from Spain. Italian comes from Italy. Well, where do tongues come from? It comes from Heaven! Tongues are the heavenly language. It is what they speak in Heaven. Just like on the day of Pentecost, "the multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6). When God speaks, He is understood by all men.

Here on earth, Paul says, "For anyone who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understandeth him; he utters mysteries with his spirit" ( I Corinthians 14:2 ).

Jesus says that those who believe in Him will "speak in new tongues" (Mark 16:17). The word "new" means appearing for the first time. No one had spoken these languages before. Contrary to lousy theology, tongues are not an ability given to preach the gospel in the language of foreigners. That would make tongues "old" languages. It is only appropriate that "new tongues" should be spoken by those of the "new birth." It is natural and normal to talk in the language of your birth. We are born again from above. Therefore, we should speak the language from above. And that language is called "tongues."

Third, Shouldn't Togues be Understood?

The first to speak in tongues were the disciples. That occurred on the day of Pentecost. People often think that on this day, the disciples were speaking human languages because the people could understand what they were saying. I don't believe this is true because a two-fold miracle occurred on this day: the miracle of speaking and hearing. The first miracle was speaking in tongues. The second miracle was the enabling of some to understand the tongues. Not everyone understood the tongues because some onlookers made fun of the disciples and accused them of being drunk (Acts 2:13); this clearly shows that they did not understand the tongues.

The ones who did understand the tongues were perplexed because each one heard only their native language, not the languages of the other people (Acts 2:6). The Bible tells us that there were foreigners representing many nations, speaking different languages. Yet, each person heard the disciples praising God in their language. They exclaimed, "How is it that each of us hears them in his native language?" (v. 8) They could not figure out how this was possible.

It is clear that the disciples were not "preaching" the gospel in tongues; they were instead "declaring the wonders of God" (v. 11). They were not speaking "to men but to God" (1 Cor 14:2). The people were listening in on their praises to God. It wasn't until Peter stood up to speak to the crowd in one common language that the gospel was preached. So tongues are not supernatural human languages given to the apostles so they could preach in languages they did not naturally learn.

The disciples were not speaking human languages but in unknown tongues. But God enabled those whose hearts were opened to understand what the disciples were saying. Sometimes this happens today. You see, the miracle was in the hearing of the people.

Fourth, Tongues and the Baptism in the Holy Ghost.

Let us look carefully at the first scriptural account of speaking in tongues: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be cloven tongues of fire that came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4).

This experience is what John the Baptist and Jesus called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Fulfilling Jesus' promise, "In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5). Every Christian believes in baptizing in water. But few accept the better Baptism - the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. Since you were willing to be baptized in water, shouldn't you also be ready to be baptized in the Holy Ghost?

Theologians often confuse the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with salvation. They often regard these two experiences as being the same. That confuses believers. They incorrectly assume that salvation is the same as Baptism in the Holy Ghost. The Bible does not teach this. The Bible teaches that Baptism in the Holy Ghost is a separate experience from salvation and comes after a person is saved. However, it can occur during redemption; it doesn't always.

The story of the Samaritan converts is proof of this (see Acts 8:5-25). Philip preached to them about Christ. The people joyfully accepted the gospel and were born again. They confirmed their faith by being baptized as well. Yet, even though they were saved, Philip called for the apostles to come and pray for them that they would receive the Holy Ghost. It is clear from this story that salvation is separate from receiving the Holy Spirit. (Although the Holy Spirit is involved in salvation.)

Another biblical story illustrates this fact (see Acts 19:1-7). Paul met some disciples of John the Baptist. He knew they believed in the Lord Jesus because they talked so much about repentance. Paul, unaware that they were only disciples of John, yet knowing something was missing in these men, asked them an obvious question, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?"

That question alone proves that Paul and the early Church believed it was POSSIBLE TO BE A BELIEVER IN JESUS WITHOUT HAVING RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT. If receiving the Holy Spirit was automatic at conversion, why did Paul ask, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?"

Fifth, Speaking in tongues is the physical sign of the Baptism of The Holy Ghost.

I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at the Assembly of God church in Portland, Oregon, in 1984. I was not saved; in fact, I was living in deep, deep sin. When the altar call was given that Sunday Morning in August, and even though I was not thinking about giving my life to Jesus, my youth pastor's wife, who was next to me, turned to me and said, "Clayton, you can't fight God forever, would you like to go forward and give your life to Jesus? I immediately went to the altar and prayed for the forgiveness of my sins. I received Christ into my life, and while I prayed, my lips began to speak a strange language that I did not know or had learned. I knew, sort of, what was happening because I had grown up in that Church. As I continued praying in my new language, the Spirit of the Lord seemed to envelop me. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. That was 39-plus years ago. Not everyone receives the Baptism in the Holy Spirit at salvation, but some did and did just as I did.

You see, the physical proof of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the same sign that the disciples had: speaking in tongues. You may also have other signs, but the initial sign is that you will speak in tongues.

There are five examples in the Bible of people receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:4; 8:17; 9:17; 10:44; 19:6). In three of the five examples, we are told that specific signs took place. In the other two examples, the manifestation of physical signs is implied but not mentioned. Based on these two cases, we can build solid evidence of what should happen when someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit. But in both instances, it was obvious that they received the Holy Ghost, so there had to be a visible sign.

BASED ON THE OTHER THREE PASSAGES, 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 other passages that specific physical manifestations took place. In each case, more than one physical sign took place, which teaches us that there is usually more than one sign 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! In the passage from Acts 19, we are told that the Jewish believers knew Cornelius and his household had received the Holy Ghost because "we hear them speaking in tongues."

Based on this observation, the standard sign of Baptism in the Holy Ghost 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. If you haven't been baptized in the Holy Spirit, seek God and pray for it. God never lets a thirsty soul go dry.

Sixth, Do all Christians speak in Tongues?

Someone may say, "How can you say that all Christians should speak in tongues considering the apostle Paul's words, 'Do all speak in tongues? (1 Corinthians 12:30). In this passage, Paul talks about public ministry gifts manifested in the Church. He is not talking about tongues as the initial sign of the Baptism in the Spirit, nor is he talking about tongues as a private, devotional prayer language.

You can recognize this by looking at Paul's language concerning speaking in tongues. In this chapter, he calls speaking in tongues "different kinds of tongues" (see 12:10,28). "Different kinds" means "not the usual." The usual kind of speaking in tongues is a language no man understands or interprets. However, speaking in "different kinds" of tongues enables the speaker or someone else to recognize and interpret the tongue's meaning.

 So when Paul asks, "Do all speak in tongues?" he refers to the public manifestation of tongues, which enables a person gifted in interpretation to speak out the meaning of the tongue. Not all have been given this gift of "different kinds" of tongues.

In the fourteenth chapter of I Corinthians, Paul corrects the misuse of tongues in the Church. He told them to stop the practice, gathering "the whole church [so] everyone [can] speak in tongues" (v. 23). Notice carefully that the "whole church" was gathered and that "everyone" was speaking in tongues. That clearly shows us everyone in the Corinthian Church spoke in tongues. Most of them should have allowed those gifted in the "different kinds" of tongues to exercise their gift, and the rest should "keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (v. 28).

Friend, I encourage you to seek the scriptural sign of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost and to settle for nothing but the best.

If you would like to know about Jesus, Contact Dr. Clayton R. Hall Jr. at pastorfalf@hotmail.com

Revival or Burial

There is absolutely nothing mysterious about revival. It is God's response to hungry hearts and prevailing prayer. I say this with absolute confidence; this is where we are in America at this hour. Revival for the church is not a choice, it is not an option, it is essential.

Ezekiel 42:20 – “He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.”

The sanctuary in this passage represents that which is holy. It represents those that are sanctified. The people of God who are dedicated to God and to his service. The profane is that which is irreverent, ungodly, vile, and blasphemous. The profane stands in opposition and contradiction to everything that is pure and holy.

Brothers and sisters, there is a clear message from Heaven. It may not be what many want to hear, but I believe that God is issuing an ultimatum to the church.

Please, friends, hear my heart in this. I have determined only to say what the Holy Ghost has revealed to me through prayers. It is a message in my spirit, so I'm going to share what I'm hearing.

I'm going to tell you what I hear the Holy Ghost saying, and I'm not going to water it down or candy-coat it for you. I'm going to say it like I'm hearing it. The Holy Ghost is saying to me, to tell his church, it's either Revival or it's Burial.

The Holy Spirit is making it very clear that there is no more room for a lukewarm, or half-in, half-baked walk with God.

God is drawing a line through the Church, and it is a dividing line that will separate the holy from the profane.

There is a separation coming to the church, and the division will be clear. Between professors and possessors. Between the crucified, and the satisfied. Between the undecided, and the completely sold out. Between sanctified and pacified. 

Amos 7:7-8 --  “Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. [8] And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more.”

What kind of church is it that the Lord has decided, I won't pass by them anymore? It's a dead church. It's a church that God has written over the door, Ichabod, the glory of the Lord has departed.

Friends, it is happening all over this country right now, mega-churches and mini-churches. Big and small churches and in between, size doesn't matter. The Lord is marking churches that no longer hold the sacred truth of God's Word in their hearts. Where the gospel is no longer proclaimed over their pulpits, and they no longer host the presence of God.

God is shown me regarding those congregations, they will never know my presence in their midst again because they have bowed their knees to another god. God is saying I'm through with hypocrisy and mediocrity, play time is over for my church. The Church that doesn't catch fire in this hour, and doesn't represent me faithfully and honestly, is going to be buried by the world they are conforming to.

The church in this hour that does not love the truth, that does not burn with the fire of God and is not passionately pursuing God, and hates sin, is going to be buried. The Holy Ghost said, the church that doesn't catch fire in this hour, is going to be a powerless church, and it will have absolutely no influence on society. The fireless Church is a powerless Church. And the powerless church in this hour is going to be buried by wokeness, liberalism, humanism, and by satanism. In this hour it's all in or all out. If we're not carrying the fire of heaven, we are going to get swallowed up, and buried by hell's fire.

Parents and grandparents, if you don't put something in your kids that is more powerful than the devil, then the devil will swallow them up. I hate it, but many of our schools have become a recruiting ground for transgenderism, woke ideology, and outright satanism.

Friends don't think this woke ideology, these drag queens in the schools, and gender-bending garbage, sexual exploration, and exploitation is an end in itself. It's not, it's an invitation for demons to possess our children and our grandchildren. 

The demons of hell have targeted this generation's children and grandchildren. They have decided, that if they couldn't kill them through abortion, then their plan is to possess them and confuse them, pervert them, and destroy their lives as well as countless others.

I'm going to say this with no fear of contradiction. The only thing that can turn back hell, is a Church that is on fire. These weak, anemic, jellyfish churches, that no longer preach the cross, and won't preach against sin, and won't preach that only Jesus’ blood can save you are going to be buried.

The church that is on fire, does not fear a radical woke Satanic-inspired, and possessed culture. Woke satanic culture, actually fears the church that burns with holy fire.

I'm going to say this with as much love as I can muster. I understand the pressures are real, and there may be a fiery furnace in your future if you stand up and you declare you will not bow to the gods of this world. But I'm telling you that if you don't stand up for God, and you bow down and worship these other gods, you are going to separate yourself from God's presence, and you are going to be buried, by the culture.

We are living in a time of separation and distinction. God is marking those that belong to him. And the devil is marking those that belong to him. There is no more gray area. Jesus said you are either for me or against me.

Friend, please believe me when I say that I believe it is more critical than I can even express. I can't even begin to articulate to you the seriousness of the hour that we're in.

I believe it's as urgent as the earthquake in Turkey that destroyed thousands of homes, and over 30,000 dead and so many missing.

If they could have known the intensity of what was coming, when, and where, they could have made decisions that would have saved thousands of lives.

I can only pray that the Holy Spirit can impress upon our hearts the urgency of this message. We are either going to burn with a fresh Revival fire, or we are going to be buried.

There is a choice before us today, and the choice is very simple, but living it out is much harder.

It's Revival or Burial?

 

Biblical Salvation

What does the Bible say about being saved? In order to really answer that question, there is an important principle of biblical interpretation that must be followed. We must remember that no single verse can stand alone to develop doctrine. The entire context of scripture must be considered when understanding the meaning of any verse in the Bible. Scripture interprets scripture. That is a steadfast rule that must be followed to understand the true meaning of any scripture verse or passage.

John 3:16, 17 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son the whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved.”

Because so many have taken this passage alone to define salvation, cheap grace has become all the rage for Americanized Christianity. All you must do is believe, right? Pray a simple little prayer and 'ask Jesus into your heart.' Right? Wrong!

According to Romans 10:9, 13, you must believe and then publicly confess what you believe. So, you can see through these two scripture passages that there are at least two elements to being 'saved.'

Romans 10:9-13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Matthew 10:22 says, “He that endureth to the end the same shall be saved.”

Oops, so much for once saved, always saved. In fact, this phrase appears twice in Matthew, 10:22 and 24:13.

The Apostle Paul did not believe ‘once saved, always saved.’ He said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” – I Corinthians 9:27

In the Amplified Version, “But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].”

If the Apostle were concerned enough to consider the possibility that if he did not ‘endure to the end’ that he would be disqualified, why are so many convinced that they can not be ‘castaway?’ There is no way the Apostle portrays that cheap grace in any of his writings.

So far, we have three requirements for salvation: Belief (faith), endurance (making it through life’s trials and maintaining your faith and testimony, and confession). But there is more.

Mark 16:15, 16 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

So much for baptism not being a requirement for salvation - He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. Jesus said he who believes and is baptized shall be saved, not just he who believes. What? Do you mean belief is not enough? Not according to God’s Word. Belief must be accompanied by a public confession and baptism, and then you must endure to the end, faith is accompanied by faithfulness. A commitment to live by God’s Holy Standards.

So, why is baptism required? The answer is found in Acts chapter 2. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” - Acts 2:36, 37

When Peter had finished preaching, the men were pricked in their hearts. They were convicted by the Holy Ghost because of their sinful lives – they believed that Jesus, whom they had shouted to crucify, was both Lord and Christ. They had the first element of belief and wanted to know what to do now that they believed.

Peter did not lead them in a prayer to ‘ask Jesus into their hearts.’ He called them first to repentance for their sin; he called them to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus. Then he instructed them to be baptized. Why? For the remission of sin.

Remission means to cancel a debt, charge, or penalty. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sin. We owed a debt, a debt we could not pay because of our sin. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”

We had a death sentence hanging over our heads, and for it to be remitted, we must be washed in the waters of baptism. How can baptism wash away our sins? Only one way, when it is done in the name of the one who shed his blood to pay our sin debt and set us free from the bondage of sin. Only when you are baptized in the name of Jesus can you be forgiven for your sin.

And how are we to be baptized? In Matthew 28:19 Jesus instructed His disciples to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. So why did Peter instruct these men to be baptized in the name of Jesus. In Fact, everywhere anyone was baptized in the book of Acts, they were baptized in the name of Jesus and never in the titles Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

'Name' in the Greek in Matthew 28:19 is the singular form. Jesus was speaking of a single name. So, Jesus was instructing them to baptize in the only ‘name’ in scripture given to God, His name, the name of Jesus. Or do you think the disciples misunderstood or disobeyed the Lord? I doubt that they all could have misunderstood Him in exactly the same manner. If they disregarded or disobeyed Christ's instruction, that would invalidate anything else they taught. But they did not misunderstand or disobey Jesus. They understood clearly what they had been commanded and they obeyed.

In summary, faith in Jesus is required for salvation; faith must be followed by a confession that you believe. What must we do? That is a confession of faith. It is essentially saying, ‘We believe what you have preached concerning Jesus, and we want to be saved.’

Confession must be followed by repentance. You must turn from your sin and follow Jesus in obedience and surrender. You must die to yourself and live for Him. After you have turned your back on sin, you must be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission (forgiveness) of sin.

Once you have done all this, then you need to seek the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is an essential key to being saved. Why isn’t the Holy Ghost just a gift? Do I have to have the Holy Ghost to be saved? Yes, for two reasons. First, let us go back to John chapter three, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” – John 3:3-5

So, the first reason you must have the Holy Ghost living within you is because you are not truly ‘born again’ without the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Ghost that transforms you. It is the Holy Ghost that ‘makes all things new.’ It is the Holy Ghost that gives you a new nature and gives you new life (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Secondly, without the Holy Ghost taking residence in your heart, you do not possess the power to overcome the sinful nature and be His witness. A witness is one who testifies of the truth. Jesus changes us by the power of the Holy Ghost and our changed life, our testimony, witnesses to the world of the life changing power of Jesus.

In the book of Revelation, it says, “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” – Revelation 12:11 KJV (Emphasis added)

Without the indwelling of the Holy Ghost there is no power, and without that power there is no way you will endure to the end. I have already established, through more than one scripture, that in order to be saved you must endure to the end. You must make it through all of life’s tests and trials with your faith intact. If you stray from repentance and obedience, if you fail to keep your commitment to Christ and Holy Living, you will be disqualified (I Corinthians 9:27).

So, salvation begins when you come to understand who Jesus is and acknowledge that He died for your sins. Then you confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord. Next you must have your sin remitted by being baptized in the Name of Jesus. And then you must be filled with the Holy Ghost so that you can make it through the toils of life with your faith undiminished by discouragement and doubt. Then you shall be saved.

7Ellen Schelin, Darlene McTee and 5 others

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