Since we started reading through the book of Acts together, there has been a lot of excellent discussion surrounding the Biblical phrases such as “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” “filled with the Holy Spirit”, and “speaking in tongues.” Today, there is great confusion in churches regarding these phrases. Some say you have to speak in tongues in order to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Some say the gift of tongues no longer exists today. Some say it doesn’t matter, and it’s not worth talking about.
Here is what Ekklesia believes the Bible clearly teaches:
1) Every person needs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17).
2) Every person needs to continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit, over and over again… (Ephesians 5:18)
3) Speaking in tongues is a gift that is alive and well today, and should not be forbidden (1 Corinthians 14:39).
4) Some people will speak in tongues, some won’t (1 Corinthians 12:27-30).
5) We should all eagerly desire the greater gifts, including speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:31).
6) Tongues should not be spoken in a church service, without interpretation, where unbelievers are present, and real churches should have unbelievers present during their services (1 Corinthians 14:18-25).
7) The focus of Pentecost day was about receiving power to make disciples of all nations, not about speaking in tongues (Acts 1:8).
It is hard for some to believe the above 7 points, because there are several stories in Acts where people spoke in tongues when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. Why did it happen this way? Well, let me try and make this as brief and clear as possible. Remember Acts 5, when God killed Ananias and Sapphira, because they lied to the church and the Holy Spirit about money? Well, people are still lying to churches and God today, and most of them don’t get “struck by lightening” right then and there. The reason God did what He did with Ananias and Sapphira was to drive home the point, loud and clear.
In fact, we see this type of action by God many times when He brings about a new work. When God poured out His Spirit on Pentecost day, He made it loud and clear to the people that being baptized with the Holy Spirit is absolutely ESSENTIAL and AMAZING! Not only that, but as the Gospel spread, especially to the non-Jewish people, God wanted the disciples to know that other people’s conversion to the Gospel was authentic. For example, we clearly see this in Acts 10:44-48. Peter FINALLY took the Gospel beyond his cultural/religious misunderstandings. God wanted Peter to know that the non-Jewish people had in fact been baptized with the Holy Spirit, so He confirmed it by giving them the gift of tongues so there would be no doubt. In Acts 11:15-18 we learn that this was how Peter convinced the Jewish church leaders that the Gospel had in fact spread to these non-Jewish people who didn’t follow the food laws.
Unfortunately, speaking in tongues has become something that many disciples fight about today. I know some people who pray for days and months in order to receive the gift of tongues, because they feel like they are not true Christians if they don’t speak in tongues. I know some people who speak in tongues, and then they don’t spread the Gospel to all nations. They don’t care about reaching out to people of different cultures. They’re just glad they are “good with God.” That is sad…
The truth is, everyone needs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Basically, you know you’ve been baptized with the Spirit if you’ve repented of your sins, put your faith in Christ, and decided to follow Jesus with all your life for the rest of your life, and you experienced a RADICAL change in your heart, mind, and Spirit. Maybe you started thinking differently, feeling differently, believing differently, and you knew it was supernatural. That’s being baptized with the Holy Spirit. You know you’ve been baptized with the Holy Spirit when you want NOTHING more than to follow Jesus and make as many followers of Him as you possibly can, crossing all social, racial, and cultural boundaries!
ALL of us should passionately ask God to give us His gifts, especially speaking in tongues and prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:5), so that we will advance the Kingdom of God more effectively, making disciples of all nations. I hope you enjoyed this teaching, and I look forward to your comments. Blessings on you all!
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Saturday, 30. January 2010
A few more thoughts.
1. A person cannot be saved without the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
2. The Spirit seals us for salvation, guaranteeing our redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).
3. Every true disciple of Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). Notice that Paul is writing to everyone who calls on the name of Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:2), and not all of them speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30).
4. The Holy Spirit is the one who draws us to Christ. We can’t get to Him or believe in Him without the work of the Spirit (Titus 3:3-7).
5. The Spirit is the one who teaches us the Word of God (John 14:26).
Monday, 1. February 2010
I’m glad that you clarified Ekklesia’s official teaching on the subject. That is pretty much how I see it. I recently had a conversation with a Christian woman who did not speak in tongues. She told me that she once talked to a well known pastor in the Detroit area about it. He told her that the only way that she could know that she was baptized in the Spirit, was by speaking in tongues. I more or less see it that way, but maybe I’m wrong.
Steve
Tuesday, 2. February 2010
Chris,
If u say that the spirit seals us for salvation, guaranteeing our redemption than if we don’t speak in tongues how do we know we’re saved? What is the proof other than speaking in tongues that we’re baptized in the Holy Spirit? Because if we go by the scriptures as u mentioned in Ephesians 1:13-14 than we’re not guaranteed salvation. Please clarify if you can.
Thanks GOD BLESS YOU!
Tuesday, 2. February 2010
Hey Vasi,
This is a great question. Thanks for taking the time to write it, and also thank you for your blessing. God bless you too brother!
When I read your question, I was reminded of the Words of Jesus in Matthew 7:20-23. This pretty much sums it all up.
Right after Jesus says this, He also says “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock…. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell–and great was its fall.”
May we keep in mind that these Words of Jesus are the conclusion of His entire Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5-7. Therefore, those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit will live these teachings (I have not included all of them here): “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God… Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me… if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift in front on the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person… But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart… All you need to say is simply ‘Yes,’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one… But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you… But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing… And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others… For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins… Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, but store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven…
Of course, may we never forget that Pentecost was about receiving power to spread the Gospel to all people groups. Those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit will desire nothing more than to follow Jesus and effectively help people from all cultures follow Him as well.
Tuesday, 2. February 2010
I believe Luke used the words “baptized” and “filled” interchangeably (Acts 2:4). I believe a disciple is baptized with the Holy Spirit when they experience genuine faith in the true Christ, in light of the Trinity. I also believe that disciples can be, and must be filled/baptized with the Holy Spirit over and over again. I find it interesting that when we read about the disciples being filled with the Spirit for the second, third, or whatevereth time, Luke doesn’t say they spoke in tongues on these occasions (Acts 4:31, Acts 13:52)
May we all seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit more than we already are. May we ask Christ to fill us with His Holy Spirit, boldly… passionately… confidently… May we expect radical changes, supernatural gifts, and never-before experienced transformations!
Tuesday, 2. February 2010
The Calvinist New England Puritans of the 17th century were always stressing about their works, because this was the way that they evaluated whether they were predestined for salvation. Needless to say, this didn’t give them very much peace. In all the literature that I have read about the Puritans, I don’t recall reading anything about the baptism in the Holy Spirit/speaking in tongues. Ephesians 1 vs 13-14 says that we are marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Even though I have been unproductive as a disciple of Jesus Christ, it is being marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, that gives me peace that the Lord will complete the work that he began in me many years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I have read Hebrews 6 vs 4-6 and wondered if this applies to me, but have concluded that repentance is a lifelong process. The Wonderful Counselor who resides in me helped me to understand this. He has also given me the wisdom to understand that there are seasons in life. Seasons of drought and seasons of refreshing that come with repentance(Acts 3 vs 19).
Steve
Wednesday, 3. February 2010
In the law it is written, “by men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord”
Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers
If, therefore, the whole Church assembles and all speak in tongues, and outsiders, or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad?
1 Cor 14 vs 21-23
I once heard a preacher say that vs 22 is referring to unbelieving believers. That is, Christians(believers) who do not believe in tongues. For them it is a sign. Vs 23 says that when outsiders-non Christians-unbelievers see people speaking in tongues, they think that they are mad. This makes sense to me. The question would be, what information is the “sign” conveying to people who already believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ? I think it was the Spirit baptism that they had not received yet. I also think it was the Spirit baptism that Priscilla and Aquilla taught Apollos about(Acts 18 vs 24-26). Apollos was already a Christian who was well versed in the scriptures, instructed in the way of the Lord, fervent in spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, but only knew about John’s baptism.
Steve
Thursday, 4. February 2010
Coming from a person who has a very short “faith walk” it was very easy to not believe in uttering of tongues. However the Holy Spirit used me one time last winter to do so. this was brought about during an intense prayer session (in the spirit) and i was completely detached mind from body. I realized what was going on but only knew that i had nothing to do with it. So if I did not have that personal experience i would still look at people with great skepticism when it came to that subject. God has done many things for me that I could not do for myself and I am patient cause I know that He is not done.
Leo