Traveling back in time to when I was first saved and being mentored by Barbara and Milton my friends who took me to the Billy Graham Crusade where I found Jesus. They were excellent at timing challenges for me. First, they bought me a Bible, then paid my way to their women’s retreat, asked me about tithing, then taught me about Holy Spirit and His wonderful place in my life.
Milton asked if I had received my prayer language yet. Being raised Catholic I had never heard of such a thing. I have since learned there are charismatic Catholics, but at the time I did not know this. I was afraid of opening myself up to a spirit world I did not understand and I was afraid I would be deceived in this pursuit. Again, Milton gave me verses to read and contemplate. I also prayed a lot.
I read how the Holy Spirit fell on the first disciples and they spoke in tongues which were understood by foreigners visiting the area (Acts 2:1-13). Then Peter stood up being uneducated in teaching and public speaking and preached a sermon that added three thousand souls to the kingdom (Acts 14-41). I continued to read the Book of Acts and saw there was an expectation of Holy Spirit baptism expressed with the sign of speaking in tongues. It also showed me Holy Spirit baptism was a second experience.
“Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17). There is one instance of believing in Jesus, then there is a time of receiving the Holy Spirit baptism.
When I went to Bible college, I learned the style of the writers of the time Luke wrote the Book of Acts was much like today. We introduce a scenario at the beginning, repeating it two or three times, but then we expect the reader to assume the details when later referenced. Such was the writing of Luke in the Book of Acts. He spelled out how Holy Spirit baptism included the sign of tongues then allowed the reader to assume this through the rest of the book.
Those who want this to be a sign for the first-century church only will point these scriptures out and suggest it was merely an introduction to the new covenant. However, when we learn the style of writing, we see this is a map of the dispensation of the Church Age. It includes Holy Spirit baptism separate from salvation. Yes, we receive the Spirit on faith as a seal (2 Corinthians 1:22). I would like to say we receive a fuller presence in the baptism of the Spirit.
I write this with confidence now, but back then, I struggled with this. As I said, I was afraid, but my faith was fully in Jesus and I also wanted all He had for me. This desire caused me to dig in, to study, and to pray earnestly for Him to guide me to the right response to Milton’s question and the question now burning in my own heart. Were tongues of God or the devil?
One more scripture I read sealed my faith. Luke, having written about these things in the Book of Acts also recorded Jesus’ words in his gospel account. This story is preceded by Jesus’ teaching the disciples to pray what is now known as The Lord’s Prayer. In the prayer is the line, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2b). This suggests an idea of supernatural experience on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus followed this teaching on prayer with a parable on persistent prayer (Luke 11:5-13). It is in these verses we find, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). Jesus offers us a promise for faith-filled prayers, believing we will receive. Then, I read the next part which opened my heart up to trust Him with the whole Holy Spirit thing.
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11-13).
Here it was in Jesus’ own words. The invitation to receive the Holy Spirit upon asking. According to Luke’s writing in Acts, I believed this came with the sign of speaking in tongues. Milton had explained it was about receiving the gift. It was not up to me to make it happen, Holy Spirit was not going to come and possess me and take over my mouth, I had to learn to partner with Him. This is a wonderful partnership of surrender and cooperation which leads to surrendered obedience in our Christian walk. It is a beautiful surrender.
I decided I trusted Jesus with this and I knelt beside my bed and prayed. I asked God to fill me with His Spirit believing He would because Luke’s gospel said He would. I asked believing without understanding. This is the beautiful thing about God. We do not need to walk in understanding all of the time, but we do need to walk in obedience. Understanding will come before, during, or after – maybe never. Understanding is not the key to serving God, obedience based on faith is. “We walk by faith not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
I waited there by my bed for an obvious move of the Holy Spirit though I did not know what it would look or feel like. I then just began to make noise on my own, mouth gaping and noise coming out – a little laughing at myself included. Then, suddenly, words formed someplace other than in my mind. I realized I needed to partner with it and began to move my tongue with it and a beautiful, fluent language began to spill out.
Paul wrote “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. I wish you all spoke with tongues” (1Co 14:2, 4a, 5a). I condensed these verses to pull out what Paul was saying about tongues. In his writing, he is speaking to the church about the gift of tongues and its proper usage. When we speak in tongues in a corporate setting without interpretation we are only edifying (building up) ourselves. Paul teaches we need to do what edifies the church in the corporate setting. Speaking in tongues is not for show, shall we say. Speaking in tongues builds us up whether personally or corporately, but there is no place where Paul says speaking in tongues for personal edification is wrong. Rather, later in the same chapter he writes, “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15). Jesus’ brother, Jude, also wrote, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jud 1:20).
I did not mean to make this a dissertation on speaking in tongues and if I did this post falls far short of a full discussion. However, I hope it inspires you to go to scripture for yourself. There is no place in scripture where it says this has passed away, it is a gift given to us for edification, building up of ourselves and others. Why would we want to throw it away if God gave it to us as a kingdom-building tool?
I have heard people say they don’t speak in tongues because there are different expressions of the Holy Spirit. I remember one person telling me their gift was worship as if to say they did not get tongues but a gift for worship instead. I would just humbly point out to you these beliefs have no foundation in scripture. In every biblical instance, the sign of Spirit baptism was speaking with tongues and sometimes accompanied by prophecy.
What I know is, I read scripture, I wrestled with it in prayer, and then I chose to trust Jesus. I received this beautiful gift from God and I am grateful for a tool I can use to pray when I cannot find the words in English. When the enemy reminds me of my failures, I pray in tongues and his effects are dashed. When I am heading toward a stressful obedience in the Lord, I pray in tongues and I am covered in peace. When I am praying for someone and I do not yet know what to pray, I pray in tongues until the revelation of words in English begin to spill out. Often when I do this, I am speaking words in English that make no sense to me, but they do to the person I am praying for. What a beautiful gift the Father has given to His children who are willing to receive.
“The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be [articulated]. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).
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