As carefully pointed out previously, clearly in the book of Acts and in the early church, speaking in tongues was a normal part of the package of receiving the baptism, or infilling, with the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit came "upon" people.
This is a very controversial subject, heavily influenced by denominational tradition, some of which is biblical and some of which is not. I know that whatever I say here will find disagreement with some of my dear friends whom I respect but who are on different sides of the issue. For that reason, we will look at exactly what the Word of God actually says, for which I am not ashamed and on which I must stand, and we all should stand. There is no other foundation.
If you find fault with what I say, I urge you to take another look at what God says in the Scriptures before your final decision. I know from past discussions on different subjects that some people have made up their minds and do not want to be confused with the facts, will hold to their traditional opinions no matter what, and have closed themselves off from further revelation from God's Word. As I said earlier, it does not matter what I say or what any person says. The only thing that matters is what God says. All I can do is tellyou what the Scriptures say, and it is up to the Holy Spirit to convince.
I am reminded of this profound quote by dear friend Pastor Jeff Good:
"In a nominal, complacent, secular society, any attempt at
normal biblical Christianity will be considered radical."
What we are talking about here is "normal biblical Christianity." It's radical, but it's in the book.
Some may ask, "Do I have to speak in tongues?" The conclusion of my many years of study on this subject leads me to agree with the well-known and respected Christian leader Harold Bredesen, who once said: "You don't have to - you get to." But I would add that if you do not, from my experience, I must conclude that there will be a missing supernatural dimension in your life. See the explanation in my personal testimony below.
There is nothing in the Scriptures that says you absolutely have to speak in tongues or else, although it is revealed as God's will. For example, through Paul, God says, "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:5). That could not be more clear. Regardless of our denomination or tradition, we must never think of ourselves as wiser than God. We must take Him at His Word, crucify our fallen human intellects, and do what He says.
Speaking in tongues following the "upon" experience of the Holy Spirit was a normative experience in the New Testament, which means it should be a normative experience today. But the problem today is that tradition and improper teaching have created misunderstanding and doubt about the phenomenon, which tends to block faith and instill fear in many people, robbing them of what God intended as a blessing.
For example, even among those who accept the modern-day reality of tongues, some point out the rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 12:30, "Do all speak in tongues?" as proof that not all have this "gift." However, this is a misunderstanding based on this isolated verse, out of context. In Chapter 12, Paul is speaking about the Spirit's corporate manifestations in the church, or body of Christ: "The manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (v. 7). Mention in this verse involves a message in tongues to a corporate assembly of believers, when that person or someone else interprets. Indeed, not all have this gift. He is not referring to the manifestation of the Spirit coming "upon" people as in the book of Acts and which in 1 Corinthians 14 he promotes for all believers as a special language for prayer and worship.
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind (vs. 14-15).
In summary, from a comprehensive study of the book of Acts and 1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14, we can conclude that:
· It was normal for all newly Spirit-empowered believers to speak in tongues, and because of that, it should be the same today;
· Yet not all have the gift of delivering a message in tongues to an assembly of believers;
· Yet all Spirit-baptized believers are exhorted to pray and sing in tongues.
Speaking in a tongue, as prompted by the Spirit, is not "jibberish" as some uninformed detractors claim. This is a reckless charge that frightfully borders on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, a sin that Jesus said could not be forgiven, a sobering thought. The Bible says:
For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit (1 Corinthians 14:2).
So, praying in tongues is actually speaking to God with one's spirit, not the mind, which is bypassed. If your mind is like mine, that is a relief! I frequently do not know how to pray and do not trust my own wisdom to decide. But with the Spirit, God provides the answer:
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will (Romans 8:26-27).
Note: "Groans that words cannot express."
Paul and Jude also say that praying in tongues has a positive, blessed effect upon the one who is praying:
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself (1 Corinthians 14:4.)
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20).
To edify means to build up and to strengthen. Have you ever met one person who did not need edifying or building up? God does not make provision for just a few people to be edified and ignores everyone else because "God does not show favoritism" (Acts 10:34). His provisions are for everyone and cannot be dismissed without loss.
As to "edification," science now confirms what Scriptures says and what the faithful have believed for centuries. In a public statement titled, "Effects of Extended Verbal Prayer and Joyful Laughter," Christian psychiatrist Carl R. Peterson, M.D. writes:
I have had a number of inquiries concerning the efficacy of praying in the spirit (glossolalia) and its benefit to the human immune system, i.e., immunity enhanced by chemicals released from a part of the brain. I am attempting to clarify some information I have shared with a number of ministers. This is information that may be deduced from what we know about the way the brain functions. We do know the part of the brain affected most noticeably by extended prayer and laughter represents a significant portion of the brain and its metabolic activity. Therefore, voluntary speech during extended vocal prayer causes a major stimulation in these parts of the brain (mainly the hypothalamus).
The hypothalamus has direct regulation of four major systems of the body, mainly: a) the pituitary gland and all target endocrine glands; b) the total immune system; c) the entire autonomic system; and d) the production of brain hormones called endorphins and enkephalons, which are chemicals the body produces and are 100-200 times more powerful than morphine.
In summary, a very significant percentage of the central nervous system is directly and indirectly activated in the process of extended verbal and musical prayer over a period of time. This results in a significant release of brain hormones which, in turn, increases the body's general immunity. It is further enhanced through joyful laughter with increased respirations and oxygen intake to the brain, diaphragm and other muscles. This same phenomenon is seen in physical activity in general, i.e., running, etc.
We know from the Word of God that there is a true joy that builds and sustains. Nehemiah tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength. There is joy in the presence of Jehovah. We, as believers having entered into that wonderful presence of our Lord, know this to be true. What we must continue to remember is that the joy of the Lord spoken of in the Word is so much more
than any manifestation. We can truly have that unspeakable joy in the face of any trials we may encounter, if our joy is grounded in a knowledgeof the Lord Jesus Christ.... Truly, we all benefit - body, soul, and spirit - from obedience and yielding to the Spirit of God in every area of our lives.
Love, not tongues? But some have said, "But I want love, not tongues." I remember when I first heard about the power of God and His outpouring of power today, many rejected it and said, "I just want love," as though we can cherry-pick from what God wants us to have. Some young people I remember jokingly referred to "the power bunch" (the charismatics) and "the love bunch" (the non-charismatics). It was interesting, however, that the power bunch usually also had love, but the love bunch had no power!
God's power and love are not mutually exclusive, but mutually supportive. If you are edified, you can be a more loving person. God wants us to have both. Who are we to argue with God?
As previously discussed, in the book of Acts, virtually all whom the Holy Spirit fell upon began to speak in unknown languages, or tongues (e.g. Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6). This manifestation of the Spirit coming "upon" people has continued through history and continues to this day, as attested to worldwide. I have Chinese, Hispanic, and other friends who pray in a language other than their native tongue or English. A friend from Chinawho prays in tongues is a brilliant professor of mathematics at a major American university.
By faith. By faith we receive salvation. By faith we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. By faith we speak in tongues. By faith we receive all of God's promises. That is just the way He designed it. "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
If by faith you have received the baptism with the Spirit and feel unintelligible words or phrases begin to well up inside your spirit, do not hold them in but let them come out. Release your faith! With some people, it sometimes starts with only one word or syllable, but by faith they speak it out, and over time, faith and the language grow. If just one syllable or word forms in your mind-speak it out! "Do not quench the Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19, NKJV).
Some may point out that the evidence of tongues in the book of Acts seems spontaneous and involuntary, and they may ask why must it be done by faith today. The answer is that in many cases today it also is spontaneous and seems involuntary, although it is never totally involuntary, as the Holy Spirit never forces Himself on anyone. The speaker can stop when he wills. But in many cases, modern tradition and improper teaching have caused doubt and fear in people, which can block the spontaneous flow of the Spirit. That is the reason for suggestions on how to allow the Spirit to flow in one's life by faith.
A bad rap. Let me clear the air on a fallacious impression. Some who oppose speaking in tongues charge that those who do speak in tongues think or act like they are spiritually superior. I have observed interaction between these two groups for many years and know that except maybe in rare cases, it is not true that those who do speak in tongues feel or act superior. It may be an impression, but a false impression. It is simply not true. Where it may be true, the same may be true of those who claim not to have the experience. Pride is a fleshly temptation to which all are subject.
What is the reason for the false impression? It is simply because those who do speak in tongues have found wonderful revelation in God's Word, have acted upon it by faith, have received a blessing, and out of love, they often want to share this revelation and blessing with others, such as with salvation. The problem is that "others" are often not open or not interested. They have been wrongly taught that they already have everything God has for them, and they resent the idea that God may have more and that they have been lacking. The fact is that God always has more for us and we never exhaust His infinite supply. But such a resentment, rooted in spiritual pride, is a main cause of the so-called "divisive" nature of the subject. Another fact is that nobody is superior to anybody. We are all wretched beggars without God's grace, which none of us deserve.
Many also point out that if one has the indwelling Holy Spirit at salvation, they already have all of the Holy Spirit and there is no more to be obtained through a "second experience." However, if that were true, Paul would not have needed to exhort the believers at Ephesusto be "filled with the Spirit" (5:18). Nor would Jesus have later told His disciples, on whom He previously already "breathed" and said "receive the Spirit," to wait for power from on high through what both He and John the Baptist called "the baptism with the Holy Spirit." The above argument is simply not in accord with Scripture, no matter how logical it may sound to the uninformed. With our natural minds there is a tendency to want to quantify everything. The "filling" or baptism with the Spirit is not a quantitative phenomenon, but a spiritual phenomenon, transcending human logic. Our finite minds are not able to technically dissect and explain spiritual processes, and we must take it by faith.
Can one be filled with the Spirit and not speak in tongues? Many claim to be filled with the Spirit, do not speak in tongues, and are wonderful and effective servants of God. But in my years of observation, I have found a difference. Let me tell you what happened to me, and maybe my testimony will help you decide for yourself.