waitingforhim

The initial fulfillment of the prophecies concerning tongues occurred on the Day of Pentecost. On this occasion 120 Jewish disciples of Christ were baptized with the Spirit and spoke in tongues, including the apostles, the brothers of Jesus, Mary the mother of Jesus, and a number of women: "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave then. utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). The supernatural sound filled the room, signifying that the Spirit had come to that place to manifest Himself in a special way and to do a special work. The tongues like fire settled on each individual, signifying that the Spirit was ready to baptize and fill each person. "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" (Acts 2:3, NIV). After this, they were all filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4 teaches that the miracle took place as the Spirit moved on the speakers, not on the hearers. They began to speak in tongues only after the Spirit had entered, so speaking in tongues was the unique sign that each person had been baptized or filled with the Spirit. The sound of wind and the tongues like fire never appear again in Scripture. Apparently they accompanied the founding of the New Testament church and the first outpouring of the Spirit much as lightning, thunder, and fire had accompanied the giving of the Law in the Old Testament (Exodus 19:16-19). Once God demonstrated that His Spirit was freely available to all, there was no need to emphasize it again in this fashion. Unlike the sound and the fire, however, speaking in tongues does reoccur a number of times in the Bible. Since it is the only sign particularly associated with an individual Spirit baptism (the others are signs of the availability of the Spirit), speaking in tongues has a lasting importance and function that the other signs do not. Jews from many nations were in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. When the 120 received the Spirit and began to speak in tongues, many of these visitors began to gather, with fourteen foreign lands being represented (Acts 2:5-11). These foreign Jews began to hear the various languages of their native countries and marveled that uneducated Galileans could speak all these foreign tongues. Some people assert that God performed this miracle so the foreigners could hear the gospel preached to them, but a short time later Peter delivered a sermon to all of them in one language. This was probably Aramaic, the native language of all Jews at that time, or possibly Greek, the international language of commerce. At any rate, the audience did not need the miracle of tongues to bring them the gospel message. Instead, God used tongues as a miraculous sign to show them He had bestowed His Spirit. Peter used their questions and comments about tongues to open his sermon, and he immediately told them this was the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy concerning the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2:14-21). Later in his sermon, Peter said, "Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33, NIV). The audience had just seen and heard people speaking in tongues, so Peter emphasized it as the evidence of the promised Holy Ghost.

There is more there than you know. The Lord not only wants us to be saved, but He wants us to be baptised in the Holy Spirit also. He hasn't changed. 1. Without the special work of the Holy Spirit people would not be deeply convinced of their sinfulness, God's righteousness or the coming judgment. Therefore in communicating the Word of God to others we must depend on the Holy Spirit to convince people of these truths. We may say what the Word says on these issues but it is the Holy Spirit who will do the convicting. 2. He guides us into all truth (John 16:13). If we allow ourselves to be guided by Him, He will indeed show us what the truths from the Bible we need to understand. Being the author of the Bible, He is best qualified to interpret it to us. He will show us many things both directly from the Word but also through other means. What He shows cannot be the mere product of logic and reason, although it is not illogical. We must realise that the Holy Spirit never guides us in any way contrary to the Holy Scriptures. We must not believe every spirit claiming to be from God, but test the spirits according to the standard of the Holy Scriptures. 3. He regenerates (John 3:5,6). When a person turns to Christ for salvation and trusts Christ from the heart, the Holy Spirit is involved. At this time, the Holy Spirit causes the spirit of that person to be made new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). The human spirit, once dead in sin, is regenerated or made new by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be born of the Spirit. 4. He glorifies Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit always works to bring glory and honour to Jesus Christ. He does not seek His own glory, but the glory of Jesus. He does this by revealing who Jesus is to us and through us so that all may praise Jesus. He makes Jesus real to people, by bringing the resources and reality of Jesus to the people on earth. 5. He reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14,15). Jesus said, "He will take of what is mine and declare it to you". It is the Holy Spirit who communicates to our soul the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He is like. At the same time He works to form the nature of Christ in us also. Being filled with the Holy Spirit in our body and soul, our nature is changed into the nature of the Son of God. 6. He is our leader - willing to lead us (Romans 8:14). "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the [mature] sons of God". The word for son here is the word for a mature son. Indeed, the only way to Christian maturity is to be led by the Spirit. It is not following a path determined by ourselves and our understanding of God's laws that will make us mature Christians, but the path in which He, the Spirit, leads us. We need the Spirit to be mature. Maturity is more than knowledge, it is fruit that comes from relationship with the Spirit of God. 7. He sanctifies. The Holy Spirit is given that we might be holy. It is the Holy Spirit who, working together with the word of God in our minds, sanctifies us. This means He sets us apart for God, cleanses us and puts us in order so that we can more truly show forth the love of God and the nature of Jesus. Holiness is the work of the Spirit. It is not a work based on self- effort or "trying harder". Our part is to believe God's word, and to yield to the leadings of the Spirit. It is by the Spirit however that our sanctification is achieved. This process of sanctification occurs mainly in the soul - the mind, the will and the emotions. "Sanctification is possessing the mind of Christ, and all of the mind of Christ." - John Wesley. It happens more or less rapidly depending on how we learn to yield to God, to change our thinking so that it centres on God's love and God's Word, and persist in prayer. 8. He empowers. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8). The power we receive from Him is power to preach and demonstrate the gospel of the kingdom of God, not in word only, but in power. (1 Corinthians 4:20). Paul said that his message and preaching were not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, but with the demonstration of the SPIRIT and of POWER, that your faith should not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4). There are many kinds of demostrations of the power of the Spirit. They are sometimes unexpected. Certainly the Spirit wants to give us power to heal the sick and cast out demons. (Matthew 10:1; Mark 16:17,18; John 14:12). This power of the Spirit is often referred to as "the anointing". It is the anointing which enables us to do what Christ wants us to do as sons of God. And that is, to destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8b). For a born again Christian, the normal path to receiving this power involves at least 3 things. a. The Baptism (immersion) in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5; John 7:37- 39). This is the normal introduction of the believer into the realm of personally flowing in the power of God. b. Total dedication to God. Dedication to prayer, dedication to love, dedication to win souls for Christ, dedication to focus on the Word and on the voice of the Spirit. This dedication involves self-denial (usually including fasting - going without food for a time), a constant dedication to humbling oneself, understanding the authority we have as believers, learning to hear the voice of the Spirit, faith and boldness. c. Brokeness. We realise that our own self-will, selfishness, stupidity and pride are the main reasons for our failures in God. We realise in ourselves (not in Christ, but in ourselves) we are rotten, corrupt and unable to do anything of value. (Romans 7:18; John 15:5b). We therefore learn to surrender quickly to the Spirit's voice, not trusting our own minds, nor caring about our own reputation. When we make mistakes, we receive correction meekly. When we have success, we give all the glory to God. 9. He fills us (Ephesians 5:18). We are commanded to be filled continually with the Spirit. This being filled effects our whole personality, our ministry for Christ, and the focus of our minds. It affects our body also. (Romans 8:11; Luke 11:36). 10. He teaches us to pray (Romans 8:26,27; 1 Corinthians 14:15). The Spirit of God knows what we should pray and how. We don't. That is why we must let Him help us here. One way is through the special prayer language He gives us when we are baptised in the Spirit. Another way is by inspiring our minds with the prayers that get results. Yet another way is through the deep groanings of intercession He produces in us. 11. He tells us that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). The Holy Spirit is wanting to bring us to the place where all these things are part of our lives. 12. He produces in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23). As part of our sanctification, the Holy Spirit produces in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. These characteristics are formed in us by continual yielding to the Spirit of God. 13. He gives special supernatural gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). These gifts are given as the Spirit decides. However, we are not passive in the reception and operation of these gifts. To use the gifts requires faith, boldness and a degree of sensitivity to the Spirit. These gifts are given to help people by the supernnatural wisdom and power of God. They are not the product of the rational mind. Rather they are supernatural operations of the Spirit which occur through those who are open to them. They are useful in evangelism and in every part of Christian ministry. In neglecting them, the church has neglected an important God-ordained means for achieving God's work in the world. Born of the Spirit, Baptised in the Spirit Every true Christian is born of the Spirit. As such they have experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in a number of important ways. These ways include but are not limited to: conviction, regeneration and the witness of the Spirit in our lives that we are children of God. However, the dimension of power that God wants for His children can only be reached through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is God's will that every Christian be baptised in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38,39). Even though some Christians achieve results without the actual baptism in the Holy Spirit, they would achieve more if they yielded to God so as to receive the Baptism in the Spirit. It is possible for a Christian to recognise many aspects of the Holy Spirit's work and enjoy a measure of His blessing in life and ministry, without ever being baptised in the Spirit in the Biblical way. Some say that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit no longer exists today. Others take another approach and say that EVERY born again Christian was baptised in the Spirit at his conversion. Both kinds of teaching have the effect of robbing believers of something very important that Christ provided for them as part of their necessary inheritance in this life. We will see from the Bible that the baptism in the Spirit is not the same as regeneration. It is important that we do not allow tradition - even "evangelical tradition" - to take a higher place than the Word of God in our doctrine and in our lives. Biblical proof that these are Separate Works Although the Bible does give examples of people who were baptised in the Spirit at the same time as their regeneration, we will see that this is not always what happens. The Book of Acts reveals that repentance, baptism in water and the baptism in the Holy Spirit, although all part of our salvation package, do not necessarily happen in the same order all the time. It is interesting to note that in Acts, where the Baptism in the Spirit happens to believers at the time of their conversion, the Bible puts emphasis on the fact that the apostles knew they were baptised in the Spirit "for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:46; Acts 11:15- 16). We certainly do not believe that speaking in tongues is the proof of being born again. However, we can see that consistently it is the sign accompanying the New Testament Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is important to state that every true born again Christian has the Holy Spirit. "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit is given by God "to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32). To receive Christ is an act of obedience by which the person submits to the work of the cross and becomes a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit enters our human spirit when we are born again of the Spirit of God (John 3). Jesus comes into us by his Spirit (John 1:12). As we grow in Christ we produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22,23). However, there is an empowering by the Holy Spirit which is distinct from being born of God. We get authority (exousia) to be sons of God at the new birth (John 1:12), but we receive power (dunamis) after the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we are filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8) The apostles received the Holy Spirit in regeneration before the ascension when Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." (John 20:22). They were born again of the Spirit through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1Peter 1:3) at that time. But this was before the day of Pentecost. Jesus told them later to wait for the Promise of the Father in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5) after they had received the Spirit in regeneration. Therefore in the case of the apostles, the Baptism in the Spirit and being born of the Spirit were two separate events. They were born of the Spirit in John 20:22 before the ascension, but were baptised in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost after the ascension. And it is important to note that only then was the promise of Mark 16:17 fulfilled in the lives of the believers then, for beginning at Pentecost "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4). The Samaritans believed the gospel and were baptized (Acts 8:12). Many were healed and delivered. They were born again through repentance and faith in Christ, but it was obvious to Philip that something was missing in their experience. Under Philip's ministry the believers were not baptised in the Spirit. So later, Peter and John came down that these Samaritan believers might receive the Holy Spirit as they ought to receive Him (Acts 8:14-17). The power which the apostles released was so impressive that Simon the famous magician at that time wanted to buy the ability to release this power. Of course this was an evil and foolish desire. But he wanted to be able to impress people further with the same kind of power he was seeing accompany the reception of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture does not lead us to suppose that the reception of the Holy Spirit was some kind of quiet blessing. Some point out that no record is made of speaking in tongues in this Biblical account. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Some early church writers said it did. But what we should learn from this account is that no matter how wonderful our salvation experience of turning to the Lord was, we should not be satisfied with that, but we should go on in God until we receive the Spirit in mighty demonstration and power. Further proof that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit does not always or even usually occur at the moment of repentance and faith can be seen in the life of Paul (formerly Saul). Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and confessed Him as Lord, which meant he was converted (Acts 9:3-8; Rom. 10:9). But God knew that was not all that Paul needed, Three days later, God had Ananias lay hands on Saul so that he would receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). But did Paul speak in tongues then? Let Paul himself speak here. In writing to the Corinthians he said "I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all." (1 Corinthians 14:18). Not so much in church, of course, but outside the meetings in private so as to build himself up. In this way, his preaching was both understadable and powerful (1 Corinthians 14:19; 2:1-4). Cornelius' household and close friends were baptised in the Spirit at the moment of their conversion. How did Peter know this? "For he heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." (Acts 10:46). These people received the Holy Spirit just as the apostles (Acts 10:47). Peter realised that they were not only born again, but also baptised in the Holy Spirit, at that time (Acts 11:15,16). Why? "For they heard them speak with tongues and magnifying God" (Acts 10:46). That settled the issue for Peter. In the Bible, the speaking in unknown tongues is a Biblical sign of the true New Testament baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:4, Acts 19:6, Mark 16:17). Let us remember that God did not trust the writing of the New Testament to anyone who did not speak in tongues. And people who despise tongues because their churches don't believe in it make the same kind of mistake as those in formal traditionalistic churches who reject the idea of regeneration by the Spirit at the moment of repentance and faith because it contradicts the long-held dogmas of the church. The Bible must settle the issue - not our traditions, theologies and lack of experience. And the Bible says, "Desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues." (1 Corinthians 14:39). The Ephesian believers in Acts 19 were not true Christians in the full sense of the word when Paul met them. They only knew the John's baptism of repentance. They did not even know there was given a Holy Spirit. After Paul explained to them about Jesus "they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied." (Acts 19:5,6). Here we see that Paul was interested in these disciples' relationship with the Holy Spirit. He showed them their need to be baptised in water and the Holy Spirit. Once again, speaking in tongues is revealed to have accompanied this initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the believers. To add to the testimony of the Scriptures, there are, scattered throughout church history, and especially in this 20th century, there are many thousands and now tens of millions of people who have testified to having received this power from God some time after their initial conversion to Christ. In summary then, the Scripture shows that being born of God is not always happening at the same time as being baptised in the Spirit. The Scripture further shows that it is always desirable and God's will for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way as to be clothed with the power of God and to speak with other tongues. (Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 14:5a). All this and much more is promised to the believer who earnestly seeks a relationship of submission to the Word of God and to the Holy Spirit. Purpose of the Baptism in the Spirit The purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is manifold. He is poured out so that all the 13 works and purposes of the Holy Spirit mentioned above might be . The Holy Spirit of course will be wanting to do these things in every believer, not just those actually baptised in the Spirit. But these things are much more easily and naturally realised in those who have been baptised in the Spirit and speak in tongues. To achieve His purposes in the believer's life, the Holy Spirit usually requires the voluntary submission of the believer. We must trust God's Spirit to lead us in our battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. In short, the purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is that men and women will become not only children of God, but children of God like Jesus the Son of God in nature, holiness and power. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives us the same possibilities of relationship to the Father and power ministry as Jesus had in His earthly ministry. God wants us to move into these possibilities. The Scriptures make this intention of God clear to us in Scriptures such as John 14:12 and John 17:22. God does not expect us to do the works of Jesus and to be holy as He is holy without having available to us the same measure of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had. But like Jesus, we need to be completely dependent as submissive to the Holy Spirit if we want His purposes in and through us to be fully accomplished. For the baptism in the Spirit is no substitute for the day-by-day choices the believer must make to keep submitting to the revealed will of God. The main purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in this life then is to give us more power to demonstrate Christ and win people to Him, so that they can be saved. (Acts 1:8). All other things being equal, the believer baptised in the Spirit will have more success in preaching the gospel, because the Holy Spirit is freer to work through him. The Holy Spirit has many ways to convince people. The Holy Spirit gives us power to heal the sick and cast out demons (Mark 16:17,18) so that people can see and know that Jesus is alive and that his salvation is real and makes a difference. It is much easier to lead people to Christ after they have been healed through Christ's power by the laying on of hands of the Spirit-filled believer, for example. With the Holy Spirit working through many believers, there are actually greater possibilities for the effective proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom that there were in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry. The Baptism in the Spirit therefore is an essential ingredient in the plan of God to multiply Jesus' earthly ministry of preaching, healing and casting out demons so that He can touch the whole world with its billions of people. Speaking in tongues - What, Why, When?

What a difference the baptism in the Holy Spirit made for Peter-just a few days before he was cowering before a handmaiden-but after he preached the Word before thousands.

How could a pastor have a demon? Wasn't he saved?

According to scripture for the Christian there are 3 baptisms-we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ-this happens at the moment of salvation-you will find this in 1 corinthians-"for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body". We are baptized in water as a public declaration of our faith-in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Then either before water baptism (like the Gentiles in Acts 10) or after water baptism (like the Ephesians in Acts 19) Jesus will baptize us in the Holy Spirit-the evidence that that has occured in our lives is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enables. (Acts 2:4, Acts 10:46, Acts 19:6) This speaking in tongues is not to be confused with the "gift" of tongues-which is for the church gathered together and must be interpreted so that the church can be built up)

When the Lord blew on them-the scripture uses the same term as it uses when God breathed life into Adam-they received the Holy Spirit-ie were saved. Yet, then like now, there is another working of the Holy Spirit that the bible calls the baptism in the Spirit-they received this baptism in Acts 2:4-we can receive it today also-all Christians can be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and now like then-the way we know we have received it is "for we heard them speaking in tongues and glorifying God"

According to scripture-all Christians are baptised by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. But-there is a baptism IN the Spirit administered by Jesus-in the Bible when one received this baptism-they spoke in tongues as the Spirit enabled them-there is no reason to believe that it is different now.

If you can-try and check out an Assemblies of God-Bible believing-Spirit Led-God loving-church. Here are the basic beliefs: WE BELIEVE...The Scriptures are Inspired by God and declare His design and plan for mankind. WE BELIEVE...There is only One True God

There is nothing to be afraid of-if you've given your life to Jesus Christ-you are going to heaven. It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom. One thing that helped me early in my Chrisitan walk-was to make the decision to live like I was close to the Lord-regardless of weather I felt like it or not. The feelings will come and go-but your walk with Jesus can go on forever.

Your right-if you are saved He IS your Lord-and as such your behaviour will change. This idea that we can live like the devil because we "made a decision" for Christ is a lie from the pit of hell. No, we don't become super Christian overnight-but God gives us a new nature-and that nature wants to obey the Lord. We will begin to walk with Him-maybe baby steps-but we will walk-the only things that don't grow are dead things.

I don't feel as if I "have" as in can use it anytime I want-but the Lord has used me in the gift of tongues. I love Him!!!!

One might just as well ask, why call yourself a Baptist or Catholic or any other name-just our earthly way of explaining who we are and what we believe. Not good, nor bad. It says in 1 Corinthians-that He who speaks in a tongue-does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed NO ONE understands him, he utters mysteries with his spirit. The above verse tells us that tongues are not always in the langage of the hearers-weather or not they are languages used somewhere on earth is beside the point-since there are over 5000 of them. Also-everytime we are told of someones baptism in the Spirit-the initial evidence is always that they spoke in tongues. Some might say they are baptised in the Holy Spirit without this-but I don't see any scriptural backing for that. Also, the speaking in tongues-was evidence enough for the circumcised believers that the gentiles received this gift also-The circumsised believers where astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.--Acts 10:45-46.

The gift of tongues is different than the tongues received by those who were bapitsed with the Holy Spirit in Acts-at least, I think it is-when one is used in the gift of tongues-it is aloud-no one understands-and it is to be interpreted so that the church can receive edification. Tongues as prayer are for the edification of the individual-speaking to God, not to men. Paul said, he thanked God he spoke in tongues a lot-YET in church. The spiritual gifts are for the church-"when you come together" Paul says in 1 corinthians 12. --no where are we told that those receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit received "the gift of tongues" just that they spoke in them. Pentecostal is just a name-just like any other denom. we are living in the last days-even if there were only a few who stood on the Word-then that would not mean they were wrong-only that the days are short.

Yes, when the gift of tongues is used it is to be accompianed by another gift-that of interpretation. There are two manifesations of tongues-one is a spiritual gift, the other is for private prayer and praise. When one is used in the "gift of tongues" it must be intepreted so that the whole church can be edified (built up). The gift of interpretation isn't a translation of what is being said because the hearer "understands the language"-but is also a supernatural gift given by the Holy Spirit. To me-whether or not prayer in tongues is actually another language or not hasn't been an issue. They might be languages known on earth-there are thousands of them.

As a Pentecostal Christian, I do not agree that tongues are "heavenly gibberish"-however, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:2--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. --they are not always in languages understood by men either.

The baptism in the Spirit is given in detail in only three instances. In each of those instances we have the sign of speaking in tongues as the evidence of this baptism. - In fact, "speaking in tongues" is given as the sign that the Jewish believers accepted as to the fact that the gentiles had received the Holy Spirit in Acts 10. In Acts 4??? I don't see any references to your post??? Please explain? I DO believe that every believer receives the Spirit at salvation. There is however, another experience Jesus called "the baptism in the Spirit" that Jesus said was the "promise of the Father". The diciples received the Spirit in John 20-remember-yet they were still told to receive the baptism in the Spirit before they began their ministry. In in Acts 2:39 we have Peter telling the gathering that "this promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." --hey, that's us!!!! I don't have to twist anything to see this truth taught in scripture. I know what I believe and I know why.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit was not taught only at the day of Pentecost but after also. You can call it by another name if you want to-but it is there in the early church for all to see. Many Christians throughout history have realised the truth of this baptism. The book of Acts covers the first 30 years of church history. As a matter of fact, this "experience" was so important to the early church that they sent out apostles to make sure believers had this. Jesus is the One who baptises in the Spirit.(John 1:33) The Holy Spirit baptises us in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. ( 1 Corinthians 12:13)

"How come the believers in Acts 2 (which shadow clearly quoted) didn't speak in tongues, but recieved the Spirit, same for the other ones in Acts 8 and in fact any other believer in the BIBLE other than the THREE INSTANCES you have quoted. This did not happend to ALL it happened in three cases, don't act as though every time a beleiver got the Spirit, he spoke in tongues, this IS NOT the case." Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.-It sounds like they spoke in tongues to me. We are only given details of people being filled with the Holy Spirit 3 times-in those times we are told that those receiving it spoke in other tongues. So-you have brought a straw man argument into this. How many times are we told to be born again? Acts 8-we aren't told they spoke in tongues-we aren't given details. However, something noticable happened-no doubt about it-Simon saw that the baptism was given by the laying on of hands-He wanted to buy this power. Now, if nothing noticable happened- I don't think Simon would have been so wanting to have this power. Now, if you don't want to be baptised in the Holy Spirit-don't worry-it won't rub off on you.

There are at least four uses or purposes of unknown tongues, according to the New Testament: (1) as the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6); (2) as a gift to edify the church when the tongues are interpreted (1 Corinthians 12:10); (3) as a sign for unbelievers that they might believe (1 Corinthians 14:22); and (4) as a God-given provision for effective prayer and praise (1 Corinthians 14:2, 14). In all these cases, tongues is the same in essence, but different in purpose. The misunderstanding concerning these distinctive uses and purposes has brought great confusion among Christians. Scripture records that the early believers, upon being baptized in the Spirit, began to glorify God in languages unknown to them but imparted by the Holy Spirit. Tongues is the same evidence today when believers are baptized in the Spirit. All believers, when they are baptized in the Spirit, will speak in tongues. However, not all will exercise the spiritual gift of tongues in the church assembled for worship. All will have the evidence, but not all will exercise the public gift of tongues which requires the additional operation of the gift of interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:12,13). First in a public worship service someone is moved to speak in tongues; then someone is moved by the Spirit to give an interpretation of the utterance. Operating in this realm, the Spirit provides an effective and powerful means of corporate adoration and worship of God. The purpose of the gifts of tongues and interpretation is to edify or build up the church (1 Corinthians 14:2-12). Praying in tongues during private devotions is an additional ministry of the Holy Spirit. Many believers today testify that praying in tongues greatly enriches their spiritual lives. The limitations of intellect are overcome as the Holy Spirit quickens the human spirit in glorious expressions of worship and adoration. The quandary of limited vocabulary and the inability to express feelings and concerns of the soul disappear as a Spirit-imparted language flows out from the heart. It is as if heaven and earth, time and eternity, God and man all compress together in a glorious act of worship.

I want EVERYTHING that God has for me!!!! I'll be a "holy roller" any day. If it was important enough that the Lord Jesus Himself told the disciples that they needed it-how much more do we??? Being "born again" is only spoke of once in the scripture yet you would not say , "well, it isn't spoken of enough, so we don't need it". I'll be glad to say like Paul "I thank my God I speak in tongues more than you all!". It was a NORMAL part of the early Christians prayer life-this was why it needed to be regulated in the Body-they had the opposite problem of the church today-they spoke in tongues when they shouldn't have been. It was a given that Christians pray in tongues-so important that the disciples went where they heard that new beleivers were being born again to make sure they received it. Just like much of the scripture is written to the church-we aren't told over and over again to be saved in those verses-it is a given that they already are saved. Same thing with the baptism in the Spirit. You guys are trying to write your own version of the Bible because you have to skip so much of it to believe the things you are saying.

Man has free will. If you don't want to be saved, God will let you go to hell. Likewise, is you don't want His grace (charisma) go ahead and live without it. God told us through Paul to keep on being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). He (Jesus) also told us to wait until we are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).-Note-He told His disciples not to even begin their ministry until they received this "power from on high"-It was so important to the early church that they sent out disciples to new beleivers making sure they received this-and in fact-we are even told that the way the Jewish believers knew the Gentile believers had received the Holy Spirit-was that they "heard them speaking in tongues". Now, my point is-the speaking in tongues part is only the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit-this has been shown over and over again in scripture and to belittle and say the things of the Lord are of no use-is merely to fulfil the scripture: The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them becasue they are spiritually discerned. Jesus said, the baptism in the Spirit was a promise from the Father-Acts 1:5-Peter said, "for this promise is to you and to your children and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:39 The initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Spirit is being able to speak in tongues-Acts 2:4, Acts 10:45-46,Acts 19:6 Remember, this baptism is by Jesus IN the Holy Spirit-John even told us-It is He who will baptise you in the Holy Spirit. Now, when a person is saved-they are drawn to the Lord by the Holy Spirit-it is He (the Holy Spirit) who baptises us into the body of Christ-For by one Spirit were you all baptised INTO one body. Although all who are baptised in the Holy Spirit can pray in tongues, not all are used in the gift of tongues-they are not the same thing. Now listen carefully to Paul here. 1 Cor 14:4 One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. 1 Cor 14:5 Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but {even} more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying. 1. One who speaks in tongues edifies himself - he builds himself up. What does Jude 20 say? Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 2. One who prophesies edifies the church 3. I wish you all spoke in tongues 4. More than that (not instead of that) that you would prophesy 5. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues IN CHURCH unless he interprets. Did you get that? Prophecy in a church service is equivilent to tongues + interpretation. Paul is not addressing one's private prayer language here - he is addressing the public gift of tongues. Any believer can have a private prayer language. BUT - not everyone will be called to give a message in tongues during a church service. Any believer can lay hands on the sick (Mark 16:16-18) but not all are gifted with the gift of healing. Any believer can teach but not all are gifted as teachers to the body of Christ. Finally - God is never going to give you something you don't want. So don't worry and lose sleep over this issue of tongues.

I don't feel this is something necessary for my Spiritual growth, I'll stick to being edified by the Word of God. Me--Paul tells us-"He who speaks in tongues edifies himself" He also said, that he used tongues in his prayer life. The Word tells us that it is for our spiritual growth. Just because you do or do not FEEL that it is, is not a good reason for disgarding the Word of God-we don't go by feelings. When you have a burden for someone is it not sufficient to say "Lord your have laid this person on my heart, I do not know the reasons, or the problems, or the situation, I just know that it is pressing on my heart?" No need for tongues, praying in a tongue will not be any better than the above prayer. Me--I don't know that-I only knew to be obedient to the leadings of the Holy Spirit-for we did not know what to pray as we ought. It seems to me that if you had "NOT" used your "prayer language" that the same results would have occured, therefore I don't think the fact that you prayed in "tongues" changes anything. Why not just pray what's on your heart? Me--Because our hearts are not a good indication of "what is right to do"-the heart is deceitful. Does the "tongue" do a better job? Does babbling or whatever experience you have better suite the praise and glory and majesty of the Great Almighty? No doubt that our language is quite impared to adequatly describe our Lord. But I believe it to be more adequate than any Babbling, or "TONGUE" nonsense. If you know what your praying, then why not just pray in your own language. If you do not know what your praying, then say that... because speaking in a tongue will still be you not knowing what to pray. Me--You'll have to take those quotes of yours "babbling, or tongue nonsense" up with the Lord Jesus. He is the One who gave it to us, and to belittle or negate the tools He gives is are not something that one who calls Himself a Christian should be doing. Unless you have scripture to support your degrading of the things of God, maybe you better keep your insults to yourself.

According to scripture-and that must be our final authority. All Christians-those born again-have the Holy Spirit-look at the disciples-they received the Spirit in John 20:22. Yes, again according to the scriptural pattern given-there is a subsequent "experience" that Jesus called "the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5)-The disciples received this in Acts 2:4. We are given several examples in scripture of believers who received this "experience"-in every case it is obvious that they were believers-and in one case-they were baptised in water first (Acts 8:16-17). Everytime we are given the details of this baptism we are told that the people who received it spoke in tongues. In fact, according to scripture-the way that those present knew this had occured was because "they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God"-Acts 10:46- There is also a "gift of tongues" which is NOT for all-all those baptised in the Holy Spirit can pray in tongues-but NOT all will be used in the gift of tongues-which according to Paul is for "when you come together", and is a Spirit inspired utterance aloud in the gathering of believers that must be interpreted so that the church can know the meaning of said utterance. As a Spiritual gift, it is NOT given to all believers-they might be used in another gift. However, even for those who are used in this gift-it does not dwell with them, so they can bring it out for show for others-it is given as "the Spirit wills", and is only one of the nine gifts.

What good is speaking in tongues? First of all, Paul tells us that he who speaks in a tongue-edifies himself.-we are built up in our faith.-It is a tool the Lord gives us by which we can be built up. Secondly, we can pray in tongues when we don't know what to pray as we ought-for example-when the Lord lays on your heart a burden for another person-yet you do not know what the need is or exactly what the particulars are of a certian situation.-let me give you an example of this one-Once right after I and my husband received the baptism in the Holy Spirit-we both had a strong desire to pray for my brother-being shy in the Lord-we separated-and went our seperate ways to pray. After coming back together we both admitted that we did not know why the sudden urge to pray-and used our prayer language to commune with the Lord. The next day-we found that my brother had been contemplating suicide and had the gun pointed at his own head at the time we were praying in the Spirit for him. Thirdly-and this is the reason I pray in tongues the most-we can pray in tongues because our hearts are overwhelmed with love and worship to the Lord that our own language seems quite inadequate to express our love for Him.-God inhabits the praises of His people. Forthly-when the Spirit desires to manifest the gift of tongues in the body-it is to be accompianed by the gift of interpretation-to build up the church. - again this is only the gift of tongues=all who speak in tongues privately will not be used in the gift of tongues in the church. Please be careful to rightly divide the Word in this area-many tend to mix the two manifestations or uses for tongues. We can say like Paul-I thank my God I speak in tongues more than all of you-yet in the church I would rather speak 5 words to teach others than 1000 words in a tongue. Tongues when given aloud in church are to be interpreted. Paul said, If I pray in a tongue-my spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful-so what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit but I will also pray with my understanding-I will sing with my spirit and I will also sing with my understanding. He also said, that when we pray in tongues-we are speaking mysteries to God.

The Lord has blessed me with the Holy Spirit baptism and I too, speak in tongues as the Spirit gives me utterance. I pray in tongues privatly mostly-like Paul. I have also been used in the "gift of tongues" which is a Spirit inspired utterance in other tongues in the body gathered-and must be interpreted. This is what Paul was speaking about when he made it plain that all are not used in the "gift of tongues" Not everyone who speaks in tongues privately will be used in the "gift of tongues"-which Paul said, was only one of nine gifts. Any one who is baptised in the Holy Spirit can pray in tongues "at will" however, the "gift of tongues" is for a specific moment, and cannot be done-just because you want to. Those who think this has ceased don't know what they are talking about.