Ancient Paths - Tongues Study

My personal testimony - I spoke with other tongues (not my own language) for the first time in 1981 in an Assembly of God church in Austin, Tx.  The Pastor took me in his office, gave me a short lesson on speaking in tongues, I raised my hands in worship and just as I began to praise God, I felt a tingling sensation in my mouth and a warmth in my body. My tongue began to take on a life of its own and I could no longer speak in English but slowly began to make sounds that were hardly intelligible at first, then they became more pronounced and sounded like an actual language.  What language I don't know, but ever since that day, my walk with the Lord became much more stable and victorious.  I could feel His presence with me where ever I went...and though there have been many ups and downs in my life since then, my relationship with the Lord has grown deeper and richer and I can still feel His presence in my heart.  I've since learned more about this wonderful experience personally and from my study of the scriptures...the following study is a summary of scriptural references dealing with tongues as well as some personal commentary.

You may access the Powerpoint slides for this lesson at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/dd84lg1lrarp29i/Teaching%20Lesson%20%28Tongues%29.ppt?m

IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT BOOKS OR SECTIONS OF THE BIBLE BECAUSE A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING CAN LEAD TO MISINTERPRETATIONS AND FALSE DOCTRINES

ANOTHER OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE THAT REFERENCES THE EVENTUAL POURING OUT OF THE HOLY GHOST CAN BE FOUND IN JOEL 2:28-29.  THIS PROPHECY IS FULFILLED IN ACTS 2:16-18 AS PETER EXPLAINS TO THE JEWS GATHERED ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST WHAT EXACTLY WAS HAPPENING.

JOHN 3:3-8 IS A KEY PORTION OF SCRIPTURE IN THAT IT IS THE FIRST TIME JESUS (YESHUA) TELLS US WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A PERSON TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD WHILE STILL IN THESE FLESHLY BODIES HERE ON EARTH.  TO FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS IS SAYING HERE, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT HE IS USING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WIND TO EXPLAIN OR ILLUSTRATE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE BORN OF THE SPIRIT.  THE WORD FOR WIND IN HEBREW IS “RUACH”, IT IS THE SAME WORD USED FOR “SPIRIT”.  LIKE THE WIND WHEN IT BLOWS, THERE WILL BE A SOUND HEARD WHEN SOMEONE IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT.  THIS UNDERSTANDING WILL BE MADE MORE CLEAR AS WE MOVE TO THE BOOK OF ACTS AND LOOK AT HISTORICAL AND SCRIPTURAL EXAMPLES OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WHEN SOMEONE WAS FILLED WITH OR RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

ACTS 2:1-4 IS THE INITIAL FULLFILLMENT OF JOEL 2:28 AND ISAIAH 28:11. NOTICE THAT THERE IS A SOUND LIKE UNTO A RUSHING MIGHTY WIND...AND THERE IS ANOTHER SOUND THAT WAS BIRTHED IN ALL THE BELIEVERS IN THE UPPER ROOM THAT DAY..."AND THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST (SPIRIT OF GOD) AND BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES, AS THE SPIRIT GAVE THEM UTTERANCE."

THEY ALL BEGAN TO SPEAK IN OTHER LANGUAGES THAT THEY HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN...ONLY AS THEY WERE ENABLED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD...TO BE CONTINUED

THE JEWS PRESENT AT CORNELIUS' HOUSE KNEW THESE GENTILES HAD RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST BECAUSE THEY "HEARD" THEM SPEAK IN "TONGUES" (THE SAME TYPE OF UTTERANCE GIVEN BY THE SPIRIT IN ACTS 2) AND MAGNIFY GOD (ONCE FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST, THEY BEGAN SPEAK FORTH IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE THE MIGHT WORKS AND PRAISES OF GOD ETC)

AGAIN IN THIS PASSAGE, WE SEE THAT THESE BELIEVERS ALSO BEGAN TO SPEAK IN TONGUES (LANGUAGES UNKNOWN TO THEM) AND PROPHECY (ONCE THEY HAD BEEN BORN OF THE SPIRIT, THEY BEGAN TO PROCLAIM IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE THE MIGHTY WORKS OF GOD ETC).

IN ALL THREE OF THE ABOVE SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES THE UNIVERSAL SIGN OR "SOUND MADE" DEMONSTRATING THAT SOMEONE HAD BEEN FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST OR BORN OF THE SPIRIT WAS THAT THEY "SPOKE IN TONGUES"...AS THE SPIRIT GAVE THEM UTTERANCE OR ENABLED THEM TO SPEAK IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE SPIRIT.

THE STATEMENT ABOVE I KNOW MAY INSIGHT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT RESPONSES, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE EXAMINE THIS THOUGHT VERY CAREFULLY.  IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND OUR ROLE VERSUS GOD'S ROLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE NEW BIRTH PROCESS.  WE ARE SIMPLY TO COME TO HIM WITH A REPENTANT HEART IN HUMILITY, BUT WHAT ABOUT HIS ROLE?...LET'S LOOK AT A FEW MORE SLIDES THEN DISCUSS FURTHER.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE ARE THE ONES WHO BRING THE SACRIFICE WHICH IS OUR REPENTANT HEART, BUT GOD IS THE ONE WHO COMPLETES THE PROCESS BY THE POURING OUT OF THE HOLY GHOST UPON OUR LIVES.  REPENTANCE WITHOUT A SUPERNATURAL RESPONSE (EVIDENCE) FROM THE LORD IS LIKE A SACRIFICE THAT IS STILL WAITING TO BE CONSUMED BY FIRE...IT'S INCOMPLETE! 

REPENTANCE IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP...PETER EXPLAINS THE NEW BIRTH PROCESS IN A NUT SHELL IN ACTS 2:38....REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED EVERYONE OF YOU IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST (YESHUA THE MESSIAH) FOR THE REMISSION OF YOUR SINS AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST! 

AGAIN, TO RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE SCRIPTURES, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OR EMPHASIS EACH BOOK IN THE BIBLE.  FOR EXAMPLE, WE KNOW THE BOOK OF ROMANS WAS WRITTEN TO BELIEVERS (CHURCH AT ROME) WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT.  THEY DIDN’T NEED SOMEONE TO TELL THEM HOW TO BE BORN INTO THE KINGDOM, BUT THEY DID NEED FURTHER INSTRUCTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT.  SO, WHEN WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS WAS AND IS, THEN WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT WOULD NOT BE THE BOOK TO LOOK TO FOR THE PLAN OF SALVATION.  THE BOOKS TO LOOK TO FOR THE GOSPEL PLAN ARE OF COURSE THE GOSPELS AND THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY CHURCH – THE BOOK OF ACTS.  MARK 16 SAYS “HE THAT BELIEVES AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED…”,  JOHN 3 SAYS:  WE MUST BE BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT…AND OF COURSE WE’VE ALREADY SEEN THAT ACTS 2:38 SAYS – REPENT, BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OR (YESHUA THE MESSIAH) AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST OR HOLY SPIRIT.  LINE UPON LINE, HERE A LITTLE AND THERE A LITTLE….REPENTANCE, WATER (BAPTISM) AND SPIRIT SEEM ARE THE COMMON THEMES IN THESE SCRIPTURES.