Title: Baptism of the Holy Ghost – 2
“Why Tongues – 1”
Text: Mark 16:17
Last week we started a series on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Has anyone started to read the book that was given away last week? If there is anyone that has never received the baptism and does not have a copy of this book, I want to get it into your hands, so please let us know. We have more on order now, they should be coming in soon.
Last week we set a foundation for this series. I spent some extensive time explaining that tongues is the initial evidence of the infilling of the Holy Ghost. We also learned that we don’t receive the baptism at the time of salvation, nor do we need the baptism in order to be saved. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is a necessity in the believer’s life. However, it comes after salvation. Last week we talked about the believers who were filled in Samaria, the believers who were filled in the house of Cornelius, the believers who were filled in Ephesus and also talked about Paul’s experience of being filled with the Spirit. This morning and again tonight we are going to talk about 10 reasons why every believer should speak in tongues.
The Apostle Paul wrote wrote much about the subject of speaking in other tongues. He practiced what he preached for he wrote in I Corinthians 14:18; “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all.” I, like Paul, thank God that I speak in tongues on a regular basis. There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not use my prayer language. The reason I am preaching this series is because it is my heart’s desire that every believer experience this gift the way that I have. I am hoping that we all begin to realize the source of power that each and every one of us have. Throughout the day today I want believers to see the blessing that can be yours through this wonderful gift of tongues.
I. TONGUES IS THE INITIAL SIGN
We already touched on this last week, but repeating helps get it inside.
Acts 2:4; “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The Word of God makes it very clear to us that when we are filled with the Holy Ghost, we speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance. It is the initial sign of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the first reason every believer should speak in tongues is because it is the supernatural evidence of the Spirit’s indwelling.
II. TONGUES IS FOR SPIRITUAL EDIFICATION
I Corinthians 14:4; “He that speak in an unknown tongue edifies himself;”
Paul is writing to the church of Corinth and he is encouraging them to continue the practice of speaking with other tongues in worshipping God and in their prayer lives as a means of spiritual edification.
Greek language scholars tell us that we have a word in our modern language that is much closer to the meaning of the original word edification. That word is “charged,” it is used in the sense of charging a battery. Therefore, we could paraphrase this verse, “He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies, charges, builds himself up like a battery.” How many could stand to be charged up a little? You’ve had a rough week, things seems to be wearing you down a little. The Bible says that when you speak in tongues, it gives you a charge up. We have a remote control car at home. After running it for a few minutes, it gets mighty slow. Some of you are running on that kind of steam. You dragged yourself out to church this morning. You drag yourself to work. It seems hard to get motivated at times. Well, I have good news for you. If you could learn to use your prayer language a little more often, it will charge you. Now don’t get me wrong, it is not going to make your hyperactive. But it will keep you upbeat. It will keep reminding you that you are an overcomer. It will keep reminding you that greater is He that is in you then he that is in the world. Speaking in tongues builds you up.
I Corinthians 14:2; “For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not unto men, but unto God: for no man understands him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” (KJV)
Weymouth’s translation of this verse says: “He speaks divine secrets.” God has given to the church a divine, supernatural means of communication with Himself.
I Corinthians 14:14; “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” (KJV)
Notice that this says, “My Spirit prays.” The Amplified translation reads: “My spirit, by the Holy Spirit within me, prays.” God is a Spirit. When we pray in tongues, our spirit is in direct contact with God, who is a Spirit. We are talking to Him by a divine, supernatural means.
Some people ask, “What is the value of speaking in tongues? Why should I do it?” If God’s Word says speaking in tongues is of value, then it is valuable. If God says it edifies, then it edifies. If God Word says it is a supernatural means of communication with Him, then it is. If God says every believer should speak in tongues, then every believer should speak in tongues. Jesus did not say that just a few should speak in tongues. He said in our text: “And these things shall follow them that believe…” Them is plural, right. That means all. And one of the signs was, “… they shall speak with new tongues.”
Tongues is the initial sign of the Holy Spirit baptism, tongues is also to charge you, to edify you, to build you up:
III. TONGUES REMIND US OF THE SPIRIT’S INDWELLING PRESENCE
“May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God's presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.” (Andrew Murray)
John 14:16-17; “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Every time we speak in other tongues it should be a reminder that the Holy Ghost resides in us. In the Old Testament, the Holy Ghost came down upon people when needed. When Sampson was at the end of his life after messing up with Delilah and the Philistines, he had to pray that the presence of the Holy Ghost would come down on him one more time so that he could receive the strength that he needed to defeat the Philistines one last time. The Bible says the Spirit came down on him and gave him the strength to bring the whole house down on the Philistines. All Old Testament prophets had to depend on the Spirit coming down upon them in times of need.
As we have learned on Tuesday nights, the New Covenant states that the Holy Ghost resides on the inside of us now. We no longer have to wait for the Spirit to descend upon us to do supernatural signs and wonders. Jesus says in John 14 that the Spirit dwells with you and is in you. Every time you speak with tongues it is a reminder that there is a powerhouse on the inside of you waiting to come out and show forth His glory.
Romans 8:10-11; ¶ “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
I Corinthians 3:16; ¶ “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
I Corinthians 6:19-20; “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
II Timothy 1:14; “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.”
We, as Spirit filled believers, have the Holy Ghost on the inside of us. It doesn’t come down upon us any longer. It is already in us. We sing the song, “Oh Lord, send the power just now, Oh Lord, send the power just now. Oh Lord, send the power just now and baptize every one.” That song is true if you are not baptized with the Holy Ghost. We want the Holy Ghost to baptize everyone in this house this morning, but it is not true if you are already baptized because you already have that power within you. Every time you speak in tongues, it is a reminder that the Holy Ghost resides on the inside of you.
Howard Carter, who was the general supervisor of the Assemblies of God in Great Britain for many years, and founder of the oldest Pentecostal Bible College in the world, pointed out that we must not forget that speaking with other tongues is not only the initial evidence of the Holy Spirit’s infilling, but is a continual experience for the rest of one’s life. It is to assist us in the worship of God. Speaking in tongues is a flowing stream, which should never dry up and will enrich the life spiritually.
When we continue to worship and pray in tongues, it helps us to be aware of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. If I can be conscious of the indwelling presence of the Most Holy God every day, it is bound to affect the way I live my life on a daily basis.
So, to wrap up this morning’s lesson, we find that tongues is the initial sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Also, tongues are for spiritual edification. Or we could say that tongues charges us up like a battery. It builds us up. Also, when we speak in other tongues, we are reminded of the power and the authority that we have residing on the inside of us.
