OPEN: The scene was in Denmark and 2 old men are sitting on a park bench. Up drives a car stops, and the driver rolls down the window and politely asks, in German, for assistance. The men shrug and shake their heads. The driver asks again, this time in French. No answer. He asks a third time in English. Still no answer. Frustrated, the man drives away.
After a while, one old-timer says to the other. “I wish I could speak a second language.”
“What for?” asks his friend, “That guy spoke three languages, and it didn’t help him.”
APPLY: The early church had those who could speak in many languages – languages they had never learned, and yet they used these languages (tongues) to communicate the love of God to others who otherwise would never have heard the Gospel. The Bible talks about the “gift of tongues” that was a powerful and effective tool in the early church, but our question today is: do tongues exist today and should we ourselves speak in tongues?
I. The Bible tells us that God gave the early Christians “gifts.”
Actually there were two kinds of gifts God gave His people.
The first was “ the gift of the Holy Spirit” spoken of in Acts 2:38. Peter preached, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” The Greek word for “gift” here was “dorea,” and was used to describe the mark of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), the mark of God’s ownership of us.
The other kind of gift spoken of in the New Testament was “gifts from the Holy Spirit.” The Greek word used for this kind of gift was “charismata.” Charismata is actually a compound Greek word: “Charis” (meaning “grace”) and “mata” (meaning “result of…” What Charismata meant was that this gift was a “result of the grace – or Holy Spirit - within us.” That’s what Paul wrote when he sent his letter to Corinth:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now TO EACH ONE THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT is given for the common good.
To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.” I Corinthians 12:4-11
The best way to visualize the difference between these two kinds of gifts is to understand:
1. that God gave us the gift (dorea) of the Spirit which was our salvation, the mark of His ownership of us, and...
2. then the Spirit gave special gifts (charismata) to the early Church to help the church be stronger and more effective.
These “charismata” or gifts from the Holy Spirit were powerful tools. BUT God didn’t intend for them to last forever. Many of the more miraculous gifts were intended to be “seed” investment in the church. This initial investment was much like the investment corporations investment companies make in new plants and stores.
ILLUS: For example, on the edge of town, Home Depot is building a new store. It’s a massive structure that involves a heavy investment for the building, the parking lot, the laying of wires and pipes and then the first inventory for the shelves. It’s an enormous financial outlay. For the first couple of years, that store will not pay for itself. The main company will have to underwrite the salaries and other expenses for that initial period. That’s the time of “seed money.”
But eventually, the store will run on its own and the massive outlays of cash & materials from the main company will not be necessary.
God has done much the same thing throughout Scripture.
* When God created the world, He invested heavily with miracles. Day after day – for 7 days – God performed miracle after miracle. But after those initial days of creation, the miracles tapered off. Over the next 2000 years of Bible history God may have performed periodic miracles, but not in the massive investment of power that we see around the days of creation.
* Again, when Noah was selected by God and the flood was prepared for, God performed manifold miracles in preparation for and during the days of the Flood. BUT, after the flood, the miracles tapered off. There were periodic occurrences of miracles, but not in the abundance seen before and during the Flood.
* Again, when Moses was selected to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God invested heavily in miracles – the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Manna, etc. But after Israel had settled into the Promised Land, the miracles once again slacked off.
It was as if, every time God brought about the creation of something new, He invested heavily with Heavenly power, but then withdrew to allow this “new thing” to function without the reliance on that heavy “seed” investment.
* When Jesus began His ministry up through the establishment of the church, we again see a variety of miracles establishing Jesus and the leaders of the Church as ordained by God. Would it be surprising then, that just as God had done in the past, those sensational “seed” miracles would cease?
The Church at Corinth had all the gifts a church could want. But there was a conflict between those who had the gift of tongues and those with the gift of prophecy. So Paul wrote to them that the most important gift was Love and that they shouldn’t rely too heavily on these powerhouse gifts - because they weren’t going to be around forever anyway.
1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”
II. So, when did tongues cease?
The most likely answer is: tongues ceased shortly after the Apostles died. The 1st clue we get to this possibility is found in Acts 8:9-25 (TURN THERE)
QUESTION: Before Peter and John arrived, were the Samaritan believers Christians? Yes they were. They believed and were baptized (vss. 12-13).
QUESTION: Is it possible for someone to become a Christian without having the Holy Spirit within them? No. Romans 8:9 tells us “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” You can’t belong to Jesus if you don’t have the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 2:38 we’re told that God has made a specific promise “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
And yet, one of the oddest statements in this passage of Acts 8 is found in verses 14-16 which says:
“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because THE HOLY SPIRIT HAD NOT YET COME UPON any of them; they had simply been baptized (see appendix #1) into the name of the Lord Jesus.”
So, what’s the deal? Did they have the Holy Spirit, or didn’t they? Well, yes they did, but there was something FROM the Holy Spirit that they did not receive.
III. So, what were they missing?
They were missing some of the “GIFTS from the Holy Spirit.”
Notice how the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit: By the laying on of hands.
Whose hands? The hands of Peter & John.
Who were Peter and John? They were Apostles.
Nowhere in Scripture is salvation described as being given by the laying on of hands. BUT, there is evidence that certain gifts (charismata) of the Spirit were dispensed by Apostles.
For example, Paul wrote Timothy: “I remind you to fan into flame the gift (charisma) of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6
QUESTION: But why couldn’t Philip lay hands on these believers to impart the Spirit? After all, he was one of the most spiritual members of the early church, a preacher and a deacon. God had specifically asked him to preach to a high official of Ethiopia. SO, why couldn’t he lay hands on these Samaritans?
Because he wasn’t an Apostle.
ALSO NOTICE – Simon the Sorcerer SAW something happen.
Acts 8:17-18 “Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon SAW that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money…”
Whatever gift(s) the Apostles gave the Samaritans, its was observable AND obvious… kind of like tongues.
Later in Acts, we see Paul on his way to Ephesus and coming across believers whom he asked:
Acts 19:2 … “’Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’
So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.
Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. WHEN PAUL PLACED HIS HANDS ON THEM, the Holy Spirit came on them, and THEY SPOKE IN TONGUES and PROPHESIED.”
Notice, when Paul (as an Apostle) laid his hands on these believers – the Holy Spirit came upon them AND they spoke in tongues & prophesied (two of the more obvious of the Spirit’s gifts).
Remember, when Paul wrote Timothy he said: “ I remind you to fan into flame the gift (charisma) of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6
IV. So, let’s review:
Philip couldn’t pass on these special gifts of the Holy Spirit (though he was a model Christian in his day)
BUT the Apostles like Peter, John & Paul could, and did.
Thus it would be reasonable to assume that when the Apostles died – the ability to pass on certain gifts (like tongues) died with them.
(pause) So if tongues died with the Apostles, you’d not expect to find much about tongues in writings of the early church leaders - AND sure enough, little if anything is said about tongues in the years after apostles.
V. Now, you might ask, Jeff – (this is interesting) but why are you going over this? Of what significance is that to us today? It is significant because – if you don’t know what the Bible teaches about tongues, you can be deceived by certain writers, teachers and preachers who teach that tongues are a vital necessity for Christians.
Over the past 150 years or so, tongues has staged a comeback. There has been a strong push among certain believers to say that NOT ONLY do tongues exist today…but that you can and should (ye verily – must) possess this ability.
* Some have taught that you need to speak in tongues to be saved
* Others have taught that you don’t need tongues to be saved… but you aren’t mature (in Christ) until you do. I listened to Jimmy Swaggert one day as he declared this very doctrine.
* AND if you can’t speak in tongues – there are those who’ll gladly teach you to do so. I spoke with one person whose charismatic friend had told them to “repeat a certain word over and over again (like Hallelujah).” Eventually, she was told, she would begin speaking in tongues.
I’m sorry. I don’t recall anyone in the Bible ever requiring to be “taught” how to use their gift. Such a concept is totally foreign to the Words the Spirit Himself has given to us in the Scriptures.
These Charismatic believers (and the churches they belong to) often use tongues as a spiritual thermometer to gauge how much of the Spirit people have within them. You can’t speak in tongues? You must not have much of the Spirit! Should they have a disagreement with someone who disagrees with them on another doctrine, their thought is often “Oh well, they don’t speak in tongues anyway.”
VI. It’s a very appealing doctrine
* Do you have reason to doubt that God loves you? All you have to do is say a few words in tongues – and you’re OK.
* Feeling intimidated by spiritual types in church? Pray in tongues… and suddenly you’ve proven you’re spiritual too.
Tongues has the ability to make people feel good and Godly all over
VII. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe those who speak in tongues are somehow not Christians … I just think they’ve bought into some bad teaching.
A person will not be go to heaven or hell based on what they believe about tongues.
But even if tongues DID exist today, they would not be a good gauge of how spiritual we are.
The church that’s best known for having the “gift of tongues” was Corinth - and yet Paul called them “unspiritual.”
“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly— mere infants in Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:1
In spite of the fact that Corinth had the gift of tongues… they were unspiritual:
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:3
How could Paul say that? How could he call them unspiritual and worldly. Because they acted unspiritual and worldly, and because tongues were not the measure of how spiritual they were.
VIII. If tongues weren’t the gauge of their spirituality… what was?
Turn to Galatians 5:16-26 (works of the flesh vs. the fruit of the Spirit)
What was Paul writing there? He was telling us can that we can tell how spiritual we are by how we treat others. That’s the gauge, that’s the thermometer that matters to God. You can cry aloud how spiritual you are and how much you love Jesus, but your action will betray your heart.
CLOSE: The true story is told of a WW II soldier who, just prior to shipping off to war in Europe, found a used book in a USO store. In the margins, a woman had written some observations that he found insightful and caring. Touched by this unknown person’s insights, the soldier made inquiries until he found out the name and address of the donor, then he wrote her. He told her of how he had found the book, how impressed he was with her thoughts as he found them in the book, and that he was soon to go off to war and that had no one stateside with whom he could write. Would she write to him? She replied and said that she would.
Throughout those terrible years of war, the soldier and the woman exchanged constant letters and he found that he was falling in love with her. He said as much in one of his letters. She responded that she was feeling the same fondness for him. He sent her his picture. She wrote back and said that if he truly loved her... a picture would not be necessary.
At last, he was to return from the War and wrote her that his ship would be docking at New York, not far from where she lived. If she could come and meet him at the dock, he would bring the book and she could wear a red rose on her lapel to help him identify her. She agreed.
When his ship docked, he descended the gangplank and searched the crowd for the woman he had written to for so long. Suddenly he was approached by a stunningly beautiful blond woman, dressed in a crisp green suit and eyes twinkling as she looked at him and walked up to him. In the wonder of that moment, he neglected to see that she was not wearing a rose on her lapel. She spoke: "Hi soldier." She winked and walked on. For a moment he was tempted to follow her and ask her name… but just then he noticed a woman standing alone, wearing a red rose on the lapel of her brown suit. The woman was 40ish, plain, thick ankles, even the suit was worn and not well pressed. He struggled for a moment with his dilemma, but then he realized that this was the person who had given so much of heart to him and had given him strength in the midst of very difficult times. Perhaps he could not feel romantic love for her, but the very least he could do was ask her out to eat and explain how much her letters had meant to him over these many years. Straightening himself, he crossed to her and saluted. Taking her hand, he introduced himself and asked if she would do him the honor of eating with him.
With a startled look, the woman said, "Look, Mr. I’m not sure what is going on here, but that blond woman that just passed you gave me this rose to wear on my suit and said that if a soldier were to ask me out to eat, she would be across the street in the diner waiting on him."
Our spirituality, our love of Jesus is not measured by a special gifts, or special abilities, or how important we are in church – but rather by how much we love Jesus and how that effects our life.
APPENDIX #1 “…they had simply been baptized” (NIV) in Acts 8:16b is an unfortunate rendering (KJV is a little better: “only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”).
The difficulty comes in translating the original Greek into English. The implication from the NIV translation in this passage is that baptism was only a side show of little import. But neither NIV nor KJV could give a better translation without extreme awkwardness.
The form of the Greek word for baptized in Acts 8:16 is in the “perfect tense.” One of only 5 tenses in the Greek language, the perfect tense indicates an action followed by its results.
Thus, Acts 8:16 is saying that the act of baptism had been performed AND that its recipients were now in the results of that act. What were those results? Peter declared in Acts 2:38 “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS and you shall receive THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
While baptism was involved with the forgiveness of sins and the gift (or mark) of the Holy Spirit, baptism was not employed by God to impart special miraculous gifts FROM the Holy Spirit – the laying on of Apostle’s hands was used for that.
APPENDIX #2 But what of those who have “experienced” tongues? Personal experience is not a good foundation for good theology. Consider the “Cane Ridge Revival” which formed the basis for much of what is now known as the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Held in 1801, this popular gathering was marked by participants claiming that the Spirit had taken hold of them and led them to engage in “barking exercises” (where they would bark like dogs); “laughing exercises” (uncontrollable laughter); and “jerking exercises” (Barton W. Stone observed: “I have seen the person stand in one place, and jerk backward and forward in quick succession, their head nearly touching the floor behind and before”). Because many of them would go into fits where they would roll around on the floor, they became known as “holy rollers.”
Were these people sincere? Probably. Were they Christians? Possibly. Were their experiences based on good theology? No. And that should be a cautionary note to us.
Religion based on “experience” that is not substantiated in Scripture is faulty and deceptive.
SERMONS IN THE “RIGHT OR WRONG?” SERIES
Once saved, Always saved? – Romans 11:1-11:24
Do All Roads Lead To Heaven? - Acts 17:16-17:34
Do I Have To Get Baptized? - Acts 2:22-2:41
Do I Need To Speak In Tongues - Acts 2:1-2:21
