How to Receive the Spirit's Baptism with the Evidence of Speaking in Tongues RIGHT NOW!

God wants you to be a world changer. He wants you to make a difference, to advance the Kingdom of Heaven, and push back the Kingdom of Darkness. He wants you to take His saving Gospel to the ends of the earth starting in your local community. But He doesn't expect you to do this on your own. He knows it's hard, and challenging. He wants to empower you to live out the calling He has placed on your life. He wants to equip you to share the Gospel to the nations, and impact this world for Christ. Jesus called this "empowerment" the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5, 1:8, 2.4, 10:44-46,19:7)

Maybe you have been seeking and searching for the Spirit's Baptism. You have a longing to be filled up with His Spirit and overwhelmed with His presence in your life. Well if that describes you, that congratulations, today is your day! There is no need for you to wait any longer for a gift that God so desperately wants to give you. I have seen Christians seek the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for years, only to be disappointed. This doesn't have to be the case.

If you have not yet received this blessing which God gives to empower and equip you to live out His calling on your life, then now is the time. You can be Baptized in the Spirit right now, if you will only reach out and receive His gift. Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who asks" (Luke 11:10-13). 

We can know that if we ask God for the Holy Spirit, He will not give us a counterfeit. You have no need to feel as though you have not experienced the "Real McCoy". As far a speaking in tongues. It isn't about repeating what someone told you to repeat. That is not right. God will give you to words. Well are you ready to be filled with the Spirit? Then let's get started! 

Get alone with God, and start thanking Him and worshiping Him. Praise Him and thank Him out loud with your mouth, with your words. I have not seen one person receive the Spirit and start speaking tongues with their mouth closed. Just be in His presence praying, worshiping, and thanking God out loud, asking Him to fill you with the Spirit. Tell Him that you receive the Spirit by faith in the name of Jesus. Continue talking to God out loud and when you feel the presence of God, you will feel something stirring and rising up from within you. Just let go and let God do whatever He wants to do in your life. You will feel this rising feeling prompting you to speak new words, or new words may come to your from nowhere. Let go! Start speaking those new words that you feel rising up within you. Continue speaking by faith. It is about letting go, and speaking what is coming to you.

You can pray in tongues whenever you want. You don't have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon you. Acts 2:4 does not say that the Spirit possessed the apostles and forced their mouths to move. The Bible says they spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them the ability/utterance. They were the ones speaking in tongues, God's Spirit just enabled them to do so. Once you have been Baptized in the Holy Spirit, you already have the ability to speak in tongues, it is then up to you to begin speaking and using that gift.

Go ahead, receive all that God has for you today, so He can empower you to change your world! Once you have received, please comment or message me back telling me the good news! Let's rejoice together in the infilling of the Holy Spirit!

Speaking in Tongues and Evangelism

I have already shown how the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift given so that we can be empowered to witness to the lost. For those who missed that post...

For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.                                                                                          -Acts 1:5

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
                          
                                                                                                  -Acts 1:8

If you read my last post on the Spirit's Baptism you will also remember that Speaking in Tongues is the initial physical evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit. In the book of Acts, whenever people were filled with the Spirit, they spoke in tongues, but why? Why did God choose something so strange as speaking in tongues to be the initial sign of the Spirit's baptism?

Before I answer that, I should point out that there are three different types of "tongues" recorded in the New Testament. The first kind of tongue we find in Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

                                                                                               -Acts 2:4

Now in this instance, if you keep on reading, they crowd that had gathered understood what these 120 Christians were saying as they were speaking in tongues. This might be the weirdest kind of tongues. The Greeks heard the believers speaking in Greek, the Arabs heard them speaking in Arabic, the Jews heard them speaking Hebrew, and so on and so forth. Each person in the crowd heard what was being said in their own native tongue.

There are reports of this happening today. I have heard of people from different countries coming to a Charismatic service and heard people speaking in tongues, only to find out that they people were speaking the foreigners native language and didn't know it! So this first kind of tongue is man ward.

The second kind of tongue is what many Pentecostals call prayer language. This is when a Spirit-Filled believer prays in tongues in their private devotional time. The Bible says that when we pray in this kind of tongue, we speak "mysteries" unto God. That we are personally build up and edified through this kind of prayer life.

For he who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
                                                                                                -1st Corinthians 14:2

The one who speaks in tongues builds up himself.....

                                                                                               -1st Corinthians 14:4a

So the second kind of tongue is God ward. The third kind of tongue is the gift of tongues accompanied with the gift of interpretation. This is a form of prophecy. It is when someone gives a public proclamation of tongues in a service, and another or that same person gives and interpretation so everyone can understand and be edified.

Therefore one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.

                                                                                            -1st Corinthians 14:13

So now we see the three kinds of tongues. Two of them are man ward, one is God ward. But what does all this have to do with evangelism? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is given to empower us for evangelism, so why do we need tongues to evangelize? Jesus told us not to worry about what to say because we would be given the right words at the right time. That it would not be us speaking but the Holy Spirit speaking through us. (Luke 12:12,13)

So when we speak in tongues, it is a sign that we are willing to submit our mouths to God in order to be used by Him. As I have said before, God does not want us to share the Gospel by our own might or power, but by His Spirit. He does not want us to win the lost through reason, arguing, strategies, training, etc. He wants us to win the lost through a demonstration of the Spirit's power. We are to evangelize in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When you speak in tongues, that means you are a place in your walk with God, that you will let the Holy Spirit use you and speak through you. So when you do encounter the lost, the idea of God given you the words to say by the power of the Spirit, will not be so new and foreign to you. That is why it is the initial evidence of the Spirit's Baptism. It is a sign! It is a sign that the Spirit Baptized individual speaks not of the own accord, but by the power of the Spirit of God!

Do NOT Share the Gospel... Until You Have Been Empowered

You know, I could provide a really good argument for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I could point out how in all of the synoptic Gospels, John the Baptist says, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one greater than I.... He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.." (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). Even Jesus talks about the Baptism in the Spirit in Acts 1:5 "For John baptized with water, but in a few days baptized you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

I'm sure I could provide a solid case that the Spirit's Baptism is an experience that takes place after salvation/conversion. For instance in Acts 8.

"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 they Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

                                                                                         -Acts 8:14-17

Here we have people who were most certainly saved and baptized. They were Christians. Go ahead all who doubt, open the Bible yourself, read the verses leading up to the passage, and do your own research. These people were born again, baptized Christians. Yet... they had not received the Spirit. That is just ONE example.

I am also very confident that I could back up the teaching that Speaking in Tongues is the initial physical evidence of the Spirit's Baptism. When the apostles received the Spirit they spoke in tongues (Acts 2:4), the disciples in Ephesus spoke in tongues when Baptized in the Spirit (Acts 19:7). But notice Acts 10: 45-46....

"The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were 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."

Take another look at that passage... How did the "circumcised believers" know that the Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles? They heard them speaking in tongues.

Like I said, I could provide a pretty decent argument for all of this, but it won't mean much to you if you don't place a high priority on evangelism. If you are not of the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition, chances are all of this will be interesting, challenging, but mostly irrelevant information to you, if you don't put a high priority on witnessing to the lost.

You see, Jesus wants us to share the Gospel. He wants us to "make disciples of all the nations" but He doesn't ask us to carry out this "Great Commission" by our own abilities and talents. He wants us to share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. To seek and save that which is lost by His power, not our own.

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

                                                                                                -Acts 1:8

 Many believers know the Great Commission, but few are aware of what Jesus said before He gave it.

"And repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

                                                                                                    - Luke 24:47-49

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift you heard my Father promised, which you heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

                                                                                                   -Acts 1:5

If however, you are passionate about winning the lost for Christ, this teaching is very relevant. Jesus doesn't want you to get frustrated by reading "soul winning" classes, or by buying thousands of Gospel Tracts, or memorizing every rebuttal to the Christian faith. He doesn't want you to live with the frustration of trying, on your own, to get through to those you care about every day. He wants to empower you. He wants you to share the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what makes this relevant.

After the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and explained to the bewildered crowd what had just happened. It was much more than the "birthday of the church". It was God supernaturally empowering His servants to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. So I leave you with his words, and encourage you to seek out the Spirit's Baptism, and be empowered to live out the calling that God has placed on your life.....

"Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

'In the last days God says, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy""

                                                                                            -Acts 2:14-18

Racial, Gender, and Social Barriers Disappear in the Pentecostal Movement

    From the day of Pentecost to the Azusa Street Revival, the move of God has always attracted lots of criticism. Spirit filled believers have always been rebuked for believing in speaking in tongues, modern day use of prophecy and healing, lifting our hands in worship, etc. One rebuke that is overlooked however, is how every social barrier disappeared.

    In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost, and what was the first thing that happened? A crowd of people from nearly every ethnicity came hearing the Word of God in their own language. After that day for the first time, Jews and Gentiles starting worshipping together. The rich, the poor, the slave, and the free sat at the same table on equal ground.

    In 1906 the Pentecostal movement got its start at 312 Azusa Street Los Angeles California. William J Seymour led revival meetings every night. People were saved, filled with the Spirit, and healed. This ofcourse brought attention from the press and criticism from other pastors. One of the biggest criticisms of this new Pentecostal movement was that it was integrated. Whites, African Americans, Asians, Latinos and Hispanic all met in the same worship service worshipping side by side. There were people of different races praying for eachother. New Pentecostal churches that were starting up were integrated. The preacher at Azusa Street was an African American. Remember this was 1906.

Then there was the role of women in ministry. Traditionally, only men have been allowed to serve in ministry. This exclusion continues today. Pentecostals have always been different. In 1935 the Assemblies of God began ordaining women as pastors. By the year 1950 over 1,000 women pastors were traveling the country planting churches. Some notable women ministers were Zelma Argue, Hattie Hammond, Annie McPherson, and Kathryn Kuhlman(my hero). It has been said that church is the last part of America that is still segregated. I'm proud to be part of a movement where that is not the case. Much has been said about how Christianity puts down women and holds them back. Its good to know that in Pentecostalism, women are allowed to be in their rightful place of leadership. When God's Spirit moves, all these barriers seem to disappear. So I leave you with God's promise to remove these barriers by His Spirit. "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your son's and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." -Joel 2:28-29