THEY SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES

(CONTINUED)

One of my Facebook friends, himself a Pentecostal pastor, made an interesting comment following my second part of this current blog. He said: "You don't hear much about speaking in tongues these days." When he said that, I knew he was right. He was stating a reality which my wife and I sensed was so, but perhaps would not have been willing to categorically state. This man, having been a pastor for some decades now, in a major Pentecostal movement in Australia, had obviously become aware over time of the apparent diminishing importance given to the experience by Pentecostal and Charismatic churches and movements. Most of these churches would still have in their Statement of Beliefs a clear indication that one of their core beliefs is that subsequent to salvation or being "born again", the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues is available to every believer.
Again, as in previous blog posts on this topic, I think of the prophecy of Joel, some eight hundred years BC, confirmed by Peter on the Day of Pentecost as being fulfilled at that time, where the prophet said: "And it shall come to pass afterward
                      That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
                       Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
                       Your old men shall dream dreams,
                       Your young men shall see visions;
                       And also on My menservants
                       And on my maidservants
                       I will pour out My Spirit in 
                       those days."
After quoting this prophecy, Peter, empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit, added: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." Acts 2: 38,39. NKJV
The "gift of the Holy Spirit" referred to here by Apostle Peter is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit the 120 in the Upper Room had received that day, with the manifestation of speaking in other tongues - in that particular instance, languages unknown to the speakers, but known languages recognized by the hearers from other countries gathered together in Jerusalem at that time.
Peter said the Promise is "to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." He was saying that the Promise of the Gift of the Holy Spirit, with the accompanying evidence of speaking in tongues was to all believers in every era, every generation, to those of all ages, all races, all backgrounds - in fact, to everyone, Jew or Gentile - who would repent of sin, and receive the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
With the restoration of this truth to the church in the twentieth century, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 were also restored to the church. These nine gifts or manifestations of the Spirit include: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith (the gift of faith), gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues (in public gatherings) and the interpretation of tongues (in public gatherings). (Words in italics added by me.)
The fact is that we, as Christians, are in a war- a battle for the hearts and souls of men, women and children. One of my favourite verses in the book of Isaiah, speaking prophetically down through the ages to the day in which we live, says: So shall they fear 
                                                                                      The name of the Lord from the west,
                                                                                       And His glory from the rising of the sun;
                                                                                      When the enemy comes in like a flood,
                                                                                      The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a 
                                                                                        standard against him.
.
Dennis Bennett, the Episcopal Rector in California who, in 1960 became a catalyst for the beginning of the Charismatic Movement, when he announced to his church congregation that he had been baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, stated, that for a Christian to be born again and not baptized in the Holy Spirit would be like sending a soldier to Vietnam without a rifle. In these times of ever-increasing darkness covering the earth, the church needs to avail itself of every provision the Lord makes available to us. That provision includes the Baptism in the Holy Spirit subsequent to the salvation experience, with the provision of the ability to speak in tongues, not as some quirky aberration of Christian experience, but to better equip the believer for effective ministry for our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.

TESSA'S TESTIMONIES

Our cat died recently. He had been a faithful friend for over thirteen years. I know that adults and children suffer and die daily through wars and other forms of abuse.

    But the pain over the loss of the cat was still real to me. I remembered his beauty as he ran along the top of the fence, like a living flame in the sunlight glowing like molten gold. I remember the way he waited hours at the window for our car to return home. How he followed me around the garden, even when ill.

Awake last night, I looked at the stars so clear, so still, so remote and unbidden the words of the Bible came to me from Deuteronomy 31: The eternal God is your refuge

                            And underneath are the everlasting arms.

I am so grateful that in a world of constant, often painful, change, God is our refuge, a place to be still and regroup.  He cares so much for our individual lives and our transient griefs, no matter how deep-etched.

AN ALLEGORY

By Tessa

Once and again there was a spider who wasn't quite the same as all the others.  He watched as they spun lovely webs in the sunshine.  Over and over he tried to do the same.  And failed. For a time he gave up and nearly died. He just existed.

Then one day, with God's help and a friend's encouragement, he made a beautiful web.  It danced in the sunshine, shone in the wind and laced the mist together in tiny pearls of water. In the dew the light flashed like jewels.

He thanked God and lived again.  Most didn't notice or care, but his friend did.

Let's encourage those who are a bit different.

-----------

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me."'

THEY SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES

(CONTINUED)

Some years ago, while we were living in Launceston in Northern Tasmania, I attended a Holy Spirit teaching seminar with meetings held over about three days, from memory. The speakers were Doug Duncan, a pastor with a high degree of credibility in the realm of prophetic ministry, and Stewart Rae, who at the time was pastoring a Charismatic Baptist church in Geelong, Victoria.
During one of the sessions, Doug Duncan shared an amazing incident which happened in the life of another Pentecostal pastor in New Zealand by the name of Kindah Greening some years before that time. I believe he is now pastoring successfully on Queensland's Gold Coast.
As the story goes (and I believe it to be a true account), Kindah Greening was in Invercargill in the very south of the South Island of NZ, when on a particular day, he entered a local post office. He saw a man standing at one of the counters, and felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to approach the man and to start speaking in tongues. As one could imagine, this is not something a person would normally do, for fear of being thought more than a little mentally-challenged.He hesitated, wanting to make sure this prompting was from the Holy Spirit. The impression would not leave him, so in the end, he obeyed this prompting to approach the stranger and he began to speak in tongues - a language he had not learned. As Kindah Greening began to speak, the most amazing and wonderful thing happened. Tears began to well up in the eyes of the stranger, and he broke down and cried.
The stranger was, as it turned out, a former Christian minister from a European country who was away from the Lord. As Kindah Greening spoke in tongues, the stranger was so moved because Pastor Greening was actually speaking in the stranger's native European language. 
Basically, the Lord was reaffirming His love for this man who was so many thousands of miles from his homeland with the words, which he heard in his native tongue: "THOUGH YOU RUN TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO THE ISLES OF THE SEAS, YOU CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM ME!" This was a message of encouragement which I believe was a turning point in this man's experience to bring him back to a close relationship with the Lord.
The operation of Speaking in Tongues may be in a known language, or it may be a "heavenly language." The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13:1, at the beginning of what is referred to as the Love Chapter in this particular book, states: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal."
Those who are not able to accept that speaking in tongues is for the church today would argue that, if the spoken tongue is not a known language, it is just gibberish, or speech that is nonsense. I would refute that argument most vigorously, as I believe there is ample Biblical evidence to show that speaking in other tongues does not have to be in that of a known human language, and if it is not a known language but one given by the Holy Spirit, it is a language known in heaven and perfectly understood by God.
Romans 8:27,28 says Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 
When we pray in tongues, using what probably amongst most Pentecostal and Charismatic believers today is praying or speaking in tongues which are not known languages, we can be praying the will of God into situations and circumstances of which we know nothing.
In 1 Corinthians 14:14,15 the Apostle Paul in addressing the Corinthian church on the correct use of the vocal gifts of tongues, interpretation and prophecy in public gatherings makes the point: "For if I pray in a tongue (in public), my Spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding."
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:2 He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. What a great prayer tool God has given us, to be speaking mysteries - in the spirit, as the Holy Spirit inspires our speaking forth in other tongues.
Speaking in tongues or "praying in the Spirit" has the benefit for the one speaking of edifying or building up of the believers faith. 1 Corinthians 14:4a says He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.
This is re-stated in Jude 20, 21 where the writer says: But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit (that is, praying or speaking in other tongues)
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
This is a wonderful provision in the life of the Spirit-filled believer, the person who has experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. While bringing correction to the Corinthian church concerning the abuse of this practice in church life, the Apostle Paul did admit to the importance he placed on speaking in tongues in his own prayer life when he said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, 19 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;
yet in the church I would rather speak five words with the understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

To be continued.......................