Tongues

Speaking in tongues should not be considered strange by today's church, for it was considered normal and expected in the early church:

"These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17).

"I would that ye all spake with tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:5).

"Forbid not to speak with tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:39).

"Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

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Have They Ceased?

I don't believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased yet because today millions of Christians can speak in tongues and operate in the other gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Note that there's a great danger in ascribing any work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (Mark 3:22-30). I believe Christians will continue to use these gifts until Jesus "is come" and we see him "face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:8-12, compare 1 John 3:2).

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Are The Tongues Today From God?

Even if I didn't believe tongues were for today's church, I would be very afraid of saying they were from Satan. In the NT it says that some of the scribes blasphemed the Holy Spirit (the only sin that cannot be forgiven) by claiming that Jesus was casting out devils by the power of Satan (Mark 3:22-30). Therefore we must be very careful not to ascribe to Satan any work that may be from the Holy Spirit.

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For Evangelism Only?

Note that tongues have more than one purpose: they can be for evangelism to speakers of different languages, as at Pentecost (Acts 2:4-6); or they can be for the edification of the church body when interpreted (1 Corinthians 14:5, 26-27); or they can be for the edification of the speaker's own spirit (1 Corinthians 14:4), for whenever one prays in tongues they can't interpret, it is their spirit praying directly to God without their intellectual understanding being involved (1 Corinthians 14:14-15).

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For Everyone?

Paul said that not everyone would speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:28-30, 4-11). I don't believe every believer who has received the Holy Spirit will speak with tongues, though I've found almost all do as tongues are the least of the gifts:

"God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues?" (1 Corinthians 12:28-30).

Clearly, the answer to all of Paul's questions above must be "no."

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In Church Services?

Paul taught that tongues should only be spoken aloud in a church service by two or three people at the most, and only if they can be interpreted. If no one can interpret tongues in that church service then tongues should not be spoken aloud in that church service (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). Everyone who has the gift of tongues should be praying for the gift of interpretation of tongues as well (1 Corinthians 14:13).

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Receiving The Holy Spirit

Does it say that all NT believers automatically have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

Paul asked believers:

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2).

He wouldn't have asked this if believers automatically receive the Holy Spirit.

Paul asked them because the Holy Spirit is usually received through the laying on of hands and subsequent to water baptism:

"[They] prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:15-17).

"They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:5-6).

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

"If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Romans 8:9).

"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2).

Note that Paul didn't know they weren't yet believers. This is why he asked them: "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2).

Note that Ephesians 1:13 is not a doctrinal statement, but simply a statement that sometime after the Ephesians believed they also received the Holy Spirit; we are shown Ephesians receiving the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands and subsequent to water baptism in Acts 19:5-6.

How would the Holy Spirit being "held up" help to show that the Samaritan believers were part of the body of Christ, when God did precisely the opposite in Caesarea in order to show that the Gentiles were part of the body of Christ, that is, he gave the Holy Spirit even prior to water baptism (Acts 10:43-48)?

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The Baptism Of The Spirit

While there is a difference in how the Spirit is operating now than he did in OT times, note that this difference isn't that he was never in believers in OT times, because he clearly was (Luke 1:15, 41, 67; 1 Peter 1:11; Nehemiah 9:30; Isaiah 63:11; Numbers 27:18; Exodus 31:3; Genesis 41:38); the difference is that believers in OT times were never "baptized" or "washed" by the Spirit, as we are in NT times (1 Corinthians 12:13, 6:11), just as they weren't washed by the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5).

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

"Ye are washed... by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

"Washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5).

Note that the same Greek word translated "baptize" in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is translated "wash" in Mark 7:4 and Luke 11:38.

"The Lord is that Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:17).

"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8).

"The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

"Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3).

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Ephesians 5:26).

"The Word was made flesh" (John 1:14).

"Washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5).

"There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one" (1 John 5:8).

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Was Pentecost The Last Outpouring Of The Spirit?

"When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4).

Some say we shouldn't look for the Holy Spirit to come upon us today, for they say that was only a one-time event for the Apostles at Pentecost. But, while the Pentecost feast of that particular year had "fully come" (Acts 2:1) before the Spirit came upon the Apostles, after Pentecost the Spirit continued to come upon believers, for didn't the Spirit fall at a later time upon some Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17), and then at an even later time upon some Gentiles (Acts 10:44-46), and then later upon some other believers (Acts 19:5-6), and so on down through the ages even until this day?

"When the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:14-17).

"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46).

"They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied" (Acts 19:5-6).

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"The Anointing"

"The anointing (chrisma) which ye have received of him abideth in you" (1 John 2:27).

"Ye have an unction (chrisma) from the Holy One" (1 John 2:20).

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Why Didn't The Apostles Have The Spirit Before Pentecost?

Note that Jesus told them he had to go away before the Spirit would come to THEM:

"It is expedient for YOU that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto YOU; but if I depart, I will send him unto YOU" (John 16:7).

Jesus doesn't say why they didn't already have the Spirit in the manner they knew John the Baptist had had from the womb (Luke 1:15), and as Zacharias had had (Luke 1:67), and Elizabeth had had (Luke 1:41). They didn't receive the Spirit until the day of Jesus' resurrection: "He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22).

They were not average Israelites, for they had been chosen and named as apostles (Luke 6:13), servants of THE Apostle Jesus (Hebrews 3:1, 2 Peter 1:1), who gave them the authority to command others (2 Peter 3:2) and to set doctrine (Acts 2:42), and the power to work signs and wonders that identified them as apostles (Acts 2:43, 2 Corinthians 12:12), and the ability to pass on the Holy Spirit to others through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:18).

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Church Began With Apostles

The church began with and is built upon only the Apostles:

"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Revelation 21:14).

"Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20).

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Joel 2

Note that Peter specifically states in Acts 2:16-18 that Joel 2:28-29 was fulfilled at Pentecost.

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