There has been much controversy on whether
or not Christians today have the power to speak in tongues. Over the
years I have seen many people confused on this issue. Lord willing,
through this article, many Christians should come to a better understanding
of the subject. If you could, please do me the honor of reading this
entire article completely.
After the Lord's resurrection, he appeared unto the apostles and told
them of the things they should do and of some things that would occur.
Notice in Mark chapter 16, in verses 14 -18, it says,
"14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart,
because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel
to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name they shall
cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover."
In verse 17 it says that they shall speak in new tongues along with
these other miraculous powers. In Acts chapter 1, the Lord told them
that they would receive the Holy Spirit very soon, and that these powers
would come with the Holy Spirit. Notice in verse 8,
"8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth."
Now there was a feast day that was celebrated every year known as the
day of Pentecost. On this feast day, as many other feast days, the Jews
from every land came to worship at the holy city, Jerusalem. But before
we get into Acts chapter 2, we must first get some background on why
speaking in tongues was necessary.
In Deuteronomy chapter 28, the Lord told the Jews that they would be
scattered among all nations. Notice in verse 25, it says,
"25 The Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine
enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways
before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth."
And once again in verses 64 and 65,
"64 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from
the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve
other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood
and stone.
65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease; neither shall the
sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling
heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:"
These prophecies came true when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came
and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and brought many of the Jews back
to Babylon, and the rest were scattered among all nations. This was
no big secret. Even the Pharisees in Christ's time knew that the Jews
were dispersed among the Gentiles. In John chapter 7, verse 35, it says,
"35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he
go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among
the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?"
So when we come to Acts chapter 2, we see that these Jews that were
scattered among all nations, came to worship in Jerusalem at the feast
of Pentecost. Now here is a question for you. If you were born and raised
in Italy, what language would you probably speak? Chances are that you
would speak Italian. What if you were born and raised in Germany? Probably
German. You see, these Jews that were scattered, were born and raised
in many different countries, so it was very natural that they spoke
the language that they were brought up in. Now just for a moment, imagine
that you are the apostle Peter, and you know that the Lord told you
to go unto all the world and preach the gospel. So you do what the Lord
commanded and preach all through the nation of Israel. After you have
finished there, you decide to go to Egypt and preach the gospel there.
When you get to Egypt, you find that the people can't understand you
because you speak Hebrew and they speak Egyptian. The Lord knew this
way ahead of time, so he solved the problem by giving them the power
to speak in other languages (tongues). Now please pay close attention
and try to understand exactly what is said as we start in verse 1 of
Acts chapter 2.
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were
all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every
nation under heaven.
6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and
were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own
language.
7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold,
are not all these which speak Galilæans?
8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?
9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia,
and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful
works of God."
As you can plainly see, these people which were filled with the Holy
Ghost, were speaking in different languages, that the Jews which came
from these far and distant lands, could understand. I would also like
to point out the fact that these Jews that could understand these men
that were speaking in tongues, were not saved. This is why Peter had
to preach to them, but yet they could understand the speaking in tongues.
So speaking in tongues is not some vain mumbling, but rather the power
to speak in different languages without ever having to have learned
them. There are many people in this world that take classes on how to
speak in different languages, some people speak several languages fluently.
But all these are learned by books and teachers. The power that the
Lord gave to speak in tongues was a gift, it was something that you
received, not something that you learned how to do.
But speaking in tongues was not the only sign gift that was given. There
were many others. In fact Jesus said in John 14:12,
"12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on
me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
Did Jesus raise the dead? Did Jesus cleanse the lepers? Did Jesus walk
on water and do many other wonderful miracles? The answer to all these
questions is a big definite yes. Jesus even told the apostles in Matthew
chapter 10,
"7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:
freely ye have received, freely give."
Did you notice that these powers were given to these apostles even before
the Holy Ghost was given in Acts chapter 2? So really it's not just
the speaking in tongues that we are dealing with here, but all the sign
gifts. I say the sign gifts because there were some gifts that were
given that had to do with men that the Lord called, which were not taken
away but continue until this day. For example, in Ephesians chapter
4, starting in verse 8,
"8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he
led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first
into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all
heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ:"
Since Paul wrote this letter, all of the apostles have died out, and
likewise all of the prophets, so today there is given to the church
evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints.
There were also other gifts given, such as the gift of ministering,
exhortation and others which still apply today. But the sign gifts,
such as the power to raise the dead, cleanse lepers, speak in tongues,
make the blind to see, make the lame to walk, heal the sick and so on,
these powers were taken away from among men, as you will see shortly.
If you read the book of Acts, and believe it means exactly what it says,
you should have no problem understanding that these powers were actually
given unto men. Anyone that would deny that these powers ever existed
must surely be an infidel. Also, I would like you to understand that
the apostle Paul said and wrote more about speaking in tongues than
any other individual in the Holy Scriptures and it is through his epistles
that we see the order of speaking in tongues, (which will be discussed
in detail later), and it is also through his writings we see when these
powers ceased.
In Acts chapter 9 the Lord Jesus Christ appeared unto the man called,
Saul of Tarsus, saved him and changed his name to Paul and made him
the apostle to the Gentiles. In Acts chapter 26, Paul is talking to
King Agrippa about when Christ appeared unto him the first time, notice
what the Lord told Paul as we read verse 16,
"16 But rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared
unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both
of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which
I will appear unto thee;"
It's very easy to see here that the Lord told Paul that he was going
to show him some things at a later date. As we read Paul's epistles
we see that there were many things called,"mysteries", that
were revealed unto him. The dispensation of grace and the catching away,
(the Rapture), were a few of these mysteries that were revealed unto
him, and as he received them from the Lord, he taught them unto others.
Even the apostle Peter acknowledged that there was a special wisdom
given unto the apostle Paul. Notice in 2nd Peter chapter 3, Peter said,
"15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;
even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given
unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in
which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned
and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their
own destruction."
So by these scriptures we see that the apostle Paul had some special
things that were revealed unto him. Around Acts chapter 19, Paul wrote
1st and 2nd Corinthians. At this point in time, Paul has already had
many things revealed unto him and he is expecting more. Notice what
Paul said in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 1,
"It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will
come to visions and revelations of the Lord."
Paul was not given everything he needed to teach at one time, but rather
in steps. Just as we go to Bible study to learn about the Lord and the
things that he has for us, it takes time. You don't get everything in
one visit. Later on you will see that Paul had to suffer some things
before he could understand other things.
1st Corinthians chapter 13 is called the love chapter because it deals
with love or charity. But a closer look will reveal many hidden truths
associated with charity. It is really a truly amazing chapter in the
Bible. So let's get started in verse 1.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give
my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things."
Now please pay strict attention to the following verses. They are of
utmost importance.
"8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether
there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part
shall be done away."
I'm sure that you can easily see in verse 8 that Paul said that speaking
in tongues was going to cease, but the big question is, "When?"
In verse 10 it says, "when that which is perfect is come." A lot of people that claim that they can speak in tongues, say, "When
that which is perfect is come", is referring to when the Lord comes
back to this earth. This can't be true for the very simple reason that
the Lord Jesus Christ is never referred to as a that in the holy scriptures,
except when he was a fetus in Mary’s womb. Now if the scripture
would have said, "When He which is perfect is come," or, "When
Him which is perfect is come," then I would have to agree that
the verse was talking about the Lord. But Paul is referring to a revelation
that he is going to receive sometime later in the future. Let's read
on,
"11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood
as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away
childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now
I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest
of these is charity."
Once again, before we go on, I want to remind you that the context of
the whole chapter here is charity. This is very important because what
was revealed to Paul later on has to do with love or charity, as you
will see. In verse 12, Paul is talking about 2 time periods, one he
calls, "Now", which is referring to the time that he is writing
the epistle, and the other he calls, "Then", referring to
a time at a later date. Have you ever walked inside to a dimly lit room
with sunglasses on and could bearly see? You can make out images of
furniture and people but the details are obscure. At the time Paul writes
this letter, he's got a basic idea of what that which is perfect is,
but the details are fuzzy. He knows that it has to do with love or charity,
but he says, "Now we see through a glass, darkly;" because
all of the details were not yet revealed to him. Paul said that he knew
in part, but he also knew that he would understand fully at a later
date when it would be revealed unto him.
Some time later, Paul writes the book of Romans around the time period
of Acts chapter 20. In this epistle, the apostle Paul explains to the
people of Rome that he is going to come see them. In Romans chapter
15, let's start in verse 28,
"28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed
to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
29 And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I will come in the fulness
of the blessing of the gospel of Christ."
As you probably already know, Paul never made it to Spain, but rather
was thrown in prison. But he did make it to Rome, in a roundabout way.
In verse 29 he explains to them that when he gets there, he's going
to have something that he calls, "The fulness of the blessing of
the gospel of Christ." Now whatever this is, he knows that he will
have it when he gets there. If he would have had it at the time that
he wrote the letter, I'm sure that he would have given it to them, but
he didn't so he couldn't. Nevertheless, he did know that he would eventually
get it.
So let's get a rundown of what we have so far, and also place them in
their proper time slots.
1.) In Acts 1, Before Christ ascends into heaven he tells the apostles
that the power to speak in tongues, and other powers will be given to
the believers.
2.) In Acts 2, the power comes with the giving of the Holy Spirit.
3.) In Acts 9, the Lord saves Paul and sends him to the Gentiles, and
also tells him that he will be receiving things later on down the line.
4.) In Acts 19, Paul says tongues will cease when that which is perfect
is come. (1st Corinthians 13:8-10)
5.) In Acts 19, Paul says that he will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord. (2nd Corinthians 12:1)
6.) In Acts 20, Paul says when he gets to Rome that he will have the
fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.(Romans 15:29)
The ceasing of tongues and of these other powers, was all based around
when Paul received his revelation when he got to Rome. So you are probably
thinking, "What did Paul receive when he got to Rome?" Well,
before we get into all the details, let's go back to see some of the
tidbits of information we get from Paul.
Paul said, "When that which is perfect is come...", so we
know that it has something to do with perfection or being perfect. He
also said, "Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I
am known", so it has to do with knowledge or with knowing something.
And from the context of 1st Corinthians 13, we know that it has to do
with love or charity. In Romans he says, "I will come in the fulness
of the blessing of the gospel of Christ." Once again, whatever
Paul received when he got to Rome had to do with being full or fulness.
Let's write these down so that we can remember them easier.
1) PERFECT
2) KNOW
3) LOVE
4) FULNESS
When Paul got to Rome, while he was in prison, he wrote the epistles
to the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians and to Philemon. When
he was released from prison, he wrote 1st Timothy and Titus. When he
was returned again to prison, he wrote his last and final epistle, 2nd
Timothy. But it is in the epistle to the Ephesians in which Paul reveals
to us that which is perfect.
In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul starts out teaching about the dispensation
of grace, which was already known by other Christians, but as we get
into verse 8, the subject matter changes and Paul reveals unto us the
fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. Let's begin to read
in verse 8,
"8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,
is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ;"
There are 2 main things I would like for you to get from this verse.
The first one is that this thing was given to Paul, and the second is
that it is unsearchable, in other words, you can't learn it from searching
the scripture, God grants it unto you by his Holy Spirit as you will
see in verse 16. Let's continue:
"9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the
mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly
places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,"
Notice here that he says that the manifold wisdom of God is now revealed.
This next verse of scripture is of extreme importance, please read it
about three times and then dwell on it for a minute.
"11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord:"
Question: What was the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord? Any idea at all? The answer will be revealed shortly.
"12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence
by the faith of him.
13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory.
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,16 That he
would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened
with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted
and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height;"
And here it is:
"19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."
Question: If you want to be filled with all the fulness of God, what
do you have to know? The love of Christ. This is what was revealed to
Paul when he got to Rome, that we could know the love of Christ and
that this was God's eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Knowing that Jesus loved us is not knowing the love of Christ.
Paul is saying that we can have the same love that Jesus had for the
brethren. A Christian that knows the love of Christ has special traits
about them, but we will come back to this in a moment. Right now, let's
go to Ephesians chapter 4. Starting in verse 11 it says,
"11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and
some evangelists; and some, pas-tors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ:"
In a few Christians, there is a time in their life when they come unto
the knowledge of the Son of God, (they know the love of Christ), and
they become a perfect man, they come unto the measure of the stature
of the fulness of Christ, in other words: a full grown Christian. There
are a lot of people that are saved, but very few of them know the love
of Christ. And also, you can't teach Christians to know the love of
Christ. God grants it unto you by his Holy Spirit. A preacher or teacher
can teach many wonderful things out of the scripture to make Christians
understand the word of God, for instance, about Christ dying and paying
for our sins, eternal security, the dispensation of grace, etc. But
you can't teach someone to know the love of Christ.
So you may ask, "What is it to know the love of Christ?" Well,
as I stated before, I can't teach you but I can show you the results
of a person that does know. A person that knows the love of Christ has
certain traits and acts differently than everybody else. For a better
understanding, let's go to Matthew chapter 5. Starting in verse 43,
it says,
"43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love
thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you;"
Before we read the next verses, I would like to ask you a few questions.
How would you ever learn to love your enemies if you never had any enemies?
How would you ever learn to bless them that curse you if you have never
been cursed? How would you ever learn to do good to them that hate you
if you have never been hated? How would you learn to pray for them which
despitefully use you and persecute you if you have never been despitefully
used or persecuted? If you serve the Lord with all your heart, you will
have enemies, as Jesus did, you will be cursed, as Jesus was, you also
will be hated, despitefully used and persecuted just as our Lord was.
The Bible says, "... all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution." But what if you don't serve the Lord? You
might not ever have any enemies. You might not ever get cursed. You
might not ever be hated. And you might not ever be despitefully used
or persecuted. You see, these things come from serving the Lord. Paul
had to go through these things before he could understand. A person
that knows the love of Christ, loves his enemies, he blesses them that
curse him, he does good to them that hate him, and he prays for them
which despitefully use and persecute him. Now let's read on:
"45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is
in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not
even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore PERFECT, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect."
Question: Can a man be perfect? According to this scripture, he sure
can. But please don't confuse being perfect with being sinless, because
they are not the same; for there are no sinless men. Do you remember
the scripture that we read in Ephesians chapter 4? Let's read it again,
"13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of
the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
Christians that know the love of Christ also are willing to take wrong
for one another. Christ took our wrong and put it on himself and we
should be willing to take wrong for one another. For instance, let's
go to 1st Corinth-ians chapter 6. Paul says:
"6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before
the unbelievers.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to
law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not
rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud and that your brethren."
And Paul follows through with his teachings when he writes to Philemon.
He is referring to Philemon's ex-servant, Onesimus, when he says,
"18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that
on mine account;
19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay
it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own
self besides."
Another trait that follows people that know the love of Christ, is that
they are willing to lay down their lives for their brethren. In John
chapter 15 verse 13, Jesus said,
"13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends."
Jesus was willing to lay down his life for his friends, in fact Jesus
was willing to lay down his life for the whole world. If you are willing
to lay down your life for your friends, the Lord says that there is
no greater love than this.
In other words, you have the same love that Jesus has. You know the
love of Christ. As I said before, there are a lot of Christians out
in this world, but very few of them are willing to lay down their life
for someone else. They might be saved but they do not know the love
of Christ. Let's go to 1st John now and get a verse to back this up.
In chapter 3 verse 16 it says,
"16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
There are a few people that I would like to show you from the scriptures,
that knew the love of Christ. The first one, as you probably guessed
is the apostle Paul. In Romans chapter 9, Paul starts out by saying
something that you would think that an apostle of the Lord wouldn't
have to say; "I'm not lying." Why would the apostle Paul have
to start out a section of his letter by saying, I'm not lying? It's
because what he is about to say is very, very hard to believe.
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 That I have a great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites;..."
As you know, being accursed from Christ is suffering eternal damnation.
The apostle Paul was willing to give up his eternal life, if it would
get his brethren saved. I realize that this is hard to believe, but
this is exactly how Paul felt. Not only was Paul willing to lay down
his life for his brethren, but he went a little extra more and was willing
to give up his eternal life for his brethren, which I'm sure is a very
difficult thing to do.
Another person is Moses. Do you remember when Moses came down off the
mountain and found the children of Israel worshipping the golden calf?
Notice what Moses said and did the following day as we read from Exodus
chapter 32,
"30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said
unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto
the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have
sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I
pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him
will I blot out of my book."
So we see that Moses also was willing to lay down his life for his brethren,
and he too, pushed it a little farther by willing to give up his eternal
life. Here are 2 men that I know for sure that knew the love of Christ,
Paul and Moses, but there are plenty others.
From all these scriptures we see that a man that knows the love of Christ,
loves his enemies, blesses them that curse him, does good to them that
hate him, prays for them that despitefully use and persecute him, is
willing to take wrong for his brethren and is willing to lay down his
life for his brethren.
Question: What about you? Do you do these things? Are you willing to
take wrong for your brethren? Are you willing to lay down your life
for your brethren?
As we stated before, you don't learn these things from reading scripture.
God grants it unto you by his Holy Spirit. For a man to be willing to
lay down his life for someone else, doesn't come from reading scripture,
it comes from serving the Lord.
Now this is what was revealed unto the apostle Paul when he got to Rome:
that we could know the love of Christ and that this was God's eternal
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing complicated,
kind of simple really. After this was revealed unto Paul, all those
miraculous powers ceased just as the Lord said they would. For instance,
let's go to the first part of Acts chapter 28 which took place before
Paul got to Rome. Paul had just been in a shipwreck, and landed on an
island. Let's start in verse 1.
"1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the Island
was called Melita.
2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled
a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and
because of the cold."
Please notice that these were not saved, born again Christians on this
island, but rather they were barbarians. Now let's continue from verse
7.
"7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man
of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us
three days courteously.
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever
and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid
his hands on him and healed him.
9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island,
came, and were healed:"
Question: At this time, did the apostle Paul have the power to heal?
Sure he did! In fact, he could heal these barbarians on the island of
Melita; these were not men of God, but barbarians. But watch what happens
after Paul gets to Rome. There was a man that served the Lord with Paul
whose name was Trophimus. Sometime after Paul got to Rome, he was released
from prison and went on another journey and brought Trophimus with him.
Let's read in 2nd Timothy chapter 4. Please notice in verse 20, Paul
says,
"20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left
at Miletum sick."
Please notice that this man of God, Trophimus, became too sick to travel
so Paul had to leave him behind.
Big question:
Why didn't Paul just lay his hands on him and say, "Be ye healed,
Trophimus, get up and let's go?” Didn't Paul heal the barbarians
on the island of Melita? Why couldn't he heal this man of God? The reason
is because Paul was told by the Lord, "When that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." Paul knew
that these powers would come to pass; he even wrote it down in a letter
so other people could know also. Let's do another one. In 1st Timothy
chapter 5, Paul told Timothy,
"23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy
stomach's sake and thine often infirmities."
It's easy to see here, that our brother Timothy had some sort of stomach
problem and he also got sick a lot. Why didn't the apostle Paul just
lay his hands on Timothy and heal him? The answer is simply because
Paul didn't have the power any more; it was taken away from him and
everyone else, just as the scripture said it would happen.
So you probably want to ask, "What about all these people that
claim they can speak in tongues?" Well the story goes back to around
the turn of the century. In 1901, the Pentecostal movement began in
Topeka, Kansas, with people claiming that they could speak in tongues,
(they actually claim to have brought speaking in tongues back because
before this time no one was speaking in tongues). Then in 1914 they
claim that the New Testament Church was restored to it's original nature.
As this denomination grew, there were many branches or divisions which
stemmed from this movement. One of these is called the charismatic movement,
which has been around for about the last quarter of this century. Inside
this movement are many deceivers and gainsayers that claim that they
have the power to speak in tongues and many other things, deceiving
Christians left and right. How do they do it? Very simple, they use
the scripture. Paul says that the word of God can be used deceitfully.
Please notice in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4,
"2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God."
And once again in chapter 2,
"17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God:
but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in
Christ."
Notice that Paul says that there are many which corrupt the word of
God. Let me give you an example. Let's suppose that you trusted Jesus
as your Saviour yesterday, and you don't know anything about the scriptures.
Today you walk into the church that I pastor and I take you to Mark
chapter 16 verses 17 & 18. Let's read them.
"17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In
my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover."
And I go on to tell you, "See! If you really believe, you are
going to be able to speak in tongues!" And you, not knowing that
tongues was done away, will fall into the same trap that millions of
Christians have fallen into, trying (rather faking) to speak in tongues.
I've seen it happen over and over again. But on the other hand, I have
also seen many that have come out of the charismatic movement because
they knew in their heart that they were faking a power that they did
not actually have. If you are a one of these people that claim that
you can speak in tongues, and somehow you picked up this article and
have read it this far, please continue. I have nothing against my brethren
that have gotten caught up in this movement, but rather try to encourage
them to search the scriptures for themselves to find the truth of this
matter. Please don't be mad with me because I am not mad with you.
If you are one of these people that claim that you have the power to
speak in tongues, and you are starting to see that tongues was done
away, please don't be embarrassed to say that you have been deceived,
for I also was deceived in my past. Please don't let your pride keep
you from seeing the truth, for the Bible says,
"10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according
to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
If you are faking a power that you don't really have; I would call this
bad. There are many people out there that claim that they have the power
to speak in tongues, and when they start to mumble, it is very real
to them. The mumbling is real, but it is not the power that the Lord
gave to speak in different languages. I can't fake raising the dead,
nor can I fake cleansing a leper; I can't even fake healing a blind
man. But I can fake speaking in tongues. That's easy to do, and many
false teachers have deceived Christians by doing it.
Now for our next step, let's PRETEND that all these powers are still
in effect today. Now remember, we're just pretending. When tongues was
in effect, there were rules and regulations set down by the Lord how
the tongues were to be used in the church. Now these people that claim
that they can speak in tongues, always give you the impression that
they are more spiritual than those that don't by saying things like,
"You're really missing something," or " You don't have
the Holy Ghost." In 1st Corinthians chapter 14, let's start at
verse 27.
"27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by
two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church;
and let him speak to himself, and to God."
Notice here that the Lord said, "or at the MOST by three."
How many times have you seen where almost everybody in the church is
speaking in tongues? How many times have you seen people speaking in
tongues without an interpreter? Why aren't these so-called spiritual
people following the guidelines set down by the Lord Jesus Christ himself?
Something smells kind of fishy here. Let's go to verse 34.
"34 Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it
is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are COMMANDED to be under
obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at
home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
How many times have you gone into a church and seen just dozens and
dozens of women speaking in tongues? Why are they going against the
Lord's commandment? If these people are so much more spiritual than
the rest of us, then why aren't they doing it the way the Lord wants
it done?
There are thousands upon thousands of people that claim that they have
the power to speak in tongues, but I can't find the first one that claims
that he has the power to raise the dead. How come? I can't even find
a Christian that has the power to cleanse lepers, or heal the sick,
or make the blind to see, the deaf to hear or the lame to walk. Shouldn't
there be a balance in these powers? Even if there wasn't a balance,
shouldn't there be a standard as maybe for every 100 people that speak
in tongues there would be 1 person that can cleanse lepers? Or maybe
for every 500 people that speak in tongues there would be 1 that could
make the blind to see? How about for every 1000, there would be just
1 that could raise the dead? Where are all these people that have all
these other powers? A person that seriously studies his Bible, must
ask himself these questions.
But in all reality the answer is quite simple, these powers ceased just
as the Lord said they would. Sure, there have been many deceivers that
called themselves, "faith healers," and have filled their
pockets up with other people's money, and have caused many a saddened
heart, but they also were fakers and shall receive for the wrong that
they have done.
Once again, I encourage you to search the scriptures and see for your-self
that tongues was done away. I hope and pray that you are not offended,
but rather convicted by the Holy Spirit to do that which is right and
pleasing in the sight of the Lord.
But you might still ask, "But these people that speak in tongues,
what are they really doing and how are they doing it?" This is
not a difficult question, in fact it is a very common question, and
the answer is rather simple. Even in the old testament scriptures there
were people that pretended that they had powers; for instance, the false
prophets. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 29 and see what the Lord has
to say.
"8 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel;
Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you,
deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye caused to be dreamed.
9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them,
saith the Lord."
These false prophets made up visions in their head, and deceived many
people. They said that they were men of God, but they were not. They
said that God sent them, but he didn't. Now Ezekiel 13.
"2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel
that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own
hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord;
3 Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow
their own spirit, and have seen nothing!"
You see, your mind can play tricks on you. You can think you are something
when you are not. You can think that you have something when you don't.
You can deceive yourself.
3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself.
Galatians 6
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise
in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
1st Cor. 3:18
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves.
James 1:22
26 If any man among you seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his
tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
James 1:26
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us.
1st John 1:8
There are many verses of scripture that show us that we can deceive
ourselves in various ways. As we said before, this is done in our minds.
This is one reason why we can't trust in ourselves, but only in the
Lord and his holy word. If his word says that tongues was done away,
then tongues was done away. Period. The Lord has no reason to lie to
us even if he could. But yet there are people out there that devise
things in their minds that are contrary to scripture. For instance:
there are people that read scripture about the law, and not knowing
any better, start teaching the law, not realizing that we are under
grace, not the law. There are people that read scripture about water
baptism, and start teaching that you need to get water baptized for
your salvation, not realizing that we are saved by grace through faith.
There are people that read scripture about tongues, and teach that you
can speak in tongues, not realizing that tongues ceased. There are people
out there that read scripture about angels, and end up teaching people
to worship and pray to angels. These people read a few scriptures and
don't rightly divide the scriptures and end up making up things in their
minds, and end up deceiving many people, sometimes unintentionally,
sometimes on purpose.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility
and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath
not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Colossians 2:18
So it all boils down to this: either God did away with tongues when
that which is perfect came as the scripture said, or he didn't. If tongues
is still in effect today, then why did the Lord say they were going
to stop if they didn't? Wouldn't this make God a liar? The scripture
says God cannot lie, so if the Lord is not lying, then who is? After
reading this article, there will still be some people that believe that
tongues is going on today. Always remember, that neither what I believe,
nor what you believe, is going to change the holy scriptures and it's
what God said that's going to count, not what we think or what we believe.
...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...