By Apostle Aje Pelser
The Holy Spirit promised on the old and the young:
Joel 2:28
“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.”
Christ the giver
Matt 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Receive the gift when you ask
Luke 11:13
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Only to those who believe
John 7:39
“(But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
New Testament examples
Promised by Jesus
Mark 16:17
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;”
In Jerusalem – the Jews
Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Paul – Apostle
Acts 9:17
“And Annanias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.””
Samaria – The Samaritans
Acts 8:17
“Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Cornelius – The Gentiles
Acts 10:44
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.”
Ephesus – Disciples of John the Baptist
Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
Many people ask why tongues are only recorded in Acts. The reason is that Acts is the only book in the New Testament, which has a historical purpose. The other letters are like sermons; Acts is a day-to-day account on what happened in the church. Although Paul writes on this subject in Corinthians, this is the only place where it is recorded that people actually talked in tongues.
10 reasons why you need to talk in tongues
1. It’s a sign that you actually are filled with the Holy Spirit. Falling down, crying or shaking would not be such an effective proof. Acts 10:44-46 Peter explained by pointing at the fact that they (Gentiles) spoke in tongues was enough proof that they also had received the same gift they did. Although there must be more signs or fruit in your life like power and fruit of the Spirit, this is the ultimate sign.
2. It will help us to praise God:
1 Cor 14:15-17
“What is the conclusion 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. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.”
“For if I am praying in a tongue, my spirit [the human spirit as moved by the Holy Spirit] is praying, but my intellect confers no benefits upon others. Wuest’s Greek New Testament.
Acts 10:46
“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, “
3. It will help us to be ever conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. Spirit praying to spirit. The devil not knowing what you speak.
4. It will help us when we don’t know what to pray:
Rom 8:26-27
“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.”
5. It will help us to pray in the will of God more effectively (Rom 8:27).
6. It will help us to pray things we might have forgotten with our rational mind (Rom 8:26).
7. It will teach us to trust more in God:
Jude 1:20
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, “
8. It will help us to stand firm against wrong thoughts or influences:
1 Cor 14:28
“But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God.”
9. An inward charger:
1 Cor 14:4
“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.”
10. You are totally under His control giving Him the steering wheel of your life (James 3)
To speak – to speak, tongue – glossa. Speaking as the Holy Spirit gives the utterance.
There is a difference between tongues as the gift of the Spirit functioning in the church service (drawing everyone’s attention on him), and the gift that every believer has, (a private communication with God through your spirit to His Spirit).
How you can be filled with the Holy Spirit, or minister to someone to receive the gift
1. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a free gift
Acts 19:2
“he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.””
The issue is this, that the gift has already being given it’s your duty to go and receive it. You have already received the gift, you now have to unwrap it, open the box and make it yours.
2. The only prerequisite is
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, “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.”
Salvation. God can’t go where sin is still in government, so it’s important that you will ask God to forgive you and for you to forgive everyone. Get all the stumbling blocks out of the way.
I Jn 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Don’t let the devil condemn you about personal sin in your life. Give it to Him, ask forgiveness and He will redeem you.
Why we do lay hands on you?
Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
You need not to be afraid
Fear is not of God.
Luke 11:11-13
“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Many people are afraid of “horror stories” of past Pentecostal churches – people that screamed and shook to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But they didn’t understand the bible correctly. Jesus is the one that baptises us with the Holy Spirit and fire. It’s not our duty to perform. We just believe the Word and act in faith upon it. No shaking of the house, roofs falling in, fire and smoke! Just God’s presence, His tender love. God will never intimidate or force Himself on you or humiliate you. When you ask Him, He will give you the Holy Spirit. He actually already has. You just need to receive it.
The goal is to open your life so God can step in and take control of it. Go and receive your gift. Enter the throne room of God. You don’t need to do anything. Enjoy His love and presence sitting on His lap.
What you need to do
Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
That is the key: Speaking, using your vocal cords and tongues as the Holy Spirit lays on your heart. It takes faith to trust in those words and speak them, because it seems foolish.
Acts 10:46
“For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,”
Acts 19:6
“And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.”
1 Cor 14:2
“For 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.”
Water shall come forth from within
John 7:37-39
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
You receive the Holy Spirit when you are born again. Salvation can’t happen without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit actually came and revived your spirit – born again. So that is why this verse speaks of the Holy Spirit coming forth as a mighty stream from the inside. It’s time for God not only to come into your house, but also to take control of it.
As you enter into His presence, enjoy it and go deeper. Concentrate on Him and not on what is happening around you. Focus your every sense and thought on Him. When you hear words in your thoughts, it’s the Holy Spirit giving you a divine dialect you need not understand. Your mind, not able to perceive the meaning, will try to reject it, but it’s right at that moment that you need to put your faith in action and verbalize your thoughts.
The new language is just that: a new heavenly dialect – a language that my heart uses to communicate with God, where my mind will not be partaking. Now just as I change with ease from talking Afrikaans to talking English, with the same ease I change to my heavenly language. It’s a divine ability when I’m born again. Like shifting the gears of a car, I change gears into the new language.
To give proper perspective, you need to understand that talking in tongues is not the goal. So if you don’t speak in a tongue, you can relax as long as you had a good time with God, being in His throne room. Sometimes people have some mental blackout to understand the function and mechanics of the Holy Spirit. All you need to do is to meditate on the scriptures above till your mind and heart are at ease to receive your gift. You can receive Him without someone praying for you.
This tongue is like a new language. You have to use it to become fluent in it. When you have received only a few words, use them and others will follow. Some people wait and don’t use their language because they first want to feel something. That is wrong because the Holy Spirit is already in you.
It is most interesting that tongues is accompanied with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. James 3 says that your tongue is like the rudder of a ship, like a bridle in a horse’s mouth. Isn’t it logical that the moment God takes control, He takes the steering wheel of my life (my tongue) and uses it in public so all can see that He is now in of my life?
Focus and concentrate on Him
The last and final step. Forget about what’s going on around you. It’s your personal time with God. Go through the steps. Remember the gift is free. It’s already yours. Get all the stumbling blocks away. Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to confess and repent. Remember to forgive anyone that you may have something against, because that will cause some difficulty later. Then focus on Him, go into the throne room, let Him hug and love you, open your present, shift gears and begin to speak the words the Holy Spirit already has released in your thoughts. Don’t lose concentration. Try to stay there as long as possible. It’s all about God. Experience His love and mercies!