Have Tongues Ceased?Despite the testimonies of multitudes of believers, many Christian scholars and ministers deny the continued existence of the "Spirit's Testimony" - the baptism of the holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. While admitting that the earliest disciples spoke in tongues, these teachers hold that tongues have ceased, though they cannot say who did away with them. The Scriptures, however, give no indication of the withdrawal of the blessings Christ bestowed. Long after the initial outpouring of the holy Ghost in Acts 2, Paul and the congregation were speaking in tongues and thanking God for it (1Cor.14:18). Paul was still telling them that he spoke in tongues more than they all did, and encouraged them to (1Cor.14:18...). Gentiles also received the holy Ghost and spoke in tongues (Acts 10:44-46), as did disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6). And remember, Paul strictly warned the called out ones that if any man, or even an angel, came preaching any other gospel than that which he preached, "let him be accursed" (Gal.1:8-9). If anyone has caused speaking in tongues to cease, it is Christian minsters who teach people against it, not Jesus, who purchased that blessing with his blood. Many Christian ministers teach that speaking in tongues is not for us today, but God knows their hearts. In fact, it is precisely because God knows their hearts that they have not been given His Spirit and do not speak in tongues. Peter said that God gives the holy Ghost to all those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). Therefore, we know that those who have not received the holy Ghost have not obeyed God, though they certainly may do so; and we pray that they will. Some Christian ministers, with foolish boldness, even dare to teach that speaking in tongues is a work of the devil! Oh, how I fear for such men! They may be sealing their eternal destination. Jesus said, "All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme. But he that shall blaspheme against the holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation" (Mk.3:28-29). The disciples who were first filled with the holy Spirit were mocked and accused of being drunk (Acts 2:13), and ignorant men at times still mock Spirit-filled people. Paul knew that some, "unlearned" in the things of God, upon hearing the congregation speak in tongues would call the saints insane (1Cor.14:23); but Paul also knew that the congregation was in fact "giving thanks well". The gift of God's holy Spirit, and the miraculous sign it brings with it, came to us at a very great cost. It cost God the sending of His beloved Son from the perfection of his heavenly home to an earth steeped in heartache, sorrow, disease, sin, and death. It cost the Savior inexpressible anguish and ignominious death on Calvary's cross. Other miraculous wonders preceded the death of Christ Jesus, but not the sign of the covenant: the Comforter's Testimony. Can you imagine Jesus, after coming to this sinful world and giving his life to complete God's plan of salvation, allowing someone to change His plan, or to do away with part of it? Nor has he ever returned to alter the way he made for us. No, my friend, this New Covenant is eternal and unchangeable. Jesus declared, "My words shall never pass away." We must go God's way, for "he that climbeth in some other way is a thief and a robber." After the Lord ascended, his disciples went forth with miraculous signs attending their message. Jesus had told them to teach others "whatsoever I have commanded you." And what had he commanded them? He commanded them to preach the gospel, saying, "These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. 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" (Mk.16:17-18). Yes, speaking in tongues is one of the signs of the true assembly. Because Jesus's words here clearly show the difference between the true congregation of God and the churches of Christianity which are not of God, Christian scholars have made great efforts to discredit these verses; but every faithful child of God knows that these words are from Jesus. The absence of tongues is not the only thing missing from Christian churches, but so are miracles, healings, and all the other signs of "them that believe". Why? Because they are not "them that believe"! Jesus promised this divine witness of tongues to his followers and died that they might have it; so "why should it be thought a thing incredible with you" that God should still be testifying today through those who yield themselves to His will and power? Didn't Jesus say that you will hear the "sound" of the Spirit in EVERY one who is born of it (John 3:1-8)? Speaking in tongues through a person is God's witness that He has given His Spirit to that person. It is God's sign of the new birth. Every born-again person speaks in tongues (or has "stammering lips"), beginning the moment of his new birth. If you have not received this experience, please do not take this message as a condemnation or a belittling of your faith in Jesus. It is not. There were sincere followers of Christ in the days of the apostles who did not receive the holy Ghost until someone came along and "taught them the way of God more perfectly". The baptism of the holy Ghost is for you, and so are we. It is essential that you know that nothing but the baptism of the holy Ghost will cleanse your soul. It is the baptism of the holy Ghost that makes a man a member of God's congregation (1Cor.12:13), and it is the baptism of the holy Ghost that washes from our hearts the stain of sin (Acts 22:16), removing even the desire for sin from the heart of man. The baptism of the holy Ghost is so much more than just "a" gift. It is "THE" gift. And the "gift of God is eternal life", for the baptism of the Spirit is the experience which makes a man a new creature in Christ Jesus, fit to live in eternity among the saints. Please don't allow a man with nothing but a doctrine to steal your hope of eternal life. Many Christians trust that they are being led rightly, when they are actually being carried by Satan's deception into temptations and pits of evil. Jesus, who loves you, offers you life. Christ is offering to mankind now a pentecost experience. A new birth into the kingdom of God, a kingdom into which no man can take from you, and out of which no man can cast you. The only thing men can do is either to dissuade you or encourage you to pursue the thing you need most: the baptism Jesus gives, with the evidence which always accompanies it: speaking in other tongues.
Questions? Log onto the Internet, Click Here, |