To that question I can say a resounding Yes Yes and again Yes. I don't care what the nay sayers say I can prove it by the scriptures and believe me friend that my opinion is worth nothing if it is not based on God's Holy Word.
The question that always troubles me is why would anyone who claims to love God and want to live for Him reject the very things of God that He gives to make victorious living not only possible but very rewarding. Jesus said "I have come that you might have life and that more abundantly". What did He mean by abundant life? Some think it involves more stuff, the prosperity preachers say it is more money, just send me some of yours and God will send you a truck full of cash. If that is what you are looking for in Christianity you will be bitterly disappointed I can assure you.
To receive God's best your heart has to be right and that includes your motives. The bible condemns "selfish ambition" which means "what can I get out of it".
But when your heart and motives are set on the things of God and His purposes He will tax the very elements of the universe to bless you and your efforts for Him.
The abundant life that Jesus promised can best be defined as an "abundance of living". I never met a truly born again Christian who didn't want to do something for God, sometimes to the point of such passion that he was depressed if he didn't think that he was producing something for the kingdom of God. That is what love does to you. Now my point here is that you need not go looking for something to do for God or go pushing your faith on another person hoping that you can get them to believe. If you will commit yourself to Him and spend sufficient time in private with Him in study of His word and in prayer and accept the gifts that He offers then He will send people to you who are hungry to hear about Him. The scripture says that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him. That means that your efforts of persuasion are useless unless God is already preparing that person and has arranged an encounter between you and him. This can get very exciting because you know it's God and not you. Your own efforts will always frustrate you but when God is involved the results can be astounding. Your life can become a whirlwind of opportunity and blessing and miracles. Perhaps this is a good place and time to share just one of those miracles that happened to me and I know was a miracle because it was virtually impossible but happened anyway.
It was winter 1976 and I lived in an old two story farmhouse on upper prairie creek just east of the town of Joseph Oregon. The house was old and had no insulation and set on a block foundation most of which was open to the currents that blew across the fields. The house was heated by a single free standing oil stove in the middle of the dinning room and that was the only warm spot in the whole house. This was our first winter in eastern Oregon and only a couple months after we had given our lives to Christ and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. There came a cold front out of the north that caused temperatures to drop at night to 28 below zero and during the day came up about 40 degrees. Never above freezing for two weeks straight. The very first night of the temperature plunge every pipe in our house froze solid and when we got up in the morning there wasn't a single drop of water from any source. To make matters worse all the pipes were under the house in the open where the frigid winds would keep them frozen. I have no idea what the previous occupants did in the past. When we moved into the house it had not been occupied for several years and no one told us of the winter problems we would encounter.
Anyway I went around the house and turned on every tap and the shower and the wash tub in the laundry room and opened all the cupboard doors under sinks and then we set down to eat breakfast. I said a simple prayer over our meal and as I was giving thanks I simply said "Lord our pipes are all frozen and I have no idea how we can ever get them thawed out, could you help us"? Mind you it was still -24 degrees outside. I had not even opened my eyes yet when water began to gush from every faucet, the toilet began to fill as did the automatic washer and the shower running full stream. Do not ask me how, I just report the facts. Even more amazing is the fact that though the cold snap continued for two more weeks we never had a frozen pipe again. That was a personal blessing and now I will share another experience to illustrate what I mean about the Spirit bringing people to you instead of you going out and pursuing them. The real work is done in private in your prayer closet where you are prepared by Him for His service, it is much more rewarding, less frustrating and much more effective.
I had an upholstery shop on main street in Joseph, Oregon and I worked there 5 days a week and lots of people simply stopped in to visit which I enjoyed very much. One day a middle aged woman that I had never seen before came in the door and looked me right in the eye and said "I believe the Lord has told me that you have a word for me" Needless to say I was dumbfounded. Not wanting to disappoint her by telling her I had nothing to say, I asked her name and she told me and gave me a bit of her history and where she was living and as she was doing this I suddenly knew why she was there and what I had to say to her. She was being drawn in by a religious cult that I had extensive personal experience with and could share my knowledge with her, which I did. I then began to explain the true gospel to her and she on the spot wanted to pray and surrender her life to Christ. We prayed together and she was filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Several years later I received a letter from her telling me again what a blessing that day had been to her and her family.
That is only one of so many encounters that border on the miraculous that I could write a whole book.
It seems that I may have gotten away from the main topic of this article but I cannot help putting down what comes to mind because I think it is all part of the same package of Amazing Grace, the Gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
My original point is that speaking in tongues is for every born again Christian and is part of the package of abundant living that Jesus promised to His followers.
The key word here is "followers". Many are following something other than Christ though they give lip service to Him their hearts are devoted to something else and in many cases it is their pastor and his opinions. Follow hard after Jesus and you will never be deceived.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In the passage above Jesus is telling them that the "promise of the Father" is the baptism in the Holy Spirit and verse 8 says that power comes with the Holy Spirit.
God gives power to every believer John 1:12 (King James Version)
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Please note; there is no power and there is no Christian apart from the Holy Spirit.
Remember that I said that the Holy Spirit is the true Gift? Acts 2:38 (King James Version)
38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.And to whom is the gift given? Read again the passage above, every one of you who repents and is baptized. Now some will tell you that it is true but he meant only those who were present at Pentecost because it was the beginning of the church and they needed this extra power to get started. but now read the very next verse.39 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.” That is an all inclusive statement, not only to those present but to their children, there were even babies present and the statement would include their children and by extension their children's children and if that leaves any doubt it includes those who are far off in terms of distance and time and if that's not enough then he adds "as many as the Lord our God will call". Answer this question you teachers, has God stopped calling people to Himself?????????? Just asking this question makes my blood boil. To think that people are paying pastors and teachers great salaries to stand in the pulpits every Sunday and lie to them. Omission of truth is the same as lying.
Let's go on to let the scriptures prove what I am saying. The real issue I started on was can every Christian speak in tongues as apposed to exercising the Gift of Tongues?
Mark 16:17 (King James Version)
17And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Acts 2:4 (New King James Version)
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 10:46 (New King James Version)
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Then Peter answered,
Acts 19:6 (New King James Version)
6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied
The scriptures above are all the passages from the book of Acts that deal with people being filled with the Holy Spirit except one and I want to deal with it separately.
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
This is the account of Simon the sourcerer who was converted when he heard the gospel of Christ. Please note that he was astonished and amazed by the miracles that he was witnessing. Then Peter and John come down and began to lay hands on the people to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and when Simon witnesses the results he wants to buy that power. When he saw miracles of healing he did not ask to buy the power for healing so how were the people responding to the Holy Spirit that made him want to buy that power? Though it does not say that they spoke in tongues and prophesied the implication is clear that there was a lot of commotion that raised a great deal of interest. Remember that it was on the day of pentecost that 120 people were speaking in tongues that drew a crowd and caused 3000 people to be converted in one day. It seems that some people will grasp at the smallest straw in their determination not to believe.
Now I want to deal with another issue that is often raised and that is that many claim that we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit at conversion and that is all there is to it. Again I say they are wrong and the scripture proves it.
Acts 8:14-17 14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
It says here that they had been baptized in the name of Jesus but the Holy Spirit didn't come on them until the apostles laid hands on them. Case closed.
One final note: Most teachers and preachers who do not believe that the Holy Spirit baptism and the gifts are for today quote a scripture from 1 Corinthians 13
Vs.8-10 8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
First they say that when the perfect comes that which is in part will be done away. They say the "PERFECT" was and is the written word of God. Here's the problem with that interpretation; The passage above says that prophesies are "in part" as well as tongues and knowledge" and when the perfect comes those things which are in part will be done away. Tell me this, "has knowledge been done away"? On the contrary knowledge is on the increase, matter of fact knowledge has doubled over and over again in the last generation. It took a great increase of knowledge to go from the Wright brothers 120 foot flight at Kitty Hawk to the flight to the moon and to put a space probe on Mars. Their arguments are so feeble that I cannot figure out how anyone can swallow it but they do to their own loss as well as the loss to the good that could be accomplished for the kingdom of God.
I will deal with another herasy in my next blog.
May God bless you and give you understanding and make you useful for His purposes.
john Martin
email justjohn@eoni.com
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