Speaking In Tongues

THE EVIDENCE OF SPEAKING IN TONGUES
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By Pastor Gary Reckart
Copyright All Rights Reserved

Language Is An Evidence:
Language or Speech is the evidence of grammatical knowledge. The miracle of language has been written about by many. They nearly all conclude speaking a language is learned behavior. Speech is an external sign of inward life. Dead people do not talk (**). How many times has a person collapsed or fallen into a coma and a family member or medical professional would be nearby coaxing "speak to me?" We take speech to be an evidence of cognicence. By cognicence I mean, a person realizes what they are thinking and speaking. This is evidence a person's mind is functioning. They have control of their mind therefore they can speak. Learning or speaking words in another language is a linguistic phenomena. Words are spoken by someone else for us to learn to pronounce. At first they are unintelligent. With the help of another person a second language can be spoken. Herein is the mystery of God when he spoke by the Prophet Isaiah:
"For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear." (Isaiah 28:11-12).
Israel would not receive the words of the Prophets spoken to them in their own tongue. So God said he would try again to speak to them but this time he would do so with the messengers speaking in another tongue. God would use the tongue for his own purpose and glory. From the time of this prophecy until the day of Pentecost this linguistic phenomena had not occurred. In the purpose of God this miracle does not ocur again after Acts 2 except within the Apostolic Church when a person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul gave us these words:
"Wherefore, tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not." (1Cor 14:22a).
The person speaking in tongues is giving a sign to any unbeliever present then or in the future that God's gift of the Holy Ghost is genuine and available to everyone who will ask for it (Luke 11:13, Acts 5:32).
God is the creator of all speaking in tongues evidence. What proves this are the words:
"and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave the utterance."
The Spirit of God working through the tongues of the 120 spoke words uttered through them by the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is God's evidence He has given the utterance and the person speaking is subject to his glory. Speaking in tongues is the evidence the Spirit of God is within and using the believer to fulfill prophecy. Speaking in tongues is the evidence the believer is used by God to speak with a new tongue (Mark 16:17).
ev.i.dence \'ev-*d-in(t)s, -*-.den(t)s\ n 1a: an outward sign :
INDICATION 1b: something that furnishes proof : TESTIMONY; specif : so
mething legally submitted to tribunal to ascertain the truth of a matter
2: one who bears witness; esp : one who voluntarily confesses a crime and
testifies for the prosecution against his accomplices : to be seen :
CONSPICUOUS - in evidence.
God intended the miracle of speaking in new tongues on the day of Pentecost to be seen and heard. He also intended the experience of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost to be felt with the body in different emotional expressions. On the day of Pentecost the 120 were joyous, the exuberence exciting, and the external behavior unconventional, they were accused of being drunk on new wine. If anyone doubt God was the cause of all these evidences (seen, heard, felt), they lack only the faith a believer is supposed to have.
**Only those spiritually still dead in their trespasses and sins are the ones who do not speak in tongues by the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Miracle of Tongues:
Speaking in tongues is evidence a person is speaking in a language unlearned. Such an event must be described as a miracle. Who alone performs miracles? God! By miracles we mean an occurrence of something that man cannot duplicate by himself with his skills, talents, or knowledge.
The mere fact God endowed Adam and Eve to speak a language understood between them is a creation miracle. In addition, factor in that God was a party to their language and we arrive at the conclusion speaking in tongues was a miracle from the beginning. Man did not begin his life with unintelligent grunts, squeals, yells, or hand gestures. God put into him a language he already knew how to speak. The words he used to describe and convey his thoughts were programed within him. When he became a living soul he was also a talking person.
What was the original language? Was there one tongue passed down to all generations until the tower of Babel? The Bible says the earth was of one language and one speech (Gen11:1). It remained this way until God's judgment upon the workers building the tower of Babel.
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Gen 11:9).
The confusion by God altering the ability of the workers to speak in one language to them speaking in many different ones, stopped the building of the tower to heaven. The purpose of this miracle was to stop the unity of the workers building the tower. Immediately when they could not understand one another, they left off building it.
"So, the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city" (Gen 11:8).
The original tongue is believed to have continued down to later generations via the bloodline of Shem among those we call Shemites or Semites. Akkadian, Sumerian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, and Syriac. These are a family of the one original language containing many identical words of the same meaning. At first there were changes in dialect and slowly changes in word forms and meanings. The alphabet characters in their development helped to divide the original one language into many others.
But this all happened by a miracle of God. God created one language, then created several more at the tower of Babel. From these miracles descend all the known languages and dialects in the world today. There is no language that is not a product of God's miracle of tongues.
Language and languages are a miracle of God. The shape of the mouth, the manner in which the tongue can move, and special sound chambers in the mouth, throat, and nasal passages, all working to make speech possible.
The holiness of language is simple. The tongue and mouth are not used in a manner to speak against God. They are not used in a profane manner to invent or speak derogatory words. Man has profaned every known language upon the earth. Yet, in using these profane languages, the God believers maintain holy speech and reject use of all other words that are profane or filthiness of the mouth.
Israel and the Hebrew language:
The ancient Hebrew language is made up of remnants of the original and a mixture of Phoenician and Egyptian. The first language of the Jews of which there have been some artifacts found containing the writing is after the manner of Egypt symbols. Later this was discarded and the Phoenician was adopted which is called Hebrew and referred to as Paleo Hebrew. It is nearly the Phoenician and the alphabets of the two will prove this. After this, the Jews adopted a form of Syriac known as Aramaic. The Israelites and Jews desired a pure language and a pure tongue among and between them with which to worship God. They could not achieve this without a miracle from God. It did not happen to them but it was prophesied that a day would come when God would perform for them his language miracle again.
"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent" (Zep 3:9).
This language would be a new miracle. God would perform it but people would instantly begin speaking with no help from their skills or education. This event will culminate in a religious environment and where worship of God with one consent would be achieved.
We can easily see that all of mankind speaks in languages that are miracles of God.
The first and only place Jesus mentioned speaking in tongues is found in Mark 16:17:
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues."
Please notice that speaking in tongues is a sign miracle. This, along with some other sign miracles were to be testimony of who was a believer. "These SIGNS shall follow them that believe." The word "SHALL" leaves out any idea or theory the sign miracles would follow some believers but not all believers. Or that the sign miracles would be for believers for a few years and then jerked from the Church.
Is it correct to assume speaking with new tongues began with receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost?
No honest Bible researcher can find fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus anywhere except in Acts 2:1-4. If Jesus prophesied new tongues would be a visible and audible sign of believers, would it not be dangerous to the soul for any person to deny the miracle? Is there any hint the sign of speaking with new tongues would be languages a person learned or acquired going to school? Is there any suggestion by Jesus that believers need special coaching to learn how to speak in these new tongues? Or can we correctly assume speaking with new tongues would be a miracle from God?
Some have said Jesus never spoke in tongues and this should be an indication it was not for believers. The same naysayers claim that since Jesus did not speak in tongues that those who do are possessed with demons speaking in satanic gibberish. Those who attack speaking in tongues as gibberish and being a product of satan are blaspheming against the Holy Ghost. While we have these mockers and scoffers around us, ridiculing us, telling lies about us, and calling us fools: we still have the more sure word of prophecy that speaking in tongues is a miracle sign from God. Our simple faith believes. And why not, because this miracle sign follows those who believe. No wonder those who do not believe do not have the miracle sign following them. Those who do not believe, who do not have the miracle sign following them, are the ones claiming what Jesus prophesied is really of the devil. They better be careful of their blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.
In Bible class we easily learn that after Jesus prophesied believers would speak with new tongues, the fulfillment occurred on the day of Pentecost. But what is shocking is the Pentecost 120 were not in the upper room to speak in tongues. They were in the upper room because they were all believers. This one spiritual aspect of their faith qualified them to receive the miracle of speaking in new tongues. These believers were there in the upper room from 7-10 days waiting on the promise of the Father which Jesus predicted would come upon each of them. They did not know what to expect. They had never witnessed the Holy Spirit within or upon anyone except Jesus. They were there with the mindset: "Here am I God, waiting on the blessing of the Holy Ghost and power." Within the collective group of men and women constant prayer was made. There was great respect and awe among them. They were men and women whose deepest part of their hearts has been touched. They were assembled together as one people who wanted nothing but that God have his way. The upper room Pentecostal experience follows a careful pattern of unending prayer. Three things were on their mind: "The Holy Ghost, the promise of the Father, and power." John the Baptist had predicted the Messieh would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. Three and a half years had passed and this prophecy was outstanding and unfulfilled. But Jesus said to tarry in Jerusalem until they had been endued with power from on high. So, tarry (wait) they did. And on the day of Pentecost the power from on high came down and filled everyone of them. They all began to speak in new tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance. The believers had received the miracle of speaking in new tongues. By what power of God was this possible? Since it followed them receiving the Holy Ghost and not before, we can assume and correctly say speaking in tongues was the evidence of receiving the Holy Ghost.
Is it correct to assume that all the believers of the first Church spoke in tongues?
By first church I mean the one and only existing body of believers in the world.
Many unbelievers who have never received the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues are creating unbelief and doctrines against this miracle of God. Those who believe God has done this miracle will not be deceived by their many lies. One of those lies is that the 120 learned to speak in tongues while they were waiting in the upper room. Another lie is that speaking in tongues was God's way of preaching to the multitude of Jews in their native tongues who were there from 19 different nations. There is nothing in the Acts 2 text that says speaking in tongues was preaching. Those who heard them said: "we do hear them in our tongues the wonderful works of God"(Acts 2:11). There is no preaching here at all. Another lie is that once these spoke in these tongues they were instant in memory and used them later as they preached among the nations. And a final lie is that not everyone who receives the Holy Ghost speaks in tongues. This conclusion is reached by comparing the 120 with the present day church a person has chosen to attend. The church of 120, the first believers, the members of the only church in the world at that time: the scripture says THEY ALL BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH TONGUES. Women were not omitted. All the men who were not Apostles were not omitted. It was not just for the 12 Apostles. The record reports all who were present in the first church spoke in tongues when they received the gift of the Holy Ghost.
This is not shocking. It is not even a surprise. For believers who followed John the Baptist it was a joyful expectation. There were no Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist, Lutherans, Catholics, Charismatics, et al, going about spreading hate and lies about the gift of the Holy Ghost which John predicted. So, the faith of the believers was not distorted or challenged. All they had to do was wait. Be patient. For the word spoken by the prophets would not fail, they had been given by God. Yes, three and a half years is a long time to wait on fulfillment of the gift of the Holy Ghost. But when people love God and salvation, time is not burdensome. In addition, these believers understood that to enter the Kingdom they had to be born again. They knew the requirements was to be born of the water and Spirit. As many of them had already been baptized they waited with eager anticipation the day the gift of the Holy Ghost would come and they were born of the Spirit. Did they expect to speak in tongues when the Holy Ghost came? This is questionable but I believe they understood the words of Jesus they would speak with new tongues. I believe they knew the gift of the Holy Ghost would bring power and miracles. They were waiting without reservations wanting God to have his way and they would submit to it. They were not waiting on the miracle of new tongues. The connection to the new tongues Jesus prophesied about with speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was not made until after the Acts 2 miracle fulfillment. The 120 were waiting on the Holy Ghost and power. Even so, a person should pray and wait on the gift of the Holy Ghost and let God decide when he will send the miracle of tongues. During the time of waiting God may give us many blessings and even miracles to elevate our faith to acceptability. Some have partial faith and expect this to have the consequence of and be equal to total faith. I have never observed a person who reaches total faith receive the gift of the Holy Ghost who did not speak in tongues at the same time. This does not mean we will ever speak in tongues the first or many other times we come under and feel the power of God. When our faith reaches God's acceptablilty, first comes the gift of the Holy Ghost and as this power radiates throughout the body the tongues comes spontaneously.
The Jerusalem first church became the pattern of all subsequent ones to be established. All Churches are to strive for and become a first Jerusalem Church. Anything less then this is foolishness and playing church. This means a collective group of members should gather and pray and should there be any who have not received the gift of the Holy Ghost, we might assist them in being born again. This is done with praying for such persons as they pray and ask God to give them the gift of the Holy Ghost (Luke 11:13). Until a person is ready to pray and tarry for the gift of the Holy Ghost, they are not ready to receive it from God. One man said: when God is ready to give it to me I will be here to accept it. This statement carries three falsehoods: 1.) God does not get ready to give anyone the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is the person who is not born again who must get themselves ready and invite God to come into them as a temple. This means they need to clean up their body which is to become the temple of God when the gift of the Holy Ghost comes in; 2.) There is no such thing as a time and place of when God gets ready a person will also be ready. Many have refused to repent of their sins and so God will not be ready to give this person the Holy Ghost. Many refuse to be baptized and so God will not be ready to give this person the Holy Ghost. Many refuse to prepare their body as a temple of God, cleanse it, sanctify it, and remove all the unacceptable things a temple is not to display, so God will not give them the gift of the Holy Ghost; 3.) No one is ready only when God get's ready first. How would a person know God was ready to give them the Holy Ghost at a particular time, day, or night, and THEN get ready? All of this is human foolishness. It is best to let faith get us ready and then stay ready, asking God for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some say we do not need to ask for it, it will come on its own or automatically. This is not what Jesus said in Luke 11:11-14, John 4:10, and John 7:38-39. When ask in faith, prepare ourselves by faith, wait until our acceptable moment by faith, preparing the temple is complete, the heart is accepted by the Lord, the Holy Ghost will come in. As each person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues the day of Pentecost event is repeated. Indeed everyone attending the first New Testament Church in Jerusalem did receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and they ALL did speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. The whole church needs this again not just a few.
Is it correct for everyone by faith to seek the gift of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues?
Yes, it is correct. Why would we want God to replace the miracle of speaking in tongues with another miracle because our unbelief refuses to accept the validity of speaking in tongues? To reject speaking in tongues as God's miracle working in us is to doubt God. One person told me he would accept speaking in tongues if he saw fire upon the heads of those in the church who spoke in tongues. I ask him if he was present in Acts 10 at the Gentile revival and in Acts 19 when Paul laid hands upon the disciples of John, if he would accept the speaking in tongues there when no fire was seen or present? He said if there was no fire he would not accept it. So, there we have a man who does not believe the Word of God that in Acts 10 and 19 many received the gift of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues and there was no fire. This is the danger of forming an opinion and making a doctrine that is not in the Scriptures. A person should ask if they were present in Acts 10 would they be open and ready to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost or would they go away from this meeting and reject God's miracle gift and be lost? Would they depart from Paul and tell him he was of the devil and those who spoke in tongues were demon possessed and spoke satanic gibberish? A real believer will respond to this challenge very quickly. The unbeliever will always seek ways to show their unbelief against speaking in tongues. Nearly all who oppose speaking in tongues have never had this miracle in their life.
What about the gift of the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues, and speaking in the unknown tongue?
There is a lot of confusion about the gift of the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues as the miracle sign of the infilling of the Holy Ghost. This gift is different then what Paul describes as the unknown tongue. Unbelievers may interpret what is spoken in other tongues because it is a sign unto them. But, the unknown tongue is to be interpreted by someone with this Holy Spirit gift and the interpretation is for believers and all who are in attendance.
When the gift of the Holy Ghost was given on the day of Pentecost, none of the 120 spoke in the unknown tongue. The gift of interpretation of the unknown tongue was not yet given. The gifts of the Spirit had been given. No fruits of the Spirit had been manifested. We cannot have gifts and fruits until AFTER the gift of the Holy Ghost is given and received. These are diversities of the one Spirit which God gives to those who qualify. The fruits are manifest at a time when their purpose presents themselves. Therefore, the fruits of the Spirit were not the sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Peter verifies this when he says those at the house of Cornelius spoke in tongues just as they did in the beginning (Acts 10:44-47). Peter compared speaking in tongues by the Gentiles as the same sign and evidence the 120 received ten years prior. For the first ten years of the Church there was no other sign or evidence given by God that a person had received the gift of the Holy Ghost. Since Jesus prophesied ALL believers would speak with new tongues, we are to expect this from any and all who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus would have put emphasis on the fruits of the Spirit as signs of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost if this were not true. It is false for anyone to claim the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost can be witnessed by the fruits of the Spirit and or speaking in the unknown tongue. It is false to hold the belief that speaking in other tongues is not the evidence of being born of the Spirit.
Any use of Scripture to deny or reject the truth I have presented in this study is indication a person lacks understanding. I pray this Bible Study will help many shed the cold, stiff, rigid, attitudes of unbelief placed in them by enemies of the gift of the Holy Ghost. When anyone denies the miracle of speaking in tongues as the evidence a person has received the gift of the Holy Ghost, they remain an unbeliever. As such persons behold others worshipping God and experiencing the greater joy of salvation, they see and hear a testimony of God they have rejected. These have only to believe. The day they do this with all their heart and God accepts them as a cleansed temple in which to place his Spirit, these also will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Pastor G. Reckart
Tampa, Florida
NOTE: This study may be translated into other languages by written permission from Pastor Reckart. The translation must contain the name of Pastor Gary Reckart, Tampa, Florida along with the name of the Minister or Missionary who is responsible for and supports the contents. Please be accurate in the translations and do not add any false doctrines. Please email me a copy of the translation so I can have it checked before posting on the internet.
Also see important Bible Studies below:
http://jesus-messiah.com/html/change-agents.html
http://jesus-messiah.com/html/gift-of-holy-ghost.html