SPEAKING IN TONGUES PART I

Acts 2:1-4
The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit was not to give miraculous gifts. True, the miraculous gifts of the Spirit had their place in the ministry of the early Churches as recorded in the book of Acts, but the modern charismatic movement has the “cart before the horse.” The giving of the gifts is secondary to the office of “the Comforter”, (the power), which helps us to overcome sin and produce the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Satan can counterfeit the “Tongues”, and he does; he also performs many lying wonders to deceive people; but Satan cannot counterfeit the “Fruits of the Spirit.” Today he is out with his lying wonders trying to deceive God’s very elect, Matt. 24:24.

The reason for this caution is found in the Scripture. “He that speaketh in an Unknown Tongue edifieth himself, (1 Cor. 14:4). It is seeking for self, for self -blessing and is contrary to fulfilling the law of God, which is love, away from self and toward God and neighbor!

The object and purpose of the Holy Spirit is to; enable one to crucify the self-to endow with power to overcome sin, and not to transgress God’s Commandments, (1 John 3:4), to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, to impart to us God’s righteousness, so our light may shine and others may see Christ in us, to understand the Word of God, so we may know how to live by its every word, to give us the faith of Jesus, making possible His righteousness, to give us power to be kind, patient, gentle, and of service to others, to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick.

This doctrine that all must speak in “Tongues” when “Baptized,” or filled with the Holy Spirit as the “initial evidence of the Baptism” is not Biblical; and it has opened the floodgate for one of Satan’s great deceptions of our times. Many hungry souls are being deceived by a counterfeit “Tongue” and fall victims to the wrong Spirit. As it was in the Church at Corinth, so it is today a “Status Symbol.” Spirit worship then was nearly universal in one form or another.

1 John 4:1 Believe Not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God
Isa. 8:20 If they speak not according to this word, it’s because there’s no light
There are two opposing spirits in the world, the True Spirit of Truth from God, and the false seducing Spirits from Satan. Satan can be very religious and performs miracles in order to deceive. Jesus and His Apostles warned about the many false teachers that Satan would use in these last days to deceive, and we are told that many would follow those false prophets or teachers. That is why John warned, “Believe not every spirit.” This warning was given to you and me to warn us to try every spirit. Every one of those false teachers has a spirit; a seducing spirit posing as the True Spirit of God as they craftily seize the Scriptures to teach doctrine of the devils.