WHAT JESUS TAUGHT [3]: THE HOLY SPIRIT…AND A TONGUE Jesus said many things about the Holy Spirit; He’s the third being of the Godhead; after Jesus’ ascension, the Spirit was to step into Jesus’ earthly role in a unique and powerful way; and, we need to be “born” of the Spirit to enter God’s kingdom. But I’d like to say a few words about “speaking in tongues.” For many, this “gift” comes along with being baptized with the Spirit. I’ll state up front, I don’t believe that a Christian must speak in an unrecognizable language during worship to be born again or saved. I don’t believe that this form of worship is proof that someone is born again. Beyond what the Bible says—and does not say!—about the gift of tongues, there’s a couple of excellent books on the topic. In Charismatic Chaos, Pastor John F. MacArthur, Jr. addresses the Bible texts that are used by Charismatics to promote tongues, and then gives us a handful of reasons for why this phenomenon may be taking place in so many churches: the Bible speaks about counterfeit spiritual activities; the behavior can be learned (this is how most of my Charismatic friends have explained it to me); or, it can be psychologically induced—“many people are hungry to express themselves spiritually” (P. 244). Another excellent resource is Speaking in Tongues, by William E. Richardson. That being said, George E. Vandeman notes that Charismatics possess something that more of us probably need—a real “prayer experience. Whey they pray, they really pray! And they expect answers from their Father in heaven” (What I Like About…; p. 52). It’s sad to say, but I’ve known far too many Christians over the years who had little interest in mid-week fellowship because of the session’s title: “Prayer Meeting.” And I’m ashamed to admit that I was one of them, at times. But here’s something for my friends who don’t “speak in tongues” to consider: could it be that you and I have given this spiritual phenomenon some fuel? Pastor MacArthur writes the following in his summary on this topic: “Probably the key reason tongues have exploded on the scene with such force is the need for an alternative to the cold, lifeless Christianity that permeates so many churches.” “Cold, lifeless” churches. Ouch! Let’s be honest, shall we? Considering that more than half of the young people in our churches are looking elsewhere for a meaningful (spiritual?) experience, could MacArthur be accurately identifying what many of our young people see in you and I, and our church? Or could our youth be worn out, in part, from hearing our own special brand of tongues: criticism, rumors, falsehoods, etc. Let’s take Vandeman’s advice, and “really pray!”
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 13:23:03 +0000
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