Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Graceful Tongues: God's Grace gift of Praying in the Spirit.


For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear. Isaiah 28:11-12 NKJV



 In the recent weeks, we've been engaged in a brief study of the Person of the Holy Spirit. We've seen that He is our comforter and counselor. We established He isn't convicting believers of their sins.  To convict is to invoke shame and find fault. 

 The Scripture actually stated that the Spirit convicts of only one sin, the sin of unbelief and rejection of Jesus. We see this in action clearly after Peter received the Baptism in the Spirit and began preaching the Gospel. Three thousand received this conviction of unbelief and repented (change of mind) and received the Lord Jesus. 

 We established the true understanding of spiritual hunger and our fullness and wholeness in Christ. We saw the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the Baptism of the Spirit where new believers are baptized into the Body of Christ. Last time we went in depth into the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. 

 As we studied the Spirit with the objective of gaining a greater understanding of His ministry and growing in intimacy in our relationship with Him. We can't do a complete study of the work of the Spirit without studying His Gifts and the beautiful prayer language He utters in our spirits that we speak out in prayer. 

 I sensed the impression strongly to delve into this beautiful gift of Grace, the wonderful prayer language Grace has provided. Some may say Grace provided the speaking in tongues that is so controversial? Absolutely. 

 Our opening text is from Isaiah 28:11-12. 
 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear.

  Paul the Apostle of Grace writing under the unction and direction of the Holy Spirit confirmed that this passage is prophetically revealing this speaking with other tongues. Whenever we see something that brings rest and causes refreshing we can readily see this is the Grace of God in operation. Grace brings rest. Works and efforts and performance driven Christianity is synonymous with the striving and achieving that is associated with Old Covenant Law and works. We know Law and performance based faith are not of Grace and could never bring a rest or offer that which refreshes. 

 Tongues is a rest and a refreshing. It's a rest because it's the Spirit praying through you. It's a refreshing because we know the Spirit will always be praying the perfect will of God. If something brings a rest and a refreshing then why would God not provide this wonderful gift for all His kids? If something brings rest and refreshing then only the enemy and religious traditions would be opposed to it. 

 I can testify how much of a rest and refreshing praying in the Spirit has been in my life. I received the Baptism in the Spirit and accompanying prayer language twenty-three years ago this month. I had spoken with a missionary to Japan who was eager, to say the least, to share this wonderful Baptism in the Spirit with anyone who hadn't yet received it. 

 I was a young and immature believer and didn't understand how to receive freely from my Good Father. I first spoke privately with this minister and he gladly prayed for me to receive the Holy Spirit. To be honest, I didn't feel a thing and was basing my receiving on some kind of feeling anyway. 

 Some time later he was ministering in the chapel service I was attending on a Sunday night. He began praying and ministering to the people. I went up for prayer not expecting to receive the Baptism in the Spirit, and when he laid his hands upon me something powerful happened. I sensed in my heart and in my physical body felt that a power from on high had enveloped me. I knew something had transpired. 

 I spoke with him after the meeting and he prayed again for me for the release of the Spirit simply saying just lift your hands and speak forth. Trusting God, I lifted my hands and bubbling out of my belly this beautiful melody of praise in other tongues released from my lips. It wasn't scary or flaky or weird. 

 I know that there are those who would act like the Pharisee, saying you can't do that in the church. There are the Sadducee types who simply deny the supernatural has any validity in the Church, who will reject my testimony as foolishness. Then there remains the stubborn offspring of the Pharisee and Sadducee, the "couldn't-sees" and the "wouldn't-sees" who oppose the idea of the operation of the Gifts in the lives of believers. 

There is much more to share on this Grace gift of tongues. There are the benefits of praying in the Spirit. Then there is the power of praying in the Spirit. Yet, in my heart, I know there exists, in some, strongholds of opposition to Tongues that must first be addressed.

Strongholds of objections concerning Tongues:


1.) Tongues are invalid because this gift ceased after the completion of Scripture and the last Apostle died. Tongues spoken today are mere gibberish and emotional babble. It's over emotionalism and not a valid practice, 1 Corinthians 13:8 says tongues will cease. 

2.) Tongues are of no value or benefit for believers today. There is no benefit in speaking or praying in a language you can't understand 


3.) Tongues exalt and magnify the person speaking and not the Church or local assembly. 

4.) Tongues are not available for all believers. Only some believers receive this gift. 

5.) Tongues are never meant for public use. Paul said he'd rather speak five words in a known language than a thousand words in tongues. That's why tongues are the least of the gifts. 


6.) Tongues are of the devil! 

 In our next post, I will answer these objections with the Word. Uprooting these traditional strongholds will help us all receive the wonderful Grace gifting and benefit of praying in the Spirit. I pray that you would be open and receptive to the work of the Spirit and to relinquish traditions of men. Read and study these next few post with an open and ready heart. It will bless you and enhance your relationship with our Good Father God. Stay tuned...
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