How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

by Lynn Ridenhour

I was working in a welder’s shop in West Monroe, Louisiana. My foreman was Pentecostal.

"Lynn, the Lord just spoke to me. He wants to fill you with the Holy Ghost. Drop by my house after work and my wife and I will pray with you."

What could I say? He was my boss.

"Now I’m not saying you’re not a child of God," said my foreman as I sat relaxing in his living room chair while his wife was washing dishes in the kitchen. He was seated across the room. "But I am saying, there’s more. There’s the power of God that’s available to us."

I sat there listening, quite honestly a little nervous. I felt out of place. We visited for awhile, then he said, "Do you mind if my wife and I pray for you?"

Again, what could I say?  "I don’t mind."

I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen.

Immediately the middle-aged woman comes walking briskly out of her kitchen—as if on cue. She’s drying her hands on her apron. My boss gets out of his lounge chair and they both walk towards me. Without any warning, she grabs my right arm and he grabs my left. They both yank my hands high above my head. As far as they would go. I’m sitting there not knowing what to expect--with my hands extended as far as they will reach. If someone were to eaves drop, it looks like I’m being robbed.

She begins massaging my right hand and with a high-pitched tone that sounds so "pentecostal," begins nervously telling the Lord "Oooooh God, fill him. Ooooh fill him." My boss is rubbing my other hand. "Yeeessss Loooorrrddd, fill him right now. Fffiiilll him Lllloooorrrddd!" I’m thinking, "Why do they talk this way?"

My arms are in the air, they’re massaging both my hands, and talkin’ loud to the Lord. And I’m whispering under my breath. "Don’t, Lord. Don’t! Don’t.! Don’t let nothin’ happen. Please."

Needless to say, nothing happened that afternoon. And I left.

That was my very first experience of being filled with the Spirit. Sometimes I think—it’s a miracle that any of us are filled.

Don’t get me wrong. I have some wonderful Pentecostal friends. And most Pentecostal believers I know have a deep love for the Lord. And are very sincere people. Plus, they’ve been faithful stewards of this precious Pentecostal experience now for over a century. The Lord indeed has blessed them. It’s just—that sometimes we do the darndest things.

I was scared to death. Or let’s put it this way—I was so uninitiated that day as to what to believe and/or what to expect. No wonder the Lord could not move in my heart. He’s a gentleman and will force Himself on no one. So to begin with, we need to realize—there is…

A Real Experience

Regardless of all the unnecessary antics pulled by His people, let’s face it--the Pentecostal experience is a Latter-day experience. All Latter-day saints are to be filled with the Spirit as recorded in Acts chapter two. It’s the doctrine of the Church. Joseph, our Beloved Prophet, stated:

"…The gifts which follow them that believe and obey the gospel…began to be poured out among us, as in ancient days; for as we…elders were assembled in conference on the twenty-second day of January [1833] I spoke to the conference in another tongue, and was followed in the same gift by Brother Zebedee Coltrin, and he by Brother William Smith, after which the Lord poured out his Spirit in a miraculous manner until all the elders spoke in tongues, and several members, both male and female.
Great and glorious were the divine manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Praises were sung to God and the Lamb; speaking and praying, all in tongues, occupied the conference, until a late hour at night, so rejoiced were we at the return of these long absent blessings.  On the twenty-third, we again assembled in conference; when, after much speaking, singing, praying and praising God, all in tongues, we proceeded to the washing of feet…"  --History of the Church, Volume One, pp.277-78

The early saints rejoiced and reveled in "…these long absent blessings." They sang in tongues, they praised God way into the night. The spoke in tongues. They shouted praises, lifting their hands to heaven, and at times rejoiced in His Presence into the "…greater part of the night." Yes, "…great and glorious were the divine manifestations of the Holy Spirit."

So great was the outpouring that our beloved Prophet was constrained to write,

"…It was a Pentecost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered…as the day of Pentecost, so shall this day be numbered and celebrated…" --History of the Church, 2:432-33

The Pentecostal experience, in other words, is a real experience. And the early saints experienced a fresh outpouring of the power of Pentecost. That same experience is being poured out today in our midst. Among RLDS & LDS Latter-day saints. It’s truly marvelous to behold.

Present-day Renewal

I see a renewal of the Pentecostal experiencing occurring.

A small remnant of latter-day saints are rediscovering the joy of true worship again, discovering for the first time the excitement of his resurrection power brought about by his gracious gifts. It’s the presence of the resurrected Christ in our midst. We meet once a month here in Zion. We praise and worship with uplifted hands. We wait on the Spirit, and anticipate miracles. And sometimes see miracles.

Doctrinal differences and present controversies are fading away as we bathe our souls in his Presence. As the writer of the Song of Songs put it, "…I am sick with love!" Saints are becoming once again more enthralled with his closeness than with correct administrations, more enthused about his power than our programs.

Some of us long for a revisitation of the Kirtland days and we long to walk in what Joseph, our beloved Prophet, walked in. To believe what Joseph believed. Joseph believed in, and walked under, the power of God. And we believe that same power is available to us. We’re in fact experiencing a small taste of ala! Kirtland.

Spiritual Gifts & the Pentecostal Experience Basic to Restoration Movement

Spiritual gifts as experienced by the Church in the book of Acts have always been basic to the restoration movement. In fact, I went through the eight volumes of RLDS church history with a yellow marker, and marked the various passages dealing with charisma and the power of God.

…Angels and personages ministering—19 times

…Anointed praying—1 time

…Anointed preaching—2 times

…Anointing—50 times

…Authority of the Believer—19 times

…Baptism in the Holy Spirit—33 times

…Blessings—18 times

…Demonic Deliverance—3 times

…Discerning of spirits—7 times

…Dreams—2 times

…Fruit of the Spirit—15 times

…Gift of Faith—14 times

…Gifts manifested—33 times

…Gifts of healing—35 times

…Glory—5 times

…Hearts moved upon—3 times

…Heavens opened—3 times

…Holy Spirit spoke—8 times

…Interpretation—16 times

…Laying on of hands—23 times

…Led by the Spirit—10 times

…Ministries initiated—2 times

…Miracles—28 times

…Overcome by the Spirit—2 times

…Pillar of fire—1 time

…Power of God for today—25 times

…Praise—31 times

…Prophecy—34 times

…Signs & wonders—17 times

…Singing in tongues—4 times

…Speaking in tongues—26 times

…Spirit of revelation—17 times

…Spiritual warfare—5 times

…Uplifted hands—5 times

…Visions—18 times

…Word of knowledge—27 times

…Word of wisdom—10 times

Saints, what a rich heritage we have!

Joseph went so far as to say in an editorial in the Times & Seasons:

"...We believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost being enjoyed now, as much as it was in the Apostles' days; we believe that it [the gift of the Holy Ghost] is necessary to make and to organize the Priesthood, that no man can be called to fill any office in the ministry without it..."

"...no man can be called to fill any office in the ministry without it..." That’s powerful. He went on to say...

"...we also believe in prophecy, in tongues, in visions, and in revelations, in gifts, and in healings, and that these things cannot be enjoyed without the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe that the holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and that holy men in these days speak by the same principle...We believe in it [this gift of the Holy Ghost] in all its fullness, and power, and greatness and glory..."

When questioned on November 4^th, 1838, regarding the saints’ beliefs, Joseph responded to a crowd of onlookers, "…I set forth the doctrine of faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance, and baptism for remission of sins, with the promise of the Holy Ghost, as recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles..." -RLDS Vol.2, p.286.

It can be said no plainer--Joseph taught, believed in, and personally practiced the Pentecostal experience as recorded in Acts chapter two. And so did the early saints. According to Joseph, the experience was central to the Church’s doctrine. Which leads us to two questions…

1. What is the Pentecostal experience? And
2. How can we receive it?

 

What is the Pentecostal experience?

The baptism in the Holy Spirit [as it’s commonly called] is an immersion of your personality--a sinking, a dipping, a plunging--into the Spirit where He not only "wells up" within but He "comes upon" the individual. And the experience is "sensible;" that is, it's felt by the human senses. As one brother put it, "He becomes not only resident but President. "

To be even more precise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a personal experience apart from salvation that may be simultaneous with or subsequent to salvation.

Where can we find it?

The outpouring of the Spirit is everywhere. It's in both sticks--the Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah.

The mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit is all throughout the Book of Mormon. Take for example, Lehi's vision--I Nephi, chapter one. Lehi was overcome with the Spirit and filled with the Spirit. So we find the experience in the first chapter of the Book of Mormon.

You're familiar with the stories...

Nephi's brethren were shaken when they experienced Nephi's anointing; it was "...like electricity... " (I Nephi 5). Jacob was slain in the Spirit (Jacob 5). So were King Lamoni and his wife, the queen (Alma 12). But the best description is recorded in the Stick of Judah; specifically, the Book of Acts. In Acts the experience occurs six times: In Acts 2, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 19. Here's a brief summary of each occurrence:

Chapter 2: the people were converted and filled with the Spirit the same day.

Chapter 4: again, the people were converted and filled with the Spirit the same day.

Chapter 8: the saints in Samaria were converted, baptized in water, and days later were filled with the Spirit.

Chapter 9: Paul was converted, three days later was baptized in the Spirit, then was baptized in water.

Chapter 10: at Cornelius' house, they were converted, filled with the Spirit, and baptized in water on the same day.

Chapter 19: at Ephesus, they were converted earlier, then baptized in water, and then baptized in the Spirit.

What interests me is the sequence of events. On some occasions the people were...

...converted, then baptized in water, then baptized in the Spirit.

...converted, then baptized in the Spirit, then baptized in water.

...converted, baptized in water, then baptized in the Spirit at a later date.

...some were converted, baptized in water and baptized in Spirit on the same day; some were not. Some were baptized in water later and some were baptized in the Spirit later.

There seemed to be no set pattern.

Personally, I was saved (that's a Baptist word) and baptized in water when I was eleven years old. But I was twenty-five before I was filled with the Spirit. Like so many, my denomination did not teach the filling of the Spirit. Ideally, I would think it would please the Father if a person were converted, baptized in water, and baptized in the Spirit on the same day. There seems to be no reason why all three experiences could not occur on the same day. In fact, I've seen it happen.

Two Witnesses

The Bible & Book of Mormon describe two witnesses. And these two witnesses are occurring almost simultaneously. Let's turn to Bible language.

Inner Witness:

The Bible language is:

... drinking, Jn. 7:37

... rivers flowing, Jn. 7:38

... drunk with wine, Eph. 5:18

... filled, Acts 2:4

These terms are all describing inner sensations. I might add--all "sensible" sensations. That is, sensations that can be felt by the five senses. The mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit witnesses to your five senses! You know it when it happens! A fairly "fool-proof" test is: if you have to ask someone if you've been filled with the Spirit, you haven't! You'll know when it happens.

It's like Orson Hyde testified in one of the meetings, "...Many arose and spoke testifying that they were filled with the Holy Ghost, which was like fire in their bones...." (RLDS Vol.2, p.24).

Yes, the mighty Spirit is sensible to our human senses. At times, it's like fire in our bones.

Occurring simultaneously with the inner witness of the Spirit is an...

Outer Witness:

The Bible uses language like...

... immersed in the Spirit, Acts 1:5

... coming upon you, Acts 1:8

... shedding forth, Acts 1:33

... poured out, Acts 10:45

...fell on all, Acts 10:44

... anointed, Acts 10:38

Let's summarize...

Outwardly, the invisible Spirit comes down upon the believer first, completely surrounding, enveloping, and immersing him. He ignites us. His presence is like electricity at times, like fire in our bones. These are strong words: ...shedding forth, poured out...

In fact, on the day of Pentecost Peter, in his sermon, said:

"…Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." -Acts 2:33

Peter (or the Spirit) chose the words, "...shed forth.... " When the Holy Ghost came, they saw something and they heard something.

Inwardly, it's like drinking. One receives the Spirit, and, in turn, rivers from within begin welling up. Jesus said, "...Out of [our] inner-most being shall flow rivers of living water" (Jn.7:38). To borrow words from the Psalmist, "...our cup runneth over... " and we overflow.

The Holy Spirit contacts our human spirit and "fountains of the great deep are broken up;" "windows of heaven are opened;" the "latter rain is poured down" upon our souls.

I like the word "baptism," for the word describes what's taking place. The word means: to immerse. Take, for example, a cup of water. What happens when you put a cup of water in a swimming pool? The water in THE CUP is in the pool and the water in THE POOL is in the cup. Both are in each.

And that describes exactly the immersion that takes place between the Holy Spirit and your human spirit. A complete union of personality occurs: yours and the Holy Spirit's. Both are in each.

The union is truly a "baptism in the Holy Spirit." And what are the results of that union? That immersion? Something happens forever when you meet the blessed Holy Spirit! The experience brings an abiding endowment. A seal.

It's a gateway experience.

Nephi says:

"...For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire, and by the Holy Ghost...." --II Nephi 13:24

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit opens the heavens. Jesus becomes real. Or more real. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gateway to the miraculous. I think I’m a good example. I was raised Baptist. I met the Lord when I was eleven years old. We call it—going forward and being "born again." Others say it’s when we invited the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts. Or accepted Him as our personal Lord & Savior. All Baptist phrases. And all pretty much mean the same thing—it’s when we establish a personal relationship with the Lord. I did that when I was eleven.

Our favorite Baptist phrase is "…if you died tonight, do you know you’d go to heaven?" My hand always went up. I had taken care of that by accepting the Lord into my heart.

Here’s the rub. I had never seen a miracle.

O, I did those things most Baptists do. I attended church regularly. Stayed out of beer joints. Tried not to cuss. Read my Bible. And even attended weekly prayer meetings on Wednesday nights. But that’s my point. That was pretty much my Christian walk. I had a "book Jesus." One that I learned about in Sunday morning sermons. Listened to on Christian radio. Sang about from our Baptist hymnal. And prayed to during my nightly prayers.

I knew Jesus was in my heart. I had a peace the world could not give. I knew I had been changed when I "was saved." But I still come back to—I had never seen a miracle. I had never personally witnessed what I had so often read about in the scriptures. Or heard about in sermons. In the four gospels, for instance, Jesus seemed constantly at His Father’s business--whether it was opening blind eyes or healing the leper or commanding the crippled to walk or stopping funerals. He seemed to be interfering with people’s lives on a daily basis.

When I was filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus stepped out of the pages of the Bible and entered our kitchen. The first thing He did was lengthen my left hand to the size of my right. He performed a miracle in front of my wife’s and mine eyes at suppertime while we were seated at our kitchen table. Because of an old injury, for years my left hand had always been at least a half-inch shorter than my right. The Lord grew it out in about four seconds! At our kitchen table! No more book Jesus for me. He had just come alive and stepped out of the pages of the book.

That was the first miracle I ever saw.

Nephi was right. Being filled with the Spirit is a gateway experience. Since that experience I’ve seen the Lord open the eyes of the blind in bowling alleys, heal the paralyzed in wheelchairs, cure the terminally ill riddled with cancer, set free the drug addict without withdrawals, and straighten little children’s crooked limbs. I’ve seen Him perform miracles in church and out of church. On the street, in ballparks, pool halls, and in homes.

My old Pentecostal boss man was right—the Baptism in the Holy Spirit brings the power. He spoke the truth, "…I’m not saying, Lynn, you’re not a child of God. But I am saying, there’s more. There’s the power of God that’s available to us."

I too had experienced the Pentecostal experience. Which brings us to our second question.

How do we receive it?

Sooner of later the question is always asked, "Do I have to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Spirit?" Let’s return to my boss, the Pentecostal foreman.

Theological Correctness

Will you give me the liberty to indulge for a moment? And may I be candid? There was a time in my Christian life when my doctrine was my idol. I actually enjoyed a good fight more than I desired to bless others. I would rather argue than overflow, debate rather than do warfare. Win an argument more than be a blessing.

Well, God put up with my nonsense for just so long. He got me a job working in a welding shop with a bunch of Pentecostal preachers. I was a welder's helper, assigned to Dennis Barnes. Dennis was about my age. We became the best of friends. Our families visited back and forth. The only problem was--Dennis was a "tongue talker." I had a real problem--I liked Dennis but despised his theology! When I found out I was assigned to work with a Pentecostal preacher, I couldn't wait to shoot holes in his doctrine.

Well...

I hadn't been on the job three days 'till Dennis started in. He kept asking, "Lynn, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" I knew what he meant. Had I had the experience of speaking in tongues since I believed. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but I really did believe that tongue-speaking stuff was a manifestation of demon spirits. And I preached it with vengeance from the pulpit. Dennis wouldn't let up. Finally, after about three weeks of sidestepping his question, I had had enough. One day he asked it again, "Lynn, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" I responded (almost yelling) "yes!" in an angry tone. He couldn't tell if I was joking. "YES, I have!" I looked him straight in the eye. I made sure he heard me. Then he knew he'd better drop it.

The implication to me was--Dennis thought he had something I didn't. And I wasn't so sure he was any closer to the Lord than I. I didn't like the question. Or the implication. Of course, I wasn't displaying much, if any, of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.

Anyway, I wanted to prove to my friend in the worst way that I could be just as filled with the Spirit, just as spiritual as he, without speaking in tongues. I did not believe you had to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Spirit. Besides, as I said, I was suspicious. I was a mess. I had lots of hang-ups.

The next six months I nose-dived right into a spiritual abyss. I had fallen into the slough of distress. And I was cranky. Dennis and I remained close friends, but he was careful not to bring up that "tongue thing."

One morning during my prayer time the Lord spoke to me. He kindly asked, "…Are you willing to speak in tongues in order to fellowship with me?"

I answered, "But Lord, I don't believe it's theologically correct."

He responded kindly, "I didn't ask you that. I said, are you willing to speak in tongues if it will bring me closer to you?"

"But Lord, I don't believe I have to speak in tongues."

"I didn't ask you that. I said... " and He repeated the question, "Are you willing to speak in tongues if it will bring my presence?"

I was beginning to get it (but I didn't like it)...

As much as I hated to face it, my doctrine was my idol. Now, an idol is not intrinsically evil. I mean--there's nothing evil about the wood that a totem pole is made from. It's putting the totem pole ahead of the living God that's evil. And there was nothing intrinsically evil about my doctrine. It was desiring to hold on to my doctrine more than desiring his presence, his fellowship, that's evil! And that's what the Lord was putting his finger on: my doctrine had become my idol! I'd rather be right than rightly related.

That hurt. Deep.

I was learning--God will have no other gods before him, including my Baptist theology. You see--God wanted to use me. Or wanted to get me ready to be used, but I'm convinced God has to do two things to each of us before he can use any of us: 1) he must cross each of us at our points of rebellion (oftentimes our doctrine), and 2) he must kill our gods! In order that we may meet and fellowship with the living God.

I finally surrendered my god, my Baptist theology, and said, "…Master, I want your presence more than anything. If it takes speaking in tongues, I'll do it." You say, what happened?

I spoke in tongues and Jesus kept his word. I was overjoyed, filled, surprised, thrilled, enraptured, astonished, amazed ... and, (I don't have enough words.) Yes, the old songwriter was right, I stood amazed in his presence!

One other anecdote...

I must tell you about my neighbor and friend, Rick. I told my wife the other week, "Hon, Rick is a spittin' image of me when I was his age. " Rick is in his late twenties, a heart for God, a conservative Baptist preacher aspiring to do the will of the Father. With many of the same hang-ups I had when I was his age. We were standing out in front of our apartments the other week talking. I couldn't believe my ears. Rick was telling us how Jesus came and visited his wife in their living room. His wife had been sick. Rick said he had "gotten fed up with the devil harassing my family," so he said to his wife, "Hon, let's invite Jesus into our midst."

The moment he said that, I stopped him. "That's dangerous, Rick." He grinned. He now knew what I meant.

The two were praying. Rick had his eyes closed when he heard a "thud." He opened his eyes and saw his wife lying on the floor with the most angelic look on her face. She had been overcome in the Spirit. My friend, Larry, asked Rick as he was telling his story, "what did that do to your Baptist theology?" Rick paused, then looked at both of us. "I don't have a theology. I have come to the place where I just want his presence. I'm through bickering with the brethren." It was obvious-God had done a quick but deep work of grace in Rick's heart. Jesus had killed Rick's gods, his idols.

Rick, my friend and neighbor, said it best, "I have no theology any more. I just want his presence."

Do you? Do I?

I leave the question open-ended...

I'll say one thing. It's almost a sure thing, we won't ever be filled with the Spirit until we can say with Rick, "I just want his presence. "

That's the first step.

Like Rick, I had come to the place where I just wanted His presence. I too was through bickering with the brethren. I too had laid down my idol, my Baptist theology.

Then what is speaking in tongues? It’s the…

Overflow of the Infilling

I believe I can best say what I want to say by sharing with you my response to a letter I received recently from a very dear LDS lady. (I have changed her name for privacy purposes.) Like so many, she was under the impression that all speaking in tongues requires an interpreter. Here’s my letter.

Dear Mary,

Lynn here. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts regarding your thoughts.

The act of speaking in tongues is primarily a matter of enhancing one’s devotional life. Of enabling us to commune with God in ways that our human spirit can go directly to the Throne. A somewhat poor earthly example would be: Have you ever wanted to say something to someone and couldn’t put it into words? Your heart was that full!

That’s what I’m talking about.

I’m convinced much of the unnecessary confusion among the saints lies right here—not realizing there are more than one kind (or purposes) for the act. Primarily: 1) for private devotional use, and 2) for public ministry. It’s our over emphasizing the public ministry emphasis that has confused most of the saints. But it’s my firm conviction, that we’re emphasizing NOT ENOUGH the private devotional aspect when it comes to glossalalia. I know that’s so. But therein lies the benefits of speaking in tongues as far as I’m concerned. And as far as I understand the scriptures.

I’ll say it again—speaking in tongues for me down through the years has been a marvelous tool in the Spirit world to magnify God in ways that I never would have had the gracious privilege of experiencing without this phenomenon. And by the way, scripture bears this out.

Example: What actually happened on the Day of Pentecost?

Here’s a very brief summary. Acts 2, verse 4 says "...And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

And then the response of the people. "...And they were all amazed [the Jews who had congregated from "every nation under heaven"] and marvelled, saying one to another…how hear we every man in our own tongue (vs.8)…we do hear them speak in our tongues THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD…" (vs.11)

More response: "And they were amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine…" (vs.13)

Peter said it was too early for them to be drinking. "…these are not drunken as ye suppose…" (vs.15)

Mary, I love this passage!

When you really study it, really ponder it, these believers weren’t preaching the gospel that day! Granted: we know they were speaking, and saying something, and saying that something in other languages, but IT WAS NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PREACHING! I’m sorry but our dear LDS brethren have missed the primary focus here.

The text in fact tells us what they were saying. "…we do hear them speak in our tongues THE WONDERFUL WORKS OF GOD." (verse 11). They weren't preaching the gospel.

Go to the original language here. To the Greek. The phrase "wonderful works of God" is an English transliteration of ONE GREEK WORD, "megaluno." The King James translators blew it.

Mary, listen to this!

It’s the same exact word Mary used when she said, "My soul doth MAGNIFY the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my savior…" (Luke 1:46,47)

It’s the same word Paul used when he was speaking to the Church at Phillippi, "…also Christ shall be MAGNIFIED in my body, whether it be by life or by death…" (Phillippians 1:20).

It’s the same word used in Acts 19:17: "And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus, and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was MAGNIFIED."

And finally, the King James translators got it right in Acts 10:46 when the Spirit fell on the Gentiles. The verse reads: "For they heard them speak with tongues and MAGNIFY God."


Whether it was Mary, Paul, Peter, the early disciples, or the early church--they were all magnifying God in the act of speaking in tongues!

There it is. That’s what was occurring on the Day of Pentecost. The bystanders were struck with amazement when they heard a group of Jews praising & magnifying the living God so early in the day. It was too early in the morning for such a thing. And Peter straightened them out.

Stop & think. The old argument that they were speaking in tongues on the Day of Pentecost in order that the gospel may be preached to all the nations does not hold up under scrutiny. The text states that Peter stood and preached the gospel IN HIS OWN NATIVE TONGUE and THEY ALL UNDERSTOOD HIM!

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken TO MY WORDS…" (Acts 2:14). And Peter preached his famous sermon (Acts 2:14-36).

When Peter was through preaching in his own native tongue, the multitudes responded, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their own heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37)

And Peter told them what to do.

My point again is—those filled with the Spirit that day were busy about magnifying their Lord & Savior. They finally realized that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had sent the Long-Awaited One, the Messiah. And that’s the primary purpose of tongue-speaking--worshipping of the Messiah.

The act of tongue-speaking opens up the Spirit world in a wonderful way, allowing you to do as Paul says, to "…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…" (Eph.5:18,19).

Note: As we’re filled with the Spirit we have the blessed privilege (and desires!) to speak to ourselves in three forms of worship and praise—two with out native tongue and one with our heavenly prayer language: 1) Psalms (native tongue), 2) hymns (native tongue) and 3) spiritual songs (our heavenly prayer tongue). That's making melody. In your heart.

O, Mary! I have heard so many beautifully anointed spiritual songs sang in another tongue in worship services. Some I’m convinced were sang in angelic tongues.

It all goes back to—magnifying God. That's the purpose.

Again, Jude, brother of our dear Lord, I believe said it well. "...But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some have compassion…" Verses 20,21

That’s a well-rounded description of the phenomenon I’m describing. As I enter into my prayer closet and begin my devotion in my native tongue, but shift over into my prayer language, I sense in my spirit that I am communing with my Heavenly Father in ways that are, in my own native tongue, indescribable. I am simply telling my Heavenly Father in ways that are inexpressible to my native tongue that I love him, appreciate him, am in constant need of his love and mercy. Paul said it best: "…he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God…" (I Cor.14:2).

I can’t help but return full circle to our thesis. Speaking in tongues is primarily for a two-fold purpose: 1) For personal devotion, and 2) for spiritual warfare in the heavenlies. Are there other purposes? Of course.

Much Love,

Lynn

The above letter gets to the meat of our concerns. Basically, as said, Latter-day saints have difficulty distinguising between the different kinds of tongues.

Joseph, however, makes a distinction--as do the scriptures.

Joseph made a distinction between tongues of COMFORT and tongues of INSTRUCTION.

"...do not indulge too much in the exercise of the gift of tongues," says Joseph, "or the devil will take advantage of the innocent and unwary. You may speak in tongues for your own comfort... --Joseph Smith, April 28, 1842

Herein lies the misconception among restoration saints. The majority of the saints today do not recognize and distinguish the different kinds of tongues as Joseph did. They lump all tongues together. Joseph recognized the distinction: tongues of instruction and tongues of comfort.

I like the distinction: tongues of PRAISE and tongues of PROPHECY. I'm saying the same thing as Joseph; just using different terms. Tongues of praise are what Joseph refers to as tongues of comfort; tongues of prophecy are what Joseph distinguishes as tongues of instruction.

Tongues of praise are found in the book of Acts; tongues of prophecy are found in I Corinthians. Tongues of praise are for every believer and are for the purpose of ministry overflow and spiritual warfare. Tongues of praise require no interpretation. Some refer to tongues of praise as: releasing your prayer language. Jude referred to it as "...building up yourselves... " (vs. 20).

Tongues of prophecy, however, require an interpretation and are to be given in a public setting. As I said, it is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. Not all believers have the gift of tongues. All believers do (or can) have "tongues of comfort," to use Joseph's term.

The "gift of tongues" is different from, not the same as, "tongues for your own comfort." One is to be exercised freely, not requiring an interpreter to be present; the other is not to be indulged in too much, and requires an interpreter present. One is for personal edification; the other, to edify the Body of Christ. One is public; the other, private.

Often times tongues of praise are being exercised publicly as a spiritual weapon to do warfare in the heavenlies, or to release anointed ministry upon the saints. That's what we're hearing most of the time when the saints are publicly praying in tongues. When in Joseph's meetings, tongues were heard "...into the greater part of the night," it was, for the most part, tongues of praise.

In summary, the gift of tongues is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit given to the Body of Christ mentioned in I Corinthians 12. "Tongues of comfort," however, is for every believer and is one of the tongues present in the book of Acts. It’s meant for all believers. It’s the overflow of the infilling. It’s releasing the Spirit’s presence and anointing upon an assembly of believers.

"…Praises were sung to God and the Lamb; speaking and praying, all in tongues, occupied the conference, until a late hour at night…  --Church History, Volume One, pp.278

One final thought before we continue. People sometimes comment, "…do I have to speak in tongues?" And the answer is--no, you don’t have to, you get to. Releasing the overflow is not a doctrine to be debated; it’s a blessing to be received. Do we want to overflow? Do we want to release His Power & Presence on an individual or group? Do we want to do spiritual warfare in the heavenlies? Of course we do. Our heavenly prayer language is one of, if not the most, effective ways of doing so.

We finally come to the inevitable question.

How do I speak in tongues?

I too want to release that anointing. That power.

The actual act of speaking in tongues is not miraculous in itself. The miracle is not THAT we speak in another language. The miracle is in WHAT WE’RE SAYING. We’re uttering words & syllables that are coming from our innermost being. These utterances are bypassing our soul—our mind—as the Spirit gives us utterance. Which brings us to a very catchy—but very helpful—phrase.

Without Him, you can’t; without you He won’t.

I’ve heard most of the comments.

"But I want this to be all of Him and nothing of me."

"I don’t want to fake it."

"I don’t want to get in the flesh."

"If God wants me to speak in tongues, He’s going to have to do it."

I know exactly how you feel. I felt the same way. But there’s one greatly misunderstood principle at work here. Take our catchy little phrase:

Without Him you can’t; without you He won’t.

Both statements of the parallelism are correct. It’s true: without the Holy Spirit forming the syllables in your mouth, you can’t speak in tongues. However, the other half of the parallelism is just as true. Without your opening your mouth, using your own vocal cords and stepping out in faith by initiating the sounds, the Holy Spirit won’t begin the utterances. He needs your vocal cords!

It’s the biblical principle of faith at work here.

What is faith but a cooperation of the Divine and human. The Bible says we are colaborers together with Him (I Cor.3:9). Take, for instance, Peter walking on the water. Peter could have said, "Lord, I want this experience to be all of you and none of me." The miraculous doesn’t happen that way. Miracles have two parts: God’s part and man’s part. It was Peter’s part to get out of the boat. It was God’s part to hold him up. And God wouldn’t hold him up ‘till Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water. It was a divine cooperation.

Our parallelism works here.

Without Him, Peter could not have walked on the water. Without Peter, God would not have frozen the water.

The above parallelism illustrates what happened to me when I was filled with the Spirit. Back in 1971 our deacon friend, Joe Hoover, had just returned from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, having attended the "Holy Spirit Teaching Mission Seminary," hosted by Charles Simpson, Don Basham, Derek Prince, and Bob Mumford—four godly men who became "fathers" of the charismatic renewal, which was at the time in its budding stages.

Joe had left the teachings with us to listen to. For the next four days my wife and I listened to these men while we ate our evening meals. Their teachings were marvelous. At the end of the week, Joe & his lovely wife, Jean, returned. It was a Wednesday evening. We were visiting in our living room when very deliberately Joe got up out of his chair, walked over to me, laid his hands on my head, and said, "receive the Holy Ghost." This time I was prepared.

That moment forever changed my life. My experience of being filled with the Spirit was more dramatic than even my born again experience. I calmly opened my mouth and began to speak sounds in another language. At first I was extremely self-conscious of what I was doing. Thoughts like "…but I’m making these words up" ran through my head. At one point, I put my hand over my mouth and mumbled to myself, "I can’t do this. I’m a Baptist!"

Nevertheless, as I continued speaking these marvelous syllables, I began sensing something wonderful happening in my spirit.

"This is you, Lord, isn’t it!" I thought.

"You’re here in this room!"

And that’s exactly what Jesus wanted me to sense. For when He was attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, He spoke, "…He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive…" (Jn.7:38,39)

I had just received the Spirit and the more I spoke, the more confident I became.

"I’m not making these words up. I couldn’t make these words up. Something wonderful is happening."

As I became more comfortable with the experience, I sensed His presence come upon me like I had never noticed before. God was not only within me; He was upon me! And this was a new experience. Again, scriptures bear out such an experience. John the Baptist, while preaching one day, said that’s exactly how we will recognize the Savior:

"UPON whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost" (Jn.1:33).

It was dawning on me--this experience Jesus himself performs. As I said earlier, that evening Jesus Christ walked out of the pages of the Bible and walked into our living room. As I continued praying in tongues, I began noticing that Jesus was rising up within me—like rivers of living water coming forth from my innermost being. His inner presence was flowing like a river. I had never recognized this before. As I continued speaking in another language, I soon recognized Jesus coming down over me, like the sensation of oil being poured down over my head. Again, this is the very sensation Jesus wanted me to feel:

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard…" (Psalms 133:1,2)

So this is what the power and presence of Jesus is like! I love it. It’s really rather intoxicating (Eph.5:18).

Truly, the scripture was right: It’s "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).

Up until that moment, my ministry primarily had been one of the mighty power of oratory. Baptists are generally excellent preachers. Sadly, but admittedly, my ministry by & large had been built upon the sinking sands of my personality and my oratory skills. I could move the people. But there seemed to be no lasting fruit.

Ironically, sitting there in our living room that evening in 1971, my wife and I actually experienced what we Baptists so fervently preach on—the Second Coming of Christ!

What we call the Second Coming is really His Third Coming. In John chapters 14, 15, & 16, the Master is preparing His disciples for His departure. He’s comforting them.

"Let not your heart be troubled," He told the twelve, "ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN…" (Jn.14:1-3)

The Lord did come again!  He returned in person--the person of His Spirit--fifty days later. And He’s been here on earth ever since. Since the Day of Pentecost, Christ can now be in more places at once. He can be within and upon His believers scattered throughout the entire earth. It’s a marvelous plan, really.

Since that eventful evening in 1972, I have witnessed His presence in all kinds of places; i.e., in pool halls, in taverns, restaurants, hotels, in spas, on the highways, in parks, homes, hospitals, and yes—even at grave sides. The dead have been raised during my generation.

The Pentecostal experience that Joseph and the early saints preached on and experienced happened to my wife and me.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." --Acts 2:4

That wonderful evening, my wife and I were filled with His Spirit, and WE began to speak as THE SPIRIT gave the utterance. We did the speaking; He formed the syllables.

My ministry has profoundly changed. It is no longer my ministry. On occasions too numerous to count, we have seen the precious Spirit of God (which is Jesus Christ really returned to earth) intervene in people’s lives, blessing them immeasurably, healing them when necessary, comforting them in sorrow, and overcoming them with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

In a real sense, I have been set free. I no longer have to produce or perform. Or struggle for results. Or preach sermons for effect. Truly his yoke is easy; his burden, light. I have simply learned through the years to "go with the flow." Without intending to sound sacrilegious, ministry is downright fun! It’s fun to see people set free. It’s fun to see families put back together. It’s fun to watch the downtrodden leap for joy. It’s fun to see the lame walk. It’s fun to witness His power and watch His resurrection life flow forth over a group of people. The two angels guarding the tomb were right: "…He is not here, but is risen…" (Lu.24:6).

Serving Jesus is fun!

Like His disciples, I too simply follow Him around and watch Him perform His miracles. It makes life and ministry so much simpler.

In closing, you might be thinking, "…then how can I speak in tongues? How can I release His presence & power in my life?"

While it’s true—the gospel cannot be taught; it must be caught—there is still a legitimate need for tutoring instruction because of the many stereotypical, biased teachings against this precious, sacred experience circulating within the Body of Christ.

How to receive the Spirit of Christ

 

1. Be hungry.

   You must want this experience. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Mt.5:6).

   You must come to the place where you want the presence of Jesus more than your own theology. This is a blessing to be enjoyed, not a doctrine to be argued.

2. By faith.

   Everything we receive from the Lord is by simple child-like faith. We must ask. We must believe His words, "For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask break of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil [or human] know how to give good gifts unto your children, HOW MUCH MORE shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"  --Luke 11:10-13

   There are those who say, "but how do I know that what I’m receiving is not some kind of trick of the Devil, or counterfeit?" Honestly, we seem to put more faith & confidence in the Devil than in the Lord’s word. How can you know? Because God said so. As a child of God, you need no more proof. God said it; that settles it. Our God would not be a kind heavenly father if, when in all sincerity we asked Him for the Holy Spirit, He allowed us to be tricked. He wouldn’t be God; He’d be a tyrant. You can always believe and trust God. He is in fact emphatic about the matter:

   "…how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him…"

   Brothers and sisters, if you ask for the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is what you receive.

3. You must act.

Like Peter, you must step out of the boat. And not be intimidated by new experiences. Though we're in uncharted waters (never done this before) we can trust the Master to do His part as we do ours.

Ask and receive in faith, then open your mouth and began to speak. Do your part. Speak the sounds that come forth. Don’t be afraid. Of course, they sound new. Perhaps a bit strange. As you speak the sounds, He forms the utterances. And a new miracle has just happened—another believer is releasing the anointing. (The devil hates it.) You are now experiencing the overflow of the infilling.

Now "…we are labourers together with God…" (I Cor.3:9).

Get ready for the most adventurous life you’ve ever known!

r

Page posted on July 7, 2001