The Mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Receiving and Walking in the Spirit of God's Anointing

From: L.M. Enterprises <htrails@solve.net>
To: Davids_Outcasts@listbot.com <Davids_Outcasts@listbot.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 1:17 AM
Subject: (888) The Mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit

David's Outcasts - http://www.GreaterThings.com/OpenForum/Davids_Outcasts.htm

Brian writes regarding the Baptism of Fire/Spirit...

I am wondering what other people's understanding and experience is regarding the matter of baptism of fire or of Spirit.

The mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit and its place in the restoration -- what a grand topic! Let's tackle it.

A few years ago my wife and I were asked to "...minister the Baptism in the Holy Spirit" to a group of RLDS saints here in the Center Place. Though not members of the RLDS Church, we were honored. Out of that experience--or shall I say, those experiences--came a deep understanding: Latter-day Saints have perhaps one of, if not, the richest of all heritages when it comes to the moving of the Spirit of God. What stories we can tell! What dreams and visions we must share. Ours is a revelatory religion from start to finish.

During those 18 months of ministering, we were privileged to witness many manifestations of the Spirit among Latter-day Saints...old and young. Many received the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit. As I said, let's tackle the subject...

 

THE MIGHTY BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
And its Place in the Restoration
(as presented to a group of RLDS Saints)
by
Lynn Ridenhour
(Part One)

I love the way Joseph puts things.

"...Again I say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority, and has been regularly ordained by the hands of the church. And again, the elders, priests, and teachers of this church, shall teach the Scriptures which are in the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, in the which is the fulness of the Gospel; and they shall observe the Covenants and church Articles to do them; and this shall be their teachings. And they shall be directed by the Spirit, which shall be given them by the prayer of faith; and IF THEY RECEIVE NOT THE SPIRIT, THEY SHALL NOT TEACH (caps mine). And all this they shall observe to do, as I have commanded concerning their teaching, until the fulness of my Scriptures are given. And as they shall lift up their voices by the Comforter, they shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good; for behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father, and of the Son. " --The Evening and the Morning Star, Vol.1, No.2, July, 1832; Revelation given to Joseph Smith, Jr. regarding church leaders' qualifications.

What does it take to be a member of Priesthood?

Joseph said under divine inspiration, if a priesthood member has not received the Spirit, he shall not teach. That is, he shall not minister, nor shall he preach. Joseph also said by revelation that church authority was evidenced by priesthood members having received the Spirit and by their moving in the gifts of the Spirit. Such are the qualifications of church leaders. They're to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

That's what it takes.

The above revelation evokes the question:

...Was Joseph Smith baptized in the Holy Spirit? Did he receive the Spirit? ...Did he baptize his followers in the Holy Spirit? ...And, as Restorationists, are we to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? ...And if so, what is it?

The answer is a hearty YES to all of the above. Let's take each question one at a time.

Joseph and the Holy Spirit:

Joseph depended upon the Spirit for everything: his ministry, his very life, his safety, his family's welfare, his sermons, his healings, his miracles, his food, his eternal salvation, his money, his anointings...

You name it and he leaned upon the Spirit for it.

And Joseph believed in (and taught) the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit to his followers (RLDS Vol.2, p.286). He knew he had to have it, and he knew his followers had to receive it. The (if I can use the word) success of the restoration movement depended upon receiving such an experience.

Joseph knew--simply organizing the Quorums and Priesthood as an act of ceremony would be like a hollow log trying to bring forth life. Impossible. Confirmation as ceremony and structure is meaningless and "dead" unless something happens! Each member of the Priesthood was to receive the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit, and be directed by the Spirit, or they were not "confirmed" as far as Joseph was concerned (RLDS Vol.1,p.87).

Joseph put it this way in a revelation he received in Independence, Missouri, July, 1832. No one was to "...go forth to preach..." or "...to build up my church... " unless he had the proper authority. And proper church authority was evidenced by being "...directed by the Spirit... " Joseph went so far as to say "...and if they receive not the Spirit, they shall not teach [or minister]" (see text). In other words, no power? Then no priesthood authority.

Another evidence of the priesthood member's calling was his ability to move in the gifts of the Spirit. "...And as they shall lift up their voices by the Comforter, they shall speak and prophesy.... "

Rest assured, when Joseph laid his hands on a Priesthood member, something happened! They prophesied. They moved in the gifts. The Spirit fell upon them. And everyone knew it. It's to be the same today.

If the Spirit doesn't fall during confirmation service on the priesthood member, that member is not "confirmed." He is not a priesthood member if he receives not the seal of the Spirit. If nothing happens. For it's the Spirit that equips; it's the Spirit's COMING that confirms. The initial sign of being a priesthood member is: that person can now release the anointing. Not that he carries a priesthood manual in his hip pocket.

He can now flow under the anointing and flow in the gifts of the Spirit. He can now cast out demons, perform miracles, and lay hands on the sick; he operates under the power of the gifts of the Spirit. He prophesies. He is baptized (or immersed) in the Spirit. In other words, he is a priesthood member for he has received the Spirit.

As Restorationists, we're just as dependent today upon receiving the baptism of the Spirit as they were in Joseph's day. As I said, it's the initial sign, or entrance, into the priesthood.

As Joseph so succinctly put it 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..." Wow! Joseph can say it no plainer. 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..."

What a glorious testimony to the Holy Spirit given by the Prophet! His statements still speak to us today.

We too must lean heavily upon the Spirit for our ministry, our life, our family's welfare, our sermons, healings, miracles, our food, our eternal salvation, our money and our anointings. You name it and we too must depend upon the Spirit for it.

So...

If the "life and survival" of the Restoration movement depends upon priesthood members and non-priesthood members alike receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, then... What Is It?

Let Joseph speak...

Here's an interesting anecdote recorded by Joseph on Sunday, the 4th. of November, 1838:

"...We were visited by some ladies and gentlemen. One of the women came up and very candidly inquired of the troops which of the prisoners was the Lord whom the 'Mormons' worshiped. One of the guards pointed to me with a significant smile and said, 'This is he.' The woman then turning to me inquired whether I professed to be the Lord and Savior. I replied that I professed to be nothing but a man and a minister of salvation, sent by Jesus Christ to preach the gospel. This answer so surprised the woman that she began to inquire into our doctrine, and I preached a discourse both to her and her companions and to the wondering soldiers, who listened with almost breathless attention while 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.p.285--86

(By the way, all references from church history can be found in both LDS and RLDS accounts. RLDS and LDS Volumes 1 & 2 are remarkably similar. Not until Volume 3 are there significant differences.)

Joseph Smith believed in and taught as doctrine of the Church the baptism in the Holy Spirit "...as recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles..."

And the saints experienced mighty outpourings of the Spirit on more than a few occasions.*

*RLDS Vol.1: p.60, p.77, p.87, p.117, p.276, p.p.277-78, p.440, p.591, p.627 RLDS Vol.2: p.2, p.20, p.24, p.286, p.299, p.522 RLDS Vo.l3: p.p.204-09, p.277, p.281, p.306, p.448, p.p.452-53, p.478, p.479, p.650, p.652 RLDS Vol.4: p.5, p.209, p.230 RLDS Vol. 5: p.p.382-85 RLDS Vol.6: 202

Outpourings:

"...the Holy Ghost was poured out upon us in a miraculous manner--many of our number prophesied, whilst others had the heavens opened to their view, and were so overcome that we had to lay them on beds..." -RLDS VOI.1, p.87

"……During the harvest I introduced the gospel into Batavia village. I preached seven times in the courthouse to attentive audiences composed of many of the first men in the place and others from the country round about. This served to break down much of the prejudice through this country. Since then we have had access to many neighborhoods through this region, and many are believing in almost every direction, and the Lord works with us and confirms the work with signs following them that believe; for they speak with new tongues and interpret them, many sick are healed, and even the deaf are made to hear and the dumb to speak..." -RLDS Vol.2, p.522

"...The gifts which follow them that believe and obey the gospel...began to be poured out among us, as in ancient days...I spoke to the conference in another tongue...the Lord poured out his Spirit in a miraculous manner...." -RLDS Vol.1, p.277, quoting Joseph Smith It bears repeating--the early restoration saints experienced the same baptism in the Holy Spirit that was poured out on the day of Pentecost.

It's my testimony--the experience is still occurring within the restoration today. Saints are still receiving the Spirit, still receiving their prayer language, still being overcome by the Spirit. Still being healed. Still being set free. The Lord is still "...pour[ing] out his Spirit in a miraculous manner..."

Since Joseph taught as doctrine of the Church the outpouring of the Spirit "...as recorded in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles," we need to take an in-depth look at this Pentecostal experience. For there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings among today's saints concerning the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Where do we begin?...

First, we need to observe the principles of proper interpretation. There is a maxim in God's word that applies to the Quad. It's called...

Exegesis:

That is--applying proper exegesis to the four-in-one. Concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the principle for proper interpretation is:

...If you want to know HOW TO RECEIVE the Holy Spirit, you need to go where the record records that event--which is the Book of Acts. ...If you want to know HOW TO USE WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY RECEIVED, then you must go to the proper source or record--which are the epistles, mainly First Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians. One tells you HOW to receive the Spirit; the other tells the Spirit-filled believer HOW TO WALK in the Spirit once he's received.

I have known Christians who have broken that law of exegesis and, as a result, have come up with all kinds of confusing conclusions. For instance, you can't go to the epistles and tell someone how to receive the Spirit. You may instruct them how to walk in the Spirit once they've received the Spirit. We must go to the Book of Acts, however, if we're to instruct someone how to receive the Spirit. As I said, I have seen that rule of exegesis broken. I have seen saints try to instruct others on how to receive the Spirit from the epistles.

And we must keep one distinction before us: Paul wrote his epistles to Spirit-filled believers. Not so today. Most believers have never received the mighty baptism in the spirit.

It comes to this: proper exegesis is crucial to understanding the person and work of the Spirit--lest we be confused and confuse others.

Let's move on...

Where Do We Find This Experience?

It's found throughout both sticks--the Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah.

(to be continued...)

(Part Two)

In our opening post, we gave a brief overview of what it takes to be a Priesthood member-basically to become Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. The mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit is the initiatory experience of having entered into the Priesthood. We're to wait on our ministry-to not minister or teach--until we receive this experience, according to Joseph. Let's continue...

Where Do We Find This Experience?

The outpouring of the Spirit is everywhere-if we look for it. 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. If I may say so, right under our noses. It's as though the Lord is saying-don't miss this, Saints. I'm going to put it in the first chapter.

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 was 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.

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

...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.

Which leads us to the question...

WHAT IS IT?

The baptism in the Spirit?

The baptism in the Holy Spirit 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.

For example, when were the twelve disciples converted? When were they "saved?" Or, when did they become a Christian?

They were saved on resurrection evening (Jn.20) and filled with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, forty days later (Acts 2). If you recall, on resurrection evening the dejected disciples were hiding away in a room when the Master appeared to them. He said, "Peace be unto you," and then he "breathed into them and saith, Receive ye the Holy Ghost... " (vs. 22).

The Holy Spirit entered INTO them. That's salvation. Forty days later, however, the Spirit came UPON them. And that's the critical distinction missed by most even today. As a Christian, you can have the Spirit WITHIN you but not UPON you! One experience takes you to heaven; the other brings heaven to you. One is for peace; the other, for power. One is for time; the other, for eternity. One benefits you; the other benefits others. One seals your destiny; the other seals your anointing.

In fact, now's a good time to draw some...

Distinctions:

...All Christians have the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9, I Cor. 12:3).

...All Christians do not have the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).

...For instance, why did the 12 disciples wait for Pentecost after John 20:22? Didn't they receive the Spirit in John 20?

Yes, but...

...in John 20 they received the Spirit INTO them;

...in Acts 2 they received the Spirit UPON them (Acts 1:8);

...in John 20 they received power to BECOME something they weren't (Sons of God, Jn. 1:12);

...in Acts 2 they received power TO DO something they couldn't (be effective witnesses, Acts l:8);

...in John 20 a well of water springs up, but not overflows (Jn. 4:16, Isa. 12:3);

...in Acts 2 rivers of water flow out, and overflow (Jn. 7:38,39);

...Salvation is like a well for you to drink from; the Baptism in the Spirit is like rivers for others to drink from;

...in John 20 they benefited; in Acts 2 others benefited;

...John 20 will take you to heaven; Acts 2 brings heaven to you;

...John 20 is for salvation; Acts 2 is for service;

...John 20 is for eternity; Acts 2 is for time.

Praise his name for such distinctions!

One other set of distinctions...

...In the new birth, the Holy Spirit immerses the unbeliever into Christ (I Cor. 12:13, Gal.3:27).

...In the baptism in the Spirit, Christ immerses the believer into the Holy Spirit (Mt.3:38b).

...In the new birth, the Holy Spirit introduces the sinner to Christ.

...In the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Christ introduces the believer to the Holy Spirit.

...In the new birth, the Holy Spirit is the administrator.

...In the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Christ is the administrator.

As we say here in Missouri, Hallelujah.

Let's clear something up...

Terminology:

Don't get confused or bogged down over terminology. As one brother said, "...it's not-can you name it; it's do you have it!" Another brother put it this way, "...an empty bottle can have a correct label." I heard one old preacher say, "...you can be as straight as a gun barrel and just as empty."

In the Quad and in church history you will find various terms describing the same experience. For instance, Joseph the Third refers to this Pentecostal experience as the "...acceptation of the Messiahship." (RLDS Vol.3, p.650)--certainly a term we would not choose today--and states boldly, there can be no unity in the Church without the saints receiving this experience.

The Book of Mormon is fond of the terms "filled" and "poured out."

The book of Acts uses the following terms:

..."baptized in the Holy Spirit" (1:5; 11:16)

..."coming upon" or "falling upon" (1:8; 8:16, 10:44; 11:15; 19:6)

...The Holy Spirit, or the gift of Holy Spirit being "poured out upon" (2:17; 2:33; 10:45)

..."filled with the Spirit" (2:4; 9:17)

..."receiving the Holy Spirit"(8:15,17,19; 10:47, 19:2)

..."the promise of my father" or "the promise of the father" (Lu.24:48; Acts 1:4)

All of the above terms are describing the same experience: the Pentecostal experience which Joseph taught and which the early saints received.

The various terms share a commonality...

They are describing two witnesses: an inner witness and an outer witness. And these two witnesses are occurring almost simultaneously. Let's return 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

A gateway implies: the gate is shut once you walk through it. You can't go back.

There are two features about this blessed experience: 1) it's total, and 2) it's transitional.

By its very nature, the experience is total; that is, it involves your whole personality. The animals entering Noah's ark are an excellent example of total transformation. The animals had to have a change of personality to enter the ark--and to get along! The baptism in the Holy Spirit supernaturally changes your personality.

It's also transitional. You pass out of one stage (realm of experience) into a new stage (realm of experience), never to return to the previous stage! (Remember, the gate is shut.) The experience is not a transitory experience that needed to be repeated. Instead, it is an abiding state or condition of fullness into which the disciples entered.

Acts 2:4 states, they "were all filled with the Spirit. " The Greek word is "eplesthesan," which is aorist tense; ingressive aorist, to be exact. The verb signifies a state or condition. What happened on the day of Pentecost was not an "...on again, off again, gone again" type of experience. It was not (as my Baptist brethren delight in saying) one filling, many baptisms, or repeated baptisms.

No...

I repeat-the Greek verb for "filled" is not transitory by definition. On the contrary--it was an endowment of power that abides forever!

And the experience is still happening two thousand years later. It's happening within the Restoration today.

THE PURPOSE:

What's the purpose of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit

(to be continued...)

(Part Three)

 

The Mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit and its Place in the Restoration

by Lynn Ridenhour (Part Three)

In our previous post, we noted some distinctions:

All Christians have the Holy Spirit (Rom.8:9, I Cor.12:3); all Christians do not have the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2). In John 20 the disciples received the Spirit INTO them; in Acts 2 they received the Spirit UPON them. A Latter-day Saint needs the Spirit in and upon. Let's continue.

THE PURPOSE:

What is the purpose of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

I see a two-fold purpose in the endtime plan of God. Every restoration saint (every Christian, for that matter) is to receive the mighty baptism in the Spirit so that (s)he may.

1) live the overflowing life, and

2) live a warrior's life.

Saints, we're called to be Overcomers. Warriors in the endtime. Do you see yourself as a warrior?

It takes experiencing the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit for a Christian to be an overcomer, to overflow in ministry, and to do spiritual warfare. Carrying a priesthood card won't qualify you for the above challenges. And I don't mean to sound facetious.

That means.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not optional. Especially in our day. It's not just for "Type-A" believers; for those eccentrics of the faith who like to live on the edge. Take risks and be counted. Every child of God, regardless of temperament, needs to walk in victory.

We're not talking temperament here; we're talking survival in the endtime. Satan's no fool. Fact: it's either, learn to storm the gates of hell or live your life in a storm. It's either, be a Victor or be a victim. It's either, take the kingdom or be taken captive. Yes, we're in the eleventh hour. The Body of Christ is entering the initial transition stage of the kingdom age. The Stone was cut out of the mountain in 1830. It's been picking up speed, rolling down hill ever since. And God is looking for endtime warriors to pick up the pieces. Experiencing the overflowing life and doing spiritual warfare is for every Christian.

The Overflowing Life:

Let's make some simple observations of the Christian life; some ". well, I knew that. " kinds of statements.

. The Lord wants you living a life that overflows. . It is impossible to minister to Him and to others except through, and by means of, the overflow.

. The overflowing life is the happy and holy life.

. Others are attracted to the life that overflows.

. All effective ministry comes out of overflow.

. Others can tell if you're overflowing. Or not.

. It's the overflow that releases ministry.

. Stop the overflow and you stop the anointing.

. The overflow is the result of the infilling.

. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the gateway into the overflowing life.

Not A Doctrine:

I want to stop and deal with a typical misconception: that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a doctrinal position to be accepted or rejected. That if your particular group does not teach the need for it, then perhaps you'll "...pass on this one." You really don't see the need for "...all that tongue-talking.... " I have heard saints repeat those actual words. "I really don't see the need for it."

What?!

You don't see the need to overflow! You mean you can minister half full?! Or half empty?!

No. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a doctrinal position to be accepted or rejected; it's an overflowing lifestyle for everyone to enter into.

We Christians must take this particular experience out of the realm of doctrine and put it back where it belongs: in the realm of ministry overflow and spiritual warfare. What Christian doesn't want to overflow? Doesn't want to do spiritual warfare? I'll say it again--ministering out of the overflow and doing spiritual warfare are not options.

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 has a unique way of destroying our idols. I think He even has a sense of humor about it. I thought I was so important to God back then. I was God's policeman, listening for clues among his kids, spying, diligently taking notes on doctrinal heretics, reporting my latest findings to God and to others--with a proud sense of "mission accomplished" each time I uncovered the latest heretic in town.

I was a fundamentalist Baptist preacher on faculty at Jerry Falwell's university! You didn't want to mess with me. Some of us faculty members had bumper stickers on our cars, "No Jesus, No Peace; Know Jesus, Know Peace. " We were the ones who wore suits and narrow ties to grocery stores; who passed out "Turn or Burn!" tracts in the doorway.

I screamed such thunders from the pulpit...

"Tongues is of the devil!" "Miracles have ceased!" And "...the rapture could happen any minute!" I had it all charted out in the back of my Scofield Bible. I was the fundamentalist Dirty Harry of our faculty. Go ahead, make my day. Bring up your lousy doctrine, if you dare.

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.

(* I had yet to understand the nature of a gift. Receiving a gift from God has nothing to do with spiritual maturity. Or the lack of it. No Christian works real hard and is then rewarded with a gift. We don't reach a certain level and then God says, "Ok, you deserve this gift now." No, grace is impartial; totally undeserving. Receiving His gifts reflects God's holiness; not ours. Receiving a gift tells everything about the one who gave it, but tells nothing about the one who receives it. A gift reflects the character of the one giving, not the one receiving.) 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 was wanting to use me. Or wanting 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.

Example...

Have you ever wondered why Jesus in the gospels never told any two people to do the same thing to be saved? As one more than a little interested in theology, that fact amazes me. For example, he told Nicodemus, "ye must be born again." He never told anyone else that. He told the woman at the well to go call her five husbands if she wanted to drink of the everlasting waters (be saved). Jesus told Zachaeus to come down out of that tree, ".for today salvation abides at your house. " I find that all very interesting.

Jesus told one person he had to become like a little child, told another to call her husbands, and told another to come down out of a tree--and each would experience salvation. What in the world is the Master up to? He's demonstrating a powerful truth here--you won't find a PLAN of Salvation in the scriptures; you will find a PERSON of Salvation. He's crossing each of these individuals at their points of rebellion and...he's killing their gods. Nicodemus' god was religion; his point of rebellion was his pride of intellect. Jesus said, unless you see the virtue of simplicity and child-likeness, you will never enter the kingdom. Nicodemus, unless you become as a little child, you will never know the living God. Pride of intellect is a terrible thing. It will keep you from the living God. Jesus had to kill his god! The woman's god was the lust of the flesh. Jesus had to kill her god! Zachaeus' god was pride. He was too "high and mighty." He had to "come down." Jesus had to kill his god.

As one brother said, ".none have more pride than those who think they have none." Ouch. I honestly thought I had no pride when it came to this matter of Pentecostal doctrine. I know two things: 1) Jesus will cross each of us at our points of rebellion and strongholds, and he will kill our gods before he really uses any of us.

Back to my situation...

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.

Truth never has, and never will, fit neatly into our systematic theology. It's too unpredictable. Too strange. Too sovereign. Too wild, if I can use the expression. For instance, what if you heard an "inner voice" telling you to "take your clothes off in public and preach a sermon. I'll bless it and cause people to respond." What would you think?

Wouldn't your theology tell you, that's the devil talking. And your theology could be wrong. For that's exactly what the Lord told Isaiah to do--to walk up and down the streets naked for three years. "The Lord said,...my servant Isaiah ... walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt.... " -Isa.20.2

God--not the devil--told Isaiah to take his clothes off and preach.

I know--our theology can't handle it. We would much rather allegorize that passage. What if you heard that same voice saying to you, "If you will spit on the ground, throw mud in that person's eye over there, and tell him to go wash in the pool down the road, I'll restore his eyesight. " Would you do it? Would God instruct you to do such an "off the wall" foolish thing. Yes. That's exactly what Jesus did one day to a blind man (Jn.9:6-7).

One other illustration...

What if you were getting ready to preach to a certain crowd one Sunday morning and the Lord said to you, "I want you to preach lies this morning. These people have changed my truth into lies. They wouldn't believe my truth if you preached it, so preach lies to them and I'll cause them to believe your lies. "

You say, come on! God wouldn't do that?!

Your theology could be wrong again. There was a group of people in the Bible "...who changed the truth of God into a lie... " (Rom. 1:25). So God said to one of his prophets, "...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved ... for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie... " (11 Thess. 2:10-11)

That's really hard on our theology!

God caused them to believe a lie. Not the devil. God.

I'm aware, I'm close to belaboring my point. (And no, we haven't strayed from our point.) My point is: God is not playing games in these last days. One way or another, he will kill your gods, destroy your idols--even your theology--for He wants to use you; he wants to come to you. He wants to build up his kingdom with you. However, he only comes to and keeps around those who are serious disciples. Those who want Him above all else.

It's a fact of scripture--God will run you off if he can. He will get rid of you if he can. (I know--that sounds strange.) One afternoon Jesus turned to Peter and said, "I've run everyone else off. You going to leave too?" And Peter responded, "Lord, I'd go too, but I'm a desperate man. You have the words of eternal life. " In other words, Lord, you've ruined me. I can't go back and I can't go forward without your grace.

God is looking for a group of people that will follow him at all cost. He's looking for kingdom builders (not church goers). Kingdom builders that obey his sometimes "off-the-wall," ridiculous instructions: "...spit on the ground and throw mud in that person's eye." "...Preach lies to this group..." God is looking for a group of people who have dumped their doctrinal idols. They have pitched their theology at his command. They're like Peter: Lord, you've ruined me. You ruined my theology and I'm not interested in returning to my vocation. Religion no longer interests me, Lord, and neither does my career.

Kingdom builders are left and stuck with Him. They've exhausted their options, really. They have no other place to go but to follow the Master. The world doesn't want them and most of the religious folks won't have them.

It comes to this--how bad do you want his presence? How bad do you want to build up his kingdom in these last days?

Enough to do what Isaiah did? Preach naked? Enough to spit on the ground and throw mud in a stranger's eyes? Enough to preach lies if he tells you?

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.

(conclusion to be continued.)

 

(Part Four)

One question sooner or later always surfaces...

"Do I have to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Spirit?"

That's the wrong question.

The real question is, "Do I have to yield my tongue in order to be filled with the Spirit?"

We must keep in mind, in salvation your Will is involved; in the baptism in the Holy Spirit your personality is yielded. The Spirit-filled life, or we should say--the overflowing life, is a yielded life. We have yielded all our members to God, including our tongue. Especially our tongue. Paul discusses in Romans 6 the need for us to yield our members; that is, to yield our old man unto God.

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." -Romans 6:12-13 Paul is talking about yielding. Specifically yielding every member. Question: what is the last member of your personality to usually yield? James tells us...

Our tongue!

Listen to James, the brother of our Lord:

"..the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members,that it defileth the whole body..." -James 3:6

That's strong language, but inspired language. The tongue is an "...instrument of unrighteousness." 0, how wicked it can be.

The tongue is "...a world of iniquity...." The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. We bless God with it while we curse and judge our fellowman in the same breath.

"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren (note--James is speaking to Christians) these things ought not so to be. " --James 3:8-10

Christians are blessing and cursing. With the tongue. So I repeat--the question is not: "Do I have to speak in tongues to be filled with the Spirit?" But: "Do I have to yield my tongue--that member that no man can tame, that member that is an unruly evil, that evil that controls my whole personality, that member that spews out blessings to God and criticism toward men?"

That is the real question.

Why is it so important for you to yield your tongue to the Lord? Because you get to exchange your tongue for his! Let me say: you get to exchange your "judgment tongue" for his "grace tongue."

We are so judgmental with our tongue.

Do you realize--your "mother tongue;" that is, the language you speak daily is cursed. Is under the judgment of God. You possess a judgment tongue, a "...judged tongue."

Where did you get your "mother tongue?" Your "judgment tongue?" The Bible tells us, but the Book of Mormon is even more precise.

"..Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some other and their families, from the great tower [of Babel], at the same time the Lord confounded the language of the people ... the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared...." --Ether 1:7-9

The Bible also tells us, there was a time when "...the whole earth was of the same language..." (Gen. 11:1). We know the story. The people wanted to build a tower "...whose top will be high, nigh unto heaven; ...let us make us a name..." (Gen. 11:3).

The people's intellectual arrogance and vain "imaginings" were trying to reach the heavens. Thus, the Lord "...was displeased with their works, and did confound the language of all the earth... " (vs. 6). Your "mother tongue" stands for intellectual arrogance and spiritual pride. It's with our "mother tongue" that we are critical, judgmental, and intellectually arrogant, that we curse our fellow man and bless our God at the same time.

Our tongue came from the tower of Babel.

It's truly a judgment tongue. We judge people with it; we even spew out our intellectual religious doctrines onto one another with it. Truly James was right. Our "mother tongue" is a "world of iniquity."

Now, look at what happened on the day of Pentecost.

God reversed the curse of Babel! With the tongue he confounded and cursed the nations at the tower of Babel. With the tongue God blessed and united the nations on the day of Pentecost! He reversed the curse.

One tongue was a "judgment tongue;" the other was a "grace tongue." One tongue cursed; the other tongue blessed. One tongue divided; the other tongue united. The 120 in the Upper Room that day exchanged their "judgment tongue," their "mother tongue," for his "grace tongue." And every Christian needs his "grace tongue."

Here's an interesting comparison of scriptures:

David says, "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices..." (Psa. 16:9). Peter, on the day of Pentecost, quotes David as saying, "...Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad... " (Acts 2.26) Instead of saying "my glory, " Peter says "my tongue."

My tongue is my glory! Or my curse!

The Spirit-filled tongue, your "grace tongue," is your glory. Here's something to ponder: I've never heard a believer praying in tongues who's that moment "bad mouthing" his brothers and sisters, or anyone else for that matter!

David also said, "...My heart is fixed, 0 God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory [my tongue]; awake..." (Psa. 57:7-8. And "O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory..." (Psa. 108:1).

Speaking in tongues is praise and glory. It's one of the ways we fix our heart on Him.

(conclusion to be continued...)

(Conclusion)

My wife and I stayed and ministered with the CCC RLDS Saints for about eighteen months-an alternative style of worship geared towards young people and young couples. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. And witnessed the manifestation of the Spirit in our midst. During that time, certain questions kept emerging. We kept hearing essentially the same misconceptions surfacing over and over. It is those misconceptions I wish to address.

Here they are.

MISCONCEPTIONS:

"There was too much tongue-speaking in that meeting for me. I never did hear anybody interpret. It sounded like confusion to me."

Implication: the gift of tongues was being abused, if not favored over the other gifts. And God is not the author of confusion.

"It's the least of all the gifts, you know."

Implication: there are major and minor gifts. The gifts of faith, wisdom and knowledge are the major ones; the gifts of healing, tongues and interpretation are the minor ones; they're the emotional gifts. And must be cautiously monitored in a group setting, lest instability take over the group.

* "Tongues are for unbelievers, you know. They're for a sign to the unbeliever."

Implication: the Body of Christ doesn't need them today.

* "We must be careful not to emphasize the gifts of the Spirit to the neglect of the fruit of the Spirit. "

Implication: it's very easy to become too imbalanced and enamored when the gifts begin operating.

I would say--these four statements (and similar ones) kept surfacing among the saints. And all four (including the implications) are based upon faulty reasoning. They're based upon improper exegesis of scripture. As a result, untold damage has been done to more than a few restoration saints for believing the above statements and their implications.

Let's address each...

First, "there was too much tongue-speaking in that meeting for me. I never did hear anybody interpret. Too much confusion for me."

That statement comes from not understanding...

Different Kinds of Tongues:

The person who made that statement would have really been out of place in the restoration during Joseph's day. Listen to some of Joseph's meetings...

" ...speaking and praying, all in tongues, occupied the conference, until a late hour at night... " --RLDS Vol.1, p.278

That's a lot of tongue-speaking!

"...At Kirtland, we were called to the School of the Prophets. At one time Joseph was in the translation room, and myself and others were talking about the gift of tongues, when the gift of tongues fell upon me and I spoke under its influence. Joseph came into the room and said, 'God bless you, Brother Coltrin, that is the Spirit of God.' He told me to continue, and the gift of tongues and of prophesying rested on the greater part of the brethren and we continued in tongues and prophesying through that day and the greater part of the night." --Address of Zebedee Coltrin, Feb.5, 1878

Speaking in tongues continued into "the greater part of the night" during the days of Joseph. I'll say it again-many of today's restoration saints, I'm afraid, would accuse Joseph of favoring the gift of tongues.*

(* If you would have been present at one of Joseph's meetings, perhaps there as a reporter, listening to the greater part of the brethren speak in tongues way "...into the night..." believe me, it would have sounded like confusion! All those brethren speaking at once! In another language. What do we have here? Tongue-speaking sounds like confusion to those who don't speak in tongues. That's exactly what Paul said too (I Cor.14:16). Even if you bow your head to say grace at a meal and give thanks in the Spirit (in tongues) the "unlearned" (the Greek word is "uninitiated") will be confused. To the onlooker, to the uninitiated, glossalalia sounds like gibberish. Like confusion. That's why the verse, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (I Cor.14.40) is often quoted by those who don't speak in tongues as support not to speak in tongues. The uninitiated (to use Paul's term) equate reverence and quietness as an example of the above verse. However, the analogy breaks down: there is reverence and quietness in any cemetery! Everything's certainly done decently and in order. All the tombstones are in a row. In order. But there's obviously no life there!)

That's because they don't understand...

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

Joseph makes a distinction--as do the scriptures.

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.

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.

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 is for the purpose of ministry overflow and spiritual warfare. Tongues of praise requires 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, requires an interpretation and is 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. No. The gift of tongues is not being abused. Or favored.

Often times tongues of praise are being exercised 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 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.

Let's look at the second misconception...

"...It's the least of all gifts, you know. "

Implication: why favor the least of all gifts? That's a sign of partiality, if not immaturity.

The problem with the above statement is: it's based upon a false classification of the gifts.False premise; thus, false reasoning. The above statement assumes a theology of importance concerning the gifts of the Spirit. I don't find that in the Bible or the Book of Mormon. Much of restoration's church literature, when writing on the gifts of the Spirit, uses phrases like "major gifts," "minor gifts," "incidental gifts," or "spectacular gifts" (John Garver, Lectures for World Church Appointees, mid-1940s). I've been spending more than a few hours in the archives of the RLDS library, and I've read over twenty-six articles (all I could find) on the subject of the gifts, ranging from 1937 ("Use and Abuse of Spiritual Gifts," by President Elbert A. Smith; Saints Herald, Nov.13, 1937) to 1975 ("Expressions of the Holy Spirit," by Clifford A. Cole, Saints Herald, Vol. 122, No. 1, 1975). All twenty-six articles use the same classification; a theology of importance: major and minor, incidental or spectacular when referring to the gifts of the Spirit.

As I said, it's the wrong classification. The Bible and Book of Mormon do not demonstrate a theology of importance but a theology of difference.

That distinction is critical.

Take, for example, the words "spectacular," "inferior," major," and "minor." These terms only have significance if a classification where such terms possess a comparative and valuative significance are important. What if, however, the Bible or Book of Mormon did not present a "classification of importance" concerning the spiritual gifts? Such terms, then, would carry a meaningless description. And that's exactly my point: comparative terms are meaningless when discussing the gifts.

Actually, such terms are highly misleading. To say that one gift is different from another is not to compare or to evaluate its importance. Something can be different and not be more or less important. Paul says...

We can never make the statement, ".tongues is one of the lesser gifts." In fact, he emphasized that very danger. It's a trap. The RLDS leadership has fallen into Paul's trap: identifying gifts as a classification of importance. Paul said in I Corinthians 12:21, "The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee (or that I am better than you); nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you (or that I am more important). "

Paul is saying ...to compare importance is wrong; it's a false classification. It's applying faulty exegesis. The only thing the hand can ever say to the foot is, "I'm different from you." And, likewise, the only thing we can ever say about the gift of tongues in comparison to the gift of wisdom or knowledge is, it's different. Not better. Not inferior. Or more or less spectacular. Can you imagine the hand saying to the foot, "I'm more spectacular than you!"

We can never say that certain gifts (i.e., wisdom and knowledge) tend to make us more mature while certain gifts (i.e., tongues and healing) tend to keep us unstable and immature. (I take that back--you can say that if you fall into Paul's trap: i.e., importance theology.) Then what can we say about the gift of tongues? Or any gift?

It's different! That's all.

I'll say it again-the Book of Mormon and the Bible teach a theology of DIFFERENCE; not a theology of IMPORTANCE concerning our approach to the gifts of the Spirit. There is no such thing as: "lesser gifts." "Major and minor gifts."

That's heresy.

Let's move on...

The next misconception: "Tongues are for unbelievers, you know. They're for a sign to the unbeliever. "

I know where that conclusion came from. I Corinthians 14:22:

"... tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not.... "

First of all, this is a classic example of "text-wrenching," or "text-proofing." That is, it's yanking a text out of context to prove a pre-determined point of view. It's improper exegesis. Read on...

The rest of that verse says, "...but prophesying serveth ...for them which believe."

Are we to say, some of the gifts are for unbelievers and some are for believers? That tongues are for unbelievers while prophesy is for believers? It won't work. Again, the misunderstanding comes from "lumping together" all the different kinds of tongues into one; therefore, drawing false conclusions.

This passage is referring to tongues of "other lips" (vs.21), or languages. Tongues of languages was heard on the day of Pentecost. "...we do hear them speak in our tongues..."(Acts2:11). Meaning the Cretes and Arabians heard the Jews speak in their own language, though the Jews spoke in their own language. Or--meaning, the Jews were supernaturally speaking their language. I heard just last week of a British minister smuggling Bibles into Russia, speaking to the Russians in English and their hearing him in Russian. Likewise, they spoke to the Englishman in Russian but the Englishman heard the Russians speaking in English.

That's tongues of language. Of "other lips."

Joseph himself stated, "Tongues were given for the purpose of preaching among those whose language is not understood, as on the day of Pentecost."

How many "tongues" are there?

We know there are: tongues of angels (I Cor.13:1, II Nephi 13:17); tongues of language (Acts 2); tongues of praise (Acts 10:46); and tongues of prophecy (I Cor.12). I'm sure there are more. Adam's tongue, for one.

Why would someone say, tongues are for the unbeliever? Because tongues of language are. But the others are not! It won't do to lump all tongues. I never will forget the story Don Basham told me. During the Korean war a GI married a Korean girl and brought her home to the states. They settled in Wisconsin. She was a Buddhist; he was a Christian. They worked out an arrangement where she would attend church with him, but she would worship Buddha while he worshiped Christ. One morning the two were kneeling at the altar. An old lady praying in tongues was kneeling next to the Korean wife. All of a sudden the wife grabbed her husband's arm...

'Listen!" she said.

"To what?"

"To that old lady over there.

"Why?" remarked the husband.

"She's praying in my Korean tongue!"

A bit startled, the husband asked , "What's she saying?"

"She just called me by my Korean name. And you don't even know that. And she's praying in our high dialect we only use when we worship in our Buddhist temples."

"Well, what's she saying?" asked the husband again.

"She's saying, 'You have tried Buddha and he hasn't helped you. Why don't you try Christ."'

And the old lady had never been out of her home state, Wisconsin! She didn't know a word of high dialect Korean. Yes, tongues of language are a sign to unbelievers. But that's just one tongue.

Finally, our last misconception...

"We must be careful not to emphasize the gifts of the Spirit to the neglect of the fruit of the Spirit. " I couldn't agree more! But, really, our concern is moot. It'll never happen. Gifts operating in his people produce fruit. They produce holiness, awe, and a deep reverence for God. His manifested power is always a sacred experience and leaves us standing on holy, hallowed ground.

Another thing: God is the source of both gifts and fruit. Do we, as mere mortals, really think we can manipulate the Almighty? Coax him into the amount, or dosage, of gifts and fruit he releases upon his people?

Don't you think He knows what He's doing? Are we saying, when we express our concern over emphasizing the gifts and leaving the fruit behind, that we can divide up God? It almost sounds like it. The Christian God is holistic, not atomistic. You can't divide Him up at will. "Here's a bunch of fruit and a few gifts over here," and "Here's a lot of gifts and a little fruit over there.

Have we forgotten who's the potter and who's the clay? It's like my worrying about receiving a glass of water while not getting enough wetness along with it. Impossible. My worry is moot. The two come together--wetness and water. So do the Spirit and His gifts and/or fruit. He comes with his attributes. He distributes both. We don't. And we certainly don't decide who gets more or less.

Another thing: aren't we being just a bit presumptuous! Worrying about abuses and excesses of gifts? Isn't it a bit silly of us to be overly concerned with abuses when we ain't got the uses?! At least, excessive uses. Why worry about the effects of the sonic boom when you don't live near the landing strip? And why worry about the gift of miracles when you haven't seen one lately?

Yes, I'm being a bit tongue-'n'-cheek, but for a purpose.

SUMMARY:

There they are--the four misconceptions I kept running into among restoration saints. And misconceptions they are.

..."There was too much tongue-speaking in that meeting for me. I never did hear anybody interpret. Too much confusion for me. "

..."It's the least of all gifts, you know.

."Tongues are for unbelievers, you know. They're for a sign to the unbeliever."

."We must be careful not to emphasize the gifts of the Spirit to the neglect of the fruit of the Spirit."

I must say-our condition of mistrust and suspicion often times is not due to the absence of God's evidence concerning spiritual gifts, but to our own blindness, which is related to the sin problem-namely our hubris. Our pride.

May God help us rediscover His gifts and the mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit within the restoration.

Both are a delight.

And a must.

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POSTSCRIPT:

To all David's Outcasts:

You've just been victimized once again by Ridenhour's ramblings. For that I apologize. That is, for the length of the matter. However, I do not apologize for the subject matter. When Brian asked the question, ".I am wondering what other people's understanding and experience is regarding the matter of baptism of fire or of Spirit."-I must admit, he hit one of my spiritual raw nerves. I couldn't resist. Again, my apologies for the length of the matter.

I leave you with these thoughts.

SWINGING THE PENDULUM:

More than a few saints today are rediscovering the joy of worship again within the restoration movement. Present controversies are fading away and Christ's presence is taking center stage.

It has always been the nature of God to move the theological pendulum back to the center. For instance, every new move of God in history came as a result of a particular truth being neglected. By its very definition, restoration of truth implies neglect of truth. Here is a truth that's gotten buried in the restoration today-balance of expression between the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The truth is buried in both our individual lives and our corporate worship. For the most part, the gifts are absent among restoration saints today. That ought not be.

The early saints had both expressions. We're trying to get by on one.

I believe the Spirit's plea for today's restoration saint is-swing the pendulum! Swing it back toward the center. It's swung in the direction of the fruit of the Spirit and inner holiness. Swing it toward the gifts. The early saints reveled in God's power while walking in holiness.

I suggest we do the same.