Tongues, Signs, Wonder & Holy Spirit Baptism

Table of Contents:

1. Tongues
2. Purpose of Tongues
3. Prayer Language
4. Prayer Tongues
5. Modern Tongues
6. Tongues Effects
7. Receiving the Spirit
8. Our Attitude
9. A Sign for Jews
10. Holy Spirit Baptism
11. More Power to You

Introduction

Throughout the Bible there were miraculous experiences and miracles. And God is the God of miracles. Yet at the same time throughout the Bible in both the Old Testament and New Testament Satan counterfeited some of Gods’ miracles and works. The only way of knowing for sure whether something is of God, Satan, or man’s flesh is only knowing what God’s holy written Word says about it.

When a person assumes they can discern by what they see, hear or think something to be good or right, they will always be set up for deception. They will always be easy prey for the devil, the world’s great deceiver, as Jesus described the Devil.

The apostle Paul said, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Corinthians 11:14). Only a proud Christian will think they can know the difference. Eve clearly saw fruit from a tree that looked so good, she heard motivating words how good and right it would be for her to experience it and finally in her logic she unquestionably thought it was good and right. There was only one problem. God’s Word said otherwise. She was wrong!

The apostle Paul warns that even if “an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8, 9). It makes no difference how wonderful an experience may be, if it doesn’t match God’s Word, it always is wrong.

The apostle Paul warned the Colossians not to listen to one who is “taking his stand on visions he has seen… not holding fast to the Head” (Colossians 2:18, 19). You may know some sincere person who has had visions but that does not make it right, unless the Head through His Word says it’s right. How do we hold fast to the Head? Verses six and seven tell us: “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught (Colossians 2:6,7). They were to hold fast to the Scriptures they were taught, not to visions or experiences.

Does this mean that experience is wrong? Of course not. The Christian life is a love affair with Jesus Christ. Love is experiential, not just theoretical. But Jesus gives the pattern for us to follow in John 8:32, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” But don’t miss the verse right before it, verse 31, says what the truth is: “Your Word is truth.” God’s design is that we go from truth to experience, not from experience to truth. We must test experience with Scripture, and not try to use proof texts of Scripture to prove experiences. Jeremiah rebuked misleading prophets who “perverted the words of the living God” (Jeremiah 23:36). We must hear Isaiah when he said: “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn” (Isaiah 8:20 NIV).