Praying in the Spirit: Focus of the Charismatic Experience: Tongues, the Holy Spirit, or Christ?

One Monday a friend, an Episcopal rector, visited him and his wife and told them the story of a “bizarre” couple in his church who had started attending faithfully after years of inactive membership. The more Bennett heard about the couple, the more bizarre they sounded. The rector explained: “They’re just there—looking happy. They glow like little lightbulbs. They’re so loving and ready to help whenever I ask them. In fact, I don’t have to ask them—they volunteer. They’ve started tithing …”

The Bennetts eventually met the couple and discovered that this couple had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and had spoken in other tongues. Curiosity got the best of them and, thus, triggered their inquiry into the baptism and the phenomenon of tongues.

I realize that the Bible says there is nothing new under the sun, but in my associations with Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals alike I have learned to expect the unexpected when the conversation turns to tongues. In fact, the very basis for my discussing this subject is that people have questions about speaking in other tongues. Such inquiries compel Pentecostals and charismatics to address the issue, whether they want to or not!

The second reason this gift draws attention is that tongues-speaking is “manifested in each case when believers receive their baptism in the Holy Spirit” (H. Horton, p. 131). It is easily shown that Scripture inextricably links the baptism in the Holy Spirit with charismatic activity (see Acts 2, 8, 10, 19). True, there occur conversions and Spirit-fillings that are merely stated (or implied) without elaboration. Charismatic activity is not mentioned on these occasions, but neither is it said not to have occurred. On the other hand, wherever Luke describes a filling with or baptism in the Holy Spirit and includes outward evidence as part of that description, that evidence is consistently tongues-speaking (Acts 2, 10, 19). Moreover, in the pivotal, model-like occurrences of Spirit baptism recorded in Scripture, tongues appear without fail. Luke builds his model or paradigm upon the Spirit baptism of the Jews (Acts 2) and the Gentiles (Acts l0-1l 1) in which cases speaking in tongues was evidence that the baptism had taken place. Furthermore, given the high incidences of Spirit baptism with tongues today and given the positive effects of this experience, it is apparent that, pragmatically, any denial of tongues is not reasonable and most probably based upon bias.

The third reason tongues draw attention is that the gift is “so obviously and arrestingly supernatural that it challenges at once those who do not believe in the supernatural” (H. Horton, p. 131). Many Christians have testified that when they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the New Testament signification of tongues-speaking, they also received a greatly increased hunger for the Word of God; others have expressed a greater desire to pray; still others have found themselves with a heavier burden for the lost. Now it should not be thought that studying the Word, praying, or witnessing is an “arrestingly supernatural” activity (although for some of us it comes close!). On the other hand, speaking in unknown tongues can be very arresting—it arrested 3,000 souls on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41)! Luke describes the Jerusalem crowd who witnessed the Pentecost phenomenon of tongues as “amazed and perplexed.” Some asked, “What does this mean?” Others answered, “They have had too much wine” (Acts 2:12-3). As tongues testified to the rigid religionists of Luke’s day, so they testify to listeners today: Be filled with the Spirit!

Fourth, the value and function of other gifts are more certain. Charles Conn, Church of God historian and theologian, believes that tongues-speaking is often avoided or neglected simply because its purposes and benefits are not understood (even though Paul wrote more about this gift than any other gift). In his book The Balanced Church, Conn suggests that no other gift poses the problem that the gift of tongues poses:

 

Such gifts as the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the discerning of spirits and faith work quietly in the heart and mind of the individual. There is rarely any public awareness of them. The gifts of healing and the working of miracles are manifestly beneficial, because any effort to relieve suffering and foster healing can only be looked on as something commendable. Even prophecy may be tolerated, even though not appreciated, as understandable and impassioned exhortation. It is different with tongues, for unbelievers are unable to understand what is said and often fail to see its purposes and benefits. Speaking with other tongues has become the chief distinction of the Pentecostal movement, as well as its greatest stigma.

(pp. 135-136)

Tags: charismatic, christ, experience, focus, holy, praying, spirit, tongues

Category: Spirit, Summer 1999