Why Do So Many Pentecostals and Charismatics Not Speak in Tongues Anymore?

Now is the time to step up our prayers and not back down. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

Why Do So Many Pentecostals and Charismatics Not Speak in Tongues Anymore?

 9/18/2015 BERT FARIAS charisma news

This is an important word for those who believe in tongues. If you don't believe in them, or you believe they are not important, or that they are a gift for a chosen few, or that they've passed away and are no longer relevant for today, then this word is not for you. You can stop reading right here. But if you are under leadership who do not believe or speak or emphasize this supernatural language, you may want to consider getting out of the ditch your leadership has dug for you, especially if you are young and the better part of your life is still in front of you.

Let me start strong. Tongues was the making of such world changing ministries as John G. Lake, Oral Roberts, and Kenneth E. Hagin. Someone asked Lester Sumrall how often he prayed in tongues, which generated this terse respond: "When I'm not preaching." The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that he prayed in tongues "more than all of them put together," one translation says. Yet modern churches who seem to know better are departing from this sure way.

I travel to churches for a living so I see firsthand how much of a diminishing emphasis there is on praying in tongues these days. There is a marked difference between now and just 20-30 years ago. Even in the back room in pre-service prayer there seems to be less and less of praying in tongues. And singing in tongues is even rarer and almost unheard of. More and more Christians seem to be uncomfortable and unfamiliar with this realm. This neglect is hurting the church. This de-emphasis is diminishing her power and effectiveness. And this is exactly what the devil wants.

The use, value, and scope of tongues is so vast that it is difficult to sometimes put into words. If we are not careful some of these things will fade away in this new generation. I'm seeing it. There are certain elements of prayer, for example, that will be lost to our youth if those who are older and more experienced in these areas fail to pass them on.

There is a book in my library I often refer to. It is called, Tongues: Beyond The Upper Room, by the late Kenneth E. Hagin. Every believer should have that book. Every church should teach thoroughly from it. Every minister should read it regularly. There are certain men of old like Hagin and many others who were sent by God with light from heaven for their generation. The challenge with each new generation is to keep the light of the Holy Ghost that these men brought to us. There is a new church methodology that is making it easier to lose this light. There is new ministry philosophy that is content to let it slip away because according to their wisdom, it doesn't bring in the numbers or the big bucks.

In the aforementioned book, there are some mind-blowing testimonies of the miracle working power of God that was manifested through those who strongly believed and practiced praying in tongues. One testimony is told of one Brother Boley, a missionary to Africa. He would travel by sail boat to some primitive islands to preach the gospel to unreached tribes. One night on his return to the mainland a storm arose at sea. This was at the turn of the 20th century when they had not light nor navigation equipment.

The storm was so bad that they reached a point of two choices. They could stay out at sea and be swallowed up by the turbulent waves, or direct the boat toward shore through the coral reef, where in all likelihood it would be smashed to pieces. Either way, barring a miracle, there would be loss of life to all on the boat.

Unbeknownst to Brother Boley, one of his helpers back at the mission station on the mainland had a burden to pray that night. Not knowing the situation or even quite what she was sensing, she prayed in tongues for about two hours. Then the burden lifted and she had a note of victory that the answer had come. The Old Pentecostals called this "praying through"—something so few Christians know anything about today. This is one of the elements modern Charismatics are losing.

Kenneth E. Hagin heard Brother Boley in person share this testimony, or else I would've had a hard time believing it myself. Around the same time that the burden of prayer lifted off this woman the boat took off in the air like an airplane and sailed over the dangerous reef and landed in the harbor where the waters were calm and peaceful. There was much rejoicing and not a life was lost.

Why are we not seeing and hearing more testimonies like this today? It's simple. Because we are not praying very much in other tongues. The next wave of God's Spirit is dependent on the prayers of God's people. Ministers who know and have experience in these areas need to teach more on the Holy Ghost and prayer, and then demonstrate some of it to the people. The Lord told Kenneth E. Hagin that the greatest move of God would come through the combination of the solid foundation of the Word that's been built over the last few decades and the power of the Holy Ghost that will be manifested as we learn to enter into this deeper realm of prayer.

Here is a powerful quote from Hagin in the book I referred to here:

"Oh yes, we've seen the power of the Holy Ghost in a limited fashion, but a wave is coming that will bring His power on a higher level and in a far greater measure than we have ever seen before. I can see that wave out yonder in the deep waters. It's coming!

"Don't stay on the old wave of yesterday's move of the Spirit. Swim out to the deep waters of the Spirit realm by praying in the Holy Ghost, and get on the next wave of God's purposes for this hour. Then keep on praying so you can ride that new wave as it builds in divine power and glory.

"I'm convinced the wave that is coming will be twice as high as the healing wave, the Charismatic wave, or the faith wave. In fact, it will be twice as high as all of them put together! I believe it is going to be the wave that sweeps us right on into the shores of the Glory World!"

It is surely not a time to back off from the Holy Ghost and praying in tongues. Instead, it time to double up and triple up in praying in other tongues so that we can see our mighty God display His great power in this gross time of darkness in the earth.

Bert M. Farias, revivalist and founder of Holy Fire Ministries, is the author of several books including The Real Spirit of Revival and the newly released, Prayer: The Language of the Spirit , as well as the highly acclaimed My Son, My Son—a beautiful father-son memoir co-written with his son Daniel for the purpose of training up a holy generation. He ministers interdenominationally and cross-culturally in nations, churches, conferences, crusades, on the streets, and in homes. He and his wife also host The Holy Ghost Forum—a school of the Spirit. Follow him at Bert Farias and Holy Fire Ministries on Facebook or @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.

For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!

NEW - Life in the Spirit is your Spirit-filled teaching guide. Encounter the Holy Spirit, hear God speak to you, and enjoy timeless teachings on love, mercy and forgiveness.LEARN MORE!

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive Charisma News by email.

How Speaking in Tongues Saved This Woman's Life

 6/30/2015 RUTH A. ZSCHOMLER  charisma news

(Lightstock)

Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

---

Kathi and David Byker woke up abruptly at 4 a.m. on August 9, 2011 to the sounds of yelling in their bedroom. Two men wielding knives and dressed all in black stood over Kathi and her husband. They wore ski masks and all the couple could see were their eyes.

Kathi, believing she was having a nightmare, closed her eyes hoping when she opened them again the men would be gone. When the 60-year-old grandmother opened her eyes, what she had feared most was true: The men were still there. Kathi was terrified.

One of the intruders demanded money from David. The other intruder wound duct tape around Kathi's wrists and ankles and she suddenly realized they were going to take her away. The thought of being separated from her husband of 40 years was horrifying and she began kicking the man to get free.

"Stop, honey," her husband said, "he's got a knife to your neck! "Kathi, who hadn't realized that the intruder was holding her at knifepoint, stopped struggling.

Pulled and yanked outside their Grandville, Michigan home to her own sport-utility vehicle—which the men planned to steal—Kathi was frightened. Duct tape was put over her eyes and mouth as she was commanded to lie down on the back seat. To feel so vulnerable and helpless and to be under someone's control like that "was just hell," Kathi says.

According to police reports, the two intruders demanded the ransom from the couple or, they said, they would kill Kathi. They gave her husband a cell phone number and told him to call when he had the cash. A third, an older man identified as the ringleader of the group, had supplied the kidnappers with masks, knives, gloves and duct tape.

The Ride Into Darkness

After meeting up with the instigator, one of the intruders, driving the stolen SUV, sped into the darkness away from the Byker's home with Kathi. She didn't know where they were going, what the men were going to do to her or how long the frightening ordeal would last. The kidnapper drove with his left hand and kept his right hand with the knife over the back of the seat, continually demanding that Kathi lie down. He told her if she sat up that he would kill her.

"I believed that he would," Kathi told Charisma. "He had the knife right to my neck."

Up to this point there was so much trauma, confusion and disorientation it prevented Kathi from thinking about prayer. At the point she realized she was totally helpless, Kathi remembered to call out to God. This was the turning point, she says.

She was still in the same situation, but everything had changed in her heart. After that moment, God was front and center in her mind, heart and spirit. Lying in the dark in the back seat of the SUV, not knowing whether she would live or die, Kathi focused on God and prayed in the Spirit. She was too overwhelmed to utter a word in English. Romans 8:26 says, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

"It's the perfect prayer because it is from my spirit to God's Spirit without the mind getting involved," she says.

The duct tape kept her mouth shut, but it couldn't keep her tongue from moving as she prayed, she says. Sometimes, all she could mutter was "Help, God." As she prayed in the Spirit, she felt her body relax.

"The Holy Spirit prays for us when we don't know how to pray," says Harold Vinson Synan, dean emeritus and visiting professor of church history at Regent University. "Speaking in tongues is a personal gift that can be exercised throughout your whole life."

This is a gift that is for everyone who puts their trust in God. Deb Kirgis, the associate pastor of Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, Michigan, says she knew that the reason Kathi so quickly began praying in tongues was because she already knew the power that was available. She'd experienced other victories as a result of praying in the Spirit in the past, so it came naturally for her to respond to this situation with her supernatural language.

Pleading the Blood of Jesus

Kathi prayed in the Spirit and the next thing she remembered to do was to plead the blood of Jesus over her body. She thought about the Scripture from the book of Exodus that talks about the blood over the doorposts being protection and realized she needed God's protection. The more she surrendered to the Spirit, she says, the more scriptures came to mind, including Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

She thought, "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm (going to acknowledge) Him."

As God brought Scripture after Scripture to her mind, a tremendous peace washed over her. The situation hadn't changed, she says. Before she acknowledged God she felt scared, but afterwards she felt powerful.

"The fear factor was lessening as the God factor was going up," Kathi says.

Kathi believes she was given supernatural empowerment through the Spirit. She was still terrified but had an otherworldly peace inside. Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Her thoughts came fast and she remembered Psalm 91 and the word, "protection." Psalm 91:1-2 says, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my god, in whom I trust.' "

It was then Kathi realized that God was greater than her fear and she could rest in Him.

A Miraculous Escape

Soon after, the driver stopped the car and pulled into what she thought was a forest. She remembers thinking, "I am not going to be one of those people who are never heard from again, in Jesus' name!"

Kathi was dragged into a field in another Michigan county where the abductor began binding her to a telephone pole with duct tape.

"There's somebody behind you and if you try to escape, he'll kill you," he told her and then he left. Kathi didn't believe he was telling the truth; she never got the sense that anyone else was there. She heard him leave, and while he was gone, she counted to 10 before wiggling out of the duct tape on her wrists and pulling it from her eyes and mouth. Kathi then realized she was in a cornfield with corn stalks towering around her. She looked around and didn't see anyone else. She looked down and saw the duct tape around her knees and easily pushed it apart.

"It was a miracle," she says. "The duct tape that was holding me to the pole ripped as I just put a slight pressure on it." She thought, "Wow, God!" It was then that Kathi made her escape. The police detective later confirmed that there had to have been some sort of help from above. "It was regular duct tape," Kathi says. "It was strong and wrapped around a couple of times. It was tied around my knees. I saw it rip after just slight pressure and it was a miracle."

Listen to God's Directions

Kathi ran to the road and paused. "It's extremely important which way I go—straight, left, or right," she realized. "In my heart, I asked God which way?" There was no doubt in her mind that God was leading her to go straight, she says. She didn't know which way her kidnapper had gone, but she learned later that she would have run into him if she had went to the left to get her vehicle. She also found out why her abductor had left her alone; he had run out of tape and gone back to the car for more.

No one prepares themself for this kind of situation, Kathi says, and she had no idea what to do; she didn't know whether to keep running or find a place to hide. She was still scared for her life.

"I never felt so alone in my life," Kathi says. "Nobody knew where I was—nobody."

She ran behind a farmhouse in the dark, barefoot and in her stretchy leopard print pajamas, duct tape hanging all over her. Sometimes she stopped to hide and pray, like inside the 3-by-4 metal box she came upon. Other times she just ran for her life, zigzagging behind whatever she thought would give her cover in the dim early morning light.

At last, in front of a building, she saw a sign in the distance that read, "Classic Transportation." God kept directing her eyes to the sign and she told herself to remember it. As she prayed, God clearly told her to go closer where she saw a 12-foot chain link fence with white semitrucks lined up inside. "I was so happy the gate was open," Kathi says.

She hurried past the darkened trucks until she saw one lone red truck with the parking lights on and the engine running. She assumed someone was inside and banged on the truck, but nobody answered. She was relieved to find the driver's side door unlocked and cautiously opened it before softly calling in to a man who had been sleeping in the back.

"Can you help me?" she cried. "I have been kidnapped."

At first, he was in a state of disbelief. But after hearing Kathi's desperate story, the driver called the local police in Allegan County. While they waited, he explained that he was waiting for Classic Transportation to open so he could apply for a job. "He had never been there before and I felt God had put him there to help me," Kathi says. "I told him, 'I think you're an angel,' and he laughed."

Afterwards, the police came and took her to the rural police station where she retold the events of that night. After that, since the kidnappers had crossed county lines, the Grandville police arrived and questioned her again. "I just praised God that I was a witness to His power," Kathi says.

Prayer: The Deciding Factor

Kathi first became acquainted with the Spirit shortly after her son's birth three decades ago. At the time in 1984, her son was just three months old. She had attended church many years, but always felt something was missing and was searching for more. It was then that a friend told her about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, laid hands on her and prayed. "I was filled with the love and knowledge of God," Kathi says. She then began voraciously studying Scripture and underlining all the verses about the Holy Spirit. She came to the verse in Ephesians 4:30 that says don't grieve the Spirit. "God said I was resisting the part about speaking in tongues," she says. "But He waited until I was ready."

Kathi was happy praising God in English and anything more was out of her realm of understanding. She wasn't open to praying in tongues until she realized she was grieving the Spirit and repented. It was only after that she let herself be open to speaking in tongues. Her prayer language began with only one word, but has gradually grown as she has opened herself up to the power of the Spirit.

Doug Bergsma, 63, pastor of Rockford Resurrection Life Church in Rockford, Michigan, has known the Bykers for more than 20 years. When Kathi was kidnapped, Bergsma, who considers himself a straight-line Bible teacher who believes in the gifts of the Spirit, was one of the people David called. Bergsma immediately prayed. By the time he arrived at the Byker's home, there were nearly a dozen people already gathered praying, some in tongues, and claiming Scripture for Kathi.

He explains that when you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, you get a prayer language: the ability to speak in another language. In 1 Corinthians 14:15, Paul says, "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding." Tongues are a spiritual gift and there are so many things that come from that, Bergsma says. "I have seen so many things over the years like words of direction, stories of divine protection, revelation and illumination beyond what the mind can grasp," Bergsma says. "In that situation, for Kathi to have peace and find peace is amazing proof of God's divine protection," Bergsma says.

Release of Bitterness

The three men involved in the kidnapping are now serving long-term prison sentences. "Because forgiveness is a choice, and not a feeling, I have chosen to forgive these men before God," Kathi says (whoiaminchrist.net). "And therefore, God has miraculously removed bitterness and resentment from me and He's freed me. Most Americans like me take their freedom for granted. When mine was snatched away, even for a short time, I discovered how extremely valuable it is. To be free is a treasure."

God is our freedom fighter and deliverer, she says. "There are a lot of people who are going through things spiritually that I went through physically," she says. "They are bound up. They are being held hostage. The devil does that; he doesn't play fair, he hates us all, and God is there to rescue us all. I can testify He is there at the most hardest times we can imagine. He's not just there for me; He's there for everyone."

---

Ruth A. Zschomler, a native of the Pacific Northwest, is a multi-platform writer and photographer with an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College. Her work has been published in The Oregonian, The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, The Pitkin Review, Canyon Voices, and Rain Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter@rzschomler.

---

Watch Kathi Byker share her story of being abducted and then rescued by the Holy Spirit's power at kathibyker.charismamag.com.

The Charisma Podcast Network is now live. Featuring a variety of programs including news, leadership, inspiring stories, women's topics, sports, and even more.
Subscribe now for free!

Southern Baptists Relax Missions Ban on Tongues

CBNNews.com

Monday, May 18, 2015

Ad Feedback

The Southern Baptist missions board is relaxing its rules that blocked people from serving as missionaries if they believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Baptist Press reports the goal of the revision is to allow as many missionaries as possible to reach the world.

International Missions Board President David Platt writes that "the practice of tongues and/or a private prayer language" will no longer be an obstacle to serving as a Baptist missionary.

"The ultimate aim of this policy revision is to enable limitless God-exalting, Christ-following, Spirit-led, biblically faithful, people-loving, high-quality Southern Baptist missionaries to serve with IMB through a multiplicity of pathways in the days ahead," Platt said.

Missionaries will still need to share Baptist core beliefs and be members of a Baptist church.

Platt said this is not a complete reversal of Baptist views about Charismatic practices, explaining that missionaries cannot try to compel disciples to practice specific gifts of the Spirit.

"We will continue to have as part of our Manual for Field Personnel allowance for termination of employment for any missionary who places 'persistent emphasis on any specific gift of the Spirit as normative for all or to the extent such emphasis becomes disruptive' to Southern Baptist missions work," Platt explained.

How Pope Francis Reacted to 50,000 Charismatics Praying Over Him, Speaking in Tongues

 6/11/2014 ALEX KOCMAN  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Pope Francis kneels as a crowd of 50,000 charismatic Catholics pray for him, many of whom speaking in tongues. (Catholic News Service video still)

The pope has not always been a friend of the charismatic movement. On June 1, he remarked that, years ago when the Catholic Spirit-filled movement began, he "did not have much love for charismatics."

But meeting with more than 50,000 Catholic charismatics in Rome's Olympic Stadium, the pope willingly knelt onstage as those present prayed for him with singing and speaking in tongues, according to Catholic News Service.

Pope Francis admitted he was uncomfortable, but he let the charismatic multitude carry on.

As he knelt on the stage, the crowd prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill the pontiff and sang with hands raised in his direction. When the song ended, many kept their hands up, singing and continuing to pray in tongues.

Over time, the pontiff has come to see the benefits that they have brought to the church.

Yet the pope also had some words of rebuke in one speech he gave, warning those within the movement not to attempt to control God's Spirit, but rather serve as His conduits.

"Be dispensers of God's grace, not controllers. Don't be the Holy Spirit's customs agents," Pope Francis remarked.

For some, putting "Catholic" and "charismatic" in the same sentence is an oxymoron. But since the charismatic Catholic renewal began in 1967 in Pittsburgh, it has purportedly grown to 119 million followers worldwide.

Watch the Catholic news agency's video of the event:

(Video credit: Robert Duncan/Catholic News Service)

Come Holy Spirit. Pour out Your power once again. Baptize (immerse) us in Your Ruach HaKodesh anointing.

CBN TEACHING SHEETS

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

By CBN.com

CBN.com – Missing person: The Holy Spirit

Many people may have had an experience like that of the little girl who heard the Holy Ghost (as the Holy Spirit is sometimes called) mentioned in church from time to time, but so vaguely and infrequently she could only guess what sort of ghost this might be. So one day, when she venture down into the dark furnace room in the church's cellar, she decided with a child's firm logic that this spooky place must be where the Holy Ghost lurked.

The fact is, adult believers often act as if the Holy Spirit really was hiding in the church cellar. They may know something about the Holy Spirit, but they don't know Him personally or realize that He is God in the same way the Son and the Father are God. When they read the Bible, many people are surprised to find that the Holy Spirit was at the very dawn of time: "The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" (Genesis1:2), and many are amazed to find out there are approximately 100 references to the Holy Spirit throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Nevertheless, the Spirit's role is fundamental both to creation and the life of the believer. When a person comes to Jesus Christ, he receives Christ into his heart. The Spirit of God comes and joins with the spirit of the believer. This "indwelling Spirit" reproduces the life of Jesus in the believer's life.

What, Then, Is The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering for service that takes place in the life of the Christian (Acts 1:5,8). In it we are immersed in the Spirit's life and power.

To illustrate, if we drank water from a glass, then the water would be inside us. However, if we went to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then we would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.

Just as the indwelling Spirit that Christians receive when they are saved reproduces the life of Jesus, so the outpoured, or baptizing, Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus, including miracles and healings.

Why Do We Need The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

We need a power beyond ourselves for service and ministry in Christ's Kingdom.

When Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), He knew that His disciples could not fulfill it in their own power. Therefore, He had a special gift in store for them: It was His plan to give them the same power that He had -- the power of the Spirit of God. So, immediately after giving them the Great Commission, Jesus commanded his disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father promised, "which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4-5). He further promised: "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

The disciples waited in Jerusalem as Jesus had commanded, and one day when they were all together, "suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing winds, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance" (Acts 2:3,4). Then Peter explained to the crowd that gathered that they were seeing the working of God's Spirit and told them about Jesus. The Christian church began that day with the disciples and the three thousand people who joined them as a result of the day's events.

We can undertake making disciples of all nations with some degree of success without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but when we do, we are undertaking a supernatural task with limited power.

It is God's will -- it is His commandment -- that we be baptized, or filled with the Holy Spirit: "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). The knowledge and reality of the empowering Spirit enables us to reproduce the works of Jesus.

When May I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

It can take place at the moment you confess faith in Christ, as in the case of the first Gentile convert, Cornelius (Acts 10:44-46; 11:15, 16); but often it occurs some time after the salvation experience (Acts 8:12-17).

Is There Anything To Fear?

Some people fear that if they ask for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, what they experience won't be the authentic working of the Spirit. But once they do ask for it, they are always glad they did. God doesn't cause us to do anything we don't want to, and all His gifts are good and perfect (James 1:17). Jesus said, "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will be? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:11-13). The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an even better gift than any material gift you could receive, and God wants you to have it because He loves you and wants the very best for you.

What Should I Do Before Asking?

The Bible says that a wise man counts the cost before he begins to build a tower (Luke 14:28). This beautiful experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a free gift, but you must be willing to submit fully to God to receive it.

Jesus will respond to a totally yielded vessel. He never asks anything of you that you are incapable of giving, nor does He ever fail to give you something greater in return when you do give your all. The joy He gives through total obedience to Him far outweighs anything you could possibly give up.

There is one more important consideration: In Acts 8, a man named Simon, deeply involved in the occult, wanted to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter sharply rebuked Simon, commanding him to repent. Therefore, if you ever at any time had anything to do with the occult (Ouija boards, fortune tellers, seances, horoscopes, ESP, transcendental mediation, hypnotism, or other such practices), you must renounce and turn away from all such sinful participation, and you must ask for God's forgiveness and cleansing.

How Do I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

You only have to do two things.

First, once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior you just have to ask God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you" (Luke 11:9).

Second, believe you have in fact received this gift from God. The apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians, said, "Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?"

(Galatians 3:2). The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that if you ask, you will receive.

Pray this prayer if you sincerely desire to receive the baptism in God's Holy Spirit:

"Heavenly Father, at this moment I come to You. I thank You that Jesus saved me. I pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me. Lord Jesus, baptize me now in the Holy Spirit. I receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit right now by faith in Your Word. May the anointing, the glory, and the power of God come upon me and into my life right now. May I be empowered for service from this day forward. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit. Amen."

Now, having asked and received, begin to practice the power of the Spirit. An ideal place to begin is where the first apostles did, praising God in a new language. To do this, begin praising God out loud in whatever words come to you. Tell Him how much you love Him. Thank Him, worship Him, and yield your voice to Him. Now let Him give you new words of praise you never heard before. Praise Him with those words, too. You'll find that thiscan be a very rewarding experience of communication with God that will build up your faith. Continue to pray to God each day in the language that the Holy Spirit has given you.

But this "prayer language" is just one of the gifts that God wants to give you through the baptism in His Spirit.

The Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit

The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit would manifest Himself among them in special gifts, of which speaking in tongues was only one: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware....To one is give the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the distinguishing of spirit, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues" (I Corinthians 12:1,8-10).

Paul also wrote that the Holy Spirit produces "fruit" in the lives of believers. These are virtues that demonstrate Jesus' righteousness in the lives of His disciples: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22).

So, in asking for the baptism in the Holy Spirit you are availing yourself of these gifts for advancing God's Kingdom and allowing the Holy Spirit to further cultivate in your life the fruit of righteousness -- two great helps in living a life God can use mightily for His glory.

That's the way it is with God. God is offering the baptism in the Holy Spirit to people who need only to reach out and receive it in order to be on fire to fully serve Him.

Walking in the Spirit

By now you can see that the Holy Spirit is so much more than a shadowy figure to pay lip-service to on Sunday morning. He can be with you and in your to bring new life to your Christian walk. Likewise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is more than a single experience. It is a continual dependence on the Spirit for guidance and strength in all circumstances. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25).

The baptism in the Holy Spirit cannot be earned. You cannot become "good enough" to receive it. It is a gift from God. It is not a "cure-all" for your problems. But the same wonderful power that enabled Jesus to open blind eyes, to command the elements of nature, and to live a life pleasing to the Father during His ministry on earth is also available to you. Ask, and it shall be given to you.

Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Can God change your life?

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. Discover how you can find peace with God. You can also send us your prayer requests.

Scripture references are taken form the New American Standard translation of the Bible.

Source: CBN - Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Jo Ellen Stevens: A Resurgence Of The Baptism Of Holy Spirit - The Elijah List

Jo Ellen Stevens:

A Resurgence Of The Baptism Of Holy Spirit

The Elijah List

The Lord has been speaking to me that there is about to be a resurgence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in this season!

He said that people are going to rise up and desire the power that they see in the early Church but that they no longer see in their denominational churches. And He said that they will have a desire for this because they are seeing that on their own they cannot be set free of the depth of darkness that their generation has taken them into.

I see this stirring in people again like never before! They are seeing their need of the power of God again in their lives. 

I am also hearing that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are once again going to become something that people desire and not look at as some backwoods thing that their parents and grandparents did that caused them embarrassment in the past, but they are going to remember the things that happened when Grandma prayed in tongues and God moved on her behalf! God is going to bring these things to their remembrance in this hour, and a new, deep desire for the deep things of God is about to begin stirring in their souls until they will have nothing less than all that God has for them!

The Lord has looked on these young souls and seen the poverty of their spirits and souls, and His heart is hurting to come near them so that He can heal them. 

So, He is beginning to place a desire in their hearts to come after that which they saw in their parents and grandparents that caused them to long to be clean. It caused them to know peace and to know that there was something in this world that was holy. So, He is putting the desire in their hearts again for the Holy Spirit! Be ready to bring them into this!

I am beginning to realize that many who have been raised up in church in the last 20 years have missed out on something that many of us had the privilege of receiving! 

In order to become acceptable to society, we began to first have "seeker-friendly" services. Then, finally, "seeker-friendly" churches. We did not want to offend anyone or leave them out. So we stopped talking about the precious Holy Spirit! 

We stopped allowing Him to move among the Believers, and instead have replaced Him moving with entertainment and all kinds of programs, and it has become more like a social club than a place where we allow God to move in His power.

A while back I had a dream of being in a local church, and my mother, who in the past was always used in the gift of tongues and sometimes interpretation, was about to stand up and speak in tongues. Suddenly a woman who actually looked Pentecostal came up behind her and whispered in her ear and said, "We no longer do that here." This whisper stopped my mother in her tracks! 

The woman in the dream was a woman that was a well-known Pentecostal preacher in our area. I realized that most of the Pentecostal denominations around here were as dead as some of the denominational churches had become! They no longer encouraged their people to pray in the Spirit. And they no longer encouraged their people to move out in their gifts, but had allowed it to slip away because they wanted to become accepted in the world.

God is once again wanting to have free reign in His Church! He is wanting to move among His people, and He is coming because of a cry of a people who long to see the Holy Spirit come into His Church again and do the miracles of the early Church! 

He is coming, I tell you, in answer to the hunger of a generation who are desperate for the raw power of God! They are desperate enough to look foolish to the world! They are desperate enough to not care what anyone thinks or says. They just know that they have a deep, spiritual need, and only the power of the Holy Spirit can deliver them!

The young people today have been raised up knowing all about the spirit realm, even from childhood movies that taught them how to do witchcraft and all manner of incantations. You cannot turn on television without either seeing witchcraft or sexual perversion being broadcast. They have learned about the power of the dark side, but not knowing the power of God; so much so that when they see the power of God they become afraid of it and think that witchcraft is okay!

We who know of this power need to rise up in this hour and begin to teach and preach again about the precious Holy Spirit! We should begin to have altar calls for the baptism of the Holy Spirit once again in our churches. 

We need to tell them how He will change their life and how He gives them overcoming power. We need to begin to allow "our people" to move in their gifts. In order to have power in the Lord we have to be willing to look foolish to the world. He is waiting on a people who will not care what anyone thinks as long as we have Him!

What if we begin to allow the worship to go on until it comes up before God and He comes and consumes us!? What if? What if we were to preach on the Holy Spirit until people desired to have Him more than the doughnuts in the back of the church? 

What if? What if we allowed people to move in their gifts and they would get a taste of what God can do when they are allowed to obey? What if?

I am telling you that we are beginning to see that all of our best efforts do not satisfy our souls, and an awakening is happening in the Church! There is a call to those of us that have known who Holy Spirit is in our life to begin to equip those with what we have learned and seen and know of Him!

As Wade Urban always says, "This Kingdom life is all about life in Holy Spirit." It was why Jesus had to go away! He said because if He did not go away the Comforter would not come. The Word also says that had the princes of this world known what would happen that they would have never crucified the Lord of glory (see 1 Corinthians 2:8). 

They didn't know that He wanted to multiply Himself in His followers and that now the same power that Jesus had operated in would be present in those who were simple enough to receive it! Ha! They just didn't know!

John 16:7 (AMP) "However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

Arise, shine,

Jo Ellen Stevens
TCIC Ministries

Email: dstevens7@frontier.com
Website: dstevens7.wix.com/tcic

Jo Ellen Stevens is a prophetic speaker, author, worship leader, and intercessor from Connersville, Indiana. She has ministered with her husband for 23 years pastoring, teaching, and leading prophetic worship. She operates in a prophetic anointing, with words of knowledge and words of wisdom. She believes that every Believer should be hearing the Lord's voice and resounding His heart out of their intimate relationship with Him. 

She also believes God called her many years ago to encourage the Body of Christ to arise and shine with the glory of the Lord for such a time as this, no matter what their age, background, or social status! She believes that God has given us each a platform to use the gifts and talents that He has given us to bring those who do not know the Lord out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God, and that social media will play a great part in covering the earth with His glory!

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to:http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

Revelation, Interpretation, Application - Rick Joyner Video - Prophetic Perspective on Current Events

Rick Joyner

Rick Joyner

Revelation, Interpretation, Application

Rick Joyner

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rick Joyner talks about the three stages needed when receiving and processing prophetic revelation and how we need those in the body of Christ who have these giftings.

Watch here:
Revelation, Interpretation, Application - Rick Joyner Video 
| Prophetic Perspective on Current Events