SPEAKING WITH NEW TONGUES

ACTS 2:1

A. BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST
  1. Promised: Acts 1:8; 2:16-18; Joel 2:28; John 14:26; 15:26
  2. Disputations and confusion:
    1. The "Pentecostal" movement.
    2. Speaking in tongues. Is speaking in tongues, in itself, proof of the baptism of the Holy Ghost? If it is evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, what shall we say about devout Christians who do not have this gift?
B. BIBLE EVIDENCE OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST
  1. Fruit of the Holy Spirit:
    1. "Ye shall know them by their fruits." - Matt. 7:16; 12:33
    2. Paul enumerates these gifts - Gal. 5:22, 23
  2. Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives will not bring confusion:
    1. "Let all things be done decently and in order" - 1 Cor. 14:40
    2. ". . . God is not the author of confusion, but of peace," -- verse 33; 2 Thess. 3:7
  3. The prophet Isaiah describes the behavior of people under the influence of the Holy Spirit: Isa. 29:15; 32:15-17
    1. Dignity was the mark of the Spirit that lived in Daniel - Dan. 5:12; 6:3
    2. That was true of Joseph - Gen. 39:1-18
  4. Loyalty to God's law is still another sign of the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit:
    1. It is a test of light - Isa. 8:20
    2. It is a test of the genuineness of the claims to truth - Isa. 30:8-10
    3. Disloyalty to God's law is evidence of untruthfulness - 1 John 2:4-7
C. THE GIFT OF TONGUES
  1. Is one of nine gifts:
    1. Acts 2:1-6; 10:41-46
    2. Acts 19:1-6; 1 Cor. 12:11, 12, 28, 29
  2. Not all believers have the same gift:
    1. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." - 1 Cor. 12:4
    2. ". . . But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that." - 1 Cor. 7:7
    3. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of the faith." Rom. 12:6
  3. Tongues:
    1. They are languages spoken by men of different nationalities - Acts 2:1-17
    2. They are for the purpose of conveying the message of truth to men - Acts 2:6-9; 10:38-44; 19:1-3
    3. They are a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that do not believe - 1 Cor. 14:22
    4. If of God, they will be easy to understand - 1 Cor. 14:6-8
    5. That was true on the day of Pentecost - Acts 2:8- 11; that was true when the Gentile Christians spoke in tongues - Acts 10:38-44; 19:1-3
  4. We are warned not to believe every Spirit, but to try the spirits: 1 John 4:1-6
  5. Phenomena are no evidence that God is the author of them; in fact we are warned against some such manifestations in the last days: Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9-11; Rev. 13:13, 14


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