Have You Received the Holy Ghost Since You Believed?

[sunshineforJesus]

I have but dont have the gift of speaking in tongues though I did speak in tongues once as initial evidence.

 

[hope faith love]

ok i got a question on this topic of speaking in tongues when i got saved in a holiness church ... that night i woke myself up speaking in tongues / unknown language... but as far as im aware ive never spoken in tongues since that experience how ever i know i have the Holyspirit because healing flows thru me by the Holyspirit and have been told by 5 pastors im a prophet and i have dreams and visions ... however im a little confused on this topic cause i dont have prayer tongues in a unknow language like many others do ... and that 1 time was the only time im aware of that i spoke in tongues... ive never spoken in tongues in the mist of a congragation like many do ... nor have i ever spoken in tongues while awake.... can anybody explain all this and why i've only spoken in tongues once?

 

[topher694]

ok i got a question on this topic of speaking in tongues when i got saved in a holiness church ... that night i woke myself up speaking in tongues / unknown language... but as far as im aware ive never spoken in tongues since that experience how ever i know i have the Holyspirit because healing flows thru me by the Holyspirit and have been told by 5 pastors im a prophet and i have dreams and visions ... however im a little confused on this topic cause i dont have prayer tongues in a unknow language like many others do ... and that 1 time was the only time im aware of that i spoke in tongues... ive never spoken in tongues in the mist of a congragation like many do ... nor have i ever spoken in tongues while awake.... can anybody explain all this and why i've only spoken in tongues once?

You need to be trained and mentored by someone experienced in these things. That's the only thing limiting you.

 

[hope faith love]

If when the Scripture mentions "praying in the Spirit" it means praying in tongues, ie: Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, "I pray with the Spirit (tongues) and I pray with the understanding (his natural language), then if a person never prays in tongues, all he can do is pray with his natural understanding, and never prays in the Spirit, so that he is never sure whether he is praying in the will of God.

Jude 1:20 says, "Building ourselves up in our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit". If a person prays just with the understanding, he might not be building himself up as effectively as he would if he prayed in tongues.

Look at Ephesians 6:18: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.' So, praying in tongues is part of the armour of God!

1 Corinthians 14:14
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.

1 Corinthians 14:2
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.

Philippians 1:19
For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

Zephaniah 3:9: "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord."

ok i got a question on this topic of speaking in tongues when i got saved in a holiness church ... that night i woke myself up speaking in tongues / unknown language... but as far as im aware ive never spoken in tongues since that experience how ever i know i have the Holyspirit because healing flows thru me by the Holyspirit and have been told by 5 pastors im a prophet and i have dreams and visions ... however im a little confused on this topic cause i dont have prayer tongues in a unknow language like many others do ... and that 1 time was the only time im aware of that i spoke in tongues... ive never spoken in tongues in the mist of a congragation like many do ... nor have i ever spoken in tongues while awake.... can anybody explain all this and why i've only spoken in tongues once? and why do i not have a prayer tongue language?

 

[hope faith love]

You need to be trained and mentored by someone experienced in these things. That's the only thing limiting you.

im under a pentacostal pastor he says not everyone will speak in tongues that speaking in tongues is the inital EVIDENCE of being filled with the Holyspirit , i also have ALL the fruits of the spirit too ... and i already know no one can teach you to speak in tongues it comes natural as the Holyspirit either rest upon you or flows thru you .. i mean dont get me wrong here when i pray it just rolls off my tongue no thought of what im gunna say but it comes out in the english language... is it possible my personal prayer tongue might be in the actual english language???

 

[spiritfilledjm]

Yes I have

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

im under a pentacostal pastor he says not everyone will speak in tongues that speaking in tongues is the inital EVIDENCE of being filled with the Holyspirit , i also have ALL the fruits of the spirit too ... and i already know no one can teach you to speak in tongues it comes natural as the Holyspirit either rest upon you or flows thru you .. i mean dont get me wrong here when i pray it just rolls off my tongue no thought of what im gunna say but it comes out in the english language... is it possible my personal prayer tongue might be in the actual english language???

I was converted in the AOG which had that doctrine, and that the baptism with the Spirit is a subsequent event after conversion. I believed that for around 50 years. But after careful examination of Scripture in Acts and Galatians, I have come to realise that, firstly, the baptism with the Spirit comes along with the conversion. In fact, conversion to Christ and the transformation that is involved is the baptism with the Spirit. This means that when a person is genuinely converted to Christ, that person receives the fullness of the Spirit as well, along with the whole package that comes with Him. This means that a believer can pray in tongues and prophesy as soon as he or she is converted to Christ. In my opinion, there is far more support in Scripture for that, than there is for a subsequent experience after conversion.

The problem is that much of Pentecostalism has gone to having faith in experiences than in the written Word of God. This is why so much wacky stuff and false doctrine has entered in, confusing and deceiving good people.

Also, tongues is not the initial evidence of the baptism with the Spirit. The real initial evidence of the filling of the Spirit is a transformed heart and attitude to Christ. This doesn't come automatically with walking up to the front in church and praying a prayer. It involves believing with the heart that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He rose from the dead, and receiving Him as Saviour, then seeking God with all your heart for the Holy Spirit to do the transforming work to make you truly converted to Christ. Coming short of this is merely "getting religion" and the person remains still on the broad path to hell. There are many very religious professing Christians in hell who trusted in religion and experiences instead of having true faith in Christ and sought God with all their hearts to ensure that they be genuinely converted to Christ.

The scariest Scripture is the one where Jesus said that there will be many who will say to Him "Lord, Lord, have we not cast out demons in your name, and prophesied in your name, and done mighty miracles in your name?" and Jesus will say to them, "Depart from Me you workers of iniquity. I never knew you." These are the ones who just had the Pentecostal religion and had their faith in experiences and what they did for Christ, instead of having true faith in Christ Himself and sought Him with all their hearts, relying on the promises in God's written Word.

Praying in tongues and prophesying will not save anyone. The bottom line is: is our faith in Christ alone, or in our church? One saves and the other doesn't.

 

[DennisTate]

Have you? As the Apostles did at Pentecost?

I have not had the gift of tongues but back in 1990 I did shake like a leaf for hours so technically.... I would be termed a "Shaker" or a Quaker... as they are named at this time. I am not really Pentecostal or Charismatic yet.... but my wife is.

 

[DennisTate]

Yes, 45 years ago, but no visible fire on my head. Tongues, visions, prophecy dreams etc.

The way that you wrote this can be take two ways....... Have you received tongues, visions, prophecies and dreams even though you did not receive fire on your head?

(For the record much of what I write is unclear as well so my apologies for my hypocrisy).

My wife and some of her friends get amazing guidance from dreams and occasional visions. Some of her friends can give prophecies with an accuracy that astounds me years later on. She is from Quito, Ecuador though and she and her friends approach spirituality differently than most of us in Canada and the United Kingdom tend to do?! I do suspect that many of us who cannot see fire on our heads......... or even feel it...... there are some gifted people who might actually have seen it and they could actually be correct in what they might perhaps see in churches on occasion?!

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I have but dont have the gift of speaking in tongues though I did speak in tongues once as initial evidence.

The beauty is that because you are converted to Christ and are filled with the Spirit, you can pray in tongues anytime you decide. If you are waiting for some type of sensory experience or for some force to take over your mouth and tongue, then either you will never pray in tongues, or the devil will come along and give you a false, compulsive experience which will sidetrack you into having faith in the experience rather than in God's written Word. The truth is that tongues is not an experience, but an ability done through faith in God's Word that says that the signs that follow those who believe...they will speak in other tongues. You do the speaking in a language you have never learned. If you believe, on the basis of 1 Corinthians 14:2 that the language you are speaking is mysteries in the Spirit, then that is what you are doing. If you just start to babble something without basing what you are saying on 1 Corinthians 14:2, then you could be speaking mere babble instead of genuine tongues.

I think that many Pentecostals, because they are trusting in experiences rather than in God's Word, and are babbling in public, which is contrary to what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 14, they might not be speaking in genuine tongues at all. This is because the Holy Spirit does not work outside of God's written Word. The Scripture says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. It is by reading and hearing God's Word preached that generates faith, because then the faith is directed toward the Christ of the New Testament; and one does not have to have a sensory experience to exercise true faith in Christ.

Actually the true power of God is not in Pentecostal manifestations or experiences. Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. It is the preaching of the gospel of Christ that brings the power of God to bring unsaved souls through to salvation. A lot of what Pentecostals term as power is not the power of God at all, but froth and bubble brought about by fleshly sensory experiences and goosebumps up the spine.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I have not had the gift of tongues but back in 1990 I did shake like a leaf for hours so technically.... I would be termed a "Shaker" or a Quaker... as they are named at this time. I am not really Pentecostal or Charismatic yet.... but my wife is.

I don't see your experience of shaking mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. Therefore I wouldn't put too much credence on it as a true work of the Holy Spirit in you. The devil is always there to give people experiences to sidetrack them from true faith in Christ, which is based on God's written Scriptures.

The baptism with the Spirit is not Pentecostal or Charismatic at all. It is Bible, and Jesus is the Baptiser with the Spirit. If you are genuinely converted to Christ and know that your heart and spirit have been totally transformed and that you love Christ and want to live a holy life glorifying Him as Lord, then you are already filled with the Spirit. You don't need the Pentecostal or Charismatic label. You have the whole package as a blood-bought child of God. You can use any of the gifts of the Spirit, including praying in tongues or prophesying, without going anywhere near a Pentecostal or Charismatic church. This is because it is all part of your personal walk of faith in Christ alone.

 

[DennisTate]

I don't see your experience of shaking mentioned anywhere in the New Testament. Therefore I wouldn't put too much credence on it as a true work of the Holy Spirit in you. The devil is always there to give people experiences to sidetrack them from true faith in Christ, which is based on God's written Scriptures.

The baptism with the Spirit is not Pentecostal or Charismatic at all. It is Bible, and Jesus is the Baptiser with the Spirit. If you are genuinely converted to Christ and know that your heart and spirit have been totally transformed and that you love Christ and want to live a holy life glorifying Him as Lord, then you are already filled with the Spirit. You don't need the Pentecostal or Charismatic label. You have the whole package as a blood-bought child of God. You can use any of the gifts of the Spirit, including praying in tongues or prophesying, without going anywhere near a Pentecostal or Charismatic church. This is because it is all part of your personal walk of faith in Christ alone.

You may wish to scroll down to the headings 'Trembling" or "Shaking?"

The Manifestations of the Spirit in the Scripture | People Get Ready

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

What we have to consider is what the purpose of the baptism with the Spirit actually is. I think that many Pentecostals and Charismatics have taken on a non-Scriptural attitude to it in that they have seen it as an experience which is directed toward self, expressed by, "I have the baptism with the Spirit; I can pray in tongues, prophesy, have dreams and visions, and other wonderful experiences. All this is self, and is not reflective of the attitude of the Apostles and other New Testament believers.

The Scripture is quite clear that the Christian believer is to die to self. What happens inside of me is of no consequence. That is not where the power of God is.

The purpose of the baptism with the Spirit is to empower believers to preach and share the gospel of Christ to the unsaved, so that the power of the Holy Spirit can work through them to bring conviction of sin and saving faith in the unsaved as they share the gospel with them. The great commission is to go into all the world and make disciples for Christ. This is where the Holy Spirit does His work through believers. The Holy Spirit is not involved in people in hyped up meetings having manifestations and sensory experiences. These are just the steam going out through the whistle of the flesh. But when believers are encouraged in the meeting by the preaching and exhortation of God's word, they go out and share the gospel with the unsaved, and there is where the almighty power of the Holy Spirit is manifested and the unsaved are convicted of their sinfulness and receive saving faith through the work of the Holy Spirit to receive Christ as Saviour.

Therefore the power of the Holy Spirit is not for the exclusive benefit of the believer, because that person has already been converted to Christ and has received the tools of the Spirit in order to prepare and equip him or her to go out among the unsaved and make disciples for Christ.

This is the challenge for me. If I say I am filled with the Spirit, then the test of that is whether I am having an impact for Christ among the unsaved who come across my path. If not, then am I really doing the will of God and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to flow out through me for the conversion of unsaved souls? I can pray in tongues and prophesy, shake and rattle, fall over and have all the other wacky manifestations in hyped up meetings, but it will be all vanity unless there is an impact on the unsaved community around that church. If there is no impact, then the church and its members are self-centred, and not Christ-centred.

 

[Hazelelponi]

nvm...

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

You may wish to scroll down to the headings 'Trembling" or "Shaking?"

The Manifestations of the Spirit in the Scripture | People Get Ready

What I have read about manifestations in revivals is that it happens mostly to unsaved people who come under the conviction of sin. Therefore such manifestations are not a sign of true spirituality, but of things that the Holy Spirit needs to deal with in a person so as to root out things that are not right with God in the person.

 

[DennisTate]

What I have read about manifestations in revivals is that it happens mostly to unsaved people who come under the conviction of sin. Therefore such manifestations are not a sign of true spirituality, but of things that the Holy Spirit needs to deal with in a person so as to root out things that are not right with God in the person.

You could be correct... i do know that 1990 was a time of a massive shift toward a greater level of fear of Messiah Yeshua - Jesus that was for sure.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I've never spoken in tongues or any of that, but immediately after I was saved, prior to baptism even, I believe that I was filled with the Holy Spirit.

I don't suppose that needs much explaining...

After that in my mind came thinking that seemed not my own thoughts, and I found these phrases I would "think" to all be scriptural verses. I could Google these phrases I "heard" and find they were all in the Bible...

In point of fact, that was how I learned the Christian faith the first two years after I was saved. I would go from one verse to the next, old testament and new, and came out with a firm belief set as a result.

In short, was able to learn in this manner my Christian faith that has now firmly taken hold as everything I think about what the Bible means when it speaks of various things.

That has stopped now within reason, but I still periodically have dreams with faith import.

The other day I dreamed about Jesus 2000 years ago preaching and teaching which led him to the cross. Then I saw the modern era, people in1930's style dress excited to hear Jesus speak, then these people who were excited to hear Jesus speak, a bunch of people children and older as well as middle aged people all piling into a car to hear Him.

They drove until they got to a path which is where they all jumped out of the car, now as they jumped out they were now all children, excited and happy and began running along this path to get to Jesus..

The path was made of shoes, all manner of different shoes, and the people were running along this path made of shoes. Lining up along the path watching were ancient people from 2000 years ago, standing and watching the runners. The runners were excited, happy and joyous and I noted the palms of their hands were all blue, and they ran to the end of the path to a resurrected Christ standing in front of the empty Cross of calvary on that big hill..

Then I woke up.

I guess I can say I don't know if that dream was intended to teach me something, or if it was from my own mind. But I have dreams like this periodically, that always seem to have great Christian import.

So I would say yes, I am a saved Spirit filled believer in Christ, but I'm not one of those people who speak in tongues or buys into the Pentecostal movement.

The Holy Spirit often speaks to me through the Scriptures, so I understand what you are saying. And your belief that you are saved and filled with the Spirit is totally supported by the New Testament.

You don't have to buy into the Pentecostal movement to pray in tongues. There is a whole chapter (1 Corinthians 14) which is Paul instruction list about what tongues is and how it should be used in church and in the believer's personal prayer life. Therefore it is not a Pentecostal or Charismatic thing. It is Bible.

The problem is that Pentecostals and Charismatics have taken ownership of tongues, prophecy, and other gifts of the Spirit and implied that one as to have their "label" in order to use them. I may have a "Pentecostal" label on CF, but I don't attend a Pentecostal church at present. I have recently moved cities and don't have a church at present, but for the last 23 years I was an elder of the Presbyterian Church of NZ in a church that did not identify itself as Charismatic at all. But this did not prevent me from praying in tongues or prophesying when the occasion arose, because these gifts are not church-based, but Bible-based.

Praying in tongues is not meant for public babbling in meetings to show how spiritual one is. It is for building up one's holy faith by praying in the Spirit in personal, private, prayer in our own room, away from anyone else. And why do we want to build up our holy faith in Christ? To be able to have the boldness and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to share Christ with the unsaved. The Holy Spirit is interested only in glorifying Christ in and through you to others. He doesn't want folk to be talking about Him as many Pentecostals and Charismatic do, He does not speak of Himself, but reveals the Christ of the Bible so that we talk of Christ and what He has done on the cross for us, and what He can do for the unsaved that come across our path.

Too many Pentecostals and Charismatics are preaching the "gospe"l of the Holy Spirit and not the gospel of Christ. The "gospel" of the Holy Spirit is a false gospel and leads people of the broad path to hell. I saw a Youtube clip of a man who was thrown out of a Charismatic service because he got up and exhorted the folks to put their trust in Christ and His work on the cross to take the penalty of our sin and that we need to receive Christ as Saviour and Lord. The preacher accused him of having a demon and had security march him out the door.

I think that it would be difficult to find a Charismatic service where the true gospel is preached where we are hopeless and helpless sinners, deserving of hell, and needing Christ as our Saviour, and the filling of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a strict holy life to glorify Christ as Lord and master of our lives. What is preached instead is an imaginary Jesus who will give us all we want to live a good, prosperous and happy life, and most people attending are there only for the blessings, miracles, promises of prosperity and guaranteed healing. Jesus saw a lot of people following Him who were there because of those things, and the Scripture says that He knew their hearts and had no confidence in them.

 

[Anthony2019]

From a very early age, I had always believed in God. I went to Sunday school in church where I learned about Jesus, his life and ministry. I remember regarding him as a very good man, an example to aspire to, but I never really understood what it truly meant to be a Christian. However, those Christian men and women who taught me, and those who looked after me at a young age, planted a seed in me. Later in my early twenties, I had a desire to come to know Christ, to have peace with Him and to receive forgiveness of my sins.

One January evening in 1994, I was in my bedroom at university, I was reading passages from the gospels and a tract that someone had given me from a local church. I quietly prayed to God to show me how I could follow Christ. It was if that everything I was reading suddenly came to life. For the first time in my life, I recognised who Jesus was, not just any person, but the Son of God who died to save us from our sins. My heart responded to him that night and, if I remember correctly, I spent the rest of that evening singing and dancing in the shower. I experienced indescribable joy.

In the summer of 1994, life started to become very challenging. A lot of the Christians who had supported me in my first steps of faith had gone home for the holidays. I felt alone. And over the coming weeks, doubts started to enter my mind. Was I really a Christian? Would God really accept me? I started to focus on every reason why He would not. Every sin, real and imaginary, would upset me, thinking that God no longer wanted me. Several weeks into my summer vacation, I started to become very depressed, thinking that God had left me and that, no matter how I tried, He would not have me back. I used to have nightmares at night thinking that something terrible would happen to me. It was like living 24/7 in a pit of despair.

One evening, I was at a friend's house chatting around the dining table and I felt so tormented that I had to go and lock myself in the bathroom. I apologised shortly afterwards and said that I did not feel well and had to go home.

When I got home, I went straight through the front door, up the stairs to my bedroom, and closed the door. I went on the floor, on my hands and knees, for about half an hour, pleading with God to help me out of my despair. I got up and sat on the bed. Within minutes, I felt completely surrounded with the presence of God. I felt I had been completely lifted out of a pit of despair and being embraced by His love. It seemed to last a long time, and the next thing I knew was that I had fallen asleep and enjoyed the most refreshing sleep I had as long as I could remember. I woke up the next morning with confidence and joy. My face was smiling at just about everyone I met that day. I returned to my friend's house in the evening and the entire family there looked at me with surprise and said "something has happened to you".

 

[tturt]

In the manifestation of the spiritual gifts, there's "another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues;..." I Cor 12:10.The divers of tongues is a message of tongues with interpretation (edifies the church and often given in the church I Cor 12:10 , I Cor 14:5 ) and prayer language (I Cor 14:14-15).

There are numerous purposes for speaking in tongues. This is generally referred to as a prayer language. 'He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself..." I Cor 14:4 + " ...they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God..." Acts 10:46 Also, the church can be edfied with a message of tongues with interpretation..I Cor 14:5

All tongues can be interpreted "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret." I Cor 14:13. This is often in church. If there's no interpretation, it doesn't mean it's off, it says MAY be interpreted. The message in tongues can be spoken up to 3 times and if there isn't an interpretation, then the believer that is speaking in tongues doesn't continue in that distinctive tongue. I Cor 1427

Tongues are a sign - To unbelievers By believers (I Cor 14:22 and Mark 16:17) So that means any believer can speak in tongues which is given to them by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4 Tongues can't be a sign to unbelievers unless they're spoken.

There's 6500 languages - . And some are clicks. Think we can trust Him to use the one He wants for that time. Plus He's not limited to that group.

Since He caused a building to shake and everyone was filled with the Holy Ghost then a believer shaking can be done "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:31. There's another purpose - preaching His Word.

 

[hope faith love]

I was converted in the AOG which had that doctrine, and that the baptism with the Spirit is a subsequent event after conversion. I believed that for around 50 years. But after careful examination of Scripture in Acts and Galatians, I have come to realise that, firstly, the baptism with the Spirit comes along with the conversion. In fact, conversion to Christ and the transformation that is involved is the baptism with the Spirit. This means that when a person is genuinely converted to Christ, that person receives the fullness of the Spirit as well, along with the whole package that comes with Him. This means that a believer can pray in tongues and prophesy as soon as he or she is converted to Christ. In my opinion, there is far more support in Scripture for that, than there is for a subsequent experience after conversion.

The problem is that much of Pentecostalism has gone to having faith in experiences than in the written Word of God. This is why so much wacky stuff and false doctrine has entered in, confusing and deceiving good people.

Also, tongues is not the initial evidence of the baptism with the Spirit. The real initial evidence of the filling of the Spirit is a transformed heart and attitude to Christ. This doesn't come automatically with walking up to the front in church and praying a prayer. It involves believing with the heart that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He rose from the dead, and receiving Him as Saviour, then seeking God with all your heart for the Holy Spirit to do the transforming work to make you truly converted to Christ. Coming short of this is merely "getting religion" and the person remains still on the broad path to hell. There are many very religious professing Christians in hell who trusted in religion and experiences instead of having true faith in Christ and sought God with all their hearts to ensure that they be genuinely converted to Christ.

The scariest Scripture is the one where Jesus said that there will be many who will say to Him "Lord, Lord, have we not cast out demons in your name, and prophesied in your name, and done mighty miracles in your name?" and Jesus will say to them, "Depart from Me you workers of iniquity. I never knew you." These are the ones who just had the Pentecostal religion and had their faith in experiences and what they did for Christ, instead of having true faith in Christ Himself and sought Him with all their hearts, relying on the promises in God's written Word.

Praying in tongues and prophesying will not save anyone. The bottom line is: is our faith in Christ alone, or in our church? One saves and the other doesn't.

i agree with you totally and that scripture you quoted was why i posted on this subject ... because that scripture terrifies me... which theres no doubt in my relationship with Christ where i stand because Jesus was our example in the flesh and when i did get saved everything became natural to me as far as loving your enemies , walking in Love, a deep desire to develope my own personal relationship with Christ , hunger and thirsting for rightousness, seeking a Holy walk , upon recieving Christ into my heart i was instantly changed and gifts of the spirit came on me at the time of waking up speaking in tongues ... im just not understanding why i woke myself up speaking in tongues but since that night ive never spoken or prayed in tongues ....