Today’s New Covenant nugget is from Acts 2:1-4
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek (Pentēkostē) meaning "fiftieth". It refers to the festival celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover, also known as the "Feast of Weeks" and the "Feast of 50 days" in rabbinic tradition.
To the Jews, the feast of Pentecost is a celebration of the giving of God’s law. It takes place 50 days after the Passover feast. When God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, it was 50 days after they had celebrated their first Passover and come out of slavery in Egypt.
But what happened after God gave them the law on the first Pentecost? Three thousand people died (see Exodus 32:28)! Contrast this with another Pentecost in the New Testament. In the book of Acts, it says that when Pentecost had fully come, God gave not the law but the Holy Spirit, and what happened? Three thousand people got saved (see Acts 2:41)
The Law brings death but the Spirit brings life and power…
Have you ever wondered about the importance of being able to speak in tongues? At Pentecost, the disciples discovered the power of the Holy Spirit. They went from being weak and fearful to being bold and full of God's miraculous power… the same power that's available to you!
Pentecost was a day that changed Christianity in a radical way, and it's more important than ever to understand what it means for you today.
There are several aspects that can be focused upon in the light of Pentecost, but in this teaching I will be focusing on speaking in tongues, the key to releasing the power of Pentecost. In many circles speaking in tongues is seen as a strange, or a weird belief and behavior that some crazy religious people have. In some Christian circles it is even viewed as a demonic manifestation. At best some believe that tongues are biblical, but they are not for everybody and if you happen to receive the ‘gift of tongues’ you are to restrict speaking in tongues the the privacy of your own prayer closet lest it confuse another believer.
The fact is that the devil fears powerful believers who speak in tongues and has done everything in his power to eliminate the baptism of the Spirit and speaking in tongues in modern day Christendom. Powerful Spirit filled believers are his worst nightmare!
Speaking in tongues is the key to igniting the miracle working POWER of Pentecost and is supposed to be a central fundamental part of New Covenant Christianity, not some sidelined, suppressed, weird, outdated practice to avoid if you are going to be truly relevant in today’s culture.
TONGUES PROPHESIED…
Speaking in tongues is prophesied throughout scripture… let’s examine two of those prophecies, one by the prophet Isaiah and the other by Jesus…
Isaiah 28:11-12 (NKJV) - For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, “This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; yet they would not hear. (1 Corinthians 14:21)
Most newer translations have added to the text because their translators are fundamentally against believers speaking in tongues… the New King James and the King James Version are correct in their translation. Most newer translations say that the Lord will speak to his people through a foreign (Assyrian) tongue while they are in captivity because they would not obey the Lord or the Law.
This is not what the original text says… firstly God did not speak to them through Assyrian when they were in captivity, secondly, the Assyrians did not speak the Word of God to them in a way that brought rest and refreshing – all they got from the Assyrians was suppression, captivity, fear and hard work with no pay.
The Holy Spirit knew that translators with their own agenda would attempt to change this powerful prophetic text, so He led Paul the apostle to teach it accurately, in context in 1 Corinthians 14:21 – The whole of 1 Corinthians 14 deals with speaking in tongues and with prophesy, not the Assyrian occupation of Israel – so, Isaiah 28:11-12 is clearly a prophecy about believers speaking in tongues.
The second prophesy is from Jesus in Mark 16:17-18 (TPT) – “And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues. They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them.”
Jesus prophesied that ‘believers’ would speak in tongues… not some believers, but all believers… the great commission is NOT only for a select few, but for all believers. It is interesting that most of the great commission has been successfully removed from the modern day church – driving out demons, speaking in tongues and healing the sick is foreign to most Christians today… ‘miracle signs’ have mostly been eradicated from the modern day church and most have adopted a form of godliness, denying the power (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
TONGUES RECEIVED
In Acts 1:8-2:4, Jesus said, “You shall receive (miracle working) power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Then, in Acts 2:1-4 what Jesus prophesied was fulfilled – “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 10:45-47 - Acts 19:1-7)
5 FRUITS OF TONGUES
There are many blessings that come from speaking in tongues, but here are five blessings to be aware of…
#1. THE LORD WILL SPEAK TO HIS PEOPLE IN OTHER TONGUES (Isaiah 28:11)
When a believer speaks in tongues, that believer speaks to God and God speaks to him or her… when you speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit speaks back to your spirit through the Holy Spirit – every time you speak in tongues, the Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit in a still small voice, in a vision, through reminding you of a scripture and in other ways… (For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to His people.)
#2. GOD’S PEOPLE WILL SPEAK TO THE LORD IN A MYSTERY
1 Corinthians 14:2 – ‘For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries’ – So, God speaks to His people and His people speak to Him when they speak in tongues – The Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit and your spirit speaks to the Holy Spirit… like a top secret conference call with the Lord.
#3. TONGUES WILL BRING REST (Isaiah 28:12)
Tongues release God’s power and ability so that we can rest and not do things in our own strength. (This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest.)
#4. TONGUES WILL BRING REFRESHING (Isaiah 28:12)
Tongues bring refreshing living water (This is the rest with which you may cause the weary to rest, and, this is the refreshing.) When you speak in tongues, you drink refreshing living water from Jesus and it refreshes and restores you from the inside out!
John 7:37-39
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
#5. TONGUES BRING MIRACLE WORKING POWER (Acts 1:8)
As a believer speaks in tongues, miracle working power is injected into them… how exactly does this work?
The bible says that with stammering lips and another tongue God will speak to His people – He speaks to you and through you when you speak in tongues, so in other words, when you speak in tongues God is speaking His Word to you and through you, so you are speaking His Word on the highest level of faith.
Jude 1:20 says, ‘beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit.’ When you pray in the Spirit (in tongues), you are praying the Word on the highest, most holy level of faith, and when you speak and pray the Word on the highest level of faith, the supernatural power of God is released and miracles happen.
HOW DO YOU SPEAK IN TONGUES?
You receive the ability to speak in tongues like you receive anything else from the Lord, by grace, through faith… just like you received Jesus, you believed in your heart and you spoke with your mouth (Romans 10:9). Jesus said, believe that you receive when you pray and you will have what you say when you pray. Receiving the ability to speak in tongues does not take hours of travailing, you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the ability to speak in tongues by faith when you pray…
Pray this prayer of faith…
“Lord Jesus, You said that believers would supernaturally speak in tongues, I am a believer, so, by grace, through faith, I now receive Your promise to speak in tongues as the Holy Spirit gives me the ability…”
“As I speak in tongues, You speak Your Word through me on the Highest level of faith and your miracle working power is released!”
Now, by faith, speak in tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance…
Blessings on you, Nick
OR YOU CAN GIVE ONLINE BY CLICKING THE BUTTON BELOW
