“Unknown Tongues:” The Language of the Heavenly Father
Nothing in church history has robbed the saints of power in prayer like the rejection of “Unknown Tongues!”
The apostle Paul plainly stated, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto god, for no man understandeth him: howbeit in the spirit, he speaketh mysteries.” (I Corinthians 14:2) It’s amazing to me that such a plain statement has been so misjudged and rejected by the church world. Praying in the Holy Ghost is the most powerful possible Biblical authority for spiritual results. First, let’s ask the question, “Is This Biblical” and “What are the Biblical Scriptures that support this great truth”.
Jude, the Lord’s half brother in the flesh, gave a Holy Ghost command on this subject. He spoke as a pastor to the saints,“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,…” (Jude 20) He knew the flesh was weak and helpless and needed to be constantly strengthened by the Spirit’s power. We do not contain God in a kind of reservoir, but the Holy Ghost is a person that must be a constant in our lives. He is not a static power, but a personal power that must flow by regular personal relationship.
Praying in the Holy Ghost is talking to God in His language and the results are a strong Christian. There is no book in the Bible that is more New Testament than Romans. It is a Gospel Book that carefully writes the theology of our New Testament church. Paul is careful to show the frailty of flesh and that walking in the Spirit was the single way to please God. He said, “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) That means that unless you are living in the power of the Holy Ghost, you are carnal and helpless. He knew the human weakness, but He knew the Holy Ghost power also and declared its absolute necessity.
Listen as He teaches us about praying in the Holy Ghost. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27) The Holy Ghost takes my lips and my mind and speaks His Language that goes straight to the Father. The devil does not know this language and cannot learn it, so He cannot stop the direct communication. The Holy Ghost knows the Father’s thoughts and will for you, and prays accordingly, and such praying cannot go unanswered.
Apostle Paul was a spiritual giant because of his spiritual prayer life. You will be either be a weak, struggling believer because of your fleshly prayer life or the opposite. Let’s allow Him to state the facts, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all…” (I Corinthians 14:14-15, 18) Such constant communion cannot fail to produce supernatural powers in that life
Paul demanded order in the great display of Holy Ghost power. He stated, “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.” (I Corinthians 14:26-28) The church must be a place of Holy Ghost gifts that occur in Biblical order. The lack of Scriptural understanding is evidence of immaturity.
Before the church or any believers rules this out of the church or their lives, they need to remember the words of the Lord in Revelation, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:19) God’s church is a Holy Ghost filled church and such a church will shake the foundation of hell.
Every sovereign work of the Holy Ghost will be open to the power of the Holy Ghost. The past history of God’s visitations among His people is a constant testimony. The Quakers were in their day a powerful movement. Listen to this testimony, “In The Message and Mission of Quakerism (p. 17) by W. C. Braithwaite, quoting from Burrough’s Preface to Great Mystery, we read: While waiting upon the Lord in silence, as often we did for many hours together, we received often the pouring down of the Spirit upon us, and our hearts were glad and our tongues loosed and our mouths opened, and we spake with new tongues as the Lord gave us utterance, and as His ,Spirit led us, which was poured down upon us, on sons and daughters, and the glory of the Father was revealed. And then began to sing praises to the Lord God Almighty and then to the Lamb forever.”
We need to remember Dwight L. Moody and what the Holy Ghost did in his day. Here is a quotations from page 402 of Trials and triumphs of Faith (1875 edition) by the Rev R. Boyd, D. D. (Baptist), who was a very intimate friend of the famous evangelist: “When I (a W.M.C.A. member) got to the rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association (Victoria Hall, London), I found the meeting “on fire.” The young men were speaking with tongues, prophesying. What on earth did it mean? Only that Moody had been addressing them that afternoon! What manner of man is this? Thought I, but still I did not give him my hand. Many of the clergy were so opposed to the movement that they turned their backs upon our poor, innocent Young Men’s Christian Association for the part we took in the work; but afterward, when the floodgates of divine grace were opened, Sunderland (near London) was taken by storm. I cannot describe Moody’s great meeting. I can only say that the people of Sunderland warmly supported the movement, in spite of their local spiritual advisers.”
A critic of the Holy Ghost and the gift of Tongues wrote despairingly against what was happening connected with the Methodist revivals. He was answered by the great founder of Methodism. The critic was a Dr. Middleton that said, “After the apostolic time, there is not, in all history, one instance either well attested, or even so much as mentioned, of any particular person who had ever exercised that gift (tongues), or pretended to exercise it in any age or country whatever.” John Wesley wrote in protest against this statement (see Wesley’s Works, Vol. V. p. 744), “Sir, your memory fails you again…it has been heard of more than once, nor further off than the valleys of Dauphiny.”
It’s time to stop the helpless schemes of religion. We need a visitation from the Father of all graces and mercies. While we need the Father’s supernatural visitation the Father needs some saints that will learn the power of Holy Ghost praying. Quit being a beggar before the throne and become a yielded vessel that God Himself can take possession and manifest His wonderful authority. Satan will be defeated when Christ’s church is led by the Holy Ghost.
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SuperCounters
Bill Scudder
We Pentecostals have a tradition that when someone speaks in tongues in a meeting that it is to be interpreted and that interpretation is always to the church and not to God. But nowhere in the scriptures does it say that tongues is to be a message to the church. It is always speaking to God and the interpretation would always be praises to God and about God. What the church has done is to mix prophesy with tongues and the so called interpretation is a prophecy and not the interpretation.
Messages in tongues is Always to God and not to man.
Ray
We are told to “strengthen the things that remain” also that “tongues will pass away”. The Baptists preach no tongues but once save always saved, the Roman church preaches works and worship of dead people the Pentecostals preach tongues upon baptism of the Holy Spirit. All these things pass away and all that does remain is HOLINESS for without Holiness no man shall see God. I support pastor Chambers but am also reminded to search the scriptures to see if what is preached be Truth.
jaimie
Dear Pastor
This is a good thing to bring this to light, it has been very much on my mind, the Quakers silence
is most notable.If we are to know GOD we are to be still.
Pray for me Pastor with your elders that we may speak in tongues as well.
Yes many things will be done away with, but if i have it right Not Yet!
God Bless
jaimie
As always you are in my prayers