Language allows us to communicate effectively. It behooves us to recognize what words mean, so we can articulate accurately. God uses language with great precision.
Proper use of language is of utmost importance when it comes to understanding what God has so graciously given us, so that we can utilize it properly.
Two important words used by God to communicate the operation of a vital prayer tool that He has purposed ALL Christians to benefit from are: “gift” and ”manifestation or operation.” (I include “operation” with manifestation because many are not sure what “manifestation” means).
A vast majority of Christians use the word “gift” when talking about speaking in tongues. They say that it is a gift from God as are all nine spiritual items listed in I Corinthians 12:7. The word “gift” connotes something special given to certain deserving people. As a result huge numbers of believers think that speaking in tongues is given only to selected people at God’s choosing. This is a sad commentary because speaking in tongues is designed for every believer to operate and enjoy.
Many outstanding Christians who want to speak in tongues believe that God has not selected them to operate it. A simple look at the Greek word phanerosis describing the listing of the nine items of I Corinthians 12:7-11, including speaking in tongues, means “manifestation” or “operation”. The following translations have accurately translated the listing of these nine spiritual items as manifestations which means, the operation of something: KJV, ASV, ESV, ISV, and Amplified to name a few.
The simple truth here is that all nine spiritual items are manifestations or operations of the gift of holy spirit. Every person who is born again with the gift of holy spirit can potentially operate all nine. It is like having the battery in your car. It is the power source or the holy spirit of your car. With that resource you can honk the horn, turn on the lights, start the car, turn on the radio etc. All you have to do is learn how to honk the horn, turn on the lights, start the car, turn on the radio etc. and you can manifest it or operate it because of the battery source.
What all this means is that speaking in tongues is an operation or manifestation of holy spirit. Once a person learns how to speak in tongues, they can do it. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11). He has given every born again believer the same gift of holy spirit with the capabilities of doing all nine operations of the spirit.
If you are one of the many Christians who thought that speaking in tongues was a gift and that you were waiting on God to give it to you, please realize you can do it now. Check out the Greek and look and see if you can find anywhere that speaking in tongues is called a gift (Some of the new translations unfortunately have added the word “gift” in their work, but there are no Greek translations that support it).
My prayer is that many Christians who have not spoken in tongues and want to, can now be taught the simple lesson on how to do it. Our Heavenly Father is no respecter of persons. He wants every born again believer to walk by the spirit utilizing speaking in tongues as well as the other operations of the spirit.
Agape,
Bob
PS: If I may be of service in helping you speak in tongues or understand it better, please contact me.
One of the most important holy days the children of Israel celebrated was Pentecost. Followers would come from around the known world to Jerusalem to recognize this special time.
During this significant gathering, attendees would hear many different languages being spoken. An example of this is indicated in Acts 2:8-11: “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians,…”
What exactly was going on, as recorded in this section of Acts? God was pouring out for the first time the gift of holy spirit that He promised in the Gospel records. This was the culmination of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made available through His redemptive work of dying and God raising Him from the dead. Really, this was the birth of true Christianity.
God introduced this landmark event with a whole new manifestation of the spirit – speaking in tongues. As this outpouring was saturating the hearts of the visitors from these varied nations, they were hearing their own language being spoken by Galileans. Act 2:7: “And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?” Galileans at that time in history were considered “backwoods” folks that were ignorant and unlearned. It blew their mind that they could speak perfectly their languages! What was going on here that these “country” folks could speak so eloquently all these foreign languages?
Jesus Christ’s last spoken words before ascending up to the right hand of the Father, was: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” (Acts 1:8). God blessed all these people in a miraculous way by working in the 12 apostles via speaking in tongues. The speaking in tongues, the people heard, was in the different languages of the many people present. The Apostles spoke perfectly these languages, “as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).
On the first day of the Christian Church, God introduced a whole new, never-before-used manifestation: Speaking in tongues. How magnificent is this unique manifestation?
Enjoy the richest gift man has ever received while celebrating this upcoming Pentecost day and speak the perfect language God loves to hear: Speaking in tongues.
Agape,
Bob
I need to realize something as I live my life day by day, moment by moment, second by second: His presence and thoughts of me are always there.
Psalms 139:2-4 (ESV):
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
Where are my thoughts? Are they totally about Him? No, not by a long shot!
Sometimes hours go by before I conscientiously think of my Heavenly Father. Obviously, many of us have secular jobs that occupy our time and thoughts, but I am finding out that there are many times I could be speaking in tongues, or praising Him and thanking Him for His Son.
He is always everywhere having us in His thoughts.
Psalms 139:17-18 (KJV):
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
There is one thing I am not going to do and one thing I am going to do. First, I am not going to allow the devil to influence me to feel condemned in what I am not doing. Next, I am going to recognize His presence more by speaking in tongues more, praising Him and being thankful for His Son more. My life can now only get better!
God is good... all the time!
Agape,
Bob
Barney nailed it again! In a recent teaching he made a point that helps us take on the challenges of every day decisions in our complex lives.
The chaotic world we live in demands us to respond to all of life's issues. Most are obliged to respond with worldly resources such as, worry about it, feel condemned, stress over it and rush about with hopeful solutions, all with the desire to finding the best way to deal with it. As born again believers we have better resources to bring to the table.
Barney's resourceful recommendation was to speak life into the situation. How is this done? As sons of God we have the promises of God in His Word to incorporate at any time we want. God's Word is life.
John 6:63: It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Acts 5:20: Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
A few weeks ago my son and his family joined us in Phoenix where my daughter and her husband now live. His wife was attending a Pharmaceutical Convention at a large hotel. Friday morning we knocked on his hotel room door and as he answered it, we noticed that one of his eyes was swollen, red and runny. He remarked it was painful as well. We considered several worldly resources, then Jeanie prayed for his healing. We figured he would need to remain in his hotel room to rest and recuperate. We took the grand boys for a walk around the hotel taking many rides on the long escalators. An hour or two later Tim called to join us and his eye was much better. What made all the difference? Jeanie had spoken life into the situation.
The other day I received a call from someone who was feeling bad about a situation he was involved with. After listening to some of the details, instead of entering into worldly solutions, I spoke life into the situation. I prayed for God's forgiveness and His resolution in the situation. There was no need for guilt or condemnation to be a part of the answer. With God in the equation only the best can be expected.
Take advantage of your spiritual resources as you live your life for Him and speak life into all your situations!
Psalm 27:1:...The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 34:18: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Hebrews 10:35 & 36: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Agape,
Bob
When I was in 6th grade I was a JPO. This position was very prestigious at the time. A JPO was a Junior Police Officer. In military fashion we would march out to various street corners and direct traffic and children across intersections. We had uniforms and red plastic helmets. We raised our right hand and took an oath commissioning us to uphold the highest form of integrity and respect. We were dedicated to safely take care of the children crossing the streets.
After graduating college I joined the Marine Corps and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. Again I raised my right hand and swore, with the highest moral standards, to protect and put my life on the line for my country.
Another commissioning that I experienced along with my wife was being election officials during local and national elections. Jeanie was a precinct inspector and I was the touchscreen inspector. We worked over 10 elections. Again, my right hand was raised and I took the oath that went like this: "I do hereby solemnly declare that I will support the Constitution of the USA and California...and that I will, to the best of my ability, faithfully discharge the duties of Election Officer." We took our job seriously.
But all of these pale to the Great Commissioning that the Heavenly Father has given to His family members. Thankfully Jesus Christ fulfilled His commission by being our redeemer and putting his life on the line to die for all mankind. During His life on earth He commissioned His followers as reflected in Matthew 28:19 & 20. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you".
Once the Christian Church was started with the introduction of the gift of holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost, there was an all-important charge or commissioning to the believers. It began with the declaration of Jesus Christ's last recorded words before ascending up to the right hand of the Father.
Acts 1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Later, God unveiled more information about being "His witnesses." He revealed His passionate desire to: "... have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). To what extent does He call us to fulfill His dream of dreams? He declares that we are His ambassadors! (2 Corinthians 5:20a: "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you...").
How is this done? He does not have us raising our right hand and swearing that we will uphold the Gospel until Christ returns. There is no document to sign. No declaration of commitment. Nothing to say, sign, do or declare. He simply declares it as a reality and we simply believe it.
Our response to such an honor is to do it in love. We love because He first loved us (For the love of Christ constraineth us... 2 Corinthians 5:14). We are a "new creation in Christ." We live our life recognizing we are ambassadors for Christ, with the ministry of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20a: (ASV)
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.
But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and gave unto us the ministry of reconciliation;
to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ,...
My goal here was to reveal that of all of life's opportunities and possibilities, none compares to standing for our Heavenly Father as His ambassadors, representing the Lord Jesus Christ to the world!
Agape,
Bob