Praying In Tongues. Tongues should be a part of a New Testament church service. Of course, it’s not in most churches. Why do the Scriptures teach us to speak, pray, and sing in the Holy Spirit?
Scriptures teach two types of people – those who hear the word and do nothing with the word they hear, and those who actually build their lives on what they hear. We are told to stir ourselves up in the gifts of the Spirit. How is this done? It’s done by penetrating into God’s will, praying, and singing in the spirit.
Stick with me. I get to tongues around halfway through the message after developing a foundation.
Praying In Tongues
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Acts 3:19-21
19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Do we genuinely want to build their lives on the teachings of Jesus Christ? The Bible describes two types of people: those who hear but do not act, and those who build their lives on Jesus’ words. Building on the doctrines of men will not withstand life’s storms, while building on Jesus’ teachings will. We must prioritize God’s Word over traditions or opinions, even those from family, if they contradict scripture.
Everyone will face adversity, not just during the end times, but also in personal trials. Acts 3:19-20 highlights that times of spiritual refreshing come through repentance. Biblical repentance is not just feeling sorrow for sins, but involves a change of mind, turning away from religious traditions and false doctrines to embrace the teachings of Jesus. This repentance is necessary for spiritual renewal.
According to Acts 3:21, heaven must retain Jesus until the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets. Before Jesus returns, there must be a restoration and change in beliefs, churches, and the world. The belief that Jesus will rapture believers to rescue them from difficulties is unbiblical and harmful. The restoration must happen first.
Church history reveals that the Lord is restoring His church. The Dark Ages led to widespread ignorance of scripture, primarily due to illiteracy and a reliance on church authorities. Martin Luther, in restoring the truth of justification by faith, marked a move away from works-based salvation. Some subsequent restorations include the Anabaptist emphasis on baptism, healing movements, the Pentecostal outpouring in the 1900s, and charismatic renewals in the 1960s and 1970s. Each period brought new truths and practices back to the church.
Today, God is restoring the confidence of believers to minister and to speak God’s Word. Prophecy serves others by communicating God’s thoughts through willing vessels. This is the present truth God is restoring now, and it must be in place before Christ’s return. I do believe in the rapture, but I teach it occurs at the resurrection on the last day, not before a period of tribulation. The restoration of all things must happen before the resurrection and return of Christ.
We cannot wait for God to act while ignoring the responsibility to change and restore truth in our own lives. God is waiting for believers to act, not the other way around, and encourages immediate engagement with scripture and spiritual restoration.
Hebrews 1:13
But to which of the angels has He ever said, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
Jesus will remain in heaven until there is a restoration or restitution of all things. Misunderstanding this leads to living under a false belief, specifically the idea of an imminent rapture that will suddenly remove believers from their problems. This belief is not biblical and is instead a doctrine promoted by demons to distract people from living rightly.
An “any minute rapture” attitude results in neglecting responsibilities such as managing debt, loving family, and raising children properly. The Bible calls for believers to overcome challenges, rather than simply waiting for deliverance. The phrase “he that overcometh” is highlighted as the proper biblical standard, rather than “he that is raptured.”
The reference to Hebrews 1:13, where Jesus is told to sit at God’s right hand until his enemies are made his footstool, is about Jesus’ authority over angels and the process of overcoming evil.
This connects to Romans 16:19, which says that God will soon put Satan under the feet of believers.
Romans 16:19-20
19 For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
The call is for believers to actively pursue good and resist evil, as there is a period of “until” where believers must act. The responsibility is on believers to rise up, overcome, and conquer, with the Christ within them giving them the strength to do so.
Hebrews 10:12-13
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Let’s look at Hebrews chapter 10. Now this is a Bible teaching, okay? Jesus went about teaching and preaching. That’s what we’re doing. Hebrews 10, where do I want to start? Verse 12, but he, who’s he? He is Jesus, but he, Jesus, having offered one sacrifice, four sins for all men, sat down. Say he sat down. Now what does that mean when he sat down? Does it mean he’s still working or is he sitting down? He sat down, that’s the thought that I just, he sat down at the right hand of God waiting. What’s he doing? Waiting, that’s what the NASB Bible says, waiting. I’ll read it in King James in just a second. Waiting from that time onward. That’s what King James says, from that time onward. What is, what is, that’s what the NASB Bible says. What does King James say? Expecting till, from henceforth expecting till. He sat down now. He’s going to sit and is expecting till or until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. Now how long will he sit there? Until, okay. You need to look at the untils in the scriptures. There is an until that we’ve got to grasp and have woven and worked into our thinking and into our mentality, because if we’re not until people, he that endures until the end, it is him that shall be saved. You see, there is an untilness that we’ve got to grasp and understand and have woven into our makeup and into our character. We’ve got to understand that it’s not any, it’s not, it is any minute in that it’s imminent, okay? But it is not any minute in that you’ve got to worry about it right now. What you’re supposed to be doing right now is fighting the will of God for your life and fulfilling it. It’s not his purpose to tell us the day or the hour, is it? Is that Bible? Did he say that? No man knows the day or the hour, but he says that we can know the seasons. First Thessalonians chapter five, verse one. We can know the seasons in God…. We can look at the times and we can understand when it’s close and we can look up and say, our redemption draweth nigh. Okay? Now this is, you’ve got to get this woven into you. You’ve got to understand that this is the thrust of the scriptures. It’s overcoming, making his enemies our footstools. NASB Bible says he sat down at the right hand, waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made his footstools.
Ephesians chapter four. I’m working into what I want to really share about. This is the way the Lord gave it to me and so it’s the way I really feel like he wants me to give it to you. Ephesians four. How many have ever been programmed and taught the rapture of the church in that, when I say the rapture of the church, what I’m talking about here is a rapture that will just take you out of all your worries and all your cares and all your problems and it can happen today. How many have ever been taught that in your walk with the Lord? Have you ever been taught that? Raise your hand if you’ve ever been taught that. That’s the majority of us. That’s the majority of us. There is a rapture of the church. There is a being with him. But folks, I’m telling you what the Bible really talks about is he that overcomeeth. What Jesus came to give us was life. Not abundant death, but life and that more abundantly. Not abundant streaks of gold and walls of jasper. That’s the church and we talked about that a while back in Revelation 19, 20, and 21. If you read that, you’ll find out that that’s his bride. That’s the church that comes down. And while I’m on that thought, the first verse in Revelation in chapter 20 says, and I’ll be held a new heaven and a new earth. If you look at that word new, it doesn’t mean new and as in created brand new. What it means is restored. The restoration of all things. Restitution. It’s like you take an old Gary Whitener who likes to restore. He’s got what? You got a 57 Gary? Do you have a 57? What? 56. And when you’re going to restore that thing, that means that you’re going to make it like new. Right? You’re going to go in there, get all the rust off, make it all work right. Okay. You’re going to try to restore it back to its original condition. And that’s what he’s talking about there. What God really wants is the earth to be restored back to its original condition. And I saw it come down out of heaven like that. And we pray that all of our life. Thy kingdom. We don’t pray, let’s go to the kingdom. Jesus says, when you pray, say, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done where? Come on. Let’s get biblical. Let God destroy all that stupid doctrines of devils and doctrines of men and get in us and create within us a proper biblical mentality that we can build our lives upon. So that when storms of life come, we can stand.
Now, Ephesians 4 verse 11, he started in verse 8 and he says, he gave gifts to men. And then verse 11 says this, it says, I’ll read it out in the King James first. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Now, why are they given? For the perfecting of the saints. The building of the saints, this is so that you can be built in your heart and your spirit and your life can be built. You can be built up, perfected, come into maturity. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of what? The ministry. Who is supposed to really minister to people? Do you see this? Now, it doesn’t exclude apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. We’re a saint too. But you’ve got to understand that my primary purpose, my heart, the biblical ministry heart, the heart of an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher is to perfect you, to get into you, an ability to minister, to cause you to grow. What does an apostle do? I don’t really know what all an apostle does. I do know though that they are to perfect the saints. What does a prophet do? I really don’t know all that a prophet is supposed to do, but I do know that the Bible tells me they are to perfect the saints. What does a pastor do? I really don’t know all that a pastor is supposed to do, but I do know that they are supposed to perfect the saints. You say what they are supposed to do is to manifest and help you grow into the place that you can hear the voice of God so that you can minister to people. This is the thrust…. And how many churches in our area emphasize this thought? Emphasize the ministry of the saints. Most of the churches want to come in here and give you a good program, give you a good singing, give you a good time, get good little message that you don’t have to do anything but pay your tithes and go home. I want you to pay your tithes, but I want you to grow in the ministry for the saints. Do you hear me? This is an emphasis of this church, is to mature, is to come into the nature and the fullness that belongs into Christ.
And let’s keep on reading. Verse 12, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until, does your Bible say that? How long will we have apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers? How long? Until. And what does until mean to you now? Does it mean to you until the restoration of all things? Does it mean until, he says, go for them son. That’s what it means to me. Until means until that time when he comes and raptures the church. We’ll have apostles and prophets until there is the restoration of all things. We’ll have, we’ll have, keep plugging away, we’ll have people that keep pressing you to minister, that keeps pressing you to talk in tongues, that keeps pressing you to minister in the gifts of the Spirit, that keeps pressing you to pray for people. That’s what we’re going to keep on pressing you and pressing you and pressing you until you can do it. And until Jesus comes, there’s going to be that. There’s going to be a restoration of all things. And right now, that is what’s happening. That is what God is saying. It’s not a one man show anymore. He brought all that stuff down. Think what it is right now is the church of Jesus Christ being perfected, coming into the measure and the stature, which is what the next verse says.
Verse 13, till we come into the unity of faith. How many of you know we’ve got a little while? Until what? The knowledge of the Son. And we’ve got to change that. I’ll be the first to admit to you, I don’t have all the knowledge I want yet. There are still things I hear. I say, oh, I didn’t know. Yeah, that’s true. I’m still changing in my mentality. Until the knowledge of the Son of God, until a perfect man. Teleos, it means until you come into maturity. A people that walks like Jesus and talks like Jesus and looks like Jesus. And that’s what we look like. We look like him. Not in our physical appearance, but in our spirit. Into what we really are, in our heart. Till we all come into the unity of faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, until a perfect man, until what? Let’s say this together. To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What is the ultimate place that he wants his saints to come to? Does your Bible say that? Now, are you going to build on the doctrines of men and the doctrines of devil are on the Scriptures of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you build on the doctrines of devils and the doctrines of men, you will be deceived when storms of life come, you will crash and fall. But if you build upon the things of Jesus Christ, I don’t care what comes against your life, you will stand. Right? And you have got to know that you are to grow thereby. That you are to change from glory to glory and from the measure of faith that you’re at now too. Faith and from strength that you are now too. We change from glory to glory, faith to faith, and strength to strength. We’re having our minds renewed. We’re becoming into his nature, into his stature, into his fullness. What does the fullness mean to you? Is this glass full? How full would it be if it was full? All right, you’re supposed to be that full of Jesus Christ. How many of you know that is really what being filled of the Spirit would be? And he says those things that I did, you’re going to do. And even what? Oh my, that’s pretty full. But that’s where the church has got to come. It’s where you’re going to come. That’s why, that’s why we make, I hear people say, man, I feel funny coming to that church. Y’all make us feel like we’ve got to talk in tongues. And you know, we’ve got to minister. We’ve got to pray for people. We’ve got to, we’ll praise God. Hallelujah. That’s what I’m saying, I’m successful. Am I right? Am I biblical? That’s all right, I don’t care if I’m right or not, I’m biblical…. Hallelujah.
All right, to the fullness of Christ. Now, how many churches in our area emphasize this verse? A unity, a faith, a growing. You see, but is it the Bible? And would you say that it is the Word of God? And would you say that it is a present truth? It is what God is speaking into the earth at this moment. It is a present truth, what God is saying. Now, 1 John 3, 2, and then I’ll leave this thought. There are a lot of scriptures, folks, on this. 1 John chapter 3, verse, I pray you’re writing these down. I really, really do. This changes your life. Listen, this is basically the message that really changed my life. That brought me out of a mundane Pentecostal ready for the rapture believer, into a God that wanted to mature and grow in God, and began to change the thinking of people, and began to really see that I had been deceived by the doctrines of men and the doctrines of demons. This is the message that basically changed me when I began to get this woven into what I believe. When this became a part of my heart, it changed me. 1 John chapter 3, verse 2. I’ll read out of King James 1. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, or the children of God, according to which translation you read. How many of you are born again, and you are born unto God, born in your spirit, amen? I look around and I know most of you. You are, you’re born of God. You’re a child of God. That’s what you are. You are a child of God. But it does not yet appear what we shall be. Now, what does that say to you? It says that we are something now, but shall we be something else? But do we understand what that’s going to be yet? It does not yet appear. We’re not really sure yet of what we’re going to be, but we do know that we’re children of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be. Do you see the revelation there of progression? You need to get that, that God is not done with you yet. He continues to mature you, and He continues to mature me. He continues to bring His church into present truth, and to hear what His voice is saying right now.
Listen, when Martin Luther nailed his theses up, what I’m telling you, man, that was a brand new voice from God. That was a restoration time. Anabaptists, when they moved into that part, man, that was a move of God. On the day of Pentecost, that was a move of God, and God is speaking into the earth today that it’s time for you and me to grow and to minister to people. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear, what do we know? He’s going to appear, right? What’s going to happen? Well, how are we going to be when He appears? When He finally comes, when He’s released out of the heavens, Acts 3 20, when Hebrews chapter 1 13 and 10 take place, and Father God says, Go, Son, what shall we be like? We don’t know everything. I know I’m saved. I know I’m a child of God, but I’m not there yet. But I do know this, that when He finally comes, there is going to be a people like Him. And everybody that has the hope of His coming, this is the proper hope of His coming, does what? Purify yourself. Get all that junk out of you. Get all that doctrines of devils out of you. Get all that doctrines of men out of you. You purify yourself, and you don’t even purify yourself to the much as even He is pure. That’s not just sin. That’s everything that’s not like Him. That is the restoration of all things, folks. And until that’s woven into our thinking and into our mentality, we’ll never change. We’ll never change. We’ll sit back in our little seat, our little padded chair, and our comfortable little pew, and we let some preacher come in and preach to us. And we go home unchanged, stay a child, a child of God, never maturing, never coming into His fullness. I’m uncomfortable with this, preacher. Praise God. Hallelujah. Speaking something to you. You’re out of your comfort zone. You won’t grow.
And I remember when I was growing up and I was a kid, we’d be sitting at the table, and you know, overnight, I had tremendous leg cramps. I remember a time in my life, man, leg cramps and arm cramps, just cramping in the middle of the night, you know. Anybody ever remember that when you were a kid?… You’d be laying in the bed, man, a big old knot had formed in the back of your leg, and I’d go to bed that night, and the next morning we’d sit down at breakfast, and I’d reach out for my milk, and I’d knock it over. My arm had grown a quarter of an inch during the night, you know? My pants started slipping up my leg. But it was because of these growing pains, and these cramps, and the stuff, and you’re uncomfortable. I had to get, I had to get uncomfortable to grow. And if you’re uncomfortable, say, praise Jesus. It doesn’t yet appear what you shall be.
All right. Now what we basically say is this. Well, I’m just going to hang around, and if God wants me to grow, if God wants me to change, then He’ll change me. Is that what we say? Is that basically a mentality that somehow along the way we’ve heard? How many of you know that God really did it in the natural? I’m talking about a little child now. Where is one? We got one in here? Baby? Yeah, Grace has got one, I’m sure. Right there? Now, Grace, what if, what if, if I said we don’t ever want this baby to grow? This baby’s just doing just fine, just like it is. It’s all bundled up there. It’s real comfortable. We don’t want that little baby girl to grow. We just want her to stay just like she is. She’s comfortable. She’s not bothering anybody. She sits there. She’s already got her clothes to fit her, and she’s in good shape. We don’t want her to ever talk. We don’t want her to ever do anything in life. We just want her to stay just like that. Huh? Is that what we say in the natural? No! Everybody say no. No! Do we want our children to grow? We can’t wait until they say, do that, do that. Mama? We can’t wait until they stop pooping in their diapers. Man, we can’t wait. We want them to grow. Do you believe Father God wants you to grow? Or does he want you to just sit there and poop in your diaper? Oh, we’re children now, but it does not yet appear what we shall be. My goodness. Do you get mad at your child because he poops in his diaper? Do you throw the child away? Do you get disgusted? Oh, he wants you to make mistakes. He expects you to do that. It is a growing process. One of the primary things that we don’t move in the gifts and we won’t grow for is because we’re afraid we’re going to make a mess. We’re afraid of men. Because we see the preacher do it, or we see somebody do it, and they do it so well. You know, they do it so well. And there’s this thing that somehow even got on people in our church that if you do it wrong, I’m going to get you. No! Man, I encourage you. I want you to step out there. I expect you to make some mistakes. But my gosh, that’s what daddies are for. They’re supposed to go fix the mistake. We’ll fix it. Man, you just do it. You poop all you want to until you’re ready to stop and go into that place. Hey, I’ll clean it up. My goodness.
All right, second Timothy 1 and 6. God does not want you to stay there, and he is not going to zap you with a lightning bolt from heaven. Okay? You hear this thing. If he wants me to talk in tongues, I talk to preachers. It gripes me. They say, well, I know, Delbert, you talk in tongues. Thank God, I talk in tongues more than you all. I know you talk in tongues. But you know, I really felt like if God wanted me to talk in tongues, then I’d just talk in tongues. Oh, man, you’re so crazy. You don’t know what the Bible says. Okay, take this little baby. Same little baby, okay? Take this little baby, and we put her in a room all by herself. We throw her a little food, throw her a little water, okay? But she’s never around anybody that ever talks. She’s never around anybody that ever walks. She’s never around anybody that does anything other than poop in their diapers and make messes and sucks bottles and eats little food. Now, what’s this baby going to do? Will that baby ever talk? Will it ever learn? Will it ever be put into an environment where it can? God is not going to zap you. Where’s he at? He’s at the right hand of the father, and what’s… he doing? Making intercessions. He is doing that. But what did we read a while ago? Is he standing or sitting? Okay. God has worked. He’s done it. He’s provided for you and me. He said, I can’t wait to get back to the father so I can send back to you the Holy Ghost of God. I can’t wait. He says, you need that Holy Ghost of God. So he sends us back the Holy Ghost. We’ve got to learn that we have the Holy Spirit of the Father living within us. The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells within us, and he says that out of that is going to flow rivers of living water. It’s there, but we’re very reluctant to open the dams.
Now here in 1 Timothy, I’m coming against now the thought that you have, that doctrines of men have, that preachers have, doctrines of devils, doctrines of flesh, whatever. Whatever that it is, I’m coming against it now simply to say that you are not going to sit there and get zapped of God. Okay? Look at this. 2 Timothy 1 and verse 6, wherefore I put thee in remembrance. Okay, I’m putting you in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God. Who is to stir up the gift of God? Is the gift of God the Holy Ghost of God in you? Who’s supposed to stir it up? Is God going to stir it up? What is Paul? Now maybe we know more than Paul. I don’t know, but according to what Paul wrote here, and what I believe unctioned of the Holy Ghost, I believe that Paul is telling Timothy, Timothy, you have got to stir it up. It’s up to you, Timothy, to stir up the gift of God that’s in you, that was given to you by the laying out of my hands in prophecy. Now let’s just eat on this verse just a minute. Is Timothy to stir it up? Is God going to come down out of heaven and stir it up? Is he going to hit him with a lightning bolt? He doesn’t say, O thou Timothy, I put thee in remembrance to go outside on March 15 and I’m going to send thou a lightning bolt from heaven that will stir thee up. Who is it dependent upon to be stirred up in our spirit? You and I. We stir ourselves up, we stir the Holy Ghost, the gift of God up within us, which is in thee. Where is it at? Is it out there in the Holy of Heavens and off yonder in the blue sky somewhere? Where is this gift? Where is it at? Say it’s in me. Oh rejoice folks, it’s in you. You ain’t got to go find it, just look inside there. It is in thee by the putting out of my hands. Now I know that there is no ministry in this area, and I’m not boasting, I’m just saying that this is a present truth church. I know there is no ministry in this area that has more ministry in that lays hands on people than we do right here. Every ministry, I don’t hardly have a ministry to come in. I think I’ve had one in Sam Sasser and that was just because he couldn’t walk. Only I don’t have ministry in that can’t lay hands on people. But many of you won’t come. I’ve got ministry here that stirs folks up, that stirs gifts up, that imparts to them gifts, that ministers to people, and many of you won’t come. Would you say that you’re not, if you’re not coming, would you be honest enough to say I’m not stirring? I’m not stirring myself up. I’m not putting myself in a place to be stirred. I don’t want to be stirred. I refuse to be stirred. Bless God, I’ve got enough. Think about it.
Now, the primary problems with moving in the Spirit, with living a life of the Spirit, speaking in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, moving in prophecy, gifts of the Spirit, and those kinds of things come from two main sources. One, and probably the primary one, is fear. You’re a fear to make a mistake. You fear what relatives are going to say. You fear what mama or daddy or cousin or aunt, and I got a little story. Bonnie’s getting married two Saturdays, right? Two Saturdays. Is that correct? The 12th. Okay, we have got a flock of relatives coming. A flock of them. I mean, they’re having the beagle hunt. Everybody knows about the beagle hunt they have here every year. Well, all the rooms around in our area are taken. Beagle hunters. Bonnie has to have her wedding on the day they hunt beagles. They hunt rabbits, you know. And so what I’m having to do is get them rooms up in Fort Oglethorpe, anyhow. But here’s the point, is that I’ve got relatives that don’t believe in Jesus Christ that go to… church nowhere. They’re going to hell. I really, I have some. I’ve got some that moved, that are moving in the present truth that happened back yonder. They’re good Methodists, okay? They’re good Baptists. And there was that word move of God that was that present truth of that day, but they sat there and they’re not moving on in God, and they come into our church, and they’re going to be here, some of them. And they’re going to watch me dance, and they’re going to watch me talk in tongues, and they’re going to watch me rejoin. And there was a time though, folks, when I had a problem. I had a problem with my mom and daddy coming up here to church with me. They didn’t know I talked in tongues. Do you know it now? You see, there’s a fear that I understand where you’re at, because I have been there. We’ve all been there.
But now look at this next person. Now, first of all, understand here that what Paul’s telling Timothy, you’ve got to stir it up, son. You’ve got to stir up that gift that’s in you, that’s given by the laying on of my hands, by prophecies, by things that I’ve spoken over you, for God, because you’ve got to stir this up, because for God has not given us what? How many of you will be honest enough to say I’m afraid to talk in tongues around my parents, around my relatives, around my people at work? I’m afraid to talk in tongues. You see, now let’s be honest and please, again, we’re building our lives on the sayings of scriptures, the sayings of Jesus Christ, not on the doctrines of men, nor the doctrines of devils. Would rather you be stirred up and speak in tongues, the devil or the father? Are you sure? Would God want you to talk in tongues? Would he want you to stir up the Holy Ghost in you? But what have you been programmed by the doctrines of men? What have you been told? Which is the devil according to a lot of places? Think about it. And we’ve believed the lie. And we sit in our little chair and we never grow to the fullness that God has for us.
Now this is going to get even clearer. I just want you to see folks, God’s will is that you grow, God’s will is that you stir yourself up, God’s will is that you change and that you find out what he says and you purify yourself, you get that junk out of you, you get into you what he says, his purity, himself, so that you can come into his fullness. Have I communicated this? Okay. We’re at a ground. Now fear will stop you. Fear of being unsuccessful, fear of people. Paul tells Timothy, stir it up for God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of what? Power and love and a good mind. God wants us to have a good mind. That’s what God’s given to us. And anything that comes in another way is not God. It’s the devil. It is your flesh. Understand what I’m saying.
Now, how do we do this? How do we build ourselves up? How do we stir ourselves up? I want to give us four things quickly. And one I’m going to emphasize and one I’m going to spend some time on. The other three I’m just going to mention, but I just want to mention them while I’m speaking this out. First of all, we must be penetrated with and we must be persuaded of God’s will. You must penetrate into the will of God for peace. They’re going to be penetrate, pray, they’re going to be praise, and one more. But you’ve got to penetrate and be persuaded of God’s will for the church and for your life. Because if you have penetrated and you know God’s will, it won’t matter what anybody else says. It won’t matter what some other denomination says. It won’t matter what some other doctrine says. You will be able to know it because you know you have penetrated and you know God’s will. Am I right? And you’ve got to understand what I’ve said to you today, folks. It’s not an any minute rapture. Any minute in that it’s going to come and cause you to escape from all your problems. It is the last day. It is resurrection day. And you’ve got to understand that we’ve prayed it all of our life. They asked Jesus how to pray, and he says, when you pray, say, let’s pray it together. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, where? On, or in earth, as it is where. Now does that tell you that we want to go to it or that we’re supposed to be… getting it here? What is Father’s will? That we get raptured out of here or that we bring the kingdom of God here. That is the will of God. We’ve prayed it all of our lives, but gone if we really believed it. The first thing you’ve got to know is that God has you here to do something, and we’re waiting on him to do it. He’s sitting there.
Now number two, and this is the one that I’m going to spend time on. A lot of scriptures, so keep turning with me, okay? And keep writing them down and keep looking these things up. We have got to be a church, and you have got to be a people that prays and sings in the Spirit. And when I say pray and sing in the Spirit, mostly what I’m saying is pray and sing in tongues. Well, if somebody says, okay, amen, or something, or oh me, or I don’t want to. You will not stir yourself up. You won’t be able to fan that, kindle that flame, to get that ember going if you will not move on in God into this dimension. You have about grown as far as you’re going to grow. You will never be able to activate the gifts in your life like you want to. You will never be able to hear the voice of God like you want to. You have got to come to the place that you will speak in tongues and sing in tongues. Now I’m going to show you this, okay? Now I know this makes some of you very uncomfortable and very uneasy. I’m glad of that, but if you refuse to do this, please don’t leave us. Just come in and sit with us, and maybe one day if you walk along the side of the river long enough, you’ll fall in. Okay? But just look and see if these things be so. You see if I’m biblical. You see if I’m teaching you truth. Talking, singing, and praying to God. This is why I want to give you a few reasons. I think I’ve got eight here. Eight reasons why we need to do this. And this is probably all we’ll get. And I’ll just give you, I’ll just speak the other two. But I really want you to see this.
First Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 1. Now some of you, please, please, if you don’t have a Bible, please be beside them so you can see these scriptures. See that this is the word of God. First Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 1. I am talking about that dreaded word tongues. Okay? Ooh, give me loafers. I don’t want the tongues. Ooh. And the reason that it has become ooh is because of doctrines of men and flesh and doctrines of devils. Ooh. First Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 1. Follow after love or charity. How many of you really got to love people? Is that necessary? What’s the first commandment? Love the Lord. And what’s the second one? Okay. You can hang everything else. If you won’t do these two, hey, you ain’t got nothing to hang everything else on. You got to love people. Follow after this. Find love. Find a way to love people. And desire, that’s the Greek word zelo, z-e-l-o-o, means we get our English word zealous, be zealous for spiritual gifts. Now what does the Bible say about spiritual gifts? To say ooh, or to say I want them. Oh, I want to be zealous. I want to desire these. What is the Bible mentality? What does the apostle Paul tell us is the proper way to look at gifts of the Spirit about tongues, interpretations of tongues, about prophecy, all the words of wisdom, word of knowledge, discernment of spirits, faith, miracles, healings. How does he say that we should look at this? Be zealous to get it. Is that what your Bible says? Now you’ve got to see this. The Bible mentality is to go after it, not run from it. Be zealous for spiritual gifts, but I want you to prophesy. That’s the main thing. And again, in prophecy, you know, when I minister in prophetically over people, I’m giving them a word of knowledge. How many of you ever, you’ve watched the prophets work, right? And they give a word of wisdom, they give a word of knowledge. How many of you see that sometimes they’ll get a thing in their heart and they’ll start praying for people, give gifts of healings, okay? Discernment of spirits, all these gifts are working when the prophecies are enacted. People are healed and ministered to and demons are cast out and all these things are happening. So what Paul is really saying here is I want you to, I want you to minister to people. I want you to get the voice of God for people…. I want you to be able to, yeah, talk in tongues because you’re talking to God, but I really want you to be able to minister to people. That is what God is saying in this hour.
Let’s keep going here because there’s something I really want you to see. But rather you may prophesy. Verse two. For he that speaketh in what? An unknown tongue. He that speaks in tongues, speaks not to who? Men. Do you see this? If I talk in tongues, am I talking to you? I can look right at you. Am I talking to you? Who am I talking to? According to that verse, according to your Bible, I want you to read it. If I’m talking in tongues, who am I talking to? If you’re talking in tongues, who are you talking to? If you’re singing in tongues, who are you singing to? If you’re praying in tongues, who are you praying to? Listen, this is vital. This is Paul giving instructions as to how these things operate. Standing our minds straight about them, dispelling all the falsities that we’ve heard. For he that speaks in an unknown tongue, speaks not unto men, but unto God. Now which would the devil want you to do? Would he want you to speak in tongues or not to speak in tongues? What would the doctrines of your flesh, doctrines of men, what would they want you to do? What would your flesh, does your flesh? So what have we believed? What, the majority of the church world, what has it believed? What do the majority of the churches in the earth today believe? Doctrines of devil. Sad to me. It’s so sad. Okay. Can you see that? Can you see that before I go on? The devil really doesn’t want you talking in tongues because you’re talking to God. For no man understands him, how be it, in the spirit he what? He speaks mysteries. Is the spirit speaking mysteries? Is the spirit speaking? But what is it speaking? What is his mouth speaking? Tongues. My mouth is speaking tongues, but I’m speaking to God. I don’t understand it. You don’t understand it. God understands it. Does the devil want you to speak in tongues? Of course not. Of course not. And then there was this thing you see through the Roman Catholic Church, and it’s still in the earth today, is that most pastors don’t want you to really have a straight line with God because they want to be able to tell you what to do and not to do, and what God’s saying and what God’s not saying. But what does Paul say? Man, when you talk in tongues, you’re talking to God.
So when I speak in tongues, who am I talking to? I’ve got to establish this point and then we’re going on. Talking to God. So the first thing that I have got to understand, the first truth that I understand here about this is simply the truth that when I talk in tongues, I am talking and I’m praying and I’m singing to God. Why? Why talking tongues? Number one, I’m talking to God. My goodness. Number two, look at verse 14. 14 to 14. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, what’s praying? My spirit prays. Okay? If I pray, let’s get it now. If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays. Let’s say that together. If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays. How much clearer can it get? Well, my point here is that my carnal mind is barren. My flesh is excluded from this conversation. I am not putting in in my flesh to this conversation. It is a conversation between my spirit and my father. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays. But my understanding is what? My understanding is unfruitful. Now, this word unfruitful, there’s the Greek word, our carpos, I suppose it’s close enough, and it means barren. My understanding, my flesh is barren. It’s non-productive. Now, what does the devil want you to do? He want you to pray in your flesh or pray in tongues? He want you to talk what you believe and what your will is to God or what the spirit’s will is to God. Are we still, are we okay are we still awake? Wait at me if you’re looking at me. Okay. I really want to get this because we’ve got to become a church that sings in the tongues and talks in tongues and we’ll stand with Paul and we’ll say, I thank my God that I talk in tongues more than any church around here. Makes barren the mind. That means unfruitful.
Third reason, tongues is an act of your will… just as praying in your understanding or singing in your understanding is an act of your will. How many of you can right now, if you wanted to, if your will wanted to right now, that you could will yourself to get right up out of your chair and walk right up here and kneel and pray to God. How many of you could do that right now? Okay. Can you do that? If you wanted to sing, if we cranked up the music right now and you will to sing, could you sing right now? I mean, you don’t have to, you don’t have to wait for life. You can stir yourself up and you can do it right now. What does that next verse say? What does verse 15 say? What is it then? I will pray, how? Whose will is being activated? Can I will my will, can I activate my will to pray in the spirit whenever I want to? Just as surely as the next part is I will pray with my understanding. Just as surely as I can activate my will to pray in my understanding, I can activate my will to pray in tongues. Am I right? And don’t stop there and wait just as easily as I can crank up the music. I could tell Lance to come up here right now and the musicians are going to right now and crank up the music and will myself to sing in my understanding. I can will myself to sing in the spirit. Who does it? Do you got to be moved on by the Holy Ghost or do you do it? Stir yourself up. Do you see this? My goodness of life folks, we’re missing one of the greatest blessings we can be experiencing. It is my will. I will to do this. If you’re not praying in tongues and if you’re not singing in tongues, it is simply because you don’t want to and you will it not in your life. How many say that now? That’s a great point. It is a great point. Paul tells us the way he prays it with tongues and the way he prays is with tongues and with understanding also. Is this the way the apostle prays? Does he give us the formula for his prayer life? Does the apostle Paul pray in tongues? Does he pray in their understanding? Does he sing in tongues? Does he sing in his understanding? He gives us the formula for praise and prayer. This is the way he did it. Now maybe we know more than him. Maybe we’ve come along further. I think not. He says be imitators of. Think about it.
Number four, it changes my concept of spiritual gifts. Praying in tongues changes my concept of spiritual gifts. How many of us, and I’ve already said this to myself, how many of us have ever been ashamed to speak in tongues around people? You’ve been ashamed. We have prayer on Thursday mornings at City Hall. We pray at City Hall. Some of us get together and pray for our city and our area and our region and we get together and we pray. A lot of those brothers don’t speak in tongues and I have a problem. Now I pray in tongues. I just pray kind of low. Now I don’t want to disrupt them and I don’t want to hurt and distract them in their prayer time but I do pray but I just don’t pray like I pray here. Now with that thought, look at verse 18 and what does the apostle Paul say? I thank my God. I pray in tongues more than anybody. Is that what he’s saying? See it changes your concept of gifts of the Spirit. You know you’re no longer ashamed. Folks, if you’ll pray in tongues in public, you’ll prophesy in public, you’ll play hands on people in public, you’ll pray for healings in public, you’ll get a word of wisdom and knowledge for people in public, you’ll get people healed in public. If you’ll play in the Spirit, you can’t be timid. And God did not give you a spirit of timidity, timmy. Power, love, sound mind. It changes your concept of spiritual gift. I speak with tongues more than you all. How many wants to be a part of a church that can make that boast? Let’s confess that. Let’s raise our hands. Father, we want to be a church that speaks in tongues, that sings in tongues more than any. Amen.
Number five, tongues is supposed to be a part of a real New Testament church service. Do you believe this? A real New Testament church service has tongues. Where do you get that preaching? Well, right there in the Bible, verse 26. What is it then? How’s it supposed to come out? What’s the outcome then? When you assemble, when you come together, when you get together, when you assemble, every one of you have a psalm. Half of what? Do you have your half a tongue?… Is tongues a part of a New Testament biblical church service? Just as much as praying is, just as much as teaching is, just as much as revelation is, is tongues a part of a New Testament biblical church, just as much as anything else that we do is? Please answer me. Are we supposed to have tongues in our services? Now, where did it stop? You know, I hear these things. Well, that’s for the first century church. Well, that’s for them back then. Tell me, when did it stop? Did it stop on April the 15th, 1966, or April the, when did it stop? Show me in the Bible the day, you can get it, you can get it before 12 o’clock noon, but you can’t get it after 12 o’clock noon. You know, that’s not there, people. He wouldn’t write it here, and if that’s what he meant, he would have it in parenthesis until April the 15th, 1966. This is the way churches are supposed to operate.
Number six, it is forbidden by God to stop people from speaking in tongues. Let me say that one more time. It is forbidden by God, emphasized by God, to stop people from speaking in tongues, verse 39. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. Is that what your Bible says? If I forbid you to speak in tongues, if I forbid you to speak in tongues, am I going directly against the Word of God? If I will not allow you to prophesy, if I will not allow you to minister, if I will not allow you to speak in tongues in this place, am I going directly against the Word of God? But think about it. What is the lie of the devil? How many people have been taught a lie, and built their life on it, and can go no further than God? It is a direct command of God. Do not. When you tell your kid, do not, what do you mean? Now, some of you may not mean do not. When I told mine, do not, I meant do not. You better not. Am I right? Are you all right now? Do you love me? Did I teach you truth?
Number seven, tongues allow our spirits to pray for our infirmities. Look at Romans chapter 826. Romans 826, and you got to see this. I know the children are a little bit unhappy because they didn’t get to go back today, but hey, this is important. There are spirits hearing this. How many of you know there are not big spirits and little spirits? They have a spirit. They have a spirit in there that wants to be fed. Who was it that was telling me this week? Was it Terry Williamson? It was somebody that was telling me that their kid was hearing things and ministering to their families. I know it was him that was prophesying, but they hear things that’s unbelievable, that we as adults can’t receive. They just take it by faith and go with it.
Romans 826, likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. Now, the Spirit of God that’s in you and me helps our infirmities, and if you look here, there’s this word infirmities. There’s your Greek word, and what the word means is feebleness of body or mind, frailty, malady. That’s what the Greek word means, feebleness of body or mind, frailty or malady. Now, we build ourselves up. We get ourselves out of frailty and feebleness of body and mind by getting into the spirit. This is how we do. We get out of this frailty. We also get our frailties, our little infirmities fixed, but we also get our big ones fixed. This word malady, I looked it up to make sure I had it. It means a kind or instance of impairment of a living being that interferes with normal body functions, like disease, interferes with your normal body function. It’s an infirmity, something that makes you tired, makes you weak. What he’s saying here is that the Spirit of God, when we understand this thing, in verse 26, and in the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses or our infirmities, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. Now, how does the Spirit pray? How does the Spirit pray? How do you get pure prayer out of your spirit? Tongues. That’s the way it’s pure out of your spirit, the way the Spirit prays, but should by the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with what? Groanings…. Too deep to really understand. Man, we get sick people, we need to pray for them in tongues. You get sick in your body, you need to pray in tongues, because it’s a direct straight line of God. Who is it I was talking to? It was this morning. I can’t believe this. That they were going through some problems, and anyway, they did. Carol Whitener, it was you. Who was you talking about? Your grandmother, and they didn’t really know what was wrong with her. And I asked you, I said, are you praying in the Spirit? And you said, yes, I’ll always pray in the Spirit. But see, they don’t know what’s wrong with her. Well, how many of those God knows what’s wrong with her? And how many of those that I can pray in my spirit and not include my flesh into it, and my spirit can pray the direct will of God for this woman? Pray in the Spirit.
And then the last one, or infirmities. No, next to the last one. Praying in the Spirit is warfare. Write this down, Ephesians 6, 18. We won’t turn, we’ve got to end this thing. It’s been much longer than I want it to be. Ephesians 6, 18. This is where, in Ephesians 6, Paul’s talking that we wrestle not, verse 10, we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but what? What do we wrestle with? Power is the principalities of spiritual wickedness in the high places, in the heavenly. You with me? And he tells you to do what? Put on the armor of God, and shoes, and breastplate, and all these things. You put all this stuff on. And then he says, praying in the Spirit. Why do we put all this stuff on? So we can pray in the, how did Paul pray? I’ve already showed you. He prayed in the Spirit, and he prayed in his understanding also. Do you believe that when Paul put on the armor of God, and what he’s really instructing you and me to do, when we put on the armor of God, to pray in the Spirit? Pray in tongues. How many of you know that praying in the Spirit is warfare? That we’re wrestling? That we’re fighting? How many of you know the devil doesn’t want you to wrestle him? He doesn’t want you to fight him. You hear what I’m saying? Your flesh wants to know what’s going on, man. Let me know. I’ve got to figure this thing out. Tongues don’t equate. I don’t know what you’re saying. But what God says to do is, man, put this stuff on and pray in the Spirit. The devil doesn’t like you to pray in the Spirit. He will get false doctrines out. He will convince men that it is wrong. He will even convince men that it is of the devil, so that you won’t do it, so that you won’t ask for it, so that you won’t seek after it. He will teach you that to hold you back. He does not want you to war with him. And one of the primary ways that we war with him is praying in the Spirit.
Last one. This is the last one. Praying in the Spirit builds us up in love and on our most holy faith. Write it down if you don’t want to turn or you can turn. Whichever one you want to do. I have turned you, I know, to life. See, I don’t know if you would have said I’ve turned you to death, but I have turned you to life. Jude 1-20 says this. There’s only one chapter in Jude. By the way, my computer, you have to tell it, put the chapter in there. It’s Jude 20. But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, doing what? Praying in the Holy Ghost. How do I build myself up on my faith on what I believe? Praying in the Holy Ghost. It’s just as clear there as it can be. You get built up praying in the Holy Ghost and then verse 21, keeping yourself in love. Do you know it’s very difficult to not love people when you’re praying in the Holy Ghost? I mean, you can be so aggravated with your wife or with your husband or with your children or whatever, but you can get off and you can pray in the Holy Ghost and all of a sudden the love will start happening in you. Am I right? You will all of a sudden, God will start speaking to you. You’re speaking to God and you’ve got this line going on and your spirit starts feeling good. Well, maybe that wasn’t so bad. Maybe I was kind of bad and maybe I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. I apologize. So you stay in love and you keep in the love of God because you’re praying,… building yourself up, and you keep looking for God’s mercy. Do you see this? How many want God’s mercy? Who’s it given to? Who is mercy given to? Yes. Okay, I’m in Matthew chapter five in the Beatitudes. He that is merciful. When you’re praying and you’ve got anger in you and you start praying in the Holy Ghost and you start getting mercy for this person that you couldn’t get it in your own, you know, your own understanding and you start getting merciful, God’s going to give you mercy because you’re praying and you’re interceding and all of a sudden God’s communicating and you’re communicating with God and mercy starts happening. You get God’s mercy. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Okay. How many believe that we really do need to talk in tongues more? How many believe that you need to talk in tongues more? Okay. Now I’m done. I’m going to quit. Let me speak to these other two out here and then we’re gone.
The third one would be pray and minister to people. Pray for and minister to people. You cannot get help but get charged up in your life if you stir yourself up if you’re ministering to people. You can’t help it. If you’re praying for people and loving people, there is a power that stirs up in you and it keeps you built up. You stir yourself up by the gifts that are in you by praying and ministering to people. You can be so aggravated. Me and Judy can come up here and we will have thrown things and fussed and fought and I know none of you ever do that but we do that sometimes and we come up here and I got to praise and I got to worship. I’ll start ministering to people, and all of a sudden, it don’t matter what she did anymore, all of a sudden this thing starts happening to me. It’s always her fault. You know that. How many of you husbands know that it’s always your wife’s fault? How many of you wives know it’s always your husband’s fault? Sure, it is. Yeah, we understand that. We look at it from our perspective but what I’m trying to say here is that when I start ministering to people, there’s a love that happens and I can have just maybe said a bad word. Shoot, you know? But all of a sudden, a prophetic utterance will start coming out of my most inner being and out of my belly shall flow a river of living water and I can start ministering to healing and health and blessings to this person even though when I get back home, I’m mad again. I know that nobody, number four is praise. How many know that Paul and Silas was in jail and bondages and chains and dung and everything else? Here they were in this Philippian jail and having a bad time in stocks and having their backs beaten and all of a sudden, all of a sudden they start doing what? Praying and praising. Now we already know the way Paul prayed. The way Paul prayed was in the tongues and in his understanding. So he’s praying in the Spirit. He starts singing in the Spirit. He starts ministering to God and praising God and an earthquake comes. Many of you, listen to me, are in bondages in your life. Marriage, children, finances, your love for God, whatever, you’re in a bondage. You’re in a prison and it’s full of dung and it’s in a bad stinking place. You know what you got to do? Praise, sing in the Spirit. I will sing in the Spirit and I will pray in the Spirit. I will lift my hands to you, oh Lord. Hallelujah. And all of a sudden, an earthquake comes. You’re set free. Not only you, but everybody’s in there with you.
Have you enjoyed this today? Amen. We have got to be a church that can stand with Paul and say, pray in tongues. Be proud of it. Amen. Let’s stand. Let’s stand. Amen. Lance, you got ready? He’s changed his thoughts. God spoke to him and he’s saying something special. I know what he’s doing and he’s looking forward and trying to get all the musicians set up. Remember, no service tonight. Go to care groups. We’re back on our normal schedule this week. Wednesday night we’ll be right here teaching from the book of Numbers, a tremendous truth of God that he has opened to our eyes and we’re just seeing things and it’s going to be this week getting the Father’s perspective and we’re just really going to look from the heavenlies. We’re going to stop looking from our standards and start looking from his standards. Amen. Amen. We need to do that first. While you’re doing that, thank you, darling. We need to receive the offering. So bring your1.
Praying In Tongues Scriptures
Praying In Tongues Audio
Ephesians 4:11-13
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
1 John 3:2-3
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Praying In Tongues Audio
1 Corinthians 14:1-2
1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
2 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.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
15 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.
1 Corinthians 14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
1 Corinthians 14:26 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.
1 Corinthians 14:39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
Romans 8:26 26 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Praying In Tongues Audio
Jude 1:20-21
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to
eternal life.
Praying In Tongues Audio
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