Gifts of the Spirit
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
Acts 2:4-6
Many people (knowing I come from Pentecostal background) have asked me about speaking in tongues. I would have been 15 or so. I’d been going to church for about six months and from time to time I had noticed people doing this weird thing. I remember asking one of my youth leaders - “why are they speaking in Hebrew.” He said, na man, they are speaking in tongues.
At some point in the next few months I think someone asked me if I wanted to speak in tongues. Why not? I had no idea what they were. I just knew that a bunch of people at church did it and all of my leaders who I looked up to did. So they prayed for me and after a while I started ‘babbling’ just like them. For the next ten or so years it would be common that in meetings, in church or even at home by myself, I would “speak in tongues.”
I don’t anymore. In fact, I’m not convinced that what I was doing was the same as the speaking in tongues described in Acts. For the next few weeks, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I’m going to devote the blog to considering the “gifts of the Spirit” that are found in Acts and in one or two other places in the Bible.
This is because they are an area of confusion for many of you and an area of fascination for others. Ultimately, it’s worth wrestling with these things because they are in the Scriptures and I for one want to be humble and willing to wrestle with anything and everything God has written.
So, looking forward to this next ride with you as we enter the strange world of tongues, prophecy, miracles, healings and more.
For Today:
Pray: Praise the Father that He is the God who speaks and who communicates with us. Give thanks for Jesus who speaks truth and wisdom in a way we can understand. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others understand the Scriptures and discern wisely their meaning and practice.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.
Acts 2:4-6
Many people (knowing I come from Pentecostal background) have asked me about speaking in tongues. I would have been 15 or so. I’d been going to church for about six months and from time to time I had noticed people doing this weird thing. I remember asking one of my youth leaders - “why are they speaking in Hebrew.” He said, na man, they are speaking in tongues.
At some point in the next few months I think someone asked me if I wanted to speak in tongues. Why not? I had no idea what they were. I just knew that a bunch of people at church did it and all of my leaders who I looked up to did. So they prayed for me and after a while I started ‘babbling’ just like them. For the next ten or so years it would be common that in meetings, in church or even at home by myself, I would “speak in tongues.”
I don’t anymore. In fact, I’m not convinced that what I was doing was the same as the speaking in tongues described in Acts. For the next few weeks, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I’m going to devote the blog to considering the “gifts of the Spirit” that are found in Acts and in one or two other places in the Bible.
This is because they are an area of confusion for many of you and an area of fascination for others. Ultimately, it’s worth wrestling with these things because they are in the Scriptures and I for one want to be humble and willing to wrestle with anything and everything God has written.
So, looking forward to this next ride with you as we enter the strange world of tongues, prophecy, miracles, healings and more.
For Today:
- Have you ever spoken or heard someone speak in tongues?
- Why are they speaking in tongues here in Acts 2? What’s the point?
- Interested in what tongues looks like? Go to 7 minutes in on this Youtube.
Pray: Praise the Father that He is the God who speaks and who communicates with us. Give thanks for Jesus who speaks truth and wisdom in a way we can understand. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others understand the Scriptures and discern wisely their meaning and practice.
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