By Paul Moore
I first received the baptized in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues over forty-five years ago. I’ve been using that gift ever since. Yet recently, the Lord has been showing me how little I really know about this amazing gift of the Spirit. The more I study and pray about the gift of tongues, the more I feel like I’ve been stuck in kindergarten – when it comes to using this gift.
Several years ago, Myrna and I were affiliated with a Pentecostal church. Speaking in tongues was the high mark of the Christian life. It seemed as if the mission of the church was to get everyone saved, baptized in the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues! That sounds like a good thing right? Yet, the funny thing was that I never heard anyone use this gift in the Church. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember ever hearing anyone pray in tongues, except during their initial experience. Apparently, once you had it, you were good to go.
Speaking in tongues was never meant to be a one-time experience. It’s an amazing gift that allows our spirit to interact with God any time of the day. Jude 20 exhorts us to use this gift to build ourselves up in the most holy faith. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” Praying in tongues is like recharging your spiritual battery. If we only recharge the battery in our car once in a while, it will run out of power and go dead. The same is true with our spirit. If we only use this gift occasionally, our spirit will become weak, as will our faith in God. The gift of tongues is of little value, if we fail to use it.
Over the years, I’ve know a lot of Christians who received this gift, but never fully understood how to used it. It was exciting, at first, and produced those warm fuzzy goose bumps. But after a while, the excitement began to wane, and the warm fuzzes went away. The gift didn’t change – but we did. Whenever we operate out of excitement alone, longevity will be in question. Many Christians failed to value this amazing gift and understand how powerful it is. And so, I’m afraid it got parked on the shelf of our life.
In Ephesians 6:18, the Scripture tells us to, “[pray] always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Did you get that? Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Holy Spirit! Paul may not have been referring exclusively to praying in tongues, but it certainly includes it.
John G. Lake, one of the most amazing healing ministers from last century, said that speaking in tongues was the making of his ministry. Also, those who personally knew Smith Wigglesworth said he would pray an hour every morning in tongues. Many others have discovered the power of praying in tongues as a regular part of their daily prayer life. Could it be that the Church in general has ignored this powerful gift? Rarely, is the gift of tongues practiced in most Charismatic and Pentecostal churches services today.
Is it possible we have received this gift – only to let it fall to the way side? You know the old saying, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” Perhaps, that’s what Paul had in mind, when he exhorted Timothy with these words, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (II Timothy 1:6) If he had stopped using the gift God had given him, that can be true of us, as well. Do we need to stir up the gift God has given us?
