On Tongues and Baptisms
Mark 16:15-18
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
We should be speaking in new tongues. I’ve heard those who say, “But I don’t know how to do it!” Give yourself to the Lord and He will make it easy for you. You have to block out all negative thoughts. Sometimes embarrassment will sneak in. A negative thought will come into your head saying, “Look how silly you look doing that. Don’t you feel silly?” Some will believe the whisper of the enemy and stop the attempt, when God was watching with Jesus sitting on His right hand, praying that they would do it. Jesus is your intercessor. Please see: Mark 16:19, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, Acts 5:31, Acts 7:55, 56, Romans 8:34, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 10:12, 12:2, and 1st Peter 3:22.
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is a way to mature. When you refuse to go through it your growth will be hindered. Baptisma – a process of immersion, submersion. Greek “Bapto” means “to dip.” Baptism is a death, burial and resurrection, a washing if you will. You are ?lled fresh. God does the work for you.
Luke 12:11-12 ~ And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
God will teach you what to say at important times. You need not practice. It is the spirit (small ‘s’) in you speaking to the Spirit (large ‘S’) of God, communicating what needs to be communicated. You could be praying for your son or granddaughter, your neighbor, yourself and the devil has no idea what you are saying! Isn’t that awesome?
Upon salvation you have the Holy Spirit. In the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit has you! You experience death to the old and Life to the new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
It is a burying of our striving that takes place and power arises. The main receiving purpose is to witness. You may have seen me write this many times throughout my years of writing, Matthew 28:19, 20…go out and tell people about Jesus! It’s about Him, not us. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
More on tongues:
1 Corinthians 14:14
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
There are different types of tongues; unknown, church edifying, utterances and self-edifying. Paul says above that if he prays in tongues he has no idea what he is saying but he IS praying to God. His understanding is unfruitful but God hears the words. After all, God invented speaking. I am sure that if you speak in an unknown language He knows exactly what it is saying. We cannot make up words that God does not know the meaning of. If you are praying and you hear yourself say, “Purplefragilisticvunderbar” I am sure that God knows exactly what that is. He put it there through His Holy Spirit within you. Amen. Praise the Lord. The unknown tongue builds up as in Verse 4 of 1 Cor 14. Prophesy edi?es the church. It is better than the unknown tongue (Verse 5). Then there are utterances (Verse 9).
Acts 2:4
4 And they were all ?lled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Romans 8:26
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our in?rmities: 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.
Do not pray over people in tongues, they will have no idea what is being spoken over them and that is not a work of our Most High God. I knew someone once who prayed over someone’s little nephew in tongues and the Aunt told me later, “I didn’t like that because I had no idea what she was saying over my nephew.” God likes things done decently and in order. It left the woman befuddled and confused.
1 Corinthians 14:16-17
16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say “Amen” at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? 17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edi?ed.
1 Corinthians 14:18-19
18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
19 Yet in the church I had rather speak ?ve words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
When you pray over others in a language that they understand, you are actually teaching them. Tongues are not for the believer but the unbeliever. Prophecy is for the believer. Tongues are for a sign to unbelievers.
Everyone speaking in tongues at one time will scare away the visitors in your church. I visited a church once where everyone was speaking in tongues at one time. It was very confusing. It sounded really bad and it vexed my spirit. The preacher began to speak and you couldn’t hear him talk. That wasn’t good. God is not the author of confusion. (Verse 33 of 1st Cor 14) Now the spirit of Prophecy opens hearts and causes worship. (Verse 25.) Another note on Prophecy, beware of the “Profits” out there who want you to pay them so that they can “Prophesize” you a new car or house. Revelation 19:10 tells us that REAL prophecy is telling people about Jesus. It’s all about Him, not us. Everything that you do good for Him now will get you another building block towards your mansion in the New Heaven and the New Earth. What we have now will burn up and glue will not put the pieces back together. See 2nd Peter 3:10.
2 Peter 3:10-12
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Where your Power comes from:
Acts 1:8
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 Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth, are to go out into the world to witness to others about the Saving Grace of God. To witness is Martas/Martar, one who bears witness by death. When Jesus was baptized, which was through an Immersion Baptism, the Heavens opened to Him. There are various Baptisms including sprinkling, etc., so we cannot exclude a version just because we don’t believe in that doctrine. After all, it would be tough to baptize someone in a wheelchair or one who is bed-ridden by dunking them in a cool pool or river. We must use God’s Grace and have compassion for others. When Jesus approached the man who sat by the Pool of Bethesda who had been waiting years for someone to put him in the water that an angel stirred on occasion, Jesus didn’t baptize the man. He told him to rise up and walk. Yet it saved this man’s life. Let God’s Grace and Mercy cause us to consider times like these and not be judgmental but loving and inclusive.
John 5
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
The man never went in the pool yet he was saved and cleansed by our Lord. Praise God. Beware of legalistic, ceremonial and ritualistic people who place guilt upon others by causing them to live by the law or certain laws instead of living by God’s Grace. There is John’s Baptism where you are baptized in water (Matt 21:25, Acts 18:25), a Baptism into Christ (Acts 2:38), a Baptism of repentance (Acts 13:24, Acts 19:3) and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost is when you are endued with Power. Water Baptism is not really necessary for Salvation. It is an outward show that you have accepted Jesus. Too many make it, (should I say), magical and dramatic. Denominations argue over it as though you wouldn’t get to Heaven without complete immersion. Jesus is the Door and the Key, not water. What people fail to realize is the fact that Jesus IS the Word and He is the Water as well! If you have Him, you have it all. The Spirit gives you Power, not water. He even lighted upon Jesus as Jesus came up OUT OF the water. By the way, the Spirit of God is a “He” not an “It” amen? I received the gift of the Holy Ghost after my Immersion Baptism but everyone doesn’t. I am not better than those who didn’t. We all have our own experiences. It is a heart change not a physical change Some people go down into the water a dry devil and come back up a wet one.
Jesus’ ministry did not really begin until God announced Him to others, “This is my beloved Son in whom I Am well pleased.” God ordained His Son in front of witnesses. I like to call it “Jesus’ Ordination.”
Matthew 3:16-17
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway OUT OF the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
In the Baptism of the Holy Spirit all power of the Heavens are opened unto you. We now have power to reckon the old man dead and lead holy lives. “Be ye Holy for I am Holy” says the Lord.
I pray that this writing/lesson has helped you in some way. Have a great week!
God bless,
Rev Essie