THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:14-18 ESV)

            As a little boy I often heard said, “Let your conscience by your guide.” Seems good on the surface but is that sound advice? Is the conscience a reliable measurement tool for determining conduct? Do cannibals feel remorse killing and eating humans? Probably not, unless of course they did a lousy job preparing a tasty meal! (I know, a bad joke! J)

            The human conscience is groomed by the home of origin, the education received, the books read, the movies watched, the people associated with (both good and bad), the personal desires, and the choices made that drive actions.

            Those who have read my book TEN Words, Reflections from the Ten Commandments know how Christ became a meaningful part of my life in my teen years. Immediately I sensed the three destructive habitual acts of vulgarity, lying and stealing needed to end if there was going to be special empowerment and abundant life in Him.

            My mind-set about deception and stealing before making a decision to follow Jesus was not guilt. My feelings about lying and pilfering were more in line with ecstasy for getting away with a clever tale and not being caught in a creative shoplifting effort.

            In a rebellious world recalibration is necessary before the conscience can aid conduct. Paul mentions a weak conscience, seared conscience, clean conscience, and good conscience. Peter also writes of a good conscience. What is the condition of your conscience?

            The word conscience is used 32 times in the New Testament and not once in the Old Testament. The term is defined as a knowledge or feeling of right and wrong, with a compulsion to do right.

            The first recorded illustration of conscience is when God required the first man to refrain from eating from a certain tree. As soon as Adam recognized his disobedience he felt shame, a form of guilt. When God’s directives are followed there is a sense of completeness and orderliness. Yet when His plans are not followed a conscience awareness of reproach and rejection is experienced.

            Since the rebellion in the Garden of Eden everyone is dead in trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1) The entire make-up of the original creation has become disoriented, darkened, and depraved. Through transgression the human conscience has become untrustworthy and unreliable.

            Scripture describes the present condition: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

            On account of the rebellious, proud, and sinful nature the conscience is perverse, which causes people to excuse themselves for their actions while accusing others for similar actions. Guilty people often feel better by watching others fail. A poor or weak conscience often manifests itself in a judgmental attitude. The shamefaced gossip attacks others for doing what he or she would like to do, or may possibly be doing clandestinely.

            What makes the conscience usable for achieving meaning and purpose, fulfillment and satisfaction? Only by placing faith in God does the conscience revert into a reliable source for impacting behavior.

            Scripture reveals how the conscience becomes reshaped to do what it was designed to do, how it becomes able to fulfill its intended purpose.

A purified conscience

            “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:14 ESV)

            The Spirit of God applies the atoning blood of Calvary and purifies the conscience of those following Jesus. The conscience once filled with erroneous values, wrong judgments, and inaccurate concepts is cleansed and corrected. The blood of Jesus cancels the past, wipes the present clean, and starts a person in a righteous direction toward a perfect future.

A renewed conscience

            “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 ESV) Attitudes and actions become synchronized with God. The inward character experiences divine conformity.

            Faithfully and repeatedly reading the Bible is the leading component in the process. What does God say about life? Knowing accurately and perfectly the insight of Scripture causes an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong.

A Spirit-led conscience

            The Holy Spirit raises the follower of Jesus to greater heights.

            “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16 ESV)

            “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.’” (Isaiah 48:17-18 ESV

            “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14 ESV)

            His directives and directions restore peace and cancels guilt. The heartfelt desire to make decisions solely by the promptings of the Spirit causes an inward drive to keep the conscience lucid before God and clear before others.

            “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 ESV) Where there is guilt there is no peace and where there is peace there is no guilt.

Usable conscience

            Paul does emphasize doing and abstaining from things “for conscience sake.” (1 Corinthians 10:25, 27) Yet this is only possible when the conscience is pure, having been renewed and made steadfast by presence of the Holy Spirit.

            Ask the Lord to reshape your conscience. Give the daily reading of Scripture your highest priority. Make this divinely given element of the inward nature an effective tool. He wants to use your conscience to steer you on right paths.

SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. (Psalm 92:1-2 ESV)

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. (Psalm 95:1-7 ESV)

            When Thanksgiving approaches, most people list things they are thankful about – possessions, profession, and physical condition. There is nothing wrong with being glad for belongings, job, and health but have you considered the spirit of thanksgiving? I am not referencing a ghost as in Dickens’s Christmas Carol, but a frame of mind, a grateful outlook.

            The Apostle Paul challenged follower of Jesus to be “content in whatever circumstance.” Are you constantly giving thanks as you go through various situations?

            What occasionally slips into the soul and replaces a spirit of thanksgiving?

Spirit of intolerance

            Intolerance is often noticeable while driving. Across this great nation people use hand language while on the road. In the Dakotas, where there are very few cars, a smile and wave regularly comes from behind the windshields of passing vehicles. In Chicagoland, where there are massive numbers of vehicles, an occasional frown and clench fist is more commonplace, or a worse form of visual expression (you can figure out what worse means).

            I learned a new definition for the words split second shortly after moving to Chicagoland. A split second is the time between a traffic light turning green and someone behind you honking their horn.

            Intolerance is also seen while shopping. Some clerks, to the detriment of the store, act as if they are doing you a favor helping you, their facial expression showing inconvenience and discuss. Sometimes sarcasm rises within me, rattles within my mouth, and wants to come out. Should I apologize for interrupting them from stacking sweaters so I can purchase one? A sarcastic remark would not improve their actions.

            Equally sad are customers treating clerks as second class citizens, not worthy of civility and good manners, even while shopping for the holiday promoting goodwill and joy.

            Intolerance of others is everywhere. How do you look, speak, or act toward others?

Spirit of hopelessness

            With the amount of stress people carry, depression is a chronic problem. Professional therapy is reaching new heights. Pastor counseling calendars are filled. Unfortunately many people base happiness on happenings, and life is not happening the way they want.

            Some give suicide serious consideration, a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The epidemic is impacting every age group – teens, young adult, middle age, elderly. The seeming hopelessness of the world is terrorizing the minds of many.

Spirit of indifference

            An “I don’t care” attitude (a defense mechanism, a form of self-protection and self-preservation) is regularly seen in people’s behavior, giving testimony of a deficiency in genuine community. Focus is more on self, on self-esteem and self-worth, with little regard for those sharing life with them. Yet every personal action and attitude toward others affects you, even the action of indifference.

            Many may be thankful for things but are not generally thankful. Intolerance, hopelessness and indifference indicate the spirit of thanksgiving is missing. Yet only out of a grateful heart does life have meaning.

Studies of thanksgiving

            Jesus is the Author of thanksgiving. On the night He was betrayed, He took bread and gave thanks. With foreknowledge of his sacrificial death He was thankful, not for the cross but for the love of the Heavenly Father.

            The pilgrims conducted the first American thanksgiving celebration. They lost 47 people the previous winter, one-half of the original number. Thirteen out of eighteen wives died. Three children died. Only three families remained unbroken. The first harvest was meager. Yet they hosted a thanksgiving celebration. They were not thankful on account of circumstances. They were grateful for being a colony under God in a new land and glad for the newfound freedom to express faith in Him.

            President Abraham Lincoln founded the first national day of Thanksgiving. Elton Trueblood wrote Abraham Lincoln: Theologian of American Anguish and commented that Lincoln never saw the Southern States as an enemy but as disillusioned and disgruntled members of the Union. They could reject him as President but he would not reject them. He did not perceive himself the leader of the North but as one placed under God to work toward the preservation of the nation. The focus of the proclamation for a day of thanksgiving, held the fourth Thursday of November, was not for the North to win but for restoration.

Thanksgiving

            You are a specially created component of a great mosaic, designed by God. Your life is part of a master plan and every situation you face contributes to His finished portrait. Be thankful for all the circumstances completing the picture.

            I graduated from high school when only 17 years old. Shortly afterwards I had to either enlist or become drafted into the Arm Forces. I entered the Air Force at age 18. Eight months later I was stationed in an Asian country on the other side of the International Dateline. The only communication to home was by letters sent by mail. No other form of contact existed, such as quick and easy phone service, emails, Skype, or Face Time.

            My Thanksgiving meal was in the Chow Hall with a couple of guys I had only met a couple months earlier, one from Philadelphia and the other from Detroit. The foods and conversations were very different than back home in Seattle. Television only offered extremely old reruns, not football.

            December 25 was just a day on the calendar. In order for the kitchen crew to have time off for Christmas the Chow Hall served leftovers. The special Yuletide meal was served a couple days earlier. Airman spent the day sitting in the barracks doing nothing.

            Very early in life I came to realize contentment and joy needed to come from something or someone more constant and sure than circumstances and things. Only Jesus is unchanging – the same yesterday, today and forever. Only He can completely satisfy the human condition.

            If on Thursday you are fortunate to be with family then have a great time. But if on Thursday you have to be alone, or work, then do not let that deter you from having a grateful heart and joyful countenance.

            Go ahead and list things that make you thankful if you want. Yet the things of the world will pass away and are unimportant. Take on a spirit of thanksgiving that transcends today and enters eternity.

            Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day. Why not make it a yearlong observance?

REDEMPTION

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:44-53)       

            The story of redemption can be considered in three stages: The Old Testament reveals God the Father planning and preparing. The Gospels reveal God the Son accomplishing. And the New Testament reveals God the Spirit applying and effecting.

            Jesus came into the world in a special way and returned to the Father when His mission was accomplished. Similarly, the Holy Spirit came in a special way and is now fulfilling His mission on earth. What happens when His mission is accomplished?

The foretelling of redemption

            The gospels record John the baptizer announcing the coming of the Messiah. The name Jesus is especially significant to His earthly mission. The construction-craftsman Joseph was told, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus [Joshua, “the Lord saves”], for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost.

            As John the baptizer announced Jesus, Jesus announced the Holy Spirit. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you … But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:15-18, 26)

            “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)

            The disciples were troubled at the thought of Jesus leaving – their Master, Mentor, Messiah. The Holy Spirit came to personally fill the emptiness in their lives after His departure, a special infilling rendered impossible while the Son was with them. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to come alongside to counsel, comfort, instruct, and intercede.

            The Holy Spirit is continuing the earthly mission while Jesus engages in a heavenly ministry. The twofold work of advocacy is presently taking place. Jesus pleads the case (Advocate) of His followers before the Father, while the Holy Spirit provides sound counsel and expert guidance (Advocate).

The advent of redemption

            Jesus came at a definite date in history. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5) His advent was at a perfectly timed moment for the special purpose of redeeming and adopting.

            The advent of the Holy Spirit followed shortly after the ascension of the glorified Jesus to heaven. The Apostle John explains in his narrative, “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:39)

            Like Jesus, at a uniquely appointed time the Holy Spirit came. “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4) The Feast of Ingathering defined the purpose for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The embodiment of redemption

            By coming to earth born of a woman Jesus was God Incarnate. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The tabernacle of Glory on earth became manifested in the bodily presence of Christ.

            By coming on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit is manifesting God Incarnate through the Church, the body of Christ. “In whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:21-22) The Church is presently the tabernacle of Glory on earth, currently under construction and one day made complete.

            Jesus finished the work of redemption in a human body and the Holy Spirit applies the work of redemption in the body of Christ, with Jesus being the Head. The assembly being gathered throughout the earth is to manifest the splendor of the risen Savior.

The ascension of redemption

            When Jesus completed His mission on earth He “ascended higher than all the heavens.” (Ephesians 4:10) He did not simply vanish as a disembodied spirit. He physically ascended. (Luke 24:51)

            The resurrection and rapture of the church, the body of Christ, is directly linked to the Holy Spirit. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

            “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

            The ascending of the church from the earth is synchronized with the descending of the Lord from the heavens for a meeting in the air, Head and Body joining together in celebration of true life. The fashioning of the church “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27) is complete, then conclusively sealed and delivered to the Father with sounds of praise and triumph.

            When the Holy Spirit completes His mission on earth, will He then return to the Father at the ascension of the body of Christ, the rapture? “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

            Whether the Holy Spirit is present on earth during the Great Tribulation is an occasional discussion point among those following Jesus and is not emphatically indicated in Scripture. Will life on earth be similar to older covenant times, prior to Christ’s first appearance? Will the attention of God return to the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the completion of His plans to them?

            When the world enters the final chapter of retribution (Revelation 16), an epoch of reckoning and reprisal, there appears to be no help or Helper, and life will be torturous. No level-headed person will want to be here.

Full redemption

            The Holy Trinity is involved in redemption – the Father plans, the Son effects, and the Spirit applies. The Father testifies of the Son, the Son testifies of the Father, and the Spirit testifies of Father and Son.

            The Holy Spirit is at work to bring about the completion of redemption, and the body of Christ is the testimony of redemption. In light of the second coming, the Spirit desires to mightily advance the cause of Christ in and through you. Be filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit. Be actively a part of completing the mission.

GREAT PROBLEM, GREATER HELP, 12

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:7-9 ESV)

  “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4 ESV)

 “There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning, but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me … For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also … For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:10-11, 14-15, 33 ESV)

            The day-of-Pentecost experience is about empowerment for service, given to followers of Jesus that prayerfully ask for the Heavenly promise. Much of the controversy surrounding the Blessing centers on speaking in tongues. Of the nine manifestations of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12) the gift of tongues is the only one bringing personal edification.

            Many people attend Pentecostal churches in order to benefit from things associated with the immersing nature of the Holy Spirit, such as experiential rather than only cognitive worship. Although every believer needs the fullness of the Spirit, some just want selected benefits.

            At the age of 16 I visited a Spirit-filled church in Seattle. The well-to-do congregation gathered in an upscale part of the city, the University district. Approximately a thousand people attended on Sunday mornings. They wore stylish clothing, drove pricey vehicles, and lived in attractive homes located in well-manicured neighborhoods. These were not the typical attendees of Pentecostal churches, more associated with lower income people.

            The expressive worship was uplifting yet almost seemed out of character with their social status. They sang with enthusiasm and prayed with authority. During my visit, as the congregational singing was coming to a close, a distinguished gentleman in the balcony began speaking in tongues. He simply spoke a firm, clear and pure utterance, given by the Holy Spirit instead of through the normal processes of human reasoning. What followed was an interpretation (not a translation) from another believer in the auditorium.

            As a guest at the church, the experience surprised me but did not alarm me. A sense of genuineness and reality came over me and made me more curious about Christ. The gift of tongues has the ability to generate belief as well as confirm the presence of God.

            Many statements are made about speaking in tongues from various perspectives:

            A psychological perspective describes it as “fabricated speech in a strange tongue, occurring chiefly in states of religious ecstasy but found also in psychopathic cases.”

            An anthropological perspective describes it as “unintelligible extemporaneous postbabbling speech that exhibits superficial phonologic similarity to languages without having consistent syntagmatic structure and is not systematically derived from or related to known languages.”

            Yet the Greek word glossa used in Acts 2:4 denotes a “program of intelligible sounds produced by the physical organ inside one’s mouth when it is under intelligent control.”

            So why should believers manifest the gift in tongues?

Speaking in tongues is a means of reflecting a new image

            The human tongue reflects the inner-person.

            “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good….” (Psalm 34:13-14 ESV)

            “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle….” (Psalm 39:1 ESV)

            “[They] whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from ambush at the blameless….” (Psalm 64:3-4 ESV)

            Proverbs makes comments about speech:

            “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips….” (Proverbs 12:13 ESV)

            “…the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” (Proverbs 15:28 ESV)

            “…the mouth of the wicked [only speaks] what is perverse.” (Proverbs 10:32 ESV)

            Jesus mentions speech:

            “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34 ESV)

            “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth … But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:11, 18 ESV)”

            James records some observations about speech:

            “And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” (James 3:2 ESV)

            “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life….” (James 3:6 ESV)

            Every time people gossip, speak half-truths, make derogatory remarks, or express vulgarity they are saying more about themselves than about others. As an organ of speech the tongue mirrors the inner condition. The propensity for speaking evil is great and must be guarded against. The tongue is the part of the body whose control signifies the control of the whole person.

            Speaking in tongues gives testimony of a new Lord in residence and a new nature being built up in Christ.

Speaking in tongues is a reversal of Babel

            Three characteristics were part of the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11) The people moved east to a plain in the land of Shinar in disobedience to God. They attempted to reach greatness using manmade materials and individual efforts. Their actions led to disunity and confusion.

            When in disobedience human language deteriorates and becomes mere babble. Since the Tower of Babel the human race has not only been speaking different languages but also babbling.

            Paul wrote to Timothy that speech void of the Spirit is worldly fables, empty chatter that spreads like cancer. In other words, babble! (1 Timothy 4:7, 6:20)

            The outcomes at the Tower of Babel were reversed at the Feast of Pentecost. They stayed in Jerusalem in obedience to the Lord. Instead of seeking greatness by human effort they waited for the promise of the Father, the clothing of divine power. Their actions led to unity and harmony.

            Babel was a place of disorder, yet throughout the book of Acts the church is described as of one mind, one heart and one purpose. The Lord restores order out of chaos.

            Speaking in tongues is a testimony of moving from babbling to simplicity. The manifestation testifies of moving from rebellion to submission, shifting from the tower of confusion to the upper room of confidence.

            Communicating to God in a heavenly language suspends worldly nonsense and synchronizes life in Christ. Speaking in tongues is not a ritual recall but an edifying experience, clearing up indecision and insecurity.

Speaking in tongues is not irrational but super-rational

            Scripture records the content of tongues is “speaking the mighty deeds of God” (Acts 2:11), a transcendent praise that goes beyond ordinary capacity and expression. Speaking in tongues enables a believer to convey His splendor in words beyond human comprehension.

            God always understands the language of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2) and always listens (1 Corinthians 14:28). Speaking in tongues is a gift to a person’s spirit that bypasses human comprehension. The inner spirit intermingling with the Holy Spirit communicates to the Lord, unhindered by flawed wisdom and limited understanding.

            What was the Apostle Paul’s opinion and instructions about speaking in tongues? “Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts … I want you all to speak in tongues … if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also … I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” (1 Corinthians 14:1, 5, 14-16, 18 ESV)

            Is there a therapeutic dimension to tongues?

            Becoming built up by super-rationally expressing the mysteries of God is the Scriptural element. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

            Opening all aspects of the outward and inward person to Jesus is the theological aspect.

            Could a psychological feature be an ongoing integration of the human personality? Is the total psyche (the conscience, subconscious, and unconscious) going through defragmentation and recalibration? Is a restoring of unity to the inner person becoming enhanced and enriched by this manifestation of the Holy Spirit?

            When not knowing how to pray, God provides the means. When not knowing what to pray, God provides the direction. Speaking in tongues gives divine enlightenment.

Speaking in tongues is a liberating phenomenon

            Two older covenant festivals are associated with fifty, the fiftieth day after Passover known as Pentecost and every fiftieth year after entering the Promise Land known as Jubilee. (Leviticus 25)

            In the Year of Jubilee property was liberated from toil and freed to return to the original owner. All slaves were released from bondage. What a terrific picture of the manifestation of tongues!

            The 13^th Century churchman Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Jubilation is an unspeakable joy which one cannot keep silent, yet neither can it be expressed…it is beyond comprehension.”

            Speaking in a heavenly language is jubilating, liberating the believer from one of the toil aspects of prayer – knowing what to say. It frees the person to fully express joy and thanksgiving to the Lord, and releases the believer from the bondage of limitations.

            “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV)

Tongues

            Speaking in tongues is a means of reflecting a new image, reverses the events of Babel, is a super-rational experience, and a liberating wonder. From heavenward perspectives the manifestation of tongues is not controversial but brings wholeness to life. As with every component of faith, this grace-gift is indispensable.

            Some have said to me, “I believe speaking in tongues is genuine but just not for me.” The book of Acts reveals they were all filled and all spoke in tongues.

            Pride and sometimes doubt prevents believers from experiencing various dimensions of eternal living. Be assured, the day-of-Pentecost phenomenon is genuine and for all who love God and seek to live fully for Him.

            Is pride holding you back from this blessing? The very nature of pride opposes heavenly qualities and is the barrier to all spiritual advancement. Humbly ask and receive this priceless edifying gift of the Spirit.