We live in a world that is governed by the spirit. Behind the visible, material world, there exists another dimension, another world – that of spirit.
This world of spirit has no limitations, but because our lives are lived primarily in the physical realm, our interaction with the spirit world takes a secondary place and, with many, no place at all.
The natural mind cannot know the things of God because God exists in this invisible world. The Apostle Paul pointed out the inability of our natural mind to interact with God in Romans 8:26:
ROMANS 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: 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.
We have discussed in the past various ways in which we can transcend the natural to enter into the spiritual. We are now going to look at speaking in tongues as a means of entering the realm of spirit.
Many Christians view speaking in tongues as secondary in one’s walk with God. Speaking in tongues is not an optional extra – it is vital to our walk with the Lord. A quick look at Scripture clearly indicates its important place in our walk with the Lord:
I CORINTHIANS 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues,
4. He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself;
18. I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all.
JUDE 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…
EPHESIANS 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
Abraham was the father of our faith and was saved by obedience to God’s word and faith. He lived long before the Law was established and was made righteous by faith.
GALATIANS 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
GALATIANS 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree. 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
A part of our spiritual inheritance includes the blessings that came upon Abraham:
1. Financial provision
2. Victory over our enemies
3. A profound relationship with God – being a friend of God
4. Fruitfulness
5. Fulfillment of destiny
6. Promise to inherit the land
God made a covenant with Abraham – a seal, or a token – to ensure that all that God had promised him would come to pass.
GENESIS 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
10 This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Why did God use circumcision as a seal or pledge of the fulfillment of all that God had promised Abraham? God could have thought of something less invasive and less painful – why circumcision?
Truly, God’s ways are not our ways. God put a mark on Abraham’s body where life would flow (biologically) from which his seed would be born, who would inherit the land.
That mark (a promise of fertility) would ENSURE that the ultimate promise of inheriting the land would be fulfilled, even though it would require a miracle – a son in his old age. This covenant would continue with Abraham’s descendants – who we are.
What then is the connection between speaking in tongues and circumcision?
Like Abraham, you are already saved by faith. Now, God wants to establish His covenant with you and bring forth life; He wants you to inherit the promises given to Abraham and his seed. God required something of Abraham that would be a sign or token that God’s promises would be fulfilled. That sign or token was the mark of Circumcision.
This did not give Abraham a greater standing with God. He was already accepted by God through faith. But it did make it possible for God to bring to pass His purposes for him. It made possible a flow of life (biologically speaking) that brought to pass the purposes and promises for Abraham’s life.
So It Is With Us
The Apostle Paul made it clear that after we are born again, God wants to give us a seal or token to ensure the fulfillment of all of His purposes and promises that He has for us. This seal is the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives.
EPHESIANS 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
1. In whom ye trusted (salvation)
2. You were sealed by Holy Spirit’s mark
3. This is the promise of your inheritance. Paul then went on to say that this sealing was the earnest of our inheritance.
EPHESIANS 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The word earnest here is the Greek word arrabon: a pledge, part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, [is] God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Here we see those two things again:
1. Established in Christ
2. Sealed which is the earnest (down payment) Holy Spirit of the promise.
The first is salvation; the second is the seal of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the disciples received the baptism in the Holy Spirit – speaking in tongues, which was the earnest, the token, the pledge, the seal, of inheriting the promise, signifying that God would bring them into the fullness of His promises and purposes.
When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, God puts a mark or a sign in your mouth – that of speaking in tongues. This mark or sign brings a flow of life that would make it possible for you to enter into all that God has promised.
With Abraham, the mark was circumcision in the part of his body where life would flow from. With you and I, the mark is in the mouth where spiritual life flows from. Speaking in tongues makes possible a flow of life from the mouth, which will bring to pass God’s purposes for you if you use it.
PHILIPPIANS 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Paul here refers to worshiping God in the Spirit as a New Covenant picture of the circumcision which releases a flow of life.
THAT’S WHY YOU SHOULD SPEAK IN TONGUES MUCH (It’s a flow of life)
Speaking in tongues releases life – it has birthing power.
1 CORINTHIANS 14: He that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church
(Edifieth: Brings forth life) Jude put it this way:
JUDE 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…
GALATIANS 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Once again, I want to remind you what the blessings of Abraham were:
1. Financial and material blessings
2. Victory over the enemy
3. Relationship with God
4. Fruitfulness
5. Fulfillment of your destiny
The promise of this is the mark in your mouth: speaking in tongues. No wonder the Apostle Paul said: I speak in tongues more than you all.
PROVERBS 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
The New Covenant fulfillment of this act of circumcision is found in Philippians 3:
PHILIPPIANS 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
We are the circumcision who worships God in the spirit. This worshiping God in the spirit is referred to in 1 Corinthians 14 as praying or worshiping in tongues:
1 CORINTHIANS 14:2 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.
14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, Paul also talked about singing in our language and singing in tongues:
1 CORINTHIANS 14:15 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.
Speaking or singing in the spirit is clearly defined as singing or praying in tongues. We are the circumcisions that worship God in Spirit Those who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues have a distinguishing mark in their mouths – that of a language they have never learned, a pure language which comes from our spirit which is joined to the Lord. This language bypasses the natural mind; it comes from the realm of spirit and expresses the heart and will of God. The quandary of not knowing the will of God Many Christians face the problem of not knowing the will of God clearly for their lives or a given situation.
ROMANS 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: 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. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit can pray through you in another language and that prayer will be in the perfect will of God and will be answered.
JAMES 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,
When you pray in the spirit, a flow of creative life flows out of your mouth in the perfect will of God. This flow of life begins to acquire for you the blessings that came upon Abraham. We must pray much in the spirit – it is a gift that God gave us that we might walk in our destiny and see the fulfillment of all that God has promised us. Our great high priest, Jesus, will pray through us in perfect agreement with the Holy Spirit and those prayers will be answered.
Speaking in tongues By-passes the Mind
Dr. Andrew Newberg at the University of Pennsylvania recently published a study looking at the brain activity of eight Americans who speak in tongues. Newberg was determined to unravel the relationship between faith and science. He began to study what changes in our brain when we speak in tongues.
Researchers at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine have discovered decreased activity in the frontal lobes, an area of the brain associated with being in control of one’s self. This pioneering study, involving functional imaging of the brain while subjects were speaking in tongues .
Radiology investigators observed brain activity by measuring regional cerebral blood flow with SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging while the subjects were speaking in tongues. They then compared the imaging to what happened to the brain while the subjects sang gospel music.
“We noticed a number of changes that occurred functionally in the brain,” comments Principal Investigator Andrew Newberg, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Religious Studies, and Director for the Center for Spirituality and the Mind, at Penn. “Our finding of decreased activity in the frontal lobes during the practice of speaking in tongues is fascinating because these subjects truly believe that the spirit of God is moving through them and controlling their speech. Our brain imaging research shows us that these subjects are not in control of the usual language centers during this activity, which is consistent with their description of a lack of intentional control while speaking in tongues.”
Newberg went on to explain, “These findings could be interpreted as the subject’s sense of self-being taken over by something else. We, scientifically, assume it’s being taken over by another part of the brain, but we couldn’t see, in this imaging study, where this took place.
We believe this is the first scientific imaging study evaluating changes in cerebral activity — looking at what actually happens to the brain — when someone is speaking in tongues. This study also showed a number of other changes in the brain, including those areas involved in emotions and establishing our sense of self.” Newberg concludes that the changes in the brain during speaking in tongues reflect a complex pattern of brain activity. Newberg suggests that since this is the first study to explore this, future studies will be needed to confirm these findings in an attempt to demystify this fascinating religious phenomenon.
These findings are interesting; in as much as they show that the brain is affected when we speak in tongues. The key phrase is: “Our brain imaging research shows us that these subjects are not in control of the usual language centers during this activity.” These studies showed that while speaking in tongues, the frontal lobe of the brain goes quiet. Long ago, Isaiah the prophet spoke of the phenomenon in Isaiah 28:
ISAIAH 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
The Apostle Paul used this Scripture in the New Testament in reference to speaking in tongues:
1 CORINTHIANS 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
As Isaiah said, “This is the rest.” Give your brain a rest by speaking, praying, and worshiping in tongues and you will be greatly refreshed. As you speak or pray in tongues, your brain is bypassed and you speak the will of God. What is being prayed may be unknown to you, but those prayers will be answered.
Jesus prayed for Peter so that the enemy would not overcome him
LUKE 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
We need our great High Priest to pray for us via the Holy Spirit, and as those prayers are answered, we will see the outworking of God’s plan and will for our lives. Let us not ignore this powerful gift that God has given us. If we do, we will be impoverished because of our neglect.