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(Previous Page) © COPYRIGHT NOW UNBANNED PUBLICATIONS This verse states that after the disciples had prayed, the place where they gathered together “was shaken, and they were all filled [not ‘baptized’] with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” Here it is again: the Spirit confirmed that He was “abiding in them” or constantly living in them primarily to fulfill the commission of Christ to preach the true Gospel! (Acts 1:8; 1 Jn. 2:20, 27.) The already indwelling Holy Spirit quickened or empowered them with new enthusiasm to remain the evangelizing disciple-servants of Christ. The “place was shaken” does not necessarily mean that an earthquake shook the ground underneath their feet. Contextually, this allegorically describes how mightily they were strengthened and encouraged by the Spirit to preach the True Gospel. The H.M. Commentary explains, “Christ had promised His [disciples] power to proclaim His Gospel and to work miracles for the proof of their commission, yet they must pray for it; and, though they [already] have it, must pray for the continuance of it. Christ Himself had to ask, and it was given Him.” Being “filled” (not baptized) with the Holy Spirit ‘again’ is not the actual, once-off Baptism with the Spirit at salvation. The context explains that in praying this prayer these disciples surrendered themselves to a greater degree to God’s cause and will, giving the indwelling Spirit free reign in their souls and lives. The result was more boldness to keep on fulfilling the commission of Christ, and “the Lord worked with them, confirming the Word through the accompanying signs,” simply because they asked, believed, and obeyed Him, (Mark. 16:16-20.) Þ Being “filled” [not baptized] with the Holy Spirit ‘again’ as mentioned in some verses in the Book of Acts means surrendering so completely to God, (which is a decisive and progressive submission to His will under all circumstances,) that you allow the Holy Spirit free reign in your human spirit, soul, body, (1 Ths. 5:23) and life to execute the will of the Father through you as a Spirit-filled or Spirit-led, Scripture-obeying disciple of Jesus Christ.
Question: “Why do you have a problem with the evidence of speaking in tongues, if you believe in the Holy-Spirit baptism?” Answer: I do not have a ‘problem’ with any of the Scriptural gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues, true prophecy, the miracle of healing, etcetera. Like someone said, “The problem is that the Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement changed God’s Scriptural gift of tongues into the so-called validation of a strange re-baptism, which they credit to the Holy Spirit.” Their perversion of Jesus’ Scriptural Baptism with the Holy Spirit and His wonderful gifts is barefaced witchcraft against the Highest God. Incredibly, the Pentecostal/Charismatic commentators of the Spirit Filled Bible 1991 version themselves, faced with the truth of God’s eternal Word, had to place this ‘baptism,’ which allegedly occur “at some time after conversion” and which is so insistently imposed on all their members, in true Scriptural perspective. They wrote, “Obeying the Moral Law of Love in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit is the only real evidence that we love Jesus and are His disciples. Our decision to obey is the key to understanding the spiritual reality of the Scriptures and frees the Holy Spirit to teach [and use] us.” Scripturally and practically, the gift of tongues, or any other gift or miracle of the Holy Spirit by itself, cannot be ‘evidence’ of either our salvation or our spiritual integrity, and therefore cannot ‘validate’ or reveal our true identity in Christ.”
Question: “Where did the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues originate?” Answer: Although this ‘baptism’ typifies Charismatic/Pentecostal churches, this doctrine did not originate with Pentecostals. Originally, it was Edwin Irvin of the Catholic Apostolic Church that changed the Scriptural gift and sign of tongues into the so-called “standing evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Irwin & Company actually taught, (as their spiritual successors the Charismatic Pentecostals still teach,) that this ‘baptism’ “can only be acquired with the laying on of the hyper-anointed hands of their ‘mediating,’ god-clergy.” [Morris Cerullo alleges, “You’re not looking at me. You’re looking at Jesus!” Paul Crouch says, “We’re god, yes, I am a little god!”] Like the doctrine of British/German/Afrikaner Israelism, and the doctrines of the Rapture and the One Man Antichrist, this ‘baptism’ was introduced to the churches by, among others, Edward Irwin, one of the founders of the Catholic Apostolic Church in 1831 — known today, (in Germany and South Africa in particular,) as the Old, New, and other Apostolic Churches. Irving received these false doctrines from masonic, Rosicrucian-Jesuit Roman Catholics. The papacy used their Jesuit priest Emmanuel Lacunza to spread these lies to the churches of the nineteenth century. Most horrendously, like Edward Irwin, these masonic preachers also teach that this ‘baptism,’ (with its so-called ‘evidence’ of speaking in tongues,) ‘secures,’ or ‘proves’ one’s salvation. That is why one supposedly cannot be saved without this baptism. This is how the gift of tongues actually became the ‘savior,’ not the Lord Jesus Christ! What’s more, (as tongues is the ‘evidence’ of the supernatural power of their holy-spirit ‘baptism,’) they are supposedly “eternally and unconditionally saved, whether they choose to continue in sin or not.” They believe that God gives this ‘baptism’ only to the ‘elite’ members of their churches as a “separate experience at some time after conversion.” [The word ‘conversion’ never refers to the Scriptural spiritual rebirth; ‘conversion’ means changing from one religion, denomination or church to another! Rom. 12:1-2.] If this unscriptural ‘baptism’ is “evidence” of anything, it is of the fact that false dogma and deceit quickly begets more false dogma and deceit. As someone remarked, “Irving was urging Christians to receive the Holy Spirit as though they were not baptized or filled with Him in the first place!!! Therefore, into what spirit was he re-baptizing the believers under him? [And into what spirit is his spiritual seed the Pentecostal Charismatics still ‘baptizing’ their followers today?] I’d say that Irving’s movement was an attempt to re-baptize Christians into doctrines [and church systems] that better coincide with the New World Order of the Illuminati…”
Question: “If people are all baptized in the Spirit from the moment they sincerely accepted Jesus as you state, why did believers after Pentecost still have to receive the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues? Peter said, ‘Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, [which is the speaking in tongues?]” Answer: When one follows this link to Peter’s commandment to be baptized in water as a born again disciple, one finds it is a deliberate mistake, (in order to support an extremely false doctrine,) to confuse Peter’s commandment in Acts 2:38 with the ‘gift of tongues.’ Peter says indisputably, “You will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit” or the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself. He was not referring to the gift of tongues! The Spirit Filled Bible 1991 explains, “The ‘Gift of the Holy Spirit’ must be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit. The former is the Spirit Himself, while the latter are special abilities granted by the Sprit to equip believers for service.” Confusion over such clear-cut Bible verses proves that the mind of every born again, Spirit-filled or Spirit-possessed (Eph. 1:13-14) believer still needs to be renewed through knowledge of the contextual Truth of the Scriptures in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit! (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; Jam. 1:21-22.) False teachers prey on the fact that believers do not study the Scriptures prayerfully and contextually for themselves. Thus, they can misuse the Scriptures as they please to deceive them.
Question: “On four occasions after Pentecost, individuals or groups were baptized in the Holy Spirit after believing, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. In Acts 8:12-17 the Samaritans had already received the Word, been baptized, but the Spirit ‘had fallen on none of them.’ It was only after a second experience to conversion, through the laying on of hands, that they received the Spirit. Why were they not “possessed” by the Holy Spirit after they believed?” Answer: In Lu. 17:20-21, when the Pharisees asked how the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered, “The Kingdom of God does not come with observation [such as the so-called outward ‘evidence’ of tongues.] Nor will they say, ‘See here’ or ‘See there!’ for the Kingdom of God is within you [through your faith in, acceptance of the Savior, and the immediate indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Jn. 1:12-13.]” Paul carefully explained in Eph. 1:13-14, “In Him you trusted after you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation, in Whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who… [fully possessed you…]” Let us just believe the full, contextual truth of God’s Word! All sincere believers are, therefore, “sealed and possessed” or fully indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment they truly accept Jesus into their hearts or human spirits, souls or minds, bodies, and lives, “for God does not give His Spirit with measure” or in drips and drabs, (Jn. 3:34.) Þ Let us first look at the context of the passage in question. In Acts 8:5-12, Philip preached Christ to the unbelievers of Samaria. [On their understanding of the Gospel, believing in Jesus and accepting Him as their Christ, Eph. 1:13-14,] unclean spirits came out of them. [This was so that Jesus could “seal” or baptize them with the Holy Spirit, Who “possessed” them; (Eph. 1:13-14,) placing “the Kingdom of God within them without observation,” (Lu. 12:20-21.) Thus, this proves that the Holy Spirit, “the Guarantee of His atoned for possession,” does not leave His temple empty, (Rom. 8:9,) or share His holy temple with demons. [The whole ‘deliverance ministry’ is another dangerous money-making, satanic showmanship hoax!] The result of the All-powerful Spirit indwelling them, was that “many who were paralyzed were healed… And when they believed Philip as he taught them concerning the Kingdom of God [within them...] both men and women were [water] baptized.” Þ The Spirit Filled Bible explains Acts 8:12-17 and states, “This passage has been subject to unnecessary debate. This sequence of events [or the context] leaves little doubt that the Samaritans had become [believers earlier,] evidenced by their water baptism. Now, [as the Samaritans accepted these truths about Jesus’ Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit,] they were led into a deeper understanding of the [New Covenant] indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His gifts.” It is clear from the context of the entire New Testament that they did not receive the Holy Spirit Himself with the laying on of hands, but the indwelling Holy Spirit chose to manifest His gift of tongues, prophecy, and the boldness to preach the Gospel through the intercessory prayer of the disciples. Þ So, in Acts 8:14-20, according to the context of the whole New Testament Covenant, it is impossible that Peter and John gave the “believers of Samaria” the Holy Spirit Himself, because He has allegedly not “fallen on any of them.” If a verse or passage cannot fit into the contextual Truth that Jesus preached, it is possible that translators have inserted their dogmas there. Hence, Jesus Himself warned in Mark 7:13, “You make the Word of no effect through your tradition that you have handed down, and many such things you do…” And Paul and John commanded, “Test ALL things… abstain from evil…” (1 Ths. 5:21.) “Believe not every spirit but test the spirits to see if they are from God,” (1 Jn. 4:1-4.) In another passage that confuses believers and brings much contention, Acts 19:1-10, Paul met a group of believers. In an attempt to understand their spiritual background, he asked them, “Did you receive [Jesus’ baptism with] the Holy Spirit when you believed? [This is Jesus’ sequence of salvation, Lu. 17:20-21.] But they have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit” because they were some of the dispersed disciples of John the Baptist who were beheaded before Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and of course, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Þ The Spirit Filled Bible 1991, (beware of modern versions,) explains, “These disciples were water baptized believers, [just as the Samarians in the previous passage,] whose knowledge about the Holy Spirit was defective. They knew some basics from contact from John the Baptist, but they were unaware of the developments of Pentecost… [The Spirit’s manifestation through them] was accompanied by their [newly acquired] knowledge of Pentecost. An obvious parallel to the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit’s [already indwelling] fullness is displayed by [His manifestation of] the gifts of tongues and prophecy.” These dispersed disciples were like millions of Christians today. A great lack of knowledge ruled the early assemblies of Christ, as seen in the epistles written by Paul, Peter, James, and John. This is why Paul meticulously explained the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 12 & 14. These believers did not receive the Holy Spirit Himself by the laying on of hands. Only Jesus can baptize with the Holy Spirit and this happens at the moment of the person’s personal rebirth in Christ, (1 Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3-5; Gal. 4:6.) However, relating the Spirit’s wonderful gifts to the supernatural manifestations at Pentecost, (Acts 2,) these early believers also misinterpreted the manifestation of the Spirit's gifts of tongues as the moment when the Spirit first indwelt them. What’s more, if they believed that the Spirit continually ‘came upon’ them, ‘fell on them’ or ‘filled them’ when He manifested His gifts, they were merely interpreting the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit according to Old Testament, and/or pagan doctrine. Pagans must bring sacrifices to ‘pray the power of the gods down on them’ and to ‘bless them.’ Under the Old Testament covenant before the cross and Pentecost, the Spirit only ‘came upon’ believers without indwelling them. However, a New Testament Paul wrote in Rom. 8:9-11, ‘If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is IN you… He will also [constantly] give life [or strength] to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.’
Question: “I myself had often laid hands on people who had been born again for many years, and baptized them with the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. How can you deny that reality?” Answer: It saddens me deeply to tell you that your church either greatly misunderstand Jesus’ Baptism with the Holy Spirit, or you are speaking of ‘another manmade baptism into ‘another spirit,’ as Paul called such unscriptural manifestations and doctrines in Gal. 1:6-10. John the Baptist said in Jn. 1:29, 33, “...It is He [Jesus, the Lamb of God,] Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Consequently, the contextual truth of Scripture denies your claim. As explained in the study of Jesus’ Holy-Spirit baptism and seen in the answer to the question above, only the Lord Jesus Christ can send His Spirit to live inside believers. Jesus Himself performs this baptism at the moment people truly accept Him as their Lord and Savior. It is impossible to be born again and thus saved without the complete indwelling of the Spirit. The ‘baptism,’ your refer to and which happens at a ‘later stage’ with the ‘evidence of speaking in tongues,’ fits nowhere into the true context and reality of the Scriptures.
Question: “If the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is a false doctrine, why are those who do not speak in tongues powerless to heal the sick, cast out demons, etcetera?” Answer: Since Pentecost, many sincere believers who never received the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 12:30-31) made millions of sincere disciples for the Kingdom of God and followed Jesus unflinchingly through water and fire into heaven. Scripturally, God’s authority, in this case not just His commission to preach the Gospel, but also the manifestation of His gifts to cast out demons, heal the sick, etcetera, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, has nothing to do with the gift of “tongues as the [so-called ‘fire’ or] ‘evidence of the holy spirit baptism,’” (Mark 16:15-18.) The Holy Spirit’s gifts do not prove true discipleship in Christ or even the Father’s acceptance or favor, (Mt. 7:21-24.) Paul explained in Rom. 11:29, “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable…” The deliberate misunderstanding and abuse of His gifts will cause Him to punish such unrepented disobedience, but God does not grab His gifts away from those who misuse them. Jesus warned in Mt. 7:21-24, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your Name?’ And then I will declare, ‘I never knew you… you who practice lawlessness…’” Those deceived Christians will never enter the kingdom of heaven because they will have to “depart from Him,” but they are still able to use Jesus’ Almighty Name and the all-powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit against the agents of darkness. It is therefore a grave mistake to think that Calvinist/Reformed and other Christians, who sinfully reject the supernatural gifts and work of the Holy Spirit are powerless against Satan and his demons. It is not the ‘righteousness’ of the person who casts out demons or heal the sick, (although these Reformers do not believe in the reality of God’s miracles and gifts,) but the Almighty Name of Jesus Christ still makes the devil flee. These Reformed denominations do not manifest the miracles of the Holy Spirit because they most errantly believe the manifestation of His gifts “ceased shortly after the apostles evangelized the known world in the first century A.D.” Some Roman Catholics also speak in tongues, but if this is indeed a manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit, they would surely repent from, and leave Roman Catholic idolatry immediately and forever. In Mark 3:21-30, Jesus’ own people said He was mad and possessed by Beelzebub the devil. They actually accused Jesus of casting out demons by asking the ruler over them, Beelzebub, to let them go out by his consent, which constitute the “unpardonable sin.” This abuse of the Holy Spirit and His gifts does not refer to His commandments to “test and prove” all spirits and teaching “to see whether it is of God,” (1 Ths. 5:21; 1 Jn. 4:1-4.) The Hebrews knowingly rejected the true power and Scriptural gifts of the Spirit, contributing the real work of the Spirit to the devil. The Matthew Henry Commentary was written by a Calvinist minister, who could not deny the reality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit either in practice or in Scriptural truth. He correctly explained, “Satan is so subtle he will never voluntarily give up his possession. [Satan might deceive bystanders by pretending to leave his possession to glorify his false disciples and their so-called ‘deliverance ministries,’ but only Jesus Himself can force him to leave and never return. As a result, Jesus commissioned His disciples and, in His Almighty Name, gave them authority over all evil spirits. Thus, in Mark 3:28-19, Jesus seriously warned against the Pharisees’ audacity to discredit Him from being God and having ultimate power over Satan,] “which would be of fatal consequence to them as it is a sin against Christ, the Last Remedy and consequently unpardonable…. By this method [Calvinism and other denominations of the Reformation] would outface the conviction of all the gifts of the Spirit [and the Spirit Himself] after Christ’s ascension and defeat them all; so there remained no more proof [of His powerful work], and therefore they should never have forgiveness, but were liable to eternal damnation. They were in imminent danger of that everlasting punishment, from which there was no redemption, and in which there was no intermission; no remission of sin…”
Question: “Why do some Christians call the gift of tongues ‘GLOSSOLALIA’ and what does it mean?” Answer: Despite all the clear Scriptural teachings of the Lord Jesus Himself, Calvinists/Lutherans and other Reformers discard the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their abusive word for the gift of tongues, “glossolalia,” intends to ‘describe’ the so-called “modern” manifestation of tongues, which is allegedly “completely different from that, which was recorded as the gift of the Holy Spirit in Scripture.” Glossolalia means, “Fabricated, non-meaningful, speech-like syllables, associated with a trance state and certain schizophrenic symptoms. A noun-incomplete, incomprehensive, imaginary language, occurring in an episode of religious ecstasy, or as symptoms of schizophrenia.” What blatant blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! This is an apt description of demonic tongues, which manifest themselves during pagan trance rituals, and sadly, some Charismatic churches also gave themselves over to such occult practices. However, “glossolalia” has nothing to do with the true Holy-Spirit gift of tongues as described in Scripture and practiced by Jesus’ true disciples through history, (1 Cor. 12:4-11; 14:2, 5, 12-32.) The very word and meaning of “glossolalia” in Holy-Spirit context are ungrounded, unscriptural allegations and therefore brazen witchcraft against the truth of God’s Word and against the Holy Spirit Himself! It is no coincidence that these Reformers declare Jesus’ true tongue-manifesting disciples insane and demon-possessed because their religious fathers, the Pharisees, did the same to Jesus nearly two millennia ago already. Jesus warned that because the religious world hated and persecuted Him first, they will also hate and persecute His sincere disciples, (Mark 3:21-30; Jn. 15:18-25.) In the words of Jesus, the mocking word “glossolalia” also constitutes “blaspheming against the Holy Spirit!” Þ Their denial of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit is so incomprehensible that someone asked, “Do these baby-baptizing churches that reject the gifts of the Holy Spirit actually believe in the Holy Spirit Himself?” Good question. Most hypocritically, they confess the Spirit in theory but reject Him in practice. Because they unrepentedly “grieved the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30) and “quenched His [power and work]” (1 Ths. 5:19,) they forfeited true spiritual life in Christ and as a result, they can never understand or accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They only believe in the Holy Spirit on a dogmatic level, first hearing of Him during their teenage confirmation, which is just another ‘sacramental’ or so-called ‘atoning’ Christianized ceremony, which Reformers gleaned from the Roman Catholic Church, which, in turn, stole it from raw paganism.
Question: “I have seen pastors speak to one another in tongues and drive out demons in tongues. What does the Bible say about this?” Answer: Paul did not puff the gift of tongues to engulf the other gifts of the Holy Spirit; neither did he knock it down as unnecessary and even something evil, like traditional Reformed Protestants and other churches do. He wrote, “I wish you all [had the gift of tongues] but even more than you prophesied, for he who prophesies is ‘greater,’ [not more important, but of greater service to the body of Christ,] than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets [during corporate meetings] that the body may receive edification,” (1 Cor. 14:5-6.) In Scripture, the gift of tongues is called “different kinds of tongues,” the “tongues of men,” and the “tongues of angels.” The latter are languages [plural] of the born again human spirit that speak “mysteries” to God Himself, (1 Cor. 14:2.) All these tongues have one important thing in common: the natural human mind, and the devil and his demons, cannot understand a single word spoken in heavenly languages — unless the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning of what is said to us humans, (1 Cor. 13:1: 14:2,14; 27-33.) Sadly, as believers are increasingly deceived to believe they can be saved without the True Gospel and especially without obedience New Testament commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, demonic tongues and other demonic manifestations are accepted in churches as the ‘evidence’ of salvation and the power and presence of the ‘holy spirit.’ That is why, much to the delight of their completely deluded audiences, preachers like Rodney Howard Brown and Kenneth Copeland even “make friends in tongues” during public meetings. They “converse” with each other in tongues, and even laugh and share jokes in tongues! However, Paul commanded in 1 Cor. 14:-33, “If I speak to you in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by revelation, knowledge, prophesying, or teaching?... Therefore, let him who speaks in a tongue [in meetings] pray that he may interpret, for if I pray [sing, preach, prophesy or bless] in a tongue, my [born again human] spirit speaks, but [people do not understand what is said, 14:2.] Verses 26-33, “Therefore, let all things be done for edification. [If there are tongues,] let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the meeting, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak [in turn] and let the other judge [whether it is of God…] because the spirits of the prophets [and other tongue-speakers] are subject to them, because God is not the author of confusion but of peace...” True believers do not enter ‘trances’ when they speak in tongues or manifest the other gifts of the Spirit. They remain completely in control of all their senses and never fly off the handle in wild, uncontrolled compulsions like in the occult, because God is not the author of confusion but of [order and] peace…” In Scripture and in practice, truly born again disciples of Jesus can never converse with other believers in tongues, (and definitely not jokingly!) What Brown, Copeland and their disciples are doing is another gross violation of Scripture and the gifts of the Holy Spirit of the Bible. It is simply impossible that they are speaking through the Holy Spirit of God. Do not believe me; believe the truth of Scripture! These preachers are using demonic tongues to make a spectacle of the Spirit of God, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of the Most Holy Word and body of God! It is therefore no secret that the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement is in demonic chaos.
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