I am often asked questions about the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Just today I was speaking to a sister who has experienced the New Birth, but was concerned that she had not received the "Holy Spirit". I understood that she meant that she had never spoken in "Tongues". Many also are troubled when christians of the Pentecostal, or Charismatic persuasion tell them that they need to receive the "Holy Spirit", when in fact they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and their lives manifest the fruit of the Spirit. I thought that it may help to set out what the holy scriptures teach about this subject. This is the motive behind this article. My desire is that my brothers and sisters may be delivered from the confusion & the frustration that so much erroneous teaching on this subject causes.

THE HOLY SPIRIT; who He is;

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. He is God, co-equal, co-eternal in esential deity, with the Father and the Son. He is not just a power, He is not just an experience, He has all the atributes of personality. He speaks,and He speaks expressly, 1 Tim.4;1. He sees, everything, everywhere, Rev.5;6, (The sevenfold Spirit of God). He hears, John 16;13, He feels, Rom.8;26, and can be grieved Eph. 4;30. All these things are the atributes of personality.

THE HOLY SPIRIT: what He does;

In John 14;15-20, the Lord Jesus promised to send "Another Comforter", that is another like Himself. In chapter 15;26, the Lord Jesus tells us what The Comforter would do, and in verse 27, what He would enable us to do. He would "bear witness" oncerning Christ, and He would enable the disciples to bear witness concerning Christ. In chapter 9, He told what the Comforter would do to the world, i.e. those in the world. But in verse 12 to 15, He tells what the Spirit of Truth would do to, and in the saints, in this case the disciples, but by extension, ourselves.

(1) "He will guide you into all truth". As the Spirit of Truth, He would never deceive, or give false experiences or hopes to those in whom He dwells. He would never lead those in whom He dwells to make false or exagerated claims.

(2) "He will show you things to come". This He has done, and the record of things to come is there for us in the book of Revelation, and also in the prophetic statements made by the Apostles in the Epistles. Before the cannon of Holy scripture was completed, He spoke through those whom He filled, warning of coming events, such as famines, and the troubles that would befall the Apostle Paul in Jerusalem, where he was going against the witness of the Holy Spirit. However now that we have the completed Bible, we are instructed, and expected to walk by faith, but He still shows us things we need to know about events to come, but He does it through the word of God. He did not come to make those in whom He dwells spiiritual clairvoyants, or fortune tellers. He did not come to impart psychic powers, such powers are derived from another, sinister and evil source.

(3) "He shall glorify ME, for He shall receive of mine and show it to you". This clearly sets out before us what the Holy spirit would do, and has been doing for almost two milleniums, since He came on that wonderful day of Pentecost. It shows us very clearly that the Holy spirit did not come merely to excite carnal Christians, nor to make them behave in foolish and sometimes unseemly ways. He came to GLORIFY CHRIST, and to enable us to be powerful and effective witnesses for Him.

This should make us suspicious of any spirit, (regardless of whom that spirit may claim to be), whose actions are not such as described by the Lord Jesus. Any spirit who merely excites carnal believers, who leads them into false experiences, who lifts them up into a "high", emotional state, makes them to lose control of their tongues, causes them to fall down, and after all this excitement, allows them to fall into sin, then comes as an accuser to condemn. Such spirits are not the Holy Spirit, but what Paul describes as "seducing spirits, 1 Tim.4;1.

THE PROPHECY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST:

John the Baptist prophecied concerning the Lord Jesus, and told what He would do in Mat.3;11 & 12. The first part of this prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, the second part, verse 12, will be fulfilled when the Lord Jesus comes in judgement. The prophecy of verse 11, has been fulfilled and never will be repeated. The Holy Spirit came from heaven in fulfillment of the Lord's promise of John 16;7, Luke 24;49, and Acts 1;8. On that day the gathered disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, when the Holy Spirit filled them, and appeared to them as cloven tongues of fire and sat upon each of them. They were baptized by the Holy Spirit into one body, thus the Body of Christ began to exist here upon the earth.

On that occasion they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other tongues, not in unknown tongues. But with tongues not known to them but known to others who were present in Jerusalem, from every nation under heaven, who heard them speaking, preaching publicly. The baptism of the Holy Spirit as we have it recorded in Acts chapter 2, was never repeated. In the scripture record, the Holy Spirit never again appeared as cloven tongues of fire.

The Holy Spirit did fall on those gathered in the house of Cornelius, while Peter was preaching, Acts 10;44, and they did speak in tongues, verse 46, but what those believers said was understood by those present, because it says that when they spoke with tongues, they magnified God. If what they said was not understood by some of those present, they would not have known that they were magnifying God.

I need to point out that on that occasion the Holy Spirit did not come again from heaven, He was there present, indwelling Peter and those believers who were with him, and enabling Peter to proclaim the gospel in His power.

We read also in chapter 8, of Philip's ministry, how that God used him mightily to preach the gospel to those in Samaria. Though they had received the word concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of the Lord Jesus, and though they had been baptized, yet the Holy Spirit had not "fallen upon any of them". It was necessary for Peter and John, sent by the Apostles who were at jerusalem, to come, and when they had prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, they did receive the Holy Spirit, but it is not said that they spoke in tongues. The Apostolic gift of imparting the Holy Spirit by the laying on of their hands was never given to others. We do not read in the New Testament of any others than the Apostles who had this power. It is quite clear that Philip,(the evangelist), did not have that power, otherwise it would not have been necessary for the Apostles to come from Jerusalem.

Those who claim today to be able to impart the "Holy Spirit" to those for whom they pray, and on whom they lay their hands, are deceivers. Any spirit that they are able to impart is not the Holy Spirit of Truth, but a seducing spirit, such as are reffered to in 1 Tim.4;1. This is proved because many of those who lay on hands and impart, are people living immoral and sinful lives. What spirit can an adulterer or proud presumptious person impart? Certainly not the Holy Spirit.

This power is attractive to carnal men, as we see in the case of Simon Magus. He was a man who though he had proffessed to believe, had been baptized and was continuing with Philip, was a man that had dabbled with magic and sorcery. He wanted the power that the Apostles had, so that he might use it to add to his own greatness, fame and wealth.

Another case is that of the twelve disciples of John the Baptist who were at Ephesus, Acts 19;1 to 7. These men were not Christians, they did not have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be obvious that because they were disciples of John and had been baptized with John's baptism, that they were not opposed to the gospel. They were quite willing to receive the greater light of the gospel. They did not receive the Holy spirit when they believed, because they had not heard the gospel of their salvation, they were not born again.

We are not to take this case as being normal, or as a justification for people today to pray that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Nor are we to support presumptious deceivers, who claim to have Apostolic powers, who claim to be able to impart the Holy Spirit to those on whom they lay their hands. Such deceivers should be avoided at all costs, and should be exposed to be the presumptious deceivers that they are.

Paul used his Apostolic authority and laid his hands upon them. In doing this he did two things. (1) He identified himself with them, showed that they wre no longer the disciples of John, but true Christians. In doing so he was also welcoming them into the fellowship of the assembly that was being formed at Ephesus. (2) he was also using the authority vested in him as an Apostle, to impart the Holy Spirit to them. When the Holy Spirit did come upon them, they spoke with tongues and prophesied. This showed that they were not inferior in any way to those who had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. They spoke in tongues and prophesied, showing that what they said was understood by those present. It was not some repetitious gabble which no one could understand, or which someone present made a guess at translating, but we will say more of that later.

It is to be noticed that these are the only recorded examples of people speaking in tongues and each was special, each had a purpose. In Acts chapter two it was the Jews, the Disciples, and they alone who after receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, (as far as is recorded). What they said was in a tongue unknown to themselves, but well known to others who heard them. As well what they said was not some trivial thing, but "The great things of God", (J.N.Darby trans). It is not said that any one of the three thousand souls who were converted and baptized at that time, and added to the Church, spoke in tongues. The experience of the Apostles and those first disciples was special, it was the public fulfillment of the prophecy of John the Baptist, and the partial fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. I say the partial fulfillment, because God's Spirit was not poured out on "all flesh" on that occasion, because there were scoffers there, and of the multitude only three thousand were saved. The final fulfillment of that prophecy awaits the coming glory of Christ's millenial kingdom.

On that occasion Peter used "the keys of the Kingdom" to open the door of salvation to the Jews. But in Acts chapter eight, he used those keys to open the door of Salvation to the Samaritans. This was to show that the Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews, were now also members of the body of Christ, and citizens of the kingdom of God.

In Acts chapter ten it was the Gentiles who were admitted. By their public receiving of the Holy Spirit and by their speaking in tongues, God showed that He made no difference. God used this to show that they too were not inferior to the Apostles and disciples. Peter used this to overcome the predjudice of those who had come with him, fellow Jews, saying "Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit,AS WELL AS WE?"

In Chapter nineteen it was also a special case, but there it was Paul admitting the disciples of John the baptist into the fellowship of the Church. God testified to His approval of what was done by publicly giving those twelve disciples the same Holy Spirit as He gave to the Apostles and disciples on the day of Pentecost, and enabling them to speak in other tongues as a testimony to that.

WHEN DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY?:

The short and scriptural answer to that question is, WHEN THEY RECEIVE CHRIST: Turn to Eph. 1;13. Here we are told that it was when they had trusted in Christ, when they had heard the gospel of their salvation, when they had believed, then they were sealed with "That Holy Spirit of promise". It was not days, weeks, months or years later. Every person who truly repents of their sins, who truly exercises faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who truly receives Him as their Savior and confesses Him as their Lord, at that moment they are sealed by God as His own, by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit. At the moment of our New Birth, God's Holy Spirit comes to take up His residence in us, in our redeemed personality, our bodies become His temple, and He baptizes into the body of Christ. At that moment we become mystically fused together with every other believer on the earth, and eternally and indisolubley linked with every saint in heaven. We can't even know that we are the children of God, except by the witness of the Holy Spirit with our own spirits. It is the Holy Spirit who gives me the assurance that I really am a child of God. Further to this any one who does not have "The Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom.8;9. & 16.

Some teach that we must pray and ask The Father to give us the Holy Spirit, Luke 11;13, to do this is to ignore what has happened at Pentecost, to ignore the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel and of John the Baptist. It is to go back to pre Calvary and pre-Pentecost times. It is to ignore the presence and the witness of the Holy Spirit. We must realise that the Gospels were written, inspired by the Holy Spirit, with more than the Church in mind. When the Church is taken, when the Lord Jesus comes for us, John 14;3, & 1 Thess. 4;13 to 18, the Holy spirit will also be taken, 2 Thess.2;7. Others who have never heard the Gospel will then come to Christ through the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom, that is, the coming Kingdom of Christ. This passage in Luke 11;13, will have special significance for them.God will then give the Holy Spirit to those "who ask Him", but now the Holy Spirit indwells every true believer. It will be clear then, that to pray for the Holy Spirit to come when He is already present in my life, ( if He is not present, then I am not saved), is quite wrong, but more than this it is quite dangerous. There are deceiving spirits, who are waiting to prey on ignorant and carnal believers. Waiting to deceive them, to give them a false experience, a supernatural, extatic experience, that I have heard deluded believers describe in the most extravagant language. These spirits lift people up, give them a drunken kind of joy, but then tempt then to sin. They awaken and strengthen sexual and other lusts in the believer's person, and when those deluded believers fall into sin, then the same spirits will accuse them, condemn them, make them to doubt whether they are really saved, and crush them with despair. Those who are really believers will be tortured in the extreme, thinking that the "Holy Spirit" has left them, and that they are lost forever These deceiving spirits make great emphasis on "love", often calling it "Agape love". They lead men and women into close physical contact, teach them that they must express this "Agape" to each other by embracing, kissing etc. All this often leads to illict relationships, fornication adultery etc. What is claimed to be Agape love is more often "Eros love", it is from this Greek word that we get our word erotic, and erotica. It is fairly common for those pastors who emphasise these false teachings, and who practice the laying on of hands etc. to be living in adultery. Hence the need to warn untaught believers against these false teachings and practices.

When once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the born again believer, He never leaves.The Lord Jesus promised that the Comforter would be with us FOREVER, John 14;16, and that He would abide with us, and be in us, verse 17. There is a great difference between the saints who form the Church, the Body of Christ, and the saints of the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit came upon the old testament believers, but except for a very few, He did not indwell them. He came upon them, inspired them to write the holy scriptures, empowered some to do superhuman things, but he also left them, hence David's prayer in Psalm 51;11, but even there it is not the Holy Spirit personally, but more correctly, "the spirit of thy holiness", ( J.N.Darby)

The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit, not just until he sins and then loses the gift, but until the "redemption of the purchased posession", thr raising of the believer's body, when the Lord Jesus comes for us, Eph.1;14. The statement is repeated in cahpter 4;30, where we are told that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit "unto the day of redemption", the day that the Lord Jesus comes for us. It is the Holy Spirit who will raise and change and quicken the bodies of the sleeping saints, it is the Holy Spirit who will change and quicken the bodies of the living saints who remain until the coming of the Lord. Rom.8;11. It is He who begins the work of God in the believer with the conviction of sin, leading to repentance, of which the new birth is the consequence. It is He who indwells the believer, comforms us to the image of God's Son, and it is He who will complete the work which He has begun, by quickening our mortal bodies.

All this means that I cannot receive the Holy Spirit again and again, and to think that I can, or to teach that any believer can, is to ignore the facts and truths of Holy Scripture, and to expose those who accept such false teaching to great moral and spiritual danger.

HOW CAN I BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?:

To receive the Holy Spirit, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, can be two different things. All true believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit. When a person claims to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you can almost be certain that they are not. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit will be the last to be aware of it, because the Holy Spirit does not engage our thoughts and attentions with ourselves. When He fills us, He will engage us with the Glory of the Lord Jesus, we will then be so occupied with Him that we will forget about ourselves.

As we have shown from the scriptures, when once we receive the Holy Spirit, He abides with us forever, He dwells in us. The Lord Jesus said the "Water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life", John 4;14. On the day of my conversion God gives me all that I could possibly need to enable me to live a holy and a fruitful life. 2 Peter, 1;3, tells us that His divine power has given us all things that relate to life and godliness. You will notice that it does not say "will give us", but "hath given us". This means that for me to be filled with the Holy Spirit I need nothing more than what I was given on the day of my conversion. Further notice that the fullness of the Holy Spirit does not come about by more of the Holy Spirit being poured in from outside, but comes about through the cconfession, cleansing and removal of every known sin in my life, which grieves, hinders and displaces the Holy Spirit. John 3;34, tells us that God giveth not the Spirit by measure". In the A.V. you will notice that the words unto him are in italics, indicating that they are not there in the original. So there is no stint or restriction in God's giving, the restriction is in my capacity, or my willingness to receive, or to make room for the fullness.

It is a dangerous thing for one who is already indwelt by the Holy Spirit to pray, "Come Holy Spirit, fill me now". As we have seen, this is to ignore the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is also to ignore the example of the holy scriptures, because there is no example of any one in the Bible ever praying, or speaking to the Holy spirit. It is also dangerous because there are hosts of deceiving spirits who are waiting for the opportunity to impersonate the Spirit of Truth. They are waiting to deceive ignorant and misguided believers, to give them a false, exciting experience. To give a false experience of joy, mixed with fear. To make them lose control of their tongues, sometimes to lose their balance, to awaken sensual feelings and as time goes on to make them lose control of their passions and lusts. To give them a feeling of a super spiritual power that enables them to ignore, or to transcend even the established standards of decency, morality and the sanctity and life long nature of the marriage relationship, as taught and commanded in the word of God.

As an example, I know a young single man, who is a genuine believer, who became involved with a charismatic group and he claimed that he was "married in the spirit" to another man's wife. I have heard people "laughing in the spirit", a sinister hellish cackle. I have heard of people claiming to "sing in the spirit", and others to be "slain in the spirit". All of these phenomena are quite contrary to the teaching and example of the holy scriptures. I can only conclude that they are produced by spirits, other than the Holy Spirit. I would add that I have personally seen demon posessed people do some of these things, and have listened to the testimony of reliable witnesses who have seen demon posessed and idolatorous people do the same things. It is because of this that I would solemnly warn my brothers ans sisters against ever surrendering their minds and bodies to such powers. Space will not allow me to record other testimonies, but there are many.

I want to encourage true believers to appreciate what they already have received, to value and to reverence the Holy Spirit who already indwells you, to allow Him to speak to you, to your conscience. I want to encourage you to allow the Spirit of Truth to convict your conscience, to make you aware of those sins, habits, attitudes and things in your life, that grieve Him, that rob you of your joy and that make your life unfruitful both in witness and in worship. This is the sure and only way to be filled with the Holy Spirit. To lust after supernatural experiences is just as wrong as lusting after material posessions. We are twice told in the scriptures that "Covetousness is idolatory", Eph. 5;5, Col.3;5. Covetousness does not only relate to moral and material things, but also to spiritual things. The Lord Jesus said that a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. The things that we are discussing are signs, supernatural things

To be filled with the Spirit is really quite simple, all I need to do is to honestly confess and forsake every known sin. I need to lay my life bare in the presence of God. I need to pray the prayer of David, "Search me o God and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts;and see if there be any evil way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting". Psl.139;23 & 24. I must not only be content to judge myself and any known sin in my life, because so often we become so accustomed to accept and to do things that in the light of God's presence and of God's word are wrong and unclean. It is these things that grieve the Holy Spirit, Eph.4;30, that hinder Him from filling me.

In Num.21;16 to 18, we have a picture in the type of what I mean. There we read of a springing well at a place called Beer. However the water could not be enjoyed until the earth ad been removed from the well. Once the earth was removed the water sprang up, and the people drank.. We have already seen that the water which the Lord Jesus gives(the Holy Spirit), is in the believer as a well of water,springing up into everlasting life. So just as in Num.21, when the hinderances are removed the water springs up. It may help to point out that with a well it is usually earth that is the hinderance. Isaac was a well digger, but the Philistines stopped the wells that he dug with earth. Earthly things are a greater hinderance and greif to the Holy Spirit than we realise. Money is an earthly thing, business is an earthly thing, posessions are earthly things. Things that are quite right in their place, but when we set our hearts upon them, it often leads to other evils. You cannot serve God and Mammon,(money). The love of money is the root of all evil. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare. 1.Tim.6;9 to 11. The only reason that any true believer is not filled with the Spirit, is because of the allowance of sin, or of that which grieves the Holy Spirit.

THE EVIDENCE OF THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

The evidence of the Holy Spirit filling a person is quite contrary to what those of the Pentecostal or Charismatic persuasion claim. A brother once told me that when the Holy Spirit fills you, you will experience a wild intoxicating joy. He based his claim on Acts 2;13, but it really is just the opposite to this. The statement in Acts 2;13, was the words of scoffers and mockers. We are told in Eph. 5;18, not to be drunk with wine, for this is excess or debauchery, but to be filled with the Spirit, which would seem from the context, to just the opposite to being drunk with wine. Be not drunk with wine means, "Don't be muddled with the influence that intoxicates". When a person is intoxicated they lose control of their tongues, they lose control of their ballance, they lose control of their lusts and passions. All of this is just the opposite of what the Holy Spirit will enable us to experience.

As pointed out already, the words of Acts.2;13, was not an acurate description of the conduct of the Apostles and Disciples, as Peter was quick to deny, but the words of men who hated the Lord Jesus, of men who mockingly sought to discredit the disciples and their testimony. One of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, Gal.5;23. I read recently in a book, that to be able to speak in tongues, one must allow the cord between the mind and the tongue to be cut. This is quite contrary to the teaching of scripture. Instead the Holy Spirit enables me to control my mind and my tongue, and to use both to express the words, thoughts and responses that He puts into my mind and heart.

The result of being filled with the Spirit will be,"Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, Eph.5;19. It would seem that "Speaking to yourselves" would be in contrast to "Shouting to others", it suggests a deep quiet inner joy, the "unspeakable Joy" of 1 Pet.1;8. One finds so much noise excitement and confusion amongst those who claim to be filled with the spirit. Psalms are really testimonies, compositions written as the result of experience with God, often through the deepest trial. Hymns are compositions of worship, and are always addressed to God, or to the Father, or to the Son. Compositions of richness, dignity, and that acknowledge the greatness of God and express the reverence due to His holy name. Spiritual songs are compositions that express the joy or thankfulness of the believers heart as he enjoys the truths and blessings of God. They may be songs about any aspects of truth, e.g. the Church of God, the truth of God, the salvation of God. They may be gospel songs, or songs about the pilgrim pathway, the ways of God, the range is endless. "Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord".Melody cannot be obtained without harmony. The blending, not the clashing, of voices, thoughts, affections. Wherever the Holy Spirit is in control He produces the beauty of order, not the Bedlam or Babel of confusion.

"Giving thanks always for all things", not sometimes for somethings. It suggests a soul that is resting content in the hands of the Almighty, content to accept and to give thanks for all that He chooses to allow to enter our lives. Not complaining, not seeking to compell Him to do what we ask. Giving thanks even for sickness and trouble, because it is often these things that make us draw near to God, and through which He draws near to us. "Giving thanks... to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". I have listened sometimes to the prayers of those who claim to be filled with the spirit. Rarely have I heard them pray, or give thanks "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ". Usually it is "in Jesus' name", and often with the gesticulation of the clenched fist. One sometimes gets the impression that they are threatening God. I hear them shouting at God as if He is deaf, or as if they think that the more noise they make will move God to action on their behalf. They speak to God in a way that they would never dare to speak to one of earth's dignitaries. The Holy Spirit will always produce a due sense of reverence in the hearts and the language of those whom He fills and moves.

The name "of our LORD JESUS CHRIST" is the full and honoured title of our Great High Priest, of Him who ever lives to make intercession for us, of Him who is seated at the right hand of "The MAJESY on HIGH". It is in that name alone that I have right to enter the presence of God. It is that name alone that gives acceptance to my prayers. It is like the signature on the cheque, that guarantees payment. Let us ever remember to approach God in a reverent manner and in a way that is acceptable to Him. Let us ever remember to give to our Lord Jesus the honour of His full title, the fragrance of that name that is as ointment poured forth.

Finally the fullness of the Holy Spirit will manifest itself in a sweet submission to my brethren. Not in the agressive insistance of my immagined rights. Not in my demanding that others submit to me and give me the obedience, and the prominence that I think that I deserve. This is another thing that one seldom finds amongst those who claim to be filled with the spirit. One finds much egotism, rivalry, disention, division. In small villages in India I have found as many as five different groups, all claiming to be "filled with the spirit", insisting on the same etremem false teaching, yet unable to get along together. I am compelled to question the validity of their claims, and to wonder if it is not some other spirit that has deceived them.

In concluding this chapter I would suggest that the undeniable evidence of the fullness of the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, Gal.5;22 & 23. The different facets of that fruit are so beautiful. Love: the real Agape, the same love that the Father had for the Son. The same love that is described in 1 Cor.13. Joy: a deep calm spiritual emotion, a settled constant experience, Joy in the Holy Spirit. Not a passing carnal excitement, not a shallow frothy emotion. Peace: tranquility, the" peace of God that passes all understanding". Long-suffering: patience, forbearing with one another. Gentleness: tenderness, handling one another with care and kindness, the "Meekness and gentleness of the Christ". Goodness: the manifestation of the divine nature, not the claims of a pseudo spirituality. Faith: the settled principle of our daily lives, living by faith, walking by faith, enjoying by it's power what we cannot see. Not a vaunted bravado that makes me think that I can twist the arm of the Almighty, and make Him do what I think He should do. Meekness: strength under control, moderation, yieldingness. Self control: my tongue, my walk, my affections, my passions my lusts all under the control of the Holy Spirit through my mind and heart.

If these things are so, then the Lord Jesus will be glorified and it is for this purpose that the Holy Spirit came. The Father will be honoured and glorified as others see our upright works. Other believers will be blessed and enriched by our fellowship and example. My witness to lost men will be so much more effective, because I will live out before them what I seek to offer to them.

Let us remember Be filled with the Holy Spirit is not an option open to a select few, but a command to every believer. It also has an active continuous sense, "Be being filled", a daily experience. May it be true in your life and mine, for the Glory of God!

SPEAKING OR PRAYING IN TONGUES:

Some after reading this far will say, "He has not said anything about 1 Cor. 14;1 to 23". So I must say something about that chapter which is so often mis-interpreted and twisted. A dear and wise brother once told me, "The easiest way to show that a line is crooked, is to draw a straight line beside it. This is what I have sought to do in this paper. However, those militantly opposed to the truth of God in this matter will not be content with that, they will claim that we have no answer to their teachings and that their teachings are based on the word of God. Such also scornfully, They, (those who hold the truth), have not got the "Holy Spirit", or, "they do not believe in the "Holy Spirit". I will admit that we do not have, nor do we desire to have the "spirit" that they have. We have no desire to be filled or controlled by a spirit that will cause us to make false claims, that will lead us into conduct that will deceive and stumble weak believers, or that will cause seekers to turn away. We have no desire to have any contact or fellowship with a spirit, or with spirits that will cause us to behave in such a way that will bring shame on the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ, or will cause others to blaspheme that name.

Now let us look at this chapter, and the background to it. First let us see that it is only in this epistle that tongues are discussed. The Corinthian believers were said by Paul to be "children", to be "carnal", to be "babes in Christ", that is they had never grown up, they were still in the kindergarten of spiritual experience. See chapter 3;1 to 8, this first epistle to the Corinthians is what we call a corrective epistle, there were so many things that the Apostle had to correct, even to condemn. It is in this corrective epistle that this chapter comes. Chapter fourteen is not written to encourage the speaking in tongues in the assembly, but rather to discourage it. It must be understood in this light. Also much of the language of the chapter is irony, or sarcasm. Paul sometimes used irony to show the foolishness or the wrong of things that were being practiced.

It seems quite obvious that the Church at Corinth accepted the rebuke and the teaching of the Apostle, that they changed their ways and practices, because he does not have to say anything more about this foolish, childish practice in his second epistle. Is it not strange that some believers give more importance to this chapter fourteen, than to many other chapters in the New Testament? Is it not strange that they take the very chapter that is written to discourage the Corinthians from indulging in this dangerous and childish practice, to support and encourage it? Is it not strange that they will hold up the Corinthian church as an example, when they were intended to be a warning? These facts should make us think, and should make us careful not to accept the false teaching.

From the beginning of the chapter the Apostle is showing that prophesying,(speaking the word or message of God to the assembled believers), is so much more proffitable and to be desired, than the comparitavely useless, speaking in tongues. He says that one speaking in tongues, does not speak to men but to God, and that because the others cannot understand what he is saying. In verse nine says that such a one is speaking into the air. No one proffits, not even the person himself, because he does not understand what he is saying.

Further, it is claimed that people are justified in speaking in tongues, because Paul said that he spoke in tongues more than them all. The tongues in which he spoke were the tongues of others to whom he preached. They heard the gospel from him in their own tongue, which he did not know, just as the Jews at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. He exercised the same gift, for the same purpose. But he would not do so in the assembly.

Neither did he encourage praying in tongues, but encouraged the believers to use their minds, their understanding. Tongues were for a sign to the unbelievers, not a toy for carnal Christians to play with. They were intended to be used for the spread of the gospel, not for a show of pretended spirituality. It has been proved many times by observers who have been present at meetings when others have spoken in "tongues", that much of what is claimed is false, sometimes crude, and even blasphemous.

Even what has been claimed as the "Interpretation of tongues", has sometimes been proved false. I heard of a missionary from Morocco who was fluent in Arabic, and was present in such a meeting. Just to test the truth and sincerity of those present, he stood up and quoted john, 3;16, in Arabic. Some other person then gave an "interpretation", which was nothing to do with what he had said. Surely my readers will see the real dangers of allowing our minds to hindered from exercising sanctified common sense.

When in verse 39, Paul says, "Forbid not to speak with tongues", he is certainly not encourageing the speaking with tongues. The Corinthians were behaving like spoiled children, and when you forbid a spoiled child from doing something, that is often the very thing that they will do. If you try to take a knife or something dangerous from a spoiled child, you may injure them and yourself, but if you offer them something better they will often accept gladly and give up the knife or the dangerous thing. Paul was offering them something better.

I minister in many lands, to believers whose language I do not understand. What I say is translated into the tongue spoken in the place. But there are always others present in the meetings, and though they could not translate fluently enough to translate the message, yet they can tell if the translator makes a mistake. Often my translator is helped by others when struggling to find the right word, sometimes he will be corrected by others when he makes a mistake. This is the Biblical translation of tongues. But where what is said is not understood by any present, then any attempt at translation is only guess work.

The closing verse of the chapter is most important, "Let all things be done decently and in order". Where the Holy Spirit is in control in an assembly, this will be so. Men and women, (who are commanded to be silent in the assembly), verse 34 & 35, will not be dabbling or experimenting with things or powers that they do not understand.

Much more can be said, but let the matter rest there. May God be pleased to use these pages to give us all a deeper knowledge of, an appreciation of, the person of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. May we know what it is to be constantly being filled with Him, led by Him, transformed into the image of Christ by Him. May we thus be able to worship our God with greater inteligence and affection, to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. May we each be more effective witnesses to those who are perishing without Christ, for God's glory and praise!

C.E.Wigg.

P.O.Yolla,

Tasmania, Australia. 7325. from whom copies may be obtained.

Written Dubai, U.A.E. Arabian Gulf. 14/2/93.