Pastor Don Butterfield
February 2005
This past month, we have had a wonderful time, as we have been focusing on this year’s theme “Restoration”. Testimonies are coming in about how God is restoring people’s lives from brokenness to wholeness. One of the areas that the Lord has impressed upon my heart so dearly is the area of restoring the gift of the Holy Spirit within people’s lives. We are living in a time that believers need to be filled with the power of God’s Spirit more than ever. Too many people are trying to live and minister without the leading of the Holy Spirit, and find themselves struggling in their personal and spiritual lives. We, as the disciples, need the gift of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. On the day of Pentecost, three main things happened that illustrates what the Holy Spirit desires to do in our lives as Christians.
- The breath of God through the wind breathed spiritual life into the disciples-making them ALIVE in their relationship with God.
- The fire of tongues that set upon their heads shows that the work of the Holy Spirit will purge the disciples lives and make their lives a testimony that shines bright in the midst of a dark sinful world.
- The speaking in tongues of many nations shows that the Holy Spirit will empower the disciples with a boldness to tell people about the saving gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
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Throughout the New Testament the scripture plainly brings out that God has a separate gift for every believer after they have accepted Jesus as their Savior. It also clearly brings out that the believers knew when they had not received. But, after they had received, they and those present immediately knew they had received.
Acts 10:44-46 clearly shows that they knew they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit when the believer spoke in tongues. This supernatural experience is the first of what should be a common experience in the Spirit filled believers life. Tongues is used by the Holy Spirit to build up the individual believers life through times of prayer and worship. This brings a spiritual refreshing as promised in Isaiah 28:11-12.
This use of tongues by the Holy Spirit should not be confused with the tongues used in the “Gift of Tongues” used for the encouragement of the church congregation. Paul encourages every believer to be filled with the Spirit, and I believe that everyone of us should answer the question the disciples asked, “have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit since you believed?”. If not, reach out by faith and ask for the promise of the Holy Spirit that will help you live an effective Christian life, pleasing to the Lord.
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