Church & praying in tongues

I have recently joined a new church. This is the one. I've found it. Call off the search.

After nearly 40 years of dead churches, churches where the youth got together to exchange boyfriend/girlfriend, churches that preached the poverty gospel ("Blessed are the poor!!!!" -- the suffix "in spirit" never clearly explained), churches that didn't have bibles, churches that claimed all the promises of the Bible only for its leaders and that did not empower their sheep ... I have finally, FINALLY stepped into God's perfect will.

And, oh, it is perfect. Praise God praise God praise God!!!

If you have ever, like me, wondered if this was all there was to being a Christian, then honey, you aren't living in the perfect will of God.

If you hear about miracles happening, people having cancers fall out of their stomachs, the cripple walking, the depressed set free from demons dwelling inside them, but have never experienced it first hand, babe, START SEARCHING.

Let me qualify: I don't think there is only one church for all of Singapore. I love the fact that God reaches us where we are. But I believe that Believers need to know their rights. If you are a happy but powerless Christian, you cannot fulfill the great Commission to go out and make disciples of the world, cast out demons, lay hands on the sick and let them recover.

These are end-times. Doesn't mean the end will happen this year, or next year, or even 50 years from now because God's timing ain't ours. But if you look at what's happening in this world: earthquakes, terrorism, bad stuff galore, you know. And in the last days, our Lord says, there will be a GREAT OUTPOURING of the Holy Spirit.

So if there is such a great outpouring, are you getting soaked? Or are you standing under the umbrella of a dead church?

I entered a bible study programme last year. We studied the book of ACTS. Acts is all about the Holy Spirit — the church was birthed out of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter went from bumbling fisherman to eloquent disciple maker. Saul was struck blind, turned into Paul and became the posterboy for Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

So, you would imagine that praying in tongues would be joyfully studied with great detail.

Nope. Why? Because it would cause quarrels among the different denominations. Because some churches still think that praying in tongues is:
- demonic
- for the time of Acts only
- scary mary

So for the sake of "peace" we skimmed over the topic of praying in tongues. That, if you ask me, is from the devil. If the devil can keep the secret of the power of tongues from Christians, he has in one fell swoop disabled half the army of God or whatever fraction still cling on to "No Tongue, Please".

In Acts, Jesus had told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem till His Father sent the "helper". On the day of Pentecost in the upper room, 120 disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire came upon the heads of every one, and they burst out in tongues. They prayed so loudly that all the people of Jerusalem could hear them (can you imagine?!) and the Jews with different dialects could understand what they were saying.

Until today, the only physical manifestation that you are filled with the Holy Spirit is that you pray in tongues. Which is not to say that if you don't pray in tongues you necessarily do not have the Holy Spirit. BUT it is for certain that you CAN pray in tongues.

What is tongues? When I first experienced it at my mother's deathbed (my cousin led me in the baptism of the Holy Spirit while I was sitting next to my mother, who was in a coma -- she had terminal cancer). After asking the Holy Spirit to fill me fill me fill me I felt an electric current shoot into my body, up my legs, through my stomach, out of my hands and mouth. I could hardly breathe, but a torrent of Japanese-sounding noises came out of my throat, flowing, non-stop. And when my mind finally engaged, I was praying to God — every prayer of pain and petition I ever prayed in English came out of me. It was like an IDD to God -- I felt the connection from my very spirit. It was amazing, High-speed cable connection to the Spirit of God!!!

and you know the best part? satan and his minions have NO CLUE what you're saying. So praying in tongues is your secret language to God, one only He understands. If the devil can't understand it he can't steal it.

Anyone who prays in tongues, who has experienced this amazing baptism of the Holy Spirit, will NEVER say it's not necessary. Those who say so obviously haven't got it, and instead of being a party-pooper, they should get it IMMEDIATELY. It is only attained by faith, and all they need to do is ASK. If evil men know how to give their children good gifts, how much more will our Father in Heaven give us the Holy Spirit when we ask?

I am reading a marvellous book: Praying in Tongues by Mahesh Chavda. Pastor Mahesh walks in the gifting of healing. I recommend the book highly!

Get baptised in the Holy Spirit as the Lord has commanded. Jesus was as human as we are, and it was only after he was water-baptised by John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit entered him from Heaven, and God said "This is my son in whom I am well pleased" that Jesus' ministry began. Before that, He wasn't yet enabled to do great miracles.

So if Jesus couldn't do it before He was baptised in the Spirit, how can you or I? No amount of waving a crucifix or using a Bible to block devils can stop the work of satan. Only being FILLED wiht the Spirit, when the demons can see the Spirit of God living in you and they panic, and only by casting them out in the mighty name of Jesus, can you go forth and do what Jesus has commanded.

I believe tens of thousands of Singaporeans will come to Christ, repent, be water-baptised and baptised int he Holy Spirit. They will cast out demons, they will heal the sick. This is a GREAT time to be in God!