Exploration 87 – Praying In Tongues

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

1 John 4:13 King James Version

David Pawson asked in the lecture below (about 12:00) why are believers so certain they are saved?

Is the basis for our assurance the Scriptures? Not completely. The Scriptures are too objective. Pawson explained, “It says there that whoever believes is certain of Heaven, but how do I know I am included?” (about 13:50)

Is the basis for our certainty our holiness? Again, not completely. Our holiness is too subjective. Pawson explained, “If my assurance is based on my living a Christ-like life in the world, then frankly I am going to be beset by a nagging doubt again, because there are times that I know that I have not lived a Christ-like life.” (about 15:30)

Where then do we find assurance? Pawson answered: “The thing that clinches it every time is neither the Scripture nor your own sanctity, but the Spirit.” (about 17:10) Through our mouths the Spirit overflows as we testify that Jesus is Lord and God is Father. That overflow with joy is our certainty.

If we can make that testimony with our mouths, then we have all we need for the gift of tongues. This gift allows us to pray to God in languages we do not understand which keeps our minds from getting in the way. We do this privately for personal edification. That prayer is between ourselves and God.

How do we do it? Breathe in. Open the mouth. Move the lips and tongue and make sounds even if they are very quiet, under one’s breath. Trust the Spirit will come up with the perfect words of prayer and praise in agreement with the Father’s will and not our own.

Someone might complain that anyone, even those without the Spirit, could fake praying in tongues if they wanted to. True. They could, if they wanted to, but who in their right mind would want to do that for very long without the joy, thanks and praise coming from the Holy Spirit?

Nor does this mean that one must pray in tongues if one has the Spirit. It’s a privilege. One gets to do this for long periods of time if one wants to. When some demon is messing with your mind trying to push you over a cliff of anger, lust or self-centeredness or whatever, start praying in tongues. The demon won’t have a clue what you’re saying. Then send that demon over the cliff if it hasn’t already jumped.

Your body has become a temple of the Holy Spirit.

For more information on praying in tongues see Dave Roberson’s free pdf book, The Walk of the Spirit – The Walk of Power: The Vital Role of Praying in Tongues. This post is about what he referred to as “tongues for personal edification” in Chapter 5. Another useful resource is by Mahesh Chavda, The Hidden Power of Speaking in Tongues. Andrew Wommack explains how praying in tongues is done in his final lecture of the series How To Hear God’s Voice. To put this all in perspective, Ryan Reeves presents a general, historical overview of Pentacostalism.

Not all Christians accept praying in tongues. Indeed, I suspect most don’t, but I also suspect with the growth of Pentecostalism that will change. For example, John MacArthur rejected tongues because he claimed it is easy to falsify and Greg Bahnsen made a theological claim that tongues have ceased. However, I find praying in tongues to be an effective exercise that keeps my heart on the Lord and strengthens my faith.

You are welcome to express your own views in the comments below.

Weekly Parashah Readings
Parashah: Metzora 8 Nissan, 5782 – April 9, 2022
Torah: Leviticus 14:1 – 15:33
Haftarah: Kings II 7:3-20
Brit Chadashah: Matthew 8:1-17
Resources: Chabad, Hebrew4Christians, Weekly Torah Readings, Calendar

Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek, Colorado

Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

30 thoughts on “Exploration 87 – Praying In Tongues”

  1. Thanks for the great Sunday insight. I first experienced the power of the Holy Spirit over 50 years ago, including praying in tongues.

    The Holy Spirit does indeed testify: “This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.” ~Apostle John

    There are some great (mainstream/reformed theologians) who accept Continuationism in their approach. Wayne Grudem is one.

    Shalom!

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    1. I suspect Satan wouldn’t know, any more than I do, what I’m saying if I prayed in tongues. That would be one reason to do so.

      However, there are those who think what I am doing comes from demonic influence. I don’t think that is the case. The demonic influence could just as well be the suggestion that praying in tongues is influenced by demons when it is not.

      Ultimately, it is whether the fruit of the Spirit is manifested and doctrinally whether one can confess as in 1 John 4:2 that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

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      1. We could have some really deep discussions, here.

        One time, we asked our Seminary teacher (a religious educator for teenagers) how you would know if it’s from God or not. He taught us about discernment and about banishing an evil Spirit.

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  5. I really like this post, which I missed… I remember when there was pressure in the Church to speak in tongues/prayer language; and it was frustrating, I felt like a failure because I couldn’t ‘do’ it. I don’t know why some people get it immediately, and for others like me it takes years–but I have it now, so I can stop beating myself up 🙂 God bless you and your family, Frank.

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  6. Pawson’s 2nd fundamental creed: baptism in water. This nt narishkeit dates back to John the baptist. The Mishnah never once addressed this foreign alien concept of faith. That’s a strong difficulty. This foreign manner of worship, not recognized by the Sanhedrin courts! It really gives me a belly roll to hear noise about the necessity of baptism totally ignorant that the Mishnah never once recognizes this foreign assimilation.

    Early Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Eastern religions practiced various forms of baptism. A form of baptism is also a central religious rite in Hinduism, various Indigenous American religions. Washings and purifications by water are practiced in nearly every other religion in the world, including Islam, Buddhism, and Shintoism. Judaism has the mitzvah of mikvah. The concept of tohor the nt does not address. Healthy women have their monthly menstrual cycle. The concept of tohor and tumah serves as the יסוד upon which stands the Torah concept of justice. The nt by contrast ignores both tohor and justice. Wow that defines tumah.

    The mitzvah of korbanot serve as the precedent which defines “holy”. A korban exists as a dedication to HaShem. The nt never once brings the Name of HaShem. Therefore its concept of holy shares no common foundation with the Torah.

    The next religious rhetoric foisted by Pawson’s theology: receiving the Holy Spirit. This foreign assimilated idea — the Mishnah does not recognize. Xtianity, its desire to establish its own religion separate from the Torah faith, centers upon its refusal to make any reference to Sanhedrin common law rulings. The church slanders the Sanhedrin by calling its common law legal rulings as “the words of Men”. This tumah slander then places the nt hogwash upon the pedestal of “The Word of God”. HaHaHaHa what a belly roll.

    Believers in the nt fraud, they never ask the most simple question: How does the Torah define the term רוח הקודש. The Greek/Roman writers who wrote the nt forgery “wolf dressed in sheep clothing”, they translate רוח הקודש to Holy Spirit. There Trinity Creed theology then transforms this term to mean God. It seems to me that these fools interpreted the language of HaShem אלהינו HaShem One as the definition of their theology of the mystery of the Trinity. But honestly I do not know b/c am not a nt believer much less a scholar of this tumah avodah zarah. Simply know enough to refute its foreign stupidity.

    Its the 26th day of the Omer count, by which Jews struggle to remove avodah zarah tumah from within our Yatzir Ha’Rah which dominates all tumah emotions which promotes social chaos and anarchy/hatred without cause among Jews… the 2nd commandment @ Sinai. Learning by means of mitzvot precedents compares to sowing to separate fabrics together. Chag Pesach linked to Chag Shevuoth. The latter Chag all generations of Israel for eternity accept the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai @ Horev, which the mitzvah k’vanna of kre’a shma defines.

    The pagan church by contrast, the Pentecostal understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, simply the view that a definite experience of the Holy Spirit to be sought and enjoyed after conversion, wholly different from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which starts when we first believe, and that this second experience is signified by speaking in tongues. This nt narishkeit theology has nothing what so ever to do with the acceptance of the Torah @ Sinai @ Horev. HaHaHaHa what a belly roll.

    Pawsom’s theology lastly denounces the “sinner’s prayer”. Yet his narishkeit religious rhetoric fails to distinguish that the Sanhedrin concept of tefillah shares no common room with the Xtian avodah zarah that preaches prayer. The Torah has no commandment to pray to God. Said by an atheist praise G-d. HaHaHaHaHa. The wit and humor within Torah primary sources its really rather something to witness. The Romans called the Tannaim rabbis atheists. HaHaHaHa b/c they refused to promote the foreign avodah zarah that centers upon the assumption that Man has an obligation to believe in some theologically created man made God, like the Trinity abomination. Nothing gives me greater pleasure not to believe in the Gods which Goyim man made theology and Creeds promotes.

    The mitzvah of tefillah shares no common ground with the Goyim theology of prayer. An apples and oranges, Venus and Mars fundamental distinction which hillbilly Goyim foreigners, not in over 2000+ years have ever once discerned. LOL that’s really truly funny. Goyim they really make me laugh. Love and laughter go hand in hand. There’s a world of difference between laughing @ from laughing WITH. Alas most Goyim, their evil eye assume that Jews laugh @ Goyim rather than take the risk to judge Jews on the scales of merit and assume that Jews laugh WITH Goyim. My commentary on the Torah laughs @ Reshonim bad scholarship as false. It totally falls outside of my interests of self preservation to laugh @ Goyim barbarians.

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      1. As Adam had his Eve so too each Chag has it spouse. Pesach\Shevuoth, Rosh HaShanna\Yom Kippur, Sukkot\Shemini Atzeret. These 6 Yom Tov combine with Shabbot. The 7 branch menorah shines the lights of these chaggim.

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          1. The first commandment to produce children. The Torah teaches by way of common law precedents. Mitzvot learn and teach the k’vanna of other mitzvot. Mitzvot contain a depth that only learning by means of similar cases can a person perceive the depth. Something like the difference between a real person and a photograph of a real person.

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  7. Why “Goyim barbarians”?! Goyim never accepted the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai @ Horev – the Written\Oral revelation of the ONE Torah. The spirituality of separating tohor emotional development from tumah emotional development – Goyim barbarians never learn. Its this fundamental ignorance which defines the term “barbarian”. Yidden have experience Goyim throwing temper tantrums throughout our history among Goyim barbarians.

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  8. Yitro advised Moshe that his individual court could not judge the disputes of the entire nation by himself alone. Moshe thereafter established the Great Sanhedrin Federal court system, which included 7 small Sanhedrin courts of 23 judges, based in the 6 cities of refuge and Jerusalem. The small Sanhedrin court in Jerusalem second only to the Great Sanhedrin court on Mount Zion.

    Judicial disputes which the small Sanhedrin courts could not resolve with justice … heard before the small Sanhedrin court in Jerusalem. If that court failed to resolve the dispute with justice, then the case the Great Sanhedrin court would adjudicate. How did these common law court adjudicate legal disputes? These courts equally divided themselves into half judges of the prosecution vs. half judges of the defense. Both opposing sides would argue the case, from their perspective, before the Nasi of the court.

    What makes the Mishna so critically important? Rabbi Yechuda, he compiled the Case/Rule history of the common law courts, specifically of the Great Sanhedrin court. The Tosefta compiles the rulings of the lower Federal Courts or those not included in Rabbi Yechuda’s compilation. Moshe mandated the authority of these courts to righteously rule the land with justice.

    Day and Night distinguishes between Case\Rule common law judicial law from statute law imposed upon people by Governments and other unilateral authorities/bureaucracies. The Tzeddukim, later the Karaites too, and also the Church, they all reject the authority of Sanhedrin Case\Rule common law to impose righteous justice upon the nation. During the Middle Ages the RambaM code of halacha, followed by the Arba’ah Turim, and the Shulchan Aruch, these codes of halacha formed and shaped Judaism the religion at a tremendous cost. These codes switched common law for statute law.

    Rabbeinu Yonah, the cousin of the RambaN, and other respected rabbis placed the RambaM into cherem\נדוי. This fight quickly escalated into an inter-national Jewish refugee Civil War because no Great Sanhedrin court now existed with the authority to resolve the dispute with justice. Disaster after disaster after disaster ensued as a consequence of this Jewish civil war. This civil war initiated a horrific domino effect that drove Jewish communities into forced expulsion from most if not all Western European countries and a large population transfer of Western European Jewish exiled communities fleeing unto Eastern European exiled Jewish communities.

    The RambaM’s statute law codification of halachot ostensibly derived from the Talmud, the RambaM did not give any sources for his halachic rulings. This perverse corruption of Talmudic common law, established by the mandate of Moshe the Teacher and prophet of the Jewish people, established modern day Orthodox Judaism. Jewish students of the Talmud ceased to learn the Talmud in the manner as learned the Baali Tosafot. The latter grand children, about 60 in all, learned the Talmud as a common law system which based legal decisions upon disputes based upon precedents. Statute law by contrast unilaterally declares the halachah without making any reference to the judicial Case heard before the Sanhedrin Court, as codified in the Mishnah.

    The RambaM code prioritized the importance and value of final halachic rulings over the authority of the Case\Rule Mishnah codification of Sanhedrin common law. This decision by the RambaM served the interests of formalizing Orthodox Judaism, supposedly based upon halachah determined unilaterally by the RambaM himself alone. This code greatly, tremendously simplified ritual Judaism. If a Jew did not know the halachah on a particular subject, the RambaM code organized the halachot into subject matter: the halachot of shabbot; the halachot of tefillah; the halachot of tefillen etc etc etc. This code made it much easier for the common man to be religiously observant of the halachah.

    But as stated above … at a tremendous price. Jewish courtrooms ceased to exist as lateral common law courtrooms. Jews across the world quickly lost the skills required to study and learn the Talmud – based upon the premise that all halachic rulings came by way of a defined system that determines a case based upon precedential rulings. Despite the fact that the page of the Gemarah became standardized with the Rashi/Tosafot commentaries, Yeshiva students — never taught by their rabbinic instructors in Yeshiva that the Tosafot learns the Talmud by way of common law precedents. Consequently Jewish students ceased to learn the Talmud as Sanhedrin based common law — an absolute disaster for the Jewish people. Jews lost the knowledge how to rule disputes between Jews by means of lateral common law courts! The key innovation established by Moshe Rabbeinu himself.

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  9. This Jews 4 Jesus Israeli bases his arguments upon the reform rabbi who Golan Broshi whose youtube clip The 7 Reforms of Rabbinic Judaism #1 The invention of conversion claims that Xtianity is not Xtian, but Jewish whereas rabbinic Judaism is not Jewish – rabbinic Judaism is borrows from Messianic Judaism. in the opening minute of that clip. Clearly לא לשמה. Which mitzva from the Torah does the Moshiach mitzvah learn? This question never addressed by this רשע who promotes avodah zarah among Jews.

    The metaphor of an oral contract 25:30 utterly absurd. He fails to perceive that reading the words of the Written Torah requires a sh’itta\a way to interpret the meaning of those words. The Oral Torah logic system interprets by means of bringing close precedents Case compared to similar Cases. To compare cases studies requires logic. The RambaM employed Greek Aristotelian logic as the medium by which he organized his statute law code of halachot. Clearly לא לשמה. Alas g’lut Jewry as taught in the opening Mishnah of גיטין had lost the ability to do mitzvot לשמה so generations of g’lut Israel lacked the ability to discern the RambaM לא לשמה avodah zarah.

    This Jews 4 Jesus Israeli too knows nothing about how the Oral Torah teaches how to do mitzvot לשמה. A person can interpret the Written Torah לא לשמה as did all the translators of the Xtian bible, or a person can learn the Oral Torah, as learned through the Talmud Prophets and Torah to learn how to interpret the Written Torah לשמה.

    He asks: How can you expect anyone to “believe” in the Oral Torah? (26:55) Oblivious to the knowledge of how the Book of דברים “Oral Torah”compares case studies with the other 4 Books of the Written Torah based upon the logic of the 13 tohor middot of רוח הקודש — which the Goyim themselves recognize as God.

    Who is the main character of the Bible? בראשית ברא אלהים In the beginning created God. LOL Religions create God as the main character of their bibles. No. לא לשמה. The main “character” … an absurd question. Better question, what constitutes as the main topic in the Torah? Answer: Justice.

    He claims that none of the major actors in the drama depicted in the T’NaCH ever relied upon the Oral Torah. לא לשמה. Oral Torah teaches how to make Case\Rule judial rulings לשמה. Never once does this Jews for Jesus Israeli admit that the bible translations never once bring the Name of HaShem. Have reached 29:37 it does not appear to me that this gentleman’s testimony has anymore to add. Please correct me if my assumption proves false.

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    2. I am about half-way through with this and just wanted to point that he knows more arguments against the Oral Torah than I knew existed.

      Does the Kabbalah say that this is the second times that humans were on earth? Or did I misunderstand that? The idea that apes might have come from humans if evolution is true seems interesting. But I don’t think evolution is true, so it doesn’t matter. Thank you for bringing the video to my attention.

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      1. Smiling, thought you might like it. Midrash teaches a mussar that speaks a story that HaShem created and destroyed the world multiple times.

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          1. Mussar aint history, it applies to all generations and defines prophesy. To grasp the mussar rebuke requires the רוח הקודש tohor middot which interpret the k’vanna of the mussar. Mussar does not apply to Goyim b/c Goyim do not accept the revelation of the Torah @ Sinai @ Horev. Chag Shevuoth centers upon accepting the revelation of the Torah @ both Sinai & Horev. The avodah zarah worshipped by Goyim @ their festival the Pentecost centers upon speaking jibberish noise through the Holy Spirit narishkeit.

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          3. Mussar as a spirituality rather than a history does not depend upon the reading audience belief yea or nay. Mussar simply does not function as a belief system like Xtian avodah zarah.

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          4. Second פרק of Parshat שמיני on the 28th day of the Omer.

            The 2nd פרק learns from י: ח – יא.  The negative commandment which restricts wine and strong drink from avodat HaShem among the Cohonim and Leviim.  Adjacent to this, the positive commandment to discern and distinguish between tohor and tumah middot.   All the חוקים within the Torah make this fundamental הבדלה, a powerful mussar applicable to all bnai brit generations unto eternity.

            Let’s learn:  A distant precedent:  ב: יז – ל.   Mussar centers upon the establishment of known borders in human social behavior, ערוה serves as a classic border which separates Moav from Israel.  The Torah refers to the inherited lands of Moav as lands captured from giants.  Og king of Bashan, and Galiath, the giant with whom David built his reputation as a great warrior, descendents of these giants. 

            The aggadic story of Chedorlaomer, his victory over the Rephaim at Ashteroth Karnaim, etc.   Torah mussar refers to the tumah decadent debauchery & hedonistic behavior and customs practiced by these giants whom the defiled lands vomited out.   The peoples listed in this משנה תורה precedent all compare to the tumah middot of Par’o and Egypt.

            People addicted to l’shon ha’rah and an evil eye.   Huge stature or advanced military technology offers little defense when even these giants lose heart, the will to fight.   This Torah mussar describes the rise and fall of all great empires throughout history.  This Torah mussar too rebukes all belief religions and creed theologies which focus their knowledge upon belief in אלהים אחרים, such as all the religions which promote monotheism.

            A slightly distant precedent: דברים ז: יב – טז.  Torah blessing and curses both qualify as חוקים.   No man can grasp the k’vanna of חוקים without משנה תורה mussar.  For example the lack of שם ומלכות in the language of the blessing of the Cohonim, the kre’a shma, or the Shemone Esrei tefillah!  All positive time oriented commandments qualify as חוקים from the Torah.   Therefore they all require prophetic mussar which logically defines the k’vanna of this type of Torah commandments.

            Simply not enough to ritually go through the external tumah klippah shells of religious ritualism.   The warp\weft Halachic/Aggadic relationship defines all halachot as positive time oriented commandments.   The central flaw of all statute law codifications made famous during the Middle Ages, directly compares to the giants which the lands vomited out in the aggadic stories of Moshe and Jehoshua.

            Another slightly distant precedent: יא: כב – כה.  Conquering the Goyim enemy, this mitzvah stands upon the יסוד of נעשה ונשמע sworn oath to do and hear the mussar positive time oriented commandments and halachot.   Compare these distant and slightly distant precedents to this precise and exact Torah precedent, יז: א.   Sacrificing a korban that contains a blemish defines the avodah zarah false messiah story of JeZeus on that cross story of abomination; perhaps best exemplified when the Roman guard gave that imaginary man – vinegar to drink.

            Compare the slightly distant mussar instruction of the prophet שמואל, ג: יא – יח  — the collapse of the cohen house of Eli; no korban can ever atone for the Cohen Ha’Gadol’s failure to teach mussar instruction unto his cohen sons!   Korbanot which lack the k’vanna of mussar qualify as a Torah curse, comparable to the halachot contained within the statute halachic codes, the Yad Chazakah, Arba’ah Turim, and Shulchan Aruch – the backbone of Orthodox Judaism.

            Compare these slightly distant precedents with this precise exact precedent: שמואל א ט:טו – כז.  This aggadic story of the anointing of Shaul as the moshiach king of Israel, this great mussar equally applies to the terrible disappointment produced by the statute law classic Medieval codes of halachah.   Both this and that produced a bitter Civil War among our people which resulted in a terrible destruction and slaughter of Jewry.

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