Gifts of the Spirit: Why There’s A Debate
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
So, why is there so much debate over the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The sad truth is that denial of the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit is a convenient theology. Believing that miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit don’t operate today excuses powerless living. The Holy Spirit was willing to move in biblical times and the Holy Spirit is willing to move today. There is no excuse for living lives so far removed from the victory portrayed in God’s Word.
The most controversial gift is praying and speaking in “different kinds of tongues.” Speaking in tongues is not only one of the first things that happens after being baptized in the Holy Spirit, but it’s also one of the most important.
When you pray in tongues, it says in 1 Corinthians 14:14 that your spirit prays. Your spirit is the part of you that is born again, that has the mind of Christ. First Corinthians 2:16 says that “we have the mind of Christ,” that your mind has been renewed in knowledge of your Creator (see Col. 3:10). So, in your spirit, you have the mind of Christ. You have unlimited knowledge, and all you have to do is draw it out.
How do you draw out the godly wisdom that’s in your spirit? The Bible says that when you pray in tongues, your spirit, the part of you that has that knowledge, is praying (see 1 Cor. 12:14). If you pray in tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:13 says to pray also for interpretation of tongues.
I have prayed in the spirit many times when confronted with something in the natural that I just didn’t have the ability to conquer—just didn’t have the self-confidence. So I go to prayer in tongues. I need the Lord, and I don’t lean on my own understanding.
When I run into a problem, I pray in tongues and ask God for wisdom. I also pray for God to give me the interpretation. If I’m praying and nobody else is around, I don’t need to speak it out. I just need my understanding enlightened. I could give you testimony after testimony about how this special communication with God has blessed me.
One of the most miraculous in my life was when we were waiting on a $3.2 million loan for a building project. The process was dragging out so long that they wanted us to start the whole process over. So I said, “God, there’s got to be an answer. What is the answer to this situation?” I started praying in tongues and asked Him what to do and for the interpretation. It wasn’t two minutes later when the Lord spoke to me a prophecy that had come to me two years before. I hadn’t denied it. I just hadn’t remembered it. The prophecy was that I didn’t need a bank loan; my partners would finance whatever I needed. Fourteen months later we had the $3.2 million, which propelled us into a new realm of prosperity and blessing that we had never had. And all of that came from praying in tongues and praying for an interpretation.
We must understand that we have the mind of Christ and all of His wisdom is flowing in and through us. Not realizing this truth is like dying of thirst while leaning against a well filled with water because you don’t know how to draw it out. Speaking in tongues is drawing out the Holy Spirit and then praying that you receive the interpretation from God.
The Gift
I guess it’s possible to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues, but why wouldn’t you want to? If you’re afraid, don’t be! There’s no reason to fear; you’re in full control. I’m not speaking in tongues as I write this, because it’s up to me to decide when I speak in tongues. It’s the same for you. You control when you speak in tongues.
