No subject in the Bible has been misinterpreted or misspoke more often than “Speaking In Tongues.” Satan has fought this truth and imitated this truth until most people simply flee from it. The subject can get a debate going quicker than any subject I know from the Bible. It’s exciting to see how often the truth of a Believer speaking in an unknown language is mentioned. Isaiah, the Statesman prophet, was the first Bible writer that prophesied of the New Testament church speaking in unknown languages. “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear” (Isaiah 28:11-12). The Apostle Paul quoted from this text in his great discourse on the gifts of the Spirit and did so by directly speaking about languages spoken in the Holy Ghost. Paul said, ” In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe” (I Corinthians 14:21-22). I have documented the great church fathers speaking with excitement about the early church like a Heaven on earth because the Holy Ghost had made them alive. Men and women were speaking in unknown languages, some were interpreted and others saints were prophesying or healing the sick by the power of the Spirit. The great teacher, Augustine, is recorded to have bemoaned that the church in the Fifth Century had lost the great visitation of the Holy Ghost, where men and women no longer spoke in unknown languages. This sermon condemns no one but simply lets you hear what will happen when the church is alive in the Spirit instead of cold and asleep.
Order this sermon by calling our office – share it with someone else. (CD or DVD)

Jesus Christ shook His world with “Signs And Wonders.” The New Testament Church did the same. The first and most important “Wonder” was the defeat and casting out of Unclean Spirits. The devil’s signs and wonders will be spectacular things like gold dust falling, gold filling in teeth, angel feathers, weeping Madonnas, oil on foreheads, and a long list of others. All of those kinds of showy signs are dead giveaways. When the Son of God or a great saint of God does something that is a Biblical sign, it will represent the nature of God. Compassion for a hurting person, healing in a sick body, and delivering a sin sick soul from the bondage of evil are the miracles of God. The defeat and utter casting out of demons are Biblical signs that prove the glory of our Superior God. The life and ministry of Jesus Christ revealed one defeat after another for the devil. Devils knew who He was before the Disciples knew and they feared him with desperation. Listen! “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not… And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep” (Luke 26:28,31). Jesus had absolute mastery over every unclean spirit He encountered. When He called Lazarus back from the dead, he had already descended into upper Sheol and Satan had the keys. The moment Jesus said. “Lazarus,” the devil took the keys and turned Lazarus loose. One of the most powerful examples was the woman that was bowed over by unclean spirits of affliction. “And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity…And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:12,16). Nothing proves the Son of God’s ministry and our right to do the same as His total defeat of the devil.

The first answer is very simple, “without miracles, the church is helpless.” Two, “without miracles, the devil has a free ride.” On and on, we can see how desperate the Church and God’s people are for all of us to wake up. Miracles have been a part of the true Church from the second chapter of Acts to the present. I love the great scriptures in the last chapter of Mark. These words from the Holy Ghost have been the subject of debate and rejection since the second and third century. It is believed that the apostates that made up the scholars at Alexandria, Egypt, removed them because they had never seen a miracle. The false versions of the Bible that followed left out the last twelve verses of Mark chapter twelve. This very week I read a list of great Church Fathers of the first, second, third, and fourth centuries that quoted from one or more of these verses. The dependable Textus Receptus (Authorized Greek New Testament) contains these verses because they give a fitting end to this passage of God’s Word. Lets read them, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:16-18). At present, there is an overwhelming attack against everything Spiritual and Sacred. The devil knows his time is short and “unclean spirits” are destroying lives by the millions. The only answer is the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost just like promised in this Bible text. I will not be cheated out of God’s best. The Holy Spirit will anoint every person that is willing and you can be victorious. Devils can be driven out of your home, your children can be delivered from unclean living, and your church can be a powerhouse for God.

The ministry of the Holy Ghost in Christ’s Church is extremely important. The Bible declares that we are sealed by the Holy Ghost. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4-30). Apostle Paul stated, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8-14). The believer that will allow the Holy Ghost of God to be real in their life will find themselves full of life and power for service. We are helpless in our own strength. This is why Jesus told His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on High. He plainly promised that they would be anointed for great ministry. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1-8). It is time for our churches to return to the anointing that breaks the yoke. Multitudes are bound by the devil and helpless to be free without the mighty move of the Holy Ghost. Demon possession is occurring all over our world and a Spirit-filled church is the one answer for victory in those lives. The believers in our world are under great stress. Sickness is exploding, but a church alive can witness healing to its family. Let’s go back to Acts for the plan that God has left us. Tarrying saints will become empowered saints and the life of our churches will change. Are you willing to pay the price of full surrender? “Ye shall receive Power” is a promise from the Lord.

This story in Acts chapter three is a perfect picture of most of our church world. This man had apparently lain at the gate for many years. The beautifully robed priests had walked by often. Anyone that was religious in all Israel had either seen him or been seen by him. He could not go inside because a crippled person was not allowed inside the Temple. There was nothing wrong about this beautiful Temple because God Himself had given King David the design. It was worth millions, but it was now out of business. The great veil that opened into the Holy of Holies had been supernaturally divided when the Son of God died and rose from the dead. Even before Christ’s deat, the Jewish system had developed into an empty religion and Jesus Christ had sharply rebuked them, calling them “dead men’s bones” “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). This was a beautiful and religious Temple, but the people were helpless before the human tragedies that lay at their very gate. But two men from the Upper Room where the Holy Ghost had been poured out, came to pray and everything changed. These men understood why Jesus Christ had come. It was not to institute another empty religion, but to meet human needs. The world is waiting at the gates of churches all over the world but are mainly getting nothing but head theology. What they need is to see the power of God again. The Church of Jesus Christ has the responsibility of turning truth into transforming oracles. The Bible is not a dead book, but a supernatural revelation. This crippled man was perfectly healed and went into the Temple, “Walking, and leaping and praising God” (Acts 2-8). This kind of miracle would leave any church a different place. Please invite the Lord to do it in your church.

This is one of the most beautiful subjects in Holy Scripture. Solomon prophesied of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:12). A metaphor is a word picture of something that is real. It is a way to understand a truth that is too deep to grasp without explanation. The Bride of Christ must spend a lifetime right here on earth preparing for our future with Him. It’s tough to endure the hard places, temptations, and often great criticism. But, this picture of every true saint living in a garden of GRACE, even while the world occupies the fields that are everywhere about us, is all we need to be happy and safe. He watches over His garden, the Holy Spirit teaches and anoints those planted, and His Angels encamp about us to come quickly to our rescue. Throughout the Bible a garden was always a special place. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a spectacular garden. God Himself would come down out of His Temple and walk with this first couple in fellowship. The Bible will end with another garden and the Godly will spend eternity with our Heavenly Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all the host of angels and saints. This earthly company is a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a family of saints that have been transformed and sanctified. The Whore Church is determined to seduce the righteous into living after the flesh. Sinners are being deceived into believing that being saved is only different in destination, not in lifestyle. They are harlots in the spiritual sense and will bring you into the same bondage by which they are captured. The idea of living in His garden settles this matter. Not only is this an enclosed place, it is a watered place. “A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song of Solomon 4:15). The Son of God quoted from this prophecy, “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). If you are His, then this garden is your dwelling place. The Church and His garden are one even when they are separated by many miles. Our buildings are our meeting places and they should be treated with respect, but the saints are His body and garden.

Backsliding is the greatest scourge among the body of Christ. Almost no one ever intends to backslide, but do so because of weaknesses in their walk. Backsliding always starts with drawing back, praying less or not at all, loss of interest in reading the Bible etc. As I perceive it, there are five things in the Bible that often leads to a backslid state. ONE: God’s Word is very plain that “The just shall live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38). Living the Christian life by feelings is impossible. Some days we can walk on water, and some days we feel totally forsaken. If we live by faith, God is just as real on that second day as He was on that first day. TWO: The Christian life is a life of total surrender to Christ. To serve the Lord, we must forsake ourselves and take our cross. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). If they are going to keep the faith, a Christian must move beyond the comfort zone of the flesh. A life of obedience is the only acceptable life. If you go to Heaven, you will live a holy life. THREE: People that go back on Christ will first leave their first love. It is impossible to backslide unless you leave that passionate love you had for Him when you were first saved, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:4-5). FOUR: The next great destroyer of faith is to allow an offense against someone. FIVE: If you fail to learn and accept the fear of God in your life. A genuine Christian cannot get away with anything that displeases their Father in Heaven. Listen carefully to this message from the Holy Ghost.

When you look at the Gospels of the New Testament writers and the Book of Acts, the overwhelming picture includes a gentleman Holy Ghost. He is full of grace, the Spirit of compassion, redemption, and mercy. Never do we see the Holy Spirit acting out the judgments against the wicked. That’s an office of Jesus Christ and His host of angels, but the Holy Ghost is always the “Spirit of Redemption and Conversion.” This is why Jesus taught us that to blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to never be forgiven. You may blaspheme the Father or the Son and be forgiven, but never the Holy Spirit. If you blaspheme Him, then the grace of God cannot be applied because He has been rejected. This is breathtaking truth and helps us begin to grasp the depth of His great Personage. He is not a fleeting influence that drifts about without personality. He is very God as is the Father and the Son. Nothing has changed my life as much as coming to honor the Holy Spirit. We never exalt Him above the Father or the Son, but as an equal. We experience all of the Father and His Son because the Father and the Son sent the Spirit to connect us back to them. No one can be saved unless they are drawn to Jesus Christ by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Ghost in the church era because He came to represent another, even the Son and the Father. A born again believer can remember when they were pursued by the sweet Spirit of Grace. No matter where they were or what they did, they could not escape. Many souls have sit in a bar drinking trying to drown the call, but it would only grow more intense. How well I remember when He saved me and the grace of God swept across my life. Earnestly, tenderly, He’s calling someone even as you read. The Holy Spirit is calling someone today. Do not wait. His Spirit will not always strive with men. There is a line in the sand that you must not cross.

The bodies of Godly saints are the single dwelling place of the Holy Ghost. He does not dwell in beautiful buildings that have been built with our millions. He is not impressed with our ornate sanctuaries or great human programs. Never has there been a great revival that started because the church built Him some elaborate place to pour out His Spirit. The location of a Holy Ghost outpouring is in the lives of broken saints that have separated themselves from the world and given themselves over to compassion for the lost. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6: 19-20). It’s insane how our churches are so taken with pride and human activities, while our world goes to hell. Our day has become so taken with great speakers and their good speaking abilities, while the mighty power of the Holy Ghost is uninvited or unwelcomed. Most churches no longer believe in the supernatural gifts of His Spirit. PRAISE THE LORD! God Himself is watching. At His appointed time He will invade among those saints that have refused to bow, bend, or burn. The old-fashioned saints of yesteryear saw God’s powers in tents, brush-arbors, and storefront churches. If you are willing to be a part of His plan, then provide Him a Sanctuary — your sanctified body. Give up your love for the world and clean up your life. The worldly crowd will call you legalistic until He begins to pour out His Spirit, then they will call it wildfire. Soon, they may even come and join you. Your sanctified life, free of sin and unlike the world, will be noticed by the Lord of the Church. That’s where Revival starts!! Our church’s name is Paw Creek. I like that name because Paw Creek Presbyterian Church had a revival in a tent in which up to 10,000 people came and experienced a mighty move of the Holy Ghost. One man road his horse into the crowd jeering at the meeting. The power of God knocked him off his horse and he could not get up until he repented and was converted. Do it again, Father!!