When speaking of the manifestation of speaking in tongues not being of the Holy Spirit, this could mean many things.
- And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)
Every person, who speaks, uses his or her tongue to do so. In respect to speaking, and what is being said, not being a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, this ought not be too difficult to discern.
- Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
Maybe we can apply this use of the name of Jesus, before whom every knee shall bow and every tongue will acknowledge as Lord, being wrongfully declared as an intensifier or a form of disgust or an expletive or a profanity or an obscenity or a curse, rather than a blessing.
It is a truism that people who are motor-mouths, who cannot shut up, even if their lives depended upon doing so, just keep on making noise, so they can hear themselves, which provides the delusion that they are actually doing something with themselves. These humble wannabes feel really good about conversations they dominate. Like preachers spouting off and feeling like they have made a wonderful contribution to world affairs, whether it be on a corner, in a living room, behind a podium, on a stage, in a hall, in an auditorium, in a stadium, on the radio, on television, before the United Nations assembly of representatives or just talking to the mirror.
There is something about being a mouth, whether from the East, the West, the North or the South, which is really hard to put one’s finger on…. Maybe this is because the lips refuse to stay still long enough. But then it might be an issue relating to the tongue wanting to dance like a cobra, as it spits venom from Texas to Timbuktu, while traveling on a Virgin flight across the Atlantic.
- He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, (1 Corinthians 14:4-5)
- For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 14:2)
There are many things we do not understand. There are many languages in this world. Let’s talk about the “tin tacks”; for if we are honest, we do not understand them all. In fact, most people do not fully understand all the words used in their own tongue. Yet many are the words used in vain, as people express their opinions and clamor to proclaim their part as a member of the ignorati.
- Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:21)
- Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:15)
- Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! (Ezekiel 13:3)
- “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:1)
For myself, while I may write or speak to arouse a person’s curiosity, even inquisitiveness, in the hope that further investigation may arise, my own hope is that when it comes to the nitty-gritty, what I really have to say is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
The essence of the Bible’s message is that every human has been taken captive and really needs to recognize that the ransom price has been paid so each and every person can be free; providing each one hates the evil of being born into this world governed by death sufficiently to accept the freedom that has been made available through the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ.
Now whether the tongue that I am currently using is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, biblical, is a matter for you (the reader) to decide. The same would be the case if I were speaking aloud in an auditorium—just bear in mind that I am not in the fruit and vegetable business and have no need of eggs, rotten or otherwise.
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