In many charismatic and Pentecostal circles today, there is a troubling practice that continues to fly under the radar: the encouragement to imitate tongues as a pathway to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Often cloaked in zeal and well-meaning enthusiasm, the phrase "fake it to make it" has quietly crept into ministry practice, replacing surrender with performance and opening the door to spiritual confusion.
The Imitation Trap
How many seekers have heard this line? "Just start saying something—the Holy Spirit will take over." Or worse: "Repeat after me." Rather than waiting upon the Lord in reverent expectation, believers are sometimes coaxed into mimicking the sounds of others, hoping that the spontaneous flow of divine utterance will follow. This pressure to perform creates a breeding ground for imitation, where people learn behaviors rather than receive gifts. In this environment, tongues risk becoming a learned habit rather than a Spirit-initiated manifestation.
The Biblical Pattern
Scripture makes it clear that the gift of tongues is not self-generated or humanly taught:
"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4, ESV)
"All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills." (1 Corinthians 12:11, ESV)
Every genuine example in Scripture involves divine initiative. There is no instance in which someone was taught how to speak in tongues by another believer. Instead, they waited, prayed, and received.
The Dangers of Faking
False Assurance
Mimicked tongues can produce a false sense of security. A believer may wrongly conclude they've been filled with the Spirit, while lacking genuine transformation, power, or fruit.
Emotional and Spiritual Confusion
When the emotional high fades, people are left unsure whether what they experienced was real. This breeds doubt, disillusionment, or worse—skepticism toward all spiritual gifts.
Counterfeit Manifestations
In some cases, an eagerness for the supernatural without discernment can invite demonic counterfeits. If not tested by Scripture and spiritual fruit, what begins as zeal can become deception.
Cultural Conditioning over Holy Conviction
In church environments where tongues are expected, people may unconsciously conform to the group rather than submit to the Spirit. This creates spiritual peer pressure, not biblical empowerment.
Returning to the Tarrying Room: How Early Pentecostals Received Power
In the early Pentecostal movement—especially during the Azusa Street Revival and similar Spirit-led awakenings—believers gathered in what were called "tarrying meetings." These were not rushed altar calls or emotionally hyped-up services. They were solemn, sacred times of deep surrender, patient waiting, and fervent prayer.
People waited for hours, sometimes days, on the Lord. They came not to perform but to yield, not to imitate but to be filled. And when the Holy Spirit came, He did so with unmistakable power: ecstatic utterances, uncontainable joy, and undeniable transformation.
These early believers patterned their expectations after Acts 1 and 2:
"And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father..." (Acts 1:4, ESV)
"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:1,4)
Unlike today’s tendency toward instant gratification, the early saints understood that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not manufactured—it is received through reverent seeking. They waited until the fire fell.
We need a return to the tarrying room. Not a formula, but a posture: a posture of expectation, repentance, worship, and surrender. This is where real outpouring begins.
Testimony of the Carpenter Who Prayed Revival Down
After World War II, an elderly Baptist man from New Zealand heard about the baptism of the Holy Spirit for the first time. Deeply stirred, he traveled hundreds of miles to a Pentecostal church with one desire: to be filled. God met him powerfully. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit, began speaking in tongues, and his life caught fire.
The Lord soon told him to go to a Baptist church in Napier, New Zealand. The minister, sensing the presence of God in him, allowed him to pray for eight hours a day in the vestry over the course of two weeks. Following those prayers, revival broke out—the church overflowed with new believers.
He was then used in multiple ways. In one case, a woman facing serious legal problems came for prayer. God gave him detailed legal instructions—in legal language he never studied—that resolved the issue precisely. Later, God called him to South Africa, where he helped establish Spirit-filled Bible studies. Though he was a humble carpenter by trade, God prospered him, and he eventually owned several homes.
His first wife died, and he later married a woman who had suffered abuse in a previous marriage. Together they raised nine children, including five of their own. Though he went nearly blind later in life, he remained spiritually sharp. When I last saw him in 1982, he was 85 years old, frail in body but still fervent in faith. He had fathered his last child at 83 and purchased a large stone house on forty acres in South Australia so his children could experience a rural life.
Interestingly, though the Salvation Army traditionally frowned upon Pentecostal teachings, the Lord instructed him to take his children there. His oldest son later became a Salvation Army lieutenant, ministering in a nearby town.
Some years earlier, Jesus appeared to him and told him to go to a specific place, where he would be used to help bring revival throughout churches in rural New South Wales. But the people he depended on were not fully surrendered to the Lord, and the opportunity was missed. Some months later, the Lord called another man from Seattle, USA, to the same place. That man went, and revival came throughout the congregations.
This man's story is a living witness to the transforming power of the true baptism in the Holy Spirit. His life demonstrates that the gift of tongues is not just about spiritual language—it is about mission, obedience, and supernatural fruit.
In the early Pentecostal movement—especially during the Azusa Street Revival and similar Spirit-led awakenings—believers gathered in what were called "tarrying meetings." These were not rushed altar calls or emotionally hyped-up services. They were solemn, sacred times of deep surrender, patient waiting, and fervent prayer.
People waited for hours, sometimes days, on the Lord. They came not to perform but to yield, not to imitate but to be filled. And when the Holy Spirit came, He did so with unmistakable power: ecstatic utterances, uncontainable joy, and undeniable transformation.
These early believers patterned their expectations after Acts 1 and 2:
"And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father..." (Acts 1:4, ESV)
"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:1,4)
Unlike today’s tendency toward instant gratification, the early saints understood that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not manufactured—it is received through reverent seeking. They waited until the fire fell.
We need a return to the tarrying room. Not a formula, but a posture: a posture of expectation, repentance, worship, and surrender. This is where real outpouring begins.
What Should Be Taught Instead?
Emphasize the Sovereignty of the Spirit: Remind seekers that the Holy Spirit gives gifts according to His will, not ours. The believer's role is to yield, not perform.
Encourage Reverent Expectation: Teach believers to seek the Giver more than the gift. Waiting, worship, and intimacy with God prepare the heart to receive authentically.
Discernment and Testing: Leaders must guard against fleshly excesses and emotional manipulation. Every manifestation should be tested by Scripture and evaluated by its fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Value Other Gifts Equally: Not all Spirit-filled believers speak in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:30). Tongues are a sign, not a seal of spiritual maturity. Love, humility, and obedience are greater markers of Spirit baptism.
Recovering Reverence
The early church viewed tongues as a sign of divine intervention, not a badge of spirituality. In Acts 10, tongues confirmed the Spirit had fallen on Gentiles. In Acts 19, it accompanied Paul laying hands on new believers. In all cases, it was unmistakable, uncoached, and unforced.
To recover reverence for this gift, we must stop training people to mimic what only God can give. Instead of emotional hype, we need holy hunger. Instead of repetition, we need revelation. Instead of pressure, we need patience. Only then will the gift of tongues return to its rightful place: not as a performance, but as a manifestation of the Spirit's sovereign power.
Conclusion
Faking it to make it may satisfy church culture, but it grieves the Spirit. Glossolalia is not an act we rehearse; it is a gift we receive. Let us return to the upper room posture: humble, hungry, and wholly dependent on God. In doing so, we will recover not only the true gift of tongues but also the Spirit-led power that once turned the world upside down.
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