Speaking In Tongues

What Is Pentecost Sunday?

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

What Is Pentecost Sunday? Simply put, it is the day we celebrate the first outpouring of God’s Spirit, evidenced by speaking in unknown tongues (languages) in Acts chapter 2. This event occurred 2,000ish years ago, and is still happening today for anyone who repents and seeks to be filled.

”And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

For a deeper understanding, let’s walk back in time 3,500 years to when the children of Israel were in Egyptian bondage. God heard their cries of oppression, and sent Moses to be their deliverer. On the night before they were to leave Egypt, they were told to kill a lamb, and put its blood on the door posts and lintels of each Hebrew family’s home. The death angel was coming through the land as a final plague/punishment upon the wicked Pharaoh of Egypt. Any home who had the LAMB’S BLOOD on the door posts would be spared as the death angel PASSED OVER, not killing the firstborn of that house. This was the very first Jewish holy day, the Feast of Passover.

Fast forward now to Jesus’ broken and bloody body hanging on the cross. The Jewish people had celebrated Passover every year for 1,500ish years. This year was different. This year, the Holy LAMB of God was killed on Passover, once and for all paying humanity’s debt for sin.

The next Jewish holy day is the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It commences the very next day after Passover on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. In like manner that the yearly celebration of Passover commemorates Jesus’ death, the Feast of Unleavened Bread commemorates the fact that when Jesus was buried, His body did not decay in the grave.

The third Jewish holy day is the Feast of Firstfruits. It occurs on the 16th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. On this holy day, the Jewish people would bring the first of their barley harvest in thanksgiving and anticipation of a good harvest. The Lord accepted these “firstfruits” as a pledge on His part to give a full harvest.

Jesus rose from the dead on the Jewish holy day of Firstfruits. Hence, becoming the first to ever raise from the dead to immortal life. His resurrection is our “pledge” from God that if we are born again according to scripture, and live a holy life, He will also raise us to life eternal.

Fifty days later is the Jewish holy day, the Feast of Weeks. Seven weeks were counted from Firstfruits, and then the feast was celebrated the very next day on the fiftieth day. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. It is also often associated with the commemoration of the Law (10 Commandments) being given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Feast of Weeks also became known as Pentecost which literally means fifty (50). The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 happened 50 days after Jesus’ death.

FEAST OF PASSOVER -Jesus was killed as our Passover Lamb of God.

FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD -Jesus’ body did not decay as it laid in the grave, as it was without sin.

FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS -Jesus rose from the dead on this holy day. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection, and our assurance that God will also raise His Church up to immortal life.

FEAST OF WEEKS -Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection on Firstfruits, His Holy Spirit was poured out on New Testament believers on what came to be called Pentecost. This is the holiday/holy day we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday. Come experience your own personal Pentecost just like in Acts 2!

*These four Jewish holy days are the Spring Feasts of the Lord. They were fulfilled in every detail by Jesus’ first coming.

*There remain three Fall Feasts: The Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement and The Feast of Tabernacle. One year not to long from now, these four remaining holy days will be fulfilled in just as much detail at Jesus’ second coming.

*You can read about all seven of God’s holy days in Leviticus 23.

“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

Do I Have To Speak In Tongues? It’s All About Yielding.

~ Pat Vick ~ 1 Comment

A lady told me years ago that she wanted to speak in tongues like I did because I didn’t make crazy faces. She was trying to pay me a compliment, but I confess I didn’t know how to receive it. It did, however, cause me to pay attention to other people speaking in tongues. Sure enough, a great majority of them made facial expressions that appeared spastic and even painful to watch. This began my search for an answer. Why did some people seem to speak in tongues effortlessly, while others appeared to be chewing on unripe persimmons? The answer, I discovered, is in the yielding.

Do I Have To Speak In Tongues?

This leads me to my title question, do I have to speak in tongues? If you’re asking whether you HAVE to, you’re focusing on the wrong thing. The truth is when you are yielded, you WILL speak in tongues. If you go to the book of Acts which records the first outpourings of the Holy Ghost, there is no record of them asking, “Do I have to speak in tongues?” When the Apostles laid their hands upon potential new converts, they began to worship out loud, yielding themselves to the power of God, and they simply began to speak in tongues. It is the natural overflow of someone who is truly yielded.

Good Ground Yields Fruit

The men in my family farm row crops. Corn and soybeans. If they plant seed into prepared ground, that ground will yield vegetables. They plant with the expectation of harvesting. They trust the yielding process.

“And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:8-9)

Trees Yield to the Wind

A healthy tree is not moved out of it’s place by a strong wind. When the wind blows, a tree will yield it’s branches which allows the wind to flow over, around and through. Here on the farm, I’ve been amazed many times at how far a tree will bend to allow for the moving of a strong wind without snapping. I’ve seen the same in altars when people bend and sway physically almost all the way forward and then almost all the way backward under the powerful wind of the Holy Ghost, without falling. The ultimate yielding, however, is when a person yields the most powerful body part, the tongue, to the flow of the Holy Ghost. When this happens, they will speak in tongues.

Crashing Is Not Yielding

We had a gorgeous beech tree in our back pasture when we first bought our property. I loved that tree. It was a majestic sight to behold, and home to much wildlife that made their nests in it’s branches. Even though it had stood for decades, one day a storm came, and it refused to yield. It was a sad day when that giant beauty fell.

There are many signs of someone being touched by the Holy Ghost -Joy, quivering, shaking, jumping, dancing, crying, swaying, but the only God-given evidence of a person being filled with the Holy Ghost is speaking in tongues. Furthermore, when someone comes crashing down like that old beech tree, you can be sure that person didn’t yield. Note, I’m not speaking about sinking down,  “slain in the Spirit,” which I have been. But I don’t care how many so-called men of God blow on you, if you come crashing and thrashing down, that is flesh, not Spirit. The biblical evidence of a person yielding to God’s Spirit is speaking in tongues.

Biblical examples of people falling back (again, I’m not referring to sinking down under the overwhelming Presence of God’s Spirit) actually point to people who were in sin and resisting the Holy Ghost. 

“And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.” (1 Samuel 4:17-18)

“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.” (John 18:4-6)

How Do I Yield?

To yield means to give over to. We must give ourselves over to the flowing of God’s Spirit. Admittedly, this is more challenging today than in biblical times. We live in a complicated world in which we are bombarded with external stimuli on a continual basis. The world’s influence, advertising, pressures constantly vie for our attention and mold our thinking. By the time someone is at an altar seeking the Holy Ghost, they have already been exposed, and often saturated, with false teaching concerning what is required for receiving the Spirit, as well as negative opinions about speaking in tongues.

Scripture is very plain, however, that speaking in tongues is the evidence that God chose to prove the infilling of the Holy Ghost. That being the case, how do I yield to the Spirit, and allow myself to be filled?

  • Repent of all sin. To be filled with the Holy Ghost, we must stand before God truly remorseful of everything that we have said, done or thought against His will and word. We must also have committed to turn away from sin from that moment forward.
  • Be Baptized in Jesus’ name. Although many people do receive the Holy Ghost before they are baptized, we should do as much as we have the power to do before we expect God to do His part. Repentance and being baptized for the remission of sins is our part.
  • Begin to Praise and Worship God out loud. God comes close when we lift Him up. Verbally, thank Him for his goodness to you. Say the things individually that you are thankful for. Tell Him out loud how you love Him, adore Him, worship Him, thank Him, trust Him, etc.
  • Lift your hands high to him in surrender to His Spirit and will. This is a universal sign of surrender. I’ve never seen anyone receive the Holy Ghost with their hands balled into fists at their sides.
  • YIELD every part of yourself to Him -every member of your physical body, every emotion, every thought, and your very speech.

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)

What If I Don’t Receive The Holy Ghost?

If you don’t receive the Holy Ghost the first time you pray, you can pray again. It actually took me five years to receive the precious gift of the Holy Ghost because no one told me these things. If you look at the biblical accounts in the book of Acts, however, you will find that after the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, no one ever “tarried” for the Holy Ghost again. The gift is available to you any time you decide to submit to the process.

The two questions you should ask yourself if you do not receive the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues are:

1. Is there sin in my life that I have not truly repented of? Repentance is not just saying you’re sorry. It’s not even just being sorry. There is a brokenness that comes with true repentance -a godly sorrow, and a commitment to turn away from sin. Check the smallest dark recesses of your heart. Be honest with yourself and God.

2. Are you truly yielded? When your hands began to shake, your lips began to quiver, and your tongue felt like it was going to do its own thing, did you close your mouth and refuse to speak out loud? I realize this is a down to the brass tacks question that doesn’t seem spiritual, but God will not make you speak in tongues. You can stop the flow if you choose, and delay receiving His Holy Spirit until the next altar service, or even the next decade.

So…I Do Have To Speak In Tongues?!

For the love of all things holy, please stop focusing on speaking in tongues. What you have to do is REPENT and YIELD. When you do those two things correctly, you will receive the Holy Ghost, and when you receive the Holy Ghost, you WILL speak in tongues. It’s all about the yielding.

P.S. The answer to why some people speak in tongues more effortlessly than others is all about yielding as well;)

Warm Regards, -Pat

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Do All Speak With Tongues?

Video ~ ~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. Hopefully, you can ignore the angry looking face in the still shot. LOL! This is my first attempt at posting a video here, as well as on YouTube. I’ll get better at it.

Do All Speak With Tongues?
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

In this lesson, I explain the difference between speaking in tongues when you initially receive the Holy Ghost, compared to when you have the gift of tongues and interpretation.

The Holy Ghost Is For You

~ Pat Vick ~ Leave a comment


Receiving the Holy Ghost is the third step in the New Testament New Birth experience. Remember, (1) repentance symbolizes Jesus’ death, (2) baptism in Jesus’ name symbolizes His burial, and (3) receiving the Holy Ghost symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection. Just as Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins would be incomplete without all three natural elements, so would our salvation experience be incomplete without all three spiritual elements. Each one is essential to the whole.

The words “Holy Ghost” or “Holy Spirit” can be used interchangeably to describe this wonderful gift which is simply God dwelling inside of people. The same Spirit that was embodied in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of the Father, is now available and even essential to our salvation.

Only a select few ever knew God in the power of His Spirit in the Old Testament, but the Prophets foretold of a time when He would pour out His Spirit on whosoever wanted it. A time when He would abide not only with mankind, but in mankind.


Foretold By the Prophet Isaiah

“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)

 

Foretold by the Prophet Ezekiel

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

 

Foretold by the Prophet Joel

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29)

 

Foretold By John the Baptist

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” (Matthew 3:11)

 

Foretold By Jesus

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39)

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

“And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

 

Fulfilled In The New Testament

On the Day of Pentecost, the Promise was fulfilled, as 120 people were gloriously filled with the Spirit of the Lord and began to speak in languages unknown to them.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord none place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)

To the crowd that was gathered in the streets of Jerusalem that day for the Feast of Pentecost, Peter explained the phenomena, “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;” (Acts 2:16) He also took the opportunity to preach Jesus to them, and when they responded to his preaching with sincerity, he shared with them the New Testament salvation message.

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every on of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” (Acts 2:37-40)  

 

For You Today

It has been taught that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is not for us today, that it was only for the early Church. If this is so, how am I filled with the Holy Ghost today? We live in the same dispensation as the early Church with every one of God’s promises to them still in effect.

From the Day of Pentecost until this, throughout the New Testament, throughout the centuries and decades and years and last week and today, God has and is still pouring out the Holy Ghost on anyone and everyone who seeks Him with a whole heart in true repentance. Every day we are hearing and reading the reports of Missionary friends from all over the world of tens and hundreds and thousands who continue to receive this priceless gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

Is Essential To Salvation

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9)

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:11)

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Romans 8:16)

Don’t let anyone tell you that’s it’s not real, or that it’s not for you today, or that it’s not necessary. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is real. It is for you today, and it is most certainly necessary to your salvation.

Warm Regards, -Pat 

As always, if you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out, either by leaving a comment here, or emailing me at pat@patvick.com.