Is Speaking in Tongues Necessary for Salvation (Part 2)
by David K. Bernard
Podcast recording (no venue stated in the delivered transcript)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Acts 2:38, Acts 10:46, Acts 11:14, Acts 11:15-17, Acts 19, Acts 19:6, Acts 2, Galatians 5

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/david-k-bernard--is-speaking-in-tongues-necessary-for-salvation-part-2
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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in acts 10 46 we have almost the exact question you just posed that it was a group of gentiles that wanted to be saved acts 11 14 specifically says that peter would come and preach to them and tell them how to be saved so they weren't considered saved yet so cornelius and his household were gentiles they believed in god they prayed they worshiped god they gave alms they do all that did all they needed knew to do and they believed in god but in some sense this crucial sense they were waiting to be saved well peter the apostle peter and a group of jews came down from jerusalem and preached to them now the mindset of the jewish christians was gentiles couldn't be saved they weren't the people of god if you wanted to be saved and you were gentile you had to first convert to judaism which for the males would include circumcision it would include a commitment to keep the sabbath laws of the old testament the dietary laws etc etc you have to change your ethnic identity in in many significant ways you first had to become a jew then you could be saved so while peter was preaching the holy spirit fell because evidently cornelius in the house his household had had faith they already had faith but at the preaching they began to have faith in jesus in the gospel they repented of their sins and while peter was preaching the holy spirit fell on them in acts 10 46 is crucial it says that the jewish christians that had come with the apostle peter were shocked because they didn't think this could happen but they had to admit it that they had received the holy spirit why before they heard them speak with tongues and magnify god well then they had admitted well they received the holy ghost just like we did and peter proceeded to say we we need to baptize them how could we forbid this they've received the holy ghost as well as we peter had to go back in acts chapter 11 back to jerusalem to give an account to the apostles and elders the leaders why did you go preach for gentiles that's contrary to our custom we don't think you're supposed to do that that's violating some principles of of fellowship here and so peter had to explain god's the one who sent me and who was i that i could withstand god and he made this interesting thing he said when i preached them i remembered what john the baptist said about people being baptized with the holy ghost because that's what happened they received the holy spirit you can read this in acts 11 15-17 they received the whole the same gift as we did in the beginnings he's talking about the day of pentecost but wait a minute there was no sound of rushing mighty wind there was no tongues like fire there was only one thing speaking in tongues but that was enough for peter to say this is the same experience he said they've received the same gift as we who believed on the lord jesus christ so he says when we believed on jesus remember what happened we received the holy ghost spoken tongues well they just had the same thing when they believed on jesus they received the holy ghost and they spoke in tongues and the reason why i know you're thinking gentiles can't receive the holy ghost but i know they did because they received the same experience in the same way that we did now i've had some people say well at the beginning of the church god had to use a miracle to show that people could receive the holy ghost so he gave tongues in acts chapter 10 they didn't think the gentiles could receive the holy ghost so god had to give this miracle to prove it but after that it's not needed well there is another example acts 19 and here's just a local group of believers disciples of john at ephesus the apostle paul met them he found they were believers or disciples and he wanted to know but have you really received the experience are you saved so he asked him some questions well have you received the holy spirit have you seen the holy ghost well no we haven't heard about that well have you been baptized well no just under john so he baptized the name of jesus christ he laid hands on them and they received the holy ghost and began speaking in tongues acts 19 6.

here is tongues again what's the reason to show that local group of people they were part of the same church well that need still exists today so not only was tongues given in these first crucial times tongues was given in all these subsequent times to show that local churches local groups and individual disciples are united with the original church so in the old testament there's a rule of evidence that in the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses every word should be established well the apostle luke under the ins or the or the writer luke under the inspiration of the holy spirit wrote the book of acts and he gave three very detailed examples to show you that tongues is the initial sign of the holy spirit so based on that teaching yes we do expect someone to speak in tongues when they receive the holy spirit you know i've had people say well if that's the way luke thought why did he just say so why did he just say tongues is the initial sign you must speak in tongues if you don't speak in tongues you're not saved i think if you would ask luke that question why do you just say so he probably wouldn't understand it because in most of his human history and in most of societies today and certainly in the bible the main way that people taught was not lectures not .123 and making statements that people write down and take notes it's by telling stories and even today effective preachers and teachers they always use stories to get their point across so i think if you if if luke finally understood what you were saying he would say you know what yes i could have as just one man luke told you what i thought but what credibility does that have instead of me trying to give you my opinion i told you a story a true story of how the first christians received the holy spirit they spoke in tongues the crowd gathered they were attracted by this miracle of tongues and they asked what does this mean go back in acts 2 you see some mock them because they didn't understand the tongues they thought they were drunk some did understand the tongues and in marvel that they these galileans could be speaking all the different languages of their home countries so all these people were attracted by this miracle of tongues and they asked what meaneth this what does this mean and the apostle peter with the support of the other apostles answered specifically this is that which was spoken by the prophet joel that god would pour out his spirit upon all flesh when he said this that means this tongues you're asking about is that that's the prophecy of joel and the prophecy of joel said god would pour out his spirit and as a result people would prophesy or they would speak under anointing so it's the 12 apostles that say when you see someone speaking in tongues what that means is they've received the holy spirit that's what acts 2 says and that's what we say now let me qualify this a couple things some people say oh so you say well if you don't speak in tongues you're going to hell wait a minute our salvation is not in tongues we do not make tongues our savior our salvation is jesus christ and we must receive his spirit so the emphasis on did you believe on jesus and if you did have you received the spirit that's acts 19.

so i'm not going to be put in position that tongues send you to heaven tongue sends you to hell i'm always going back to jesus christ and receiving the holy spirit but having said that i would say when you receive the holy spirit as the bible teaches god will give you the sign so it's not something you have to manufacture it's not your works it's not something i have to give you it's not something you get mad at me well you say i have to speak in tongues no i'm not saying that i'm saying seek god and let's see what god will do it's god's idea to give people tongues it's not my idea so don't blame me you know if god gives you the holy ghost without tongues that's his business but according to the scripture we should have the expectation that god is the one who will cause you to speak in tongues the second thing some people say well i know somebody speak in tongues and they they live a sinful life or they have false doctrine whatever whatever well let's be very clear all we're saying according to scripture tongues is the initial sign it shows that you surrendered to god at that moment in your life and god filled you but the abiding sign is not tongues although you may continue to speak in tongues because you've received that ability that gift from god but the abiding sign is the fruit of the spirit supremely love the pursuit of holiness so the way i know i have the holy spirit today is not because i speak in tongues sometimes when i pray although that's true but the way i really know that i have the abiding presence of god in my life is i have this desire for holiness and hopefully others can see the ninefold through the spirit of galatians 5 and that's how we would know on the long term that somebody is filled with the spirit living in the spirit walking the spirit and ready for the rapture but we do still on the basis of scripture expect it's our expectation and so if someone says well i think i have received the holy spirit but i haven't spoken in tongues i would say you know i have no doubt that you have had an experience with god in a relationship with god i'm not here to judge you but i would just simply say