"Speaking In Tongues" - The Apostolic Connection
by Kenneth Carpenter

Kind: sermon
Scripture: Joel 2:28, Acts 19:1-6, Acts 10:44-47, Acts 8:5-20, Acts 2:4

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--speaking-in-tongues-the-apostolic-connection
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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after decade-long resistance the Southern Baptist Convention will admit missionary candidates who speak in tongues a practice associated with Pentecostal charismatic churches the new policy approved by the denominations international missions board on Wednesday May the 13th reverses a policy that was put in place ten years ago speaking in tongues is an ancient Christian practice recorded in the New Testament in which people pray in a language they do not know understand or control the practice died out until Pentecostalism emerged around the turn of the 20th century Pentecostal churches it is considered one of the many gifts of the Holy Ghost including healing and the ability to prophesy allowing Southern Baptist missionaries to speak in tongues or have what some Southern Baptist Convention leaders call a private prayer language speaks to the growing strength of Pentecostal churches in Africa Asia and South America where Southern Baptists are competing for converts and we're energized new Christians are enthusiastically embracing the practice in so many parts of the world these charismatic experiences our normative said Bill Leonard professor of church history at Wake Forest Divinity School religious groups that oppose them are being left behind the change does not mean that Southern Baptists will Commission missionaries who speak in tongues but Wendy Novell a spokeswoman for the international missions board said an affirmative answer regarding the practice with no longer lead to automatic disqualification Southern Baptists have long prided themselves as among the world's most ambitious missionaries reaching countries and religions few dare to go but they are increasingly finding competition from the fast-growing Pentecostal Christianity which now has an estimated 300 million followers worldwide in 2005 the international missions board created guidelines that disqualified all missionary candidates who spoke in tongues for Southern Baptists the practice also known as glossolalia ended after the death of Jesus apostles the band on speaking in tongues became a way to distinguish the denomination from others it distinguished them from other denominations these days it can no longer afford that distinction Southern Baptists are experiencing such trauma of membership and baptism that they need new constituencies among non-white population indeed the issue became such a lightning road rod for Southern Baptists that it got Top Billing on the application form it's the very first question asked if someone said they prayed in tongues they were automatically disqualified essentially for being honest said Wade Burleson an Oklahoma pastor who opposed the band the policy changes approved this week during the international mission board trustee meeting in Louisville Kentucky will leave the question of tongues on the application the international missions board said it will still in it will it it will still end employment for any missionary who places persistent emphases on any specific gift of the spirit as normative for all or to the extent such emphasis becomes disruptive and the international missions board will now recognize baptisms performed by other Christian denominations as long as they involve full-body immersion previously a Southern Baptist minister must have baptized missionary candidates who transferred from another denomination I feel the winds of revival in the land I feel that we living in this day are going to witness another great outpouring of God's Spirit he said in his word in Joel in the last day saith God I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh in Acts chapter 19 into my precious near sweet southern baptist friends in our community and around the world I would like to share with you where some Baptist are found in the Bible in Acts chapter 19 and verse number one it came to pass that while Apollo's at Corinth Paul having passed through the upper coast came to Ephesus and finding certain disciples he said unto them have you received the Holy Ghost since he believed and they said we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost he said unto them under what then were you baptized and they said under John's baptism you see Paul ran into some Baptist they had been baptized they were Baptist they had been baptized and so Paul asked them the question have ye received the Holy Ghost since he believed you see where we get off track is when error gets into our experience when error gets into our experience we are soon derailed because era has crept in and error teaches that when one mentally accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and confesses their sins that they are automatically at that moment filled with the Holy Ghost that is an error when examined or should I say cross examined by the Word of God if one automatically was filled with the Holy Ghost when they mentally believed upon Jesus Christ as their Savior Paul is asking an absurd question but Paul knew very well the distinction the difference between one starting out believing upon Jesus Christ and one actually receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost and he asked them have you received the Holy Ghost since he believed they said we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost then Paul said in verse 4 they said we've not even heard about the Holy Ghost see that's where a spin of Coastal's need to put our work boots on and get busy because there's a world that's not even heard of the Holy Ghost then Paul said John barely baptized with the baptism of repentance saying unto the people that they should be better that they should believe on him which should come after him that is on christ jesus so he said he said good good baptist folks he said you believe John's message and you become John's John the Baptist's disciples he said but but John only baptized you and pointed you in the direction of Jesus Christ when John baptized you he told you to look to him which was to come that is on Jesus Christ now when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus or should I say they were rebaptised for some of you that may be contemplating being rebaptised John the disciples there John the Baptist disciples they were rebaptised jesus said there hadn't been a greater prophet than John appear would it only make sense to us today that if one was baptized by one of the greatest prophets of the Bible that they would need to be rebaptised by than in the name of the great Savior Jesus Christ they were but they were rebaptised and when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and when Paul and laid his hands on them the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied now brothers and sisters today when the error gets into the experience we become derailed and error says that God enabled those of the book of Acts the Apostles mainly the error says that they've been able them to speak supernaturally in another language in order to preach the gospel again my good friends cross-examine by scripture it just simply doesn't hold water because here you would have Paul telling them they needed to be baptized if preaching the gospel was by the supernatural gift of tongues then you would have Paul baptizing converts and them coming up by the water and preaching the gospel back to Paul that is an error what they were receiving was an outward sign that the Holy Ghost had come within to dwell when a child is born in the hospital and the child comes out of the womb of the mother the first sound both doctor and mother are waiting on is the cry of that child for if that child cries out they know that that child is breathing and is okay and just like a spirit baptism how do we know we've got the Holy Ghost thank God he gives us an undeniable sign that when the Holy Ghost comes inside of us we speak in another language a heavenly language an unknown language as an initial sign oh thank you Jesus I'm so glad that my good Southern Baptist friends are beginning to open the door to this biblical experience of the gift of a Holy Ghost evidence of speaking with other tongues well let me quickly go to another place chapter 10 verse number 44 Peter stood and preached to the Gentiles some some people that he had been taught all of his life were unclean and not to go inside their house but the Lord had directed Peter down in acts 10:44 while Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost on all of them please underline in your Bible in acts 19 you said the Holy Ghost came on them in acts 10:44 it said the Holy Ghost fell on them so this is not something that you would mentally accept and agree the baptism of the Holy Ghost is something that will come upon you and the baptism of a Holy Ghost is something that will fall upon you says while he yet spake the words the Holy Ghost fell on all men which heard the word they had the circumcision this is the Jews which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost can you imagine with me Peter and these six men that went with him or their little apprehensive because they've been taught all their life Gentiles are dogs Gentiles we don't have any fellowship with them they don't even know God don't even doesn't even know them but yet the angel tells Peter go down to Cornelius house and preach the gospel now the Peter and these men had been baptized with the Holy Ghost they were on the day of Pentecost they had been baptized with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other tongues so Peter in these six men go down and and their little apprehensive about it but when they begin to preach the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Bible said the Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius's house it fell in that room full of Gentiles and when it failed they were astonished they look and you imagine this all their life they're trained these are dogs and God doesn't even know them and now all of a sudden what either seeing these Gentiles they're seeing the Holy Ghost fall upon them well how did they know the Holy Ghost fell on them for they heard verse 46 for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God then answered Peter can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we I'm telling you not only did the good Baptist people in acts 19 receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and speak in a heavenly language the Gentile dogs received the gift of the Holy Ghost and they too spoke in a heavenly language just like they did on the day of Pentecost I don't know about you I've had the Holy Ghost over 35 years and it's just isn't new to me today it's just as precious for me today it's just as exciting to me today well we go to Acts chapter 8 and verse number 5 we go to the bad part of town we go to the the drug alleys Acts 8 and 5 then Philip went down to Samaria and preached Christ unto them and the people with one Accord gave heed unto those things which Philip suspect hearing and seeing the miracles which he did miracles healings for unclean spirits crying out with loud boys came out of many that were possessed with them with palsies and that were lame were healed and there was great joy in that city but there was a certain man called Simon which before time in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria given out that himself with some great one if you study this closely Simon had learned how to make a concoction that was like a drug and he would sell this drug to the people of Samaria and they thought Simon was some great power of God to whom they all gave he paid attention to from the least to the greatest saying this man is the great power of God to him they had regard because that of a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries but when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ they were baptized both men and women then Simon himself believed also and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and wandered to holding the signs and miracles which were done now when the Apostles were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God they sent unto them Peter and John when they were come down began to rejoice with them that such wonderful miracles had taken place they begin to shout with them because cripples were healed and they begin to shop with them because Simon himself had appeared to be converted no that's not what brought Peter and John on a dangerous journey down to Samaria who when they were come prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost for as yet he was fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus listen when the report came back to Jerusalem the Samaritans had believed Christ Samaritans have been healed devils are coming out of Samaritan they dismounted they they have they're being baptized in the name of the Lord there was one report that so disturbed the Jerusalem church and that report was the Holy Ghost has not yet come you need the Holy Ghost many churches accept healing many churches accept the power of God but you don't need to stop until you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost it's that power for as yet for as yet he was fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus then lay their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost and when Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given he offered their money saying give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost now coming to a close on the telecast today but let me mention two things before I do Simon was the first man to try to profit from the gospel when Simon saw the Holy Ghost fall on people and they spoke with another tongue the power of God came upon people and they were filled with this incredible undeniable experience of God's presence their life Simon said I could make some money off this I mean I could have this Peter he said if you would give me the ability that upon whomsoever all their hands upon because his his motive was I can sell this I can profit just like he sold his drugs I can sell this and brothers and sisters today listen to me and those of you watching by Christian television listen to me today nothing God has is for sale he paid it all at the whipping post and he paid it all on Calvary you don't have to send a pledge you don't have to give a portion of your time you don't have to become a covenant partner to get your healing to get your salvation jesus paid it all stand with me this morning Peter told him he said your money will perish with you for you have thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money the second thing I want to mention in closing there have been those that have used this scripture and say there they receive the Holy Ghost but it doesn't say they spoke with tongues no it doesn't know it doesn't but you see God has given man the law of common sense when the Holy Ghost came on the day of Pentecost acts 2:1 through four it was marked and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the enemy