Hi luvmygod4,

Jesus and John the Baptist were filled with the Holy Spirit under the old dispensation, in which God filled particular individuals for special tasks or ministries. However, as [Ephesians 5:18] indicates, being filled with the Holy Spirit is available to all Christians under the new dispensation. In that case, it'd seem reasonable that God would institute a sign that would show whether or not a person has been filled with the Holy Spirit.

On three of the five occasions that the book of Acts records someone's being baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit, it says that the person or people spoke in tongues. On the other two occasions, it's likely that they were. Thus, it seems that in the new dispensation God instituted speaking in tongues as the sign that a person has been filled with the Holy Spirit.

Bob Hunter 

changed on Wednesday, September 05, 2001 8:50:17 PM

Hi luvmygod4,

We have some old prayer email archives touching on this topic. Please read these prayerfully and ask God to speak to you:

i. gifts of the Holy Spirit
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1546&table=prayer
ii. His manifest presence
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1556&table=prayer
iii. will the gifts cease?
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1564&table=prayer
iv. criteria for receiving the Holy Spirit
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1572&table=prayer
v. how to receive the baptism
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1584&table=prayer
vi. receiving the gift of tongues
http://mydevotion.com/logos/asp/viewpyrrep.asp?forumid=11&forumtype=3&topicid=1590&table=prayer 

Hi luvmygod.

I'd like to know where in the Bible it says that when you are filled with the Holy Ghost, you speak in tongues. There is no recorded instance in the gospels where Jesus or John the Baptist ever spoke in tongues, yet the Bible says clearly that they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

I suggest you prayerfully and deeply study 1 Corinthians 12-14 before trying to learn more about speaking in tongues, because there are many counterfeit manifestations of speaking in tongues in many churches. In many instances, people whose native language was the language in which the person spoke in tongues, have said that the person was blaspheming God, saying things like, "Lucifer is king! Let us worship and bown down to him!" I'm not saying that speaking in tongues is totally of the devil. It is not, but he has a counterfeit out there that has deceived many. Not all people who have the Holy Spirit speak in tongues, just like not all are teachers, not all have the gift of wisdom, and not all have the gift of discernment. Again, I strongly suggest that you study 1 Corinthians 12-14 prayerfully.

God Bless you