Understanding the anointing of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.

In the previous blog, God revealed how the anointing of the Holy Spirit is the only way for a person to be called a child of God. Who is a 'Child of God' (smoothstoneministry.com)

God urged me to write about the Anointing of the Holy Spirit and I waited on the Lord to get clarity and am writing this blog.

There are 4 times when the Anointing of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in the New Testament. Of the 4 times, except when given to Jesus, the anointing of the Holy Spirit on all humans came with the sign of speaking in tongues. The verses mentioning the 3 instances are as below.

Acts 2:4 'And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.'

Acts 10:44-46 'While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.'

Acts 19:6 'And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. '

The Bible says in I Corinthians 14:22 'Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; '. This explains that tongues are given as a sign of the anointing of the holy spirit. 

When I asked in prayer, why tongues?

God revealed that He had scattered the people by putting different languages (tongues) in the minds of men when they tried building the Tower of Babel after the floods during Noah’s time.

Genesis 11:6-9 'Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. '

The world today has approximately 6500 spoken languages.

Now through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the tongues which signify the bringing together of mankind as one assembly of God.

In Acts 2, when for the first time the assembled Disciples received the anointing of the Holy Spirit with the sign of tongues, the people gathered around them were astonished and realized this was divine, when Peter explained them. The tongues that the disciples spoke at that moment was understandable to the people gathered there. However, the Bible clearly says that tongues will require to be interpreted by someone with the gift of interpretation of the tongues for everyone to understand in I Corinthians 14:2,5 'For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.'

The question in many people’s minds is what type of language is the tongues?

I recalled a testimony of a man of God long ago. He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to preach to a congregation in a remote village. They spoke a language which he did not know. They had an interpreter who was a little circumspect. And on the day of the meeting the interpreter fell sick. The Man of God prayed and was asked by the Holy Spirit to continue as planned. He said, the entire meeting, he being filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues. The tongues he spoke was understood by the gathering there.

Hence we can surely say, that tongues are a sign of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Tongues can be used by the Holy Spirit to preach to people of unknown languages when needed and by speaking in tongues in prayer the person speaks to God in secret.

Praise the Lord.

Glory to Jesus.