Speaking in tongues is a wonderful mystery of God. It is a sign that follows believers, according to the word in Mark 16: 17-18, "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So today, as a people who are like the sons of Isaachar (who, in the bible, tried to understand the mysteries of God by all means) we put our heads together and discussed about the mysteries of "speaking in tongues." God's wisdom was seen, and we really learnt a lot of new information. It was a beautiful experience.

Introduction:
Speaking in tongues was first seen on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2, where the Holy Spirit came down and each man began to speak in tongues of other nations. Those who were passing by began to hear their languages spoken, and they understood the words that God was saying to them in their own LANGUAGE, and they were stupified. On that beautiful day, THREE THOUSAND SOULS gave their lives to Christ, because they received the word of God and they believed. After that, they were baptized. After studying more of the word of God, it also shows that speaking in tongues does not have to be a language that is spoken on earth (it is a heavenly language just like 1 corinthians 14:2 says that "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," and also Romans 8:26 backs this up by saying that you can speak in tongues in 'groanings that cannot be understood'; therefore, speaking in tongues is also multi-dimensional, and it can come in several different ways. God cannot be placed in a box.

Question #1: We have all heard that speaking in tongues is 'communication with God,' but when we pray with ordinary words, aren't we already communicating with God?

Speaking in tongues does not erase the fact that we cannot communicate with God in ordinary language (e.g. English). Speaking in tongues is another means of communication where our spirits communicate with God's Spirit.
* Read 1 corinthians 14: 1-21. Short summary: He who speaks in tongues does not communicate with man but with God (this means that speaking in tongues is more for the edification of your spirit; it is a process wherein our spirits communicate with God's Spirit, and in this process our SPIRITS are edified). It is good to speak in tongues, but this passage talks about the fact that when you speak in tongues in a PUBLIC setting like a church, there should be the necessary interpretation to follow, that the CHURCH may receive EDIFICATION. If there is no interpretation after the speaking of tongues in a public setting, then it isn't useful because it does not edify the congregation. When people stand up in church and they start speaking in tongues, it does not edify the church (if there is no interpretation). But if you continue studying the word further, Paul also talks about the fact that you should not prevent such ones from speaking in tongues publicly. But if a person can avoid it, then it is better to avoid it because it does not edify anyone else in a public setting except oneself, unless there is the gift of INTERPRETATION to go along with it. This interpretation can either come from the person who spoke in tongues, or from someone else.

Question #2: Is speaking in tongues a gift that only certain people have? Or must every born-again child of God have this gift?
1 corinthians 12 talks about the fact that 'speaking in tongues' is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit decides who is worthy of receiving such a gift. The fact that the Holy Spirit bestows this gift on certain people does not mean that EVERYONE cannot seek this gift. The scripture talks about how we should ALL seek good gifts from God, (1 Corinthians 12:31 " But earnestly desire the best gifts), and speaking in tongues is one of such gifts that we CAN seek if we desire it.

Rinsola's testimony: I tried speaking in tongues by my own self and it would not flow. But when God was ready to give me this gift I started speaking in tongues and I just could not stop. I knew that something had come upon me. Speaking in tongues is not just an ordinary gift, usually from my experience God causes a person to speak in tongues when He needs to send a warning to a body of people or to a single person, usually the interpretation may come on the same day, or later in the week. But from my experience, because God wants to communicate with someone, there must be an interpretation from God. When God has a word for you, there will be an interpretation.
1 corinthians 4:22: Tongues is not a sign for believers, but for unbelievers to know that the presence of God has descended upon a particular people in a particular place. In Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and they began to speak in different tongues, it was a sign to unbelievers that passed by that something out of the ordinary was happening.

Question #3: when I am having my quiet time and I am praying and then I start speaking in tongues, when God wants to speak to me, how do I know and understand what God's spirit is saying to me? Is it that when I speak in tongues, the spirit knows what I am praying for and He is interceding for me, in other words does speaking in tongues help us not to pray amiss?

When you are speaking in tongues, your spirit is communicating with God. Speaking in tongues is BUILDING UP YOUR SPIRIT (1 corinthians 14:4 uses the phrase, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself"). According to the dictionary, to "edify" means to INSTRUCT (when speaking in tongues, your spirit is being instructed. Instructions come from the word of God, and the bible also says that it is the Holy Spirit brings the Word into your remembrance ~ John 14:26); To edify also means "to BUILD up": when you are being 'built up' by the Holy Spirit you feel very energetic (think of muscle training exercises that build up your muscles), and at this point you feel like you can speak into any mountain and command it to be thrown into the sea, and it will. To edify also means, 'to STRENGTHEN one's self.'

Therefore, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit are diverse and cannot be placed in a box. It may or may not come with an interpretation. Speaking in tongues is also a sign that the Holy Spirit has manifested (Mark 16:17: "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;"). Speaking in tongues is a sign that follows believers.

When speaking in tongues in church, there should be an interpretation (according to 1 corinthians 14), but when you are having your personal time with God and you start communicating with God, speaking in tongues can produce an interpretation (you will know what God is trying to tell you), but also speaking in tongues also serves to build you up, strengthen you, and instruct you in the SPIRIT (so there may not be interpretation at that point, but God will still be building you up in your spirit).

Cherub (Bijou) explained that if God really has a Word for you, He will send you an interpretation, but if He just wants to build you up in the spirit, then He does not need to send you an interpretation. Sometimes we don't even know fully what we are supposed to pray for (according to Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered"), the Holy Spirit understands what you need and will communicate with God concerning that by helping you to speak in tongues.

Niyi's beautiful summary: God is SOVEREIGN, and no matter how much we try, unless God allows it we cannot attain anything by our own physical abilities; God is the One who ultimately determines what we attain, and He is also sovereign in the sense that He cannot be fully explained (He is omniscient "knowing all things") ~ Romans 9:16 says that "So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."
Psalm 127:1 says,
"Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain."

Niyi and Diamond go on to give us a 'unified conclusion':

In conclusion, "Speaking in tongues is one of those dichotomies that cannot be fully explained, you cannot place God in a box. You can desire it and get it, but still you may not desire it but yet God will choose to bestow this wonderful gift into your life. It can go both ways and it is a mystery that we will keep learning more about as time goes on."

To Listen to the full version of TERC's last conference:

Dial this number: 641-715-3437

Access Code: 161292#

Last TERC fellowship was a fun and spiritually enlightening session about salvation and all it entails. We had a full house (11 participants…. Yeah!) And our brothers in Christ came on strong to represent. Following is a transcript of our discussion and relevant bible verses from the New Living translation. Enjoy!

SALVATION
Q: Our first question was about the necessity of salvation. In this world, people believe that as long as we are “good” people and do harm to no one, we will eventually end up in heaven. So is it safe to say that good morals are equivalent to salvation and being born again?
A: To answer this, the bible was used in reference; specifically

Matthew 7:21: "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ` Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.

Salvation is more than being morally right; even though most laws go with the word of God, salvation is a personal walk with God. It begins with openly confessing that we are sinners and that Christ died Jesus died for our sins. The difference between being morally right and being a saved Christian is quite strong. As babies we are born into iniquity; just from being born we have already taken on the sins of the world and absolutely nothing can take it away except the blood of Jesus.

Q: Another deep question raised was the notion that “Once saved always saved?”
A: It was unanimously agreed upon that this philosophy was a false one. The second a person leaves the path of God, salvation is lost. There are instances where people who were once saved and manifesting different gifts of the spirit (i.e. speaking in tongues) find themselves without the gift because they are no longer in communion with God. Salvation is a thing you have to work out daily with fear and trembling.

BAPTISM
Q: Scripture says we need to be baptized of water and spirit. This brings up the question of Do we need to be baptized? Some churches preach full immersion while some just the sprinkling of water. Who decides?
A: This was a very touchy topic to tackle because of the eclectic background we all share. While there was a period of intense disagreement, we had to go back to the truth, the word, for an answer.

John 3 vs 5 say “Jesus replied, "The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”

Even with this as a guideline, the topic couldn’t be fully settled but the general conclusion was that although our salvation was the priority, when it comes to baptism we need to follow Christ wholly. We are Christians which means “Christ- like” and with this in mind, we should do all Christ did without question. Before Christ began his ministry, he went to be baptized by John the Baptist and although, we may not necessarily agree on why he did it, we must all agree upon the fact that he saw it important to do. We as Christians do not have the right to pick and choose the acts of Christ we should follow. This is enough reason to do it. Salvation can be seen as having a inward and outward part. The inward is us showing the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5 vs 22) while the outward part can be likened to water baptism. With this said, the topic was left for individual ministration from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3: 13 -17
Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The last bit for the session was about works and salvation. This was the question raised

Q: Does being active in church assure your place in heaven even if you are not saved?
A: The house was again under unity in answering that works without faith is dead. Regardless of how much you do, unless you know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, salvation is not guaranteed.


Well Praise God, for a wonderful session, we look forward to having God in the house again next week and we also look forward to having all of you …

Keep God first and he’ll do the same….

Recap done by Toyin. (Thanks, gal u're a life saver :)

Bwongiono,

Greetings from Italia.

The Early Risers Call (TERC) - is a meeting of like minded people, and we meet in the hope to share the word of God, and base our testimony on His Word, and not on our opinions or what we feel or think is right.

The Word of God is clear and has no confusion in it, lets bear that in bind whenever we meet to always base our discussion on the word of God, and not how we think it should be or our interpretation of the matter.

At this juncture..loll.. I would like to say a big thank you to all for coming on on TERC, and visitng our blog, and we promise to update it shortly.

Ciao.