Category: UTTERANCE

AWAKENING, FAITH (THE GOD KIND OF FAITH), Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, PROPHECY, Spiritual Growth, UTTERANCE

THE SAIL BOAT DREAM

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

On September 22, 2016, I dreamt that I was out in a sailboat sailing on a river. 

There was a great stone (big rock) adjacent to the river and in the mist of some trees. 

We had word that the stone was about to explode. 

We were currently not moving as we had encountered an obstruction. The waters of the river were flowing nicely. 

I recall adjusting the kick-up rudder to clear the obstruction to be able to sail on. 

The Stone did explode as we began to sail and flow freely. 

As I have said before in this work, the interaction with God in the process is regular. This dream is a good example. 

The message (interpretation) to me is clear; the Stone is the Lord Himself. The river is that which flows from Him eternally (Utterance), the trees are the people (the Saints). The explosion is symbolic of the Spirit of the Lord being poured out on all flesh in this end time. 

The obstruction that was overcome by the navigation adjustment is symbolic of the Enemy. The navigation adjustment represents the Church (Ecclesia) adopting proper protocol where walking in (and by) the Spirit (of the living God) is concerned. 

Utterance is spoken forth through the Saints throughout all the World. 

 

 

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES, FAITH (THE GOD KIND OF FAITH), INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES, Kingdom Thought, PROPHECY, The Great Commission, UTTERANCE

THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

How does one interpret Tongues? This is the question that I hear most often about Speaking in Tongues.

Tongues, for our purposes here has its first mention in the book of Mark, reading:

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; (Mark 16:17)

If you are a believer, you should be speaking in Tongues.

The second mention of Tongues is in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2.

 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

Speaking in Other Tongues is introduced to the 120 visitors to that Upper Room meeting that day. Those gathered there were from different areas and spoke different languages (tongues). They heard their languages as being spoken by those who did not know their language (vs 5-11).

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? (Vs 12)

Peter said to them:

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

 And on my servants and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: (Acts 2:16-18)

The essence of the pouring out of the Spirit of God is Tongues. He pours it out incessantly (Acts 2:33). Visions, Dreams, Anointing, Light, Revelation, Faith, Prophecy, Power, Healing, Deliverance, Wisdom, Shalom and much more are the by-production of this “Living Water” (John 7:38).

God works by His Word (John 1:1-4). The purest form of His Word is Tongues or as He is commonly called, Unknown Tongues.

The primary use of Tongues equates to Him proclaiming those things which He decrees through His Mouthpiece; His Body, the Church even the Church Members (The Saints).

These transactions are meant to be done in private. Even when “Speaking in Tongues” happens in the church building during the Assembly it should occur in “ones own space”.

Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:19)

The Bible tell us that when Speaking in Tongues in the “open” Assembly there is to be the “Interpretation of Tongues”.

The Bible says this:

If any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. (1Corinthians 14:27-28)

Tongues (divers kinds of Tongues with the word divers being added by the translator) with Interpretation of Tongues is equal to Prophecy. These Spoken Manifestations are given for the edification (building up), exhortation (encouraging) and comfort of the Local Assembly.  

One simple thing to remember is that when Tongues or Divers Kinds of Tongues with the Interpretation of Tongues happens GOD IS ALWAYS IN THE ROOM.

God is in the room giving the Utterance when meditational Prayer in the Spirit or when Ministerial Tongues with Interpretation happens.

HE IS GIVING THE UTTERANCE. We, His Body are a co-laborer. His Spirit works through our spirit with the natural tongue being the mechanical part or necessary apparatus for the execution. HE GIVES THE INTERPRETATION.

We do well to keep our minds (souls) out of this Spiritual/spiritual transaction.   

FAITH (THE GOD KIND OF FAITH), Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, The End Time Church, Uncategorized, UTTERANCE

PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, CLOUDS THEY ARE

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

And from the rock I cut off a great fire, and from the fire I created the orders of the incorporeal ten troops of angels, and their weapons are fiery and their raiment a burning flame, and I commanded that each one should stand in his order.
And one from out the order of angels, having turned away with the order that was under him, conceived an impossible thought, to place his throne higher than the clouds above the earth, that he might become equal in rank to my power.
And I threw him out from the height with his angels, and he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless. (The book of Enoch)

The preceding represents the MOST HIGH explaining  how he created the Angels and how one of them rebelled. An interesting note here (seen by slightly more study of the Book Of Enoch), is that this rebellion took place on the second day of The Creation. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 14, we see this story played out.

Here in the book of Luke chapter 10,  Jesus comments on the expelling of Satan from heaven, saying that He saw him “falling as lightning“.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. (Revelation 12:4) Here we see further detail about the expulsion of Satan and one third of the angels down to the earth.

“And he was flying in the air continuously above the bottomless” (or earth). 

The Principalities and Powers that are referenced several time by Paul in the New Testament are Satan and his angels. They are for the most part relegated to existing in the air above the earth “flying continuously.”

Jude says this about them: “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” and this:

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”

Peter, in Second Peter chapter two, says this:  “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever” and much more about these angels that have gone bad. 

Paul tells us that these are the enemy with whom we wrestle. Yes, our enemy while we are in the earth is not with our cousins or brothers or the races but with angels. Paul says  in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

He cautions us in verses 10&11 to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” and “Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”.  Yes, the devil, Satan, a fallen angel and his devil horde. 

We don’t win a war or even a battle with the devil without the Armour of God.

Paul also refers to the Principalities and Powers as the prince of the power of the air, This is likely because the air above the earth where the “bottomless” is located is there current domain. These spiritual entities have no physicals bodies. It does appear, though that they desire to reside in or to possess physical attributes.

Those exiled angels that were kicked out of Heaven because of their rebellious deeds are now all flying around the earth utilizing clouds for comfort until The Day of the Lord. They are out there flying around in plain sight.

Satan has limited access to God in heaven and the devil too has access to the earth to walk up and down in it.

Just as Satan wished to “sift Peter as wheat“, it is his desire to do likewise to each and every one of us.

In the face of these overwhelming circumstances Paul tell us, The Church, that we are to remind the devil of his fate. And there is this.

Offensively, Paul tells us this: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Simply stated, this means to Pray in Tongues!

 

AWAKENING, DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, FAITH (THE GOD KIND OF FAITH), Praying In Tongues, UTTERANCE

THE FRAGRANCE OF THE HOLY GHOST, More on the subject.

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

Initially when I first met the Fragrance of the Holy Spirit, I talked a lot about It. I would notice It often, sometimes several times a day. Though It is referred to as a Fragrance, it is not discerned by the human olfactory system. I know this because there have been several instances wherein, I knew the Presence was near but when I asked others nearby if they smelled anything, they would say no.

An awareness of the Fragrance of the Holy Spirit is a Supernatural knowing. It is akin to the Spiritual Gift of Discerning of Spirits. The Presence of the Fragrance or The Carrier of the Fragrance is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

I have a couple of theories about this. I will share the theories here and close out this brief post (I expect that there will be more and increasingly powerful posts to come) with a few accounts of recent displays of love and comfort to His from Him.

Theory number one is the Fragrance that is being revealed is that of Angels as they abide among us, perhaps during Their travel up to down from Heaven carrying Heaven’s Fragrance with them. Theory number two is that It is the Holy Spirit Himself (the Anointing) that is upon the individual person or persons.

Before I give the examples, let me suggest to you why I believe that this is happening. In most cases, I merely go to the person and share with them that I believe that they are carrying the Fragrance of the Holy Spirit and that there are Angeles around them. They almost always acknowledge this truth. I then explain to them that I believe that the Lord would have me to encourage them that they have uncommon backing and resources from Heaven at their disposal and that they should move forward in their purpose because of this fact. These meeting usually end with them showing me appreciation for the kind words and with me saying “Praise the Lord.”

Here is an example: today I was in a local big-box store and as I was checking out, I sensed (I generally don’t say smelled) the Fragrance. There were several people in my immediate vicinity. So, I looked around to try and figured out which of those folks were carrying the Fragrance. The candidates were the cashier, a young Hispanic lady, the young man that was assisting her, a gentleman in the line next to the one that I was in and the little grandmotherly lady (all or four feet tall) in the line behind him. By the way, in the vernacular of some bygone days, the Fragrance was “paying off” (it was very strong).

Ok, you guessed it! I chose the little old lady. Now I know I’m supposed to say that I was led by the Holy Spirit that it was the nice lady, and that is likely why I did.

As she rolled up to the exit door, I rolled up behind her and touch her on the shoulder (really shouldn’t be touching people nowadays) and asked her if I could ask her a question once we cleared the exit. She said yes. I asked her if she were a Christian to which she said yes. I asked her if she were a strong Christian, pointing out to her that there was a very strong Fragrance from Heaven present with her. She said that she was.

I told her that I felt that I was to tell her about the resources that are available to her in Heaven and that she should go forth in the confidence of that word. She thanked me and uttered a few words of blessings my way. I said, “Praise the Lord” and we parted company. As I walked away, I thanked the Lord for confirming His continuous friendliness toward His servants.

A month ago, today, I was visiting Lagos, Nigeria. I was there to attend some services at the SCOAN (Synagogue Church of All Nations). During the process of the services (some more so that others) the Fragrance of the Holy Spirit was palpable as It was blown about the very large sanctuary by the many cooling units found throughout the venue. It was most refreshing. For me and I am sure that for many others there, there was no doubt about the Presence of God in that place.

Lastly, while we were in Lagos, we were made aware of the contrast between the mainland section and the island sections of Lagos. While visiting the island (Victory Island), commonly referred to as V I we thought to get something to eat. Finding a place to eat is not always the easiest thing to do when visiting a new country.

We initially selected a place having the same name as a popular US restaurant only to find out that it wasn’t the same thing. It looked like a very poor choice. After considering a couple of other places we decided to just head back to the hotel. We did decide to give it just one more try, choosing one of three that we found on Google maps.

While we considered this, I sensed the Fragrance of the Holy Ghost. It was at that time that the driver took it upon himself to press his finger on one of the choices and began to drive. When asked by the others in the car what we were doing I explained that I had just sensed the presence of the Fragrance of the Holy Spirit and that the driver was led by Him to make the executive decision (in which he didn’t bother to consult me). I knew, however, that God had chimed in to help us with the matter. The choice was an excellent one. I had the Sea Bass. It was delish!

Here is the link to the place we ate at.

God is good ALL THE TIME.

PRAISE THE LORD!

AWAKENING, DISCERNING OF SPIRITS, DIVERS KINDS OF TONGUES, FAITH (THE GOD KIND OF FAITH), Praying In Tongues, PROPHECY, Spiritual Growth, UTTERANCE

Protocol For Speaking in Tongues

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

Questions and answers

 

What is Speaking in Tongues? 

Speaking in Tongues is Supernatural UTTERANCE given by the Holy Spirit in a language that is unknown to the speaker. Speaking in Tongues is God speaking through Believers. 

How do I begin to Speak in Tongues? 

There is a long answer to this question and a short one. The Lord is leading me here to present the short one. Repent of your sins, received Jesus Christ the Resurrected Son of God as your Lord and Savior. Join a Church where Speaking in Tongues is part of the Doctrine. Be Baptized in Water. Have the Elders (Leaders) of the Church pray with you and lay hands on you for Baptism by the Holy Spirit. Praying in Tongues will happen at the time of Baptism by the Spirit as you yield your tongue to the Lord. 

If your desire to be filled by the Holy Spirit with the evidence of Speaking in Tongues does not happen immediately, just stay in Faith for God to fill you with His Spirit with the evidence of Speaking in Tongues and He will lead you on to Higher Spiritual Levels forthwith as you earnestly desire. 

How do I Interpret Tongues? 

Interpretation of Tongues is a Supernatural operation done by God manifesting through a Believer interpreting Divers Kinds of Tongues previously presented either through another Believer or the Believer revealing the interpretation. So, you do not. He does. 

What are the benefits of Speaking in Tongues? 

Speaking in Tongues serves to strengthen the believer Spiritually. Speaking in Tongues is the Gateway to operating in the Spiritual Gifts. “He that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself” (1 Corinthians 14:4). 

Is Speaking in Tongues a Spiritual Gift? 

No, speaking in tongues is not a Spiritual Gift in the sense normally thought of.  

The twelve Spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 are: The Word of Wisdom, The Word of Knowledge, Prophecy, Decerning of Spirits, Diverse Kinds of Tongues, Working of Miracles, Gifts of Healing, and Interpretation of Tongues. Divers Kinds of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues are Spiritual Gifts. 

Speaking in Tongues is the sign or evidence of having received the Holy Spirit. 

How are Speaking in Tongues, Divers Kinds of Tongues, and Interpretation of Tongues different? 

Divers Kinds of Tongues and The Interpretation of Tongues are Spiritual Gifts or more accurately, Supernatural Manifestations of The Holy Spirit (actions taken by the Holy Spirit) and is for Ministry. Speaking in Tongues is a prayer language for Exalting God and edifying the Believer. 

Is Speaking in Tongues of the devil? 

No. The devil does, as with most things of God, offer a counterfeit operation. 

Does Speaking in Tongues make me more spiritually powerful? 

Yes. Speaking in Tongues edifies the Believer. UTTERANCE renders Revelation. “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19). But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 1:20). 

 Is it okay for me to Speak in Tongues in Church? 

This is the $64,000 question. The answer is mostly no. Speaking in Tongues is for private prayer and the Exalting of and Communing with God. Divers Kinds of Tongues with the Interpretation of Tongues are for Ministry in the Church Open Assembly. 

Should there be an Interpretation of Tongues every time I hear them? 

Yes, when in the Church Open Assembly. This process must be effectively managed by the Leader in the Pulpit to assure that there is no confusion. “If any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). 

Is there absolutely no time when Speaking in Tongues other than Divers Kinds of Tongues is permissible in the Local Assembly? 

The Bible does not speak to this, but I have observed in Church Assemblies where there had been obvious solid instructions pertaining to Speaking in Tongues and Spiritual Manifestations thus: sometimes during the Altar Call the Congregants would all pray softly in the Spirit to undergird the Prayer that was coming from the pulpit. This is done with the hope that those unsaved persons would be convicted in their hearts to come forward for Salvation. I have also observed that during Healing and Deliverance Ministry the quiet orderly Praying in The Spirit from the pews to be quite aggravating to the demons. Yep, said it, demons! 

Such prayer was always done within the space of the individual member and without any disturbance whatsoever. In other words, decently and in order. These are immensely powerful times of prayer. 

When should I Speak in Tongues? 

Pray always, day and night. Common sense applies. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditates day and night” (Psalms 1:2). “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18). 

What is the best place for me to Speak in Tongues? 

Anywhere where you are not intruding into the privacy of someone else. 

 What is the difference between Talking in Tongues, Praying in Tongues, and Speaking in Tongues? 

These terms are interchangeable. 

Should all Christians Speak in Tongues? 

Yes. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). 

Did Speaking in Tongues cease? 

No. “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:39). Here Peter Utters Revelation regarding The Infilling of the Holy Ghost and Speaking in Tongues. 

 Tongues of Men and Angels, what does that mean? 

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1). The word charity is translated from the Greek word agape which is also translated as love. 

This scriptural passage is used by some to make a case against the validity of the use of Tongues by the Church today. 

If we more closely examine the meaning of the word “though” as used in this passage, we see that it is translated from the Greek word “ean” which means if. So, does not indicate that Paul speaks with the tongues of men or angels, but means if that were the case, that absent love, it would be of no effect. 

I found no other reference to “Tongues of Angels” in the Bible. 

Was there speaking in Tongues before Pentecost? 

No. There is no evidence of Speaking in Tongues prior to the time of the Church or the Dispensation of Grace. 

Does praying in the Spirit mean Praying in Tongues? 

Yes, generally when a Saint speaks of praying in the Spirit he is referring to Praying in tongues. 

What Should I do if Speaking in Tongues is not Taught in my Church? 

Pray to the Lord for instructions. This matter must be Prayed through. 

Is it scriptural for my Pastor, Praise Team Leader, or other Leader in the Church, to pray in Tongues during an Open Assembly where no Interpretation is offered? 

No. Nowhere in scripture can such a demonstration be found. We are told in 1 Corinthians Chapter 14 that Interpretation of Tongues should accompany the Speaking of Tongues (Divers Kinds of Tongues) in the Assembly and absent such Interpretation that the Saints should remain quiet. We are told that all things should be done decently and in order. No exceptions are made for the Leaders in the Church. Disobedience of this rule is the greatest cause of confusion regarding Speaking in Tongues. Speaking in Tongues in the Assembly is not supposed to be soulish utterances from someone in the Pulpit but an UTTERANCE from God through the Spirit Filled Saint for the Exhortation, Edification and Comfort of the Church. 

Must I be water baptized to Speak (Pray) in Tongues? 

Yes. The scriptural pattern indicates the necessity for Water Baptism. 

“And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men, and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38). Here Peter, after preaching the apparent first post Pentecost sermon admonishes new converts to Repent, be Baptized and be Filled with the Holy Ghost (which would have been evidenced by their Speaking in Tongues). There are several occasions cited in the Book of Acts where the writer made it a point to point out that there was Water Baptism prior to the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. 

Paul was Baptized immediately after having Received the Holy Ghost. “And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou came, hath sent me, that thou might receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized” (Acts 9: 17-18). 

Here is what happened to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house when Peter preached the Gospel to them – “While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all of them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision 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. 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? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days” (Acts 10:44-48). 

And while there was no apparent reason for Jesus to Speak in Tongues, we see that even He was Baptized (by John in the Jordan) before receiving the Anointing of the Holy Spirit. “And it happened in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:9-11). 

What spiritual attributes should I exhibit to know that I am ready to be Filled with the Holy Spirit to Speak with Tongues? 

Having a fervent desire for the things of God; to know Him and to obey His Statutes is required. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). 

Love and Faith are necessary. The Fruit of the Spirit that are imparted to new Believers are foundational for those who wish to learn to live in the spirit before God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23). 

At what age is it ok for a child to Speak with Tongues? 

I do not know. Urgent prayer petitioning the Lord for clarity is in order where you are disturbed in your spirit about the youthful age of someone who is Praying in Tongues. 

What are the dynamics of Speaking in Tongues? 

“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” This passage from the book of John 7:38-39 speaks of rivers of living water flowing out of the belly of Believers. This is no more than a description of a Believer Speaking in Tongues. The river (UTTERANCES) is flowing being poured out by the Lord. “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33 NIV). 

Believers may immerse themselves into this flow at will. When to start and stop the Speaking in Tongues is controlled by the Believer. Believers may sometime feel a burden to Pray in Tongues because of a dream, intuition, or a word of knowledge. The Believer will co-labor with the Lord Praying in the Spirit until the burden is lifted. This exercise of Praying in The Spirit (Speaking in Tongues) is to be done in private. 

As mentioned before, Divers Kinds of Tongues is a so-called Spiritual Gift. This UTTERANCE is by the Manifestation (Anointing) of God as the Holy Spirit comes upon the Believer. Authority and Power upon the Words will be in evidence. Interpretation of Tongues must follow with the same level of intensity as Ministry for Exhortation, Edification and Comfort of the Church and usually during the Church Assembly. 

What should I do if I find myself in a situation where there is much speaking in tongues and no interpretation? 

You should leave. 

How can I be sure that when I am Speaking in Tongues that it is of God? 

These two scriptures verses should help you with that. If you proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, it will be Him that Speaks through your spirit. “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 12:3). “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2-3). 

“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:9-11). 

 

 

AWAKENING, Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Spiritual Growth, Uncategorized, UTTERANCE

Serpents and Drinking Deadly Things

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

After Jesus Christ sacrificed His Body on the Cross He Visited the disciples in his resurrected body and gave them the following instructions:

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16: 15-18 KJV).

The preceding scriptural passage constitutes what is known as The Great Commission. It is a commandment (not a suggestion) for The Body Of Christ (The Church) — as to what He expects Her to do.

There is some serious confusion regarding part of verse 18 (in bold above). Many seem to just leave it out or fly past when teaching the Great Commission from the Book of Mark. The Great Commission is rendered to some extent in all four Gospels.

It is my desire to learn and share all that I can in favor of accomplishing the mandate of The Great Commission. For this reason, I think it beneficial to take a look with you at possible and likely meanings of the original text specifically pertaining to the words/phrases they shall take up, serpents, drink and deadly thing. Do keep in mind that oftentimes in the Bible distinguishing between the metaphor and literal is important. So is it when doing this study.

One of the meanings from the Greek for “they shall take up” is “to take and apply to any use”. It is from the word airō. The word serpent (which literally means serpent) is from the Greek word ophis and likely refers metaphorically to wisdom. In Matthew 10:16 the Lord refers to serpents as being wise. So, taking up serpents is “laying hold of wisdom”. Not withstanding the likely metaphorical meaning of taking up a serpent and not being harmed, we see in Acts 28: 3-6 how that Paul was bitten by a deadly serpent with no harmful affect.

Lastly, drinking any deadly thing without being harmed. The word translated drink is pinō  in Strong’s Concordance. It is defined: figuratively, to receive into the soul what serves to refresh strengthen, nourish it unto life eternal. Basically, deadly is deadly as defined by Strong’s. The Greek word is thanasimos. It is likely that the message here is that if a Saint were to inadvertently ingest some poison that they would be protected from danger by Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, UTTERANCE

Utterance, The Seventh Spirit of God

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelation 4:5)

In the Book of Revelation we find three mentions of “The seven Spirits of God”. We are able to glean from these three occasions that these Seven Spirits are (1) found before the Throne of God (Rev 1:4) and are called “Eyes of God” (Rev 5:6). Thirdly, Revelation 3:1 speaks of a relationship between the Three Spirits of God and seven stars.

Moreover, in chapter 11 of the Book of Isaiah, we find out the name of six of the Spirits of God. The name of the seventh one isn’t made clear. Here are verses 1-4:

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

The Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might Knowledge and Fear of the Lord are six. Some surmise  that the Spirit of the Lord is the seventh. Does that not sound redundant? For me, sorting the answer out seemed totally feasible through prayer and listening.

Additionally, by reflecting on the referenced attributes of the Lord God the absence of one of His attributes — one that one could argue is the most important — seems to be missing.

Reading further into verse 4 above we see “he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked“. “The breath of his lips” refers to speech or utterance. Speaking or Utterance is an essential Attribute or Spirit of God. Nothing gets done in the entire universe unless God Speaks.

 

 

 

Praying In Tongues, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

Ten Reasons Why You Must Speak in Tongues

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

 

1. Speaking in Tongues is a command.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16: 17-18).

 2. Speaking in Tongues is necessary for Spiritual strength.

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 19-21).

3. Speaking in Tongues is the precursor for the power needed to effectively accomplish the Great Commandment.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8).

4. Speaking in Tongues is the initial sign of having been Filled With or Baptized In the Holy Spirit.

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

5. Speaking in Tongues is the gateway or bridge over into operating (co-laboring) with the Holy Spirit in the Supernatural Gifts of the Spirit.

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20).

6. Speaking in Tongues is speaking directly to the Lord.

For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

7. Revelation is revealed to the spirit when one speaks in the Spirit. In the following scriptural passage Paul is asking the Saints of Ephesus to pray in the Spirit for him that he might receive Utterance (tongues) relating to the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20).

8. Saints often are able to share words of edification, exhortation and comfort to someone whose language they don’t speak nor does that person speak the Saint’s language — doing so by the Holy Spirit in Tongues.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. (Acts 2:5-6).

9. Praying in Tongues is essential when we don’t know what to pray for. This is likely the single most important reason to pray in the Spirit.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26).

10. Praying in the Spirit is an essential weapon of spiritual warfare. The following scriptural passage calls the Sword of the Spirit the Rhema Word of God which carries all the Power and Might of the Godhead. This Power flows from Heaven and through our mouths when we Pray in Tongues.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6: 17-18).

 

 

 

 

 

StickyKingdom Business, Kingdom Thought, Sanctification, UTTERANCE

“I’m BATMAN”

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

You remember those words, right? A typical scenario for the utterance of the same is when a bad guy gets cornered by the hero and frustratingly requests of him as to who he is. “Who are you” the bad guy asks? The response that he gets is “I’m Batman.” 

So, Batman knows who he is. My question for you, though, is who are you? As you know, my current work is all about spiritual growth. Growing in the Spirit. Spiritual/spiritual maturity.  

The concepts and processes are multi-faceted. The gamut goes from the newly regenerated spirit to the Holy Ghost (Fruit) Filled and Holy Ghost Baptized human spirit. 

Given the question that prompts the title of this post, let me say that the reason for the post is to ask you “who are you“. More specifically who does the condition of your spirit portray you to be to others? 

You have heard it said that “the spirit is the real you”. You (we) are spirit. We have a soul, and we live in a body. Personality is an attribute of the spirit.  

The condition of the (your) spirit can cause you to present as a herd of elephants or as a gentle breeze, a cute little puppy, or a protective police officer. 

As we conduct our day-to-day business, we contribute to a world of quiet spirits, fervent spirits, oppressed spirits, contrite spirits, uplifted spirits, broken spirits, fresh spirits, stale spirits, light spirits, afflicted spirits, gentle spirits, haughty spirits, and these are only a sprinkling of the manifold assortment of spiritual conditions that present themselves all the time. What to do? 

My initial intent here was to name 25 spiritual conditions and give just a little background about each of them. What I found, though, is that there are hundreds out there and just talking about the characteristics of the conditions would fall short of looking into why they were manifest in the first place and what are some of the potential evolutionary consequences. 

As an example of an evolutionary consequence is, let us say that a person has a prideful or haughty spirit. That does not seem so bad, huh? Well look at this. 

I am finding that in presenting this cute little blog, I am opening a complex issue, for few of us know who we are. The dilemma obviously is to identify who it is that is at work in our hearts and to get him on the right track. Each condition is a track, so we must establish which are the right ones. 

This is way easier said than done but I think it to be a delightful journey. For the believer, the likely first step is to renew your mind. Renewing your mind by the Word of God will cause you to identify your condition (the condition of your spirit) providing instructions that will cause you to have an afflicted spirit and a lowly spirit and such as these that are acceptable to God. 

“It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Prov.16.19) “He who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor” (Prov. 29.23). “And also, with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” (Is. 57.15). 

So let me ask you again. Who are you? 

  

 

 

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Sanctification, UTTERANCE

Answered Prayer

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

Answered prayer is one of the basic privileges or rights of a Christian. A Christian is given by God the right of having his prayers heard. If one has been a Christian for three to five years and has not had one prayer answered, his Christian life must be quite questionable. For a child of God not to have his prayers answered is wrong. A Christian’s prayers ought to be answered.
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24). He who prays often and has his prayers answered often will be a happy Christian. This is a fundamental experience that every believer must have. One may be careless in other spiritual matters, but in this matter of answered prayer a Christian cannot afford to deceive himself. It is either yes or no. He must seek to have prayers answered. (Watchman Nee)

AWAKENING, Kingdom Business, Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

DON’T MESS THIS UP

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

I will get right to the point with this one. I screen shot the inserted image from Google Earth on  about 8 a.m. this past Sunday morning. Some of you will find this to be as fascinating as I did and some of you won’t. This is the actual satellite image. I will tell you what I see and what I think and I will also give some scripture and background to support my thoughts.

Remember, this was live when I viewed it and that the weather is fluid (always moving). In the middle of the image there is a Man’s head. See His eyes, ear, nose mouth and chin. I will come back to some of those in a moment.

At the top of the image next to Iceland are two angels. This reminds me of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis chapter 18 and how that the Lord traveled with two angels when He met with Abraham and judged Sodom and Gomorrah.

Across the image from the snout of what I have discovered to be an antelope (or of the antelope species) are two fishes. These are the same as those which are sometimes referred to as Pisces. They are actually representative of The Church and the Jewish Nation (The Elect of Messiah or The King of Kings) — yes, Jesus Christ.

They are depicted as being tethered together in astrology which as you know is a corruption of God’s true intent to show the Gospel in The Stars. There is at least one other person in that group but I don’t know who that is (or they are).

Additionally, looking again at the Man in the center of the image and to the right side of His mouth (to your left as you view it) there is a man like image extending out from it.

My first thought was to suggest that the major image depicts The Father God. I step away from that conclusion, though, as He would probably have white hair.

I believe the Primary Person in the image is the Lord Himself. Again, Jesus Christ. That Which is proceeding from His Mouth, I believe to be Utterance (The Holy Spirit).

Now, to the elephant in the room. What’s up with the snouted creature that appears to be resting its head upon the head of the Lord?

There are apparently four essential considerations regarding this. One is the actual animal itself. It is an antelope — I will not speculate at this time as to which one. Secondarily, is that which is derived from the antelope; namely, the Shofar, which is made from the horns of the antelope. Please note that the Shofar is not exclusively taken from the antelope, but the ram as well as others.

The Shofar is a very important instrument in Judaism and Hebrew customs, past and present of which I am apologetically not well informed. See this though.

I believe that the reason the creature is  resting upon the Head of the Lord is an indication from the Lord that there is something on His mind and that He is getting the Word out.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matthew 24:36)

Fourthly, as a Christian, this scriptural passage says it all for me:

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 KJV)

I see Him in everything.

 

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Sanctification, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

WHAT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES?

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

There is much controversy in the Church regarding Speaking in Tongues. What I will do here is explain Speaking in Tongues in as short a version as I can. 

Speaking in Tongues is flowing in the Power of the Holy Spirit. This Power is being poured out incessantly from Heaven by the Lord. 

Another way to put it is, Speaking in Tongues is God Speaking through believers.  

Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. (Acts 2:33) 

The purpose for such outpouring is to strengthen the believer and empower the Church. 

A person must repent (turn from) a life of sin and recognized Jesus Christ as the Resurrected Son of God, ask Him to be and accept Him as his Savior and be water baptized to move into this Supernatural activity. (See Romans 10:9) 

When a person receives Jesus Christ as his Savior the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) moves into his heart bringing with him his foundational attributes. These are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. (See Galatians chapter 5). 

After having received salvation as outlined above a person becomes a candidate for the baptism in (some say with) the Holy Spirit with the evidence of Speaking in Tongues. 

Now comes that Baptism. This happens at the Hands of Jesus Christ Himself as verbalized by John the Baptist: 

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matthew 3:11). 

Baptism with the Spirit at the Hands of Jesus Christ will bring about the Speaking in Tongues by the believer.  

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

Speaking in Tongues is a segue or the threshold to the Spiritual Gifts. The Spiritual Gifts is The Lord performing Supernatural feats co-laboring with the believers (the Church). 

In the Old Testament the Spirit of the Lord would come upon men as God worked miracles through them. That same phenomenon is at work today riding on the heels of Speaking in Tongues.  

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8). 

UTTERANCE, Speaking in Tongues and Spiritual Gifts 

 

 

 

 

 

AWAKENING, Commentary, Kingdom Thought, Spiritual Growth, UTTERANCE

Dealing With and Being Dealt With by God

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

I know that the subject line piqued your interest and possibly occurs to you as being sacrilegious. Please indulge me in this though and see the Light in it.

Practically the best context for the given subject is within the vein of prayer. After all I believe that it is that many of us only consider God when we need something; when finances are low or someone is sick. We need something and we know that He has it and ours is to petition that He gives it to us.

Here is what I am going to do. I am going to show you a couple of stories from the bible in which the characters were trying to accomplish something–something that required movement or the approval of God. This should be interesting! I will talk a little bit about positioning oneself for establishing a dialogue with the Omnipotent, Omnibenevolent, Omnipresent and Omniscient Sovereign Potentate?

I will give brief summaries of these stories because I want you to go and read them for yourselves. Story number one has to do with Abraham. It is found in chapters 18 and 19 of Genesis. What happens here is Abraham is visited by three men (the Lord and two angels).

The Lord was handling two very important matters. Matter number one was to advise Abraham that he and Sarah were about to have a child. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. And even as God was prophesying the birth of Isaac (and the Jewish Nation) they both found this amusing.

More to the point of this post though, as they departed from Abraham the Lord wondered out loud as to whether they should make him privy to their next order of business which was to investigate for judgement goings on down in Sodom. For the cry of the folks of Sodom had come before His Throne and a grievous cry it was.

Knowing the pending destruction of Sodom, Abraham requested of the Lord if He would spare Sodom if there were righteous folks there– fifty perhaps. The Lord agreed to his proposition. The dealing or negotiating had started. Abraham apparently thinking this thing through suggested that perhaps forty-five righteous people was a more likely number. The Lord agreed to that number.

To make a long story short and to emphasize the humility and reverence in which Abraham petitioned the Lord his case they finally agreed that if the Lord found ten righteous persons in Sodom that He would spare her. We see here dealings between the Lord and his servant.

Sodom did not fare well though!

Gideon a character in the book of Judges probably pushed all of God’s buttons, if that were possible. In an initial meeting with God in chapter six he acknowledged His miraculous works in previous generation of the Jews and required of Him as to why He had apparently forsaken them.

The Lord advised Gideon that He was about to deliver the Jews through him. He assured Gideon that He would be with him. The dealing began in earnest. God set the tone for the coming  events by supernaturally consuming a meal that Gideon had prepared for Him by fire out of a rock.

Gideon who was later in the story referred to as Jerubbaal because he had thrown down an altar of Baal (an idol) still was not convinced that the Lord surely had his back. He required more evidence from the Lord that He would be with him as he completed his task of defeating the Midianites and the Amalekites. He wanted a sign.

Gideon proposed to the Lord that he would place a fleece of wool on the earthen floor over night and if the next morning the fleece alone was wet and not the floor that he would know that the Lord was with him. And so it was that the next morning the fleece was wet to the point of yielding a full bowl of water and the floor was dry.

Just to be doubly sure, Gideon requested  the Lord that if he left the fleece of wool once again on the floor if God would indulge him by having the floor be wet with the fleece being dry the following morning. The Lord obliged him.

There are a few stories in the bible where we see dialogue (dealings) between the Lord and a servant (believer). God, not being a respecter of person, will also deal with you and me.

Here are a few pointers to consider when approaching the Lord to deal:

  1. What do I have to deal with? Am I clear that He has everything and I have nothing?
  2. Do I Know Him or what do I know about Him?
  3. How am I qualified to even be in His presence?
  4. Will God be merciful to hear my case?
  5. Will I have to petition the Lord in stages or are transactions cut and dried?
  6. How long will it take to make a deal?
  7. What does it mean to be “dealt with by God”?

Many years ago, I requested of the Lord that He would bring me into a more dynamic life and relationship with Him. Shortly thereafter the Lord responded to me by way of a dream in which He showed me some steps that I was to take and that much study was involved. He said “I will teach you.”

I have just finished my first print book and this results from that which the Holy Spirit has taught and is teaching me. The is ongoing and dialogue/dealings and sanctification/breaking in my life at the Right Hand of the Lord.

Here is what I have found. God is a person. He is in fact High and Mighty but He is not arrogant. I believe that God greatly desires to be in fellowship with His friends–us. He is however Holy and so the unclean and sinful are unable to enter into His presence. He has made a way for those whom He loves to supersede sin. Here is how.

 

 

 

AWAKENING, Kingdom Business, Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Revival is At Hand, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

THE LIGHT MAN

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

There once was (and still is) a man. An ordinary man. This man had a glimmer of light in his heart – in the center of his being. Faint it was, hardly noticed by anyone except his parents. It stayed that way for years and years but was obtaining a solid position in there – kind of like a tree as it stretches out its root system to be able to stand even to reach the clouds.

One day this nice gentleman was made aware of an outside source of light. One that was exterior to him but that is very much like the light which he had. This Light is the greatest of all light. It is the Light of the world. It is the Source of all life in the universe.

He somehow knew that that light was beckoning him to let It come into him. It wanted to join him and grow in him. This most powerful Light would be largely subservient to the light of our friend whom we mentioned first in this little story. It would be a Helper. The Great Light is a source of Eternal information and Jethro; let’s call our friend Jethro, can access this information and increasingly so as he builds his relationship with the Light.

Once electing to cohabitate with the Light – join his light with that Light – change was swift and exponential. The light that was in him was no longer just a flicker. It had grown, filling his abdominal cavity to an explosive ability. His cranial cavity became alive and radiant with activity because of the Light. He began to know things, to see and hear more clearly. His sense of right and wrong became keener. Key components of the two referenced systems are now more aware of each other and working together. Compassion and love are intrinsic in his personality.

His thoracic cavity is also infiltrated by the Light giving him increased ability to spew out words of encouragement here and there and upon those whom he chooses or when he is petitioned to do so. His message is one of love. That Light shown throughout his whole body. His movement is more graceful and displays positive intent.

The Light is no longer contained inside his body. It emanates from his body and becomes somewhat like a force field of love and all that is positive. Those meeting him senses this Power (that’s what it is, power) not fully, if at all, understanding what it is.

But, that’s not all. Remember that I said that that Light is external to that of Jethro. Well the Great Light while it works within Jethro, It (He) also has a life and agenda all His own. That Light is always everywhere Jethro goes; even if the atmosphere appears to be dark. In fact, there are times when the Light will choose, for example, to intervene in the ordinary course of nature to bring about some change. An example of this might be to open blind eyes or to cause a cripple person to walk.

The Light (you probably noticed the upper-case L) now that He has opened a line of communication (communion even) with Jethro is able to conduct such work in the natural realm using a natural person.

AWAKENING, Kingdom Business, Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Revival is At Hand, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, Uncategorized, UTTERANCE

What Are You Waiting For?

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

When Ananias communicated to Paul his commission from Jesus it was clear that time was of the essence. Let the Church agree that the same Spirit of urgency should apply to us now.

See Acts chapter 22.

AWAKENING, Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Revival is At Hand, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

A Higher Plane

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

A few days ago I heard a preacher proclaim his hope and belief that believers are approaching a time of a higher level of Spiritual existence. While many believers are anticipating another (final perhaps) revival or awakening before the rapture; the speaker called it a higher plane. The essence of what I am currently writing about, Utterance and Spiritual Gifts, concern the path to Spiritual growth. I capitalize the S in the word Spiritual to distinguish the Divine Spirit from the human spirit.

I greatly pondered the idea of a “higher plane” to an extent that was somewhat grandiose. My thinking was that somehow the Lord would graduate us to a level of independence where we could operate with great, great power from Heaven without having to wait for the “Spirit upon”, that supernatural Power of the Holy Spirit that comes upon the believer as God determines.

This morning though, I am back down to earth as I read “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

The key to Spiritual growth is the sanctification that results from dying to self and being resurrected with Christ. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11 KJV).

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, The End Time Church, Uncategorized, UTTERANCE

FLESH AND BLOOD

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Speaking in Tongues is waging warfare against the devil. “For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Given this scripture, one could make the argument that The Lord’s priority in the earth is to rid it of the works of the devil. I am cognizant of Luke 4:18, Luke, 19:10 and His much teaching about the Kingdom of God as well; but still! 

In the following scriptural passage, The Lord plainly, makes it clear that we will do battle with an invisible foe who is not to be mistaken for a flesh and blood person. He makes it clear that the warfare will be completed by the Power and Might of God. He tells us what the attire is to be, advises as to our most important defensive weapon and equips us with the most lethal offensive weapon in the Universe. Assuredly, He has our backs. 

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:10-16). 

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:17-20). “The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” The word, “word” here is translated from the Greek word Rhema. The Sword of the Spirit is Supernatural UTTERANCE (a Manifestation of the Holy Spirit). The word “mouth” here is translated from the Greek word “stoma” which means the edge of a sword. Believers should be sure to equip themselves with this most effective offensive weapon; “Praying always and with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” This is Praying in Tongues. This is violently (aggressively) laying hold to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 11:12). 

I assure you that the devil hates it when saints pray in tongues. 

 

Kingdom Business, Kingdom Thought, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Revival is At Hand, Spiritual Growth, UTTERANCE

I BEG YOU BROTHERS

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Praying in Tongues Renews Your Mind. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

“If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

For as he thinketh in his heart (or mind), so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8).

Simply stated, renewing you mind is changing your “Mindset” from the natural disposition of that of the fallen man to that of the Supernaturally, Holy Spirit-taught individual. It could be said that Paul is pleading with believers to yield to the Holy Spirit, turn away from the world and be renewed in the spirit of the mind in the similitude of God.

The spirit of man just like the Spirit of God does not work on its own accord but processes instructions or information that it is charged with from the soul, be it worldly or Godly. Serving up the Word of God to the human spirit produces the “mind which is also in Christ Jesus.” Praying in Tongues (as it is the language of the spirit) additionally aids in the renewal of the mind. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, UTTERANCE

AQUARIUS 2018

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

“When Christ was about to leave the world He said to His followers, “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you…. 

He will guide you into all truth…. He will show you things to come…. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you” (John I6).  

That promise included all the divine life-power issuing from the mediation of Christ for the illumination, regeneration, and salvation of men — all the renewing, cleansing, comforting, and energizing grace for the gathering of the elect and the bringing of believers to eternal life and glory.  

The Holy Ghost was in the world from the beginning, but here was the promise of a new and enlarged grant and endowment, to lift, nourish, and distinguish Christian believers.  

The same was gloriously fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when “suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and filled all the house where they were sitting; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  

And when the Jews mocked and derided, the sacred explanation was that Jesus, being raised up again from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God, and having so received of the Father, was now the Giver and Shedder-forth of this marvelous power.  

He is thus presented to our contemplation as the glorified Pourer-forth from heaven of the blessed waters of life and salvation; in other words, the true Aquarius, of whom the picture in the sign was the prophecy and foreshowing (THE GOSPEL IN THE STARS). 

Astrology as is widely known in the world today is a corruption of the truth about the signs (constellations) seen in the sky as the earth revolves counterclockwise on a line around the sun called the ecliptic.  

Starting with Virgo (the real first sign of the zodiac) that represents a virgin about to give birth and ending with Leo the Lion of the Tribe of Juda.  

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what God revealed to us in the Bible here and here. 

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Revival is At Hand, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

THE INNER MAN

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

The inner man is the spirit of man. It is said that “man is a spirit, he has a soul and he lives in a body.” “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;” (Ephesians 3:16).
Man is a tripartite creation. Man is spirit, soul and body. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The two above scriptural passages show that spirit and soul are distinct one from the other.

The foundation of our relationship with God, the spirit is called the element (member) of God-consciousness. God dwells in the spirit, self dwells in the soul and senses dwell in the body.

Hierarchically, “the order which God presents to us is unmistakable: “your spirit and soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). It is not “soul and spirit and body,” nor is it “body and soul and spirit. The spirit is the pre-eminent part (member), hence it is mentioned first; the body is the lowest and therefore is last mentioned; the soul stands between, so is mentioned between” (Nee).

Spirit, Soul and Body are presented in reverse order here since our topic is Speaking in Tongues (UTTERANCE) which is a function of the spirit and the Holy Spirit (so we deal with the spirit last).

1. The body is sometimes referred to as the Outermost Man. It is the sheath of the soul. It is the corporeal aspect of man. It is through the corporal body that man contacts the material world. It is that part of us that gives us world-consciousness.

2. The soul; “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7).

• The soul of man consists of his mind, will, intellect, emotions and self-consciousness. The soul is sometimes referred to as the outer man. It is the sheath of the spirit. It is the organ of our personality.
• The soul is the meeting-point of spirit and body. The soul makes it possible for the spirit and the body to communicate and to cooperate.
• Man’s prime factor is the soul.
• We are told to present our bodies unto God and to renew our minds. This renewal of the mind comes through our spirit from the Holy Spirit as we read the Bible, hear the Word and Pray. Instructions, guidelines, Light and Revelation are deposited into our spirits whereby we are transformed as our minds (souls) are renewed by the perfect will of God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

3. Spirit, Soul and Body; “Of these three elements the spirit is the noblest for it joins with God. The body is the lowest for it contacts with matter. The soul lying between them joins the two together and also takes their character to be its own. The soul makes it possible for the spirit and the body to communicate and to cooperate. The work of the soul is to keep these two in their proper order so that they may not lose their right relationship—namely, that the lowest, the body, may be subjected to the spirit, and that the highest, the spirit, may govern the body through the soul. Man’s prime factor is definitely the soul. It looks to the spirit to give what the latter has received from the Holy Spirit in order that the soul, after it has been perfected, may transmit what it has obtained to the body; then the body too may share in the perfection of the Holy Spirit and so become a spiritual body” (The Spiritual Man).

The three primary attributes of the human spirit are:

• Conscience; the conscience is the discerning organ which distinguishes right and wrong. “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” (John 8:9).
• Intuition; is the sensing organ of the human spirit. The intuition of the spirit differs from that of the soul and body. Believers must heed the voice of conscience and the teaching of intuition. “And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives” (Acts 27:10).
• Communion; worshiping God. “The organs of the soul are incompetent to worship God. God is not apprehended by our thoughts, feelings or intentions, for He can only be known directly in our spirits. Our worship of God and God’s communications with us are directly in the spirit. They take place in “the inner man,” not in the soul or outward man.”
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
The human spirit is said to be regenerated when one receives salvation. The Holy Spirit resides within this regenerated human spirit. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;” (Ephesians 3:16).

The spirit is subject to many conditions i.e. fervent, contrite, joyful, poor, afflicted, broken, quiet and broken are a few examples. Beyond being aware that we have a spirit, being conscious of our spirit and its condition is essential for spiritual growth. Tempering our spirits (renewing our minds) are can be intentionally accomplished.

The inner man (human spirit) is often referred to in the secular world as the subconscious mind as it is not understood secularly. The supposed functions of the same are those of the inner man.

The spirit of man is akin to the Spirit of God in that he does not speak of himself but that which he hears, he speaks (John 16:13). He conducts that which he (the inner man) discerns to be his instructions from the soul. It is extremely important that what the spirit receives from the mind (soul) is tempered by the Word of God as indicated in Romans chapter 12 verse 2 (renewing the mind). Hearing and reading the word (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God; Romans 10:17) are also pertinent to edifying the human spirit.

UTTERANCE flows through our spirit.

Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Spiritual Growth, The End Time Church, UTTERANCE

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

Spiritual Gifts ride the heels of UTTERANCE (Speaking in Tongues) when it comes to controversial Church Doctrine. Speaking in Tongues and operating in the Spiritual Gifts are Supernatural actions. Just as being Born Again at the time of Salvation is a Miracle, so too are Speaking in Tongues and the Spiritual Gifts.

Chapter 12 of First Corinthians is where Paul presents us information regarding The Spiritual Gifts. Calling these Spiritual Manifestations gifts is a little ambiguous as they can’t for example, be put into a box or one’s pocket and taken home. The Lord maintains control of them as He works together with the believer. The manifestation of Speaking in Tongues and of the Spiritual Gifts is administered by God co-laboring with the believer.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

The operation of the Holy Spirit is two-fold. Salvation, referred to as the Baptism of Christ happens first. His dwelling in men is for sanctification. In dwelling in us, the Holy Spirit supplies Christ to us to be our life and to enable us to bear the Fruit of Holiness. Baptism with the Spirit or being filled with the Spirit is a secondary working. Speaking in Tongues as the Spirit gives the UTTERANCE is the initial evidence of being Filled with the Holy Spirit. This is synonymous with having The Spirit Upon. It is the gateway to Supernatural Miracle Prayer and for co-laboring with God in the Spiritual Gifts. His coming upon (being poured out upon) men is for power, for doing miracles and for witnessing.

Speaking in Tongues is frowned upon in most pulpits and a demonstration of the operation of The Spiritual Gifts is not commonly found in local Churches.

There are nine Spiritual Gifts; nine ways in which the Holy Spirit manifests Himself Supernaturally when co-laboring with Believers. The Gifts are placed within three categories. Three of them are classified as Revelation Gifts (they reveal something), Three are the Power Gifts (they do something) and three are the Inspiration Gifts (they say something).

The Word of Wisdom is the 1st of the Revelation Gifts. One should distinguish The Word of Wisdom from natural wisdom. They are two different things and one has nothing to do with the other. The Word of Wisdom is a Supernatural Manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It is a Wisdom that comes down from Heaven. It is a Divine Wisdom. Limited purposes, directives and plans of God are revealed as Words of Wisdom. Old Testament Prophets Uttered Prophetically Words of Wisdom When the Holy Ghost would Come Upon them. God revealed fragments of his plan for mankind and the earth to the likes of Enoch, Noah, Joseph, Moses and Jesus Christ as well as the Minor and Major Prophets. The Word of Wisdom reveals a short-term or long-term plan of God.

“And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Genesis 3:13-16). This is an excerpt from an early reprimand by God in the Garden of Eden. This prophetic
UTTERANCE is a word of wisdom.

“Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy of the coming Savior is an example of The Word of Wisdom.

(2) The Word of Knowledge is the second of the Revelation Gifts. The Word of Knowledge has nothing to do with human knowledge or intellect. It is the Supernatural communication of the Holy Spirit of a fact in existence where there is no natural way for it to be known to the believer. It occurs directly from the Omniscience of God.

In 2nd Kings Chapter 5 we find an example of this gift. The prophet Elisha had the occasion to cure Naaman, an army commander from Syria, of leprosy. Naaman was very grateful and offered Elisha gifts which Elisha refused. Elisha’s servant Gehazi who was standing buy at the time, ran after Naaman to retrieve the gifts privily. He later denied receiving them. The prophet, however, knew by the Word of Knowledge of this evil deed and so the servant was cursed with that leprosy, he and his seed forever.

The (3rd) Revelation Gift is Discerning of Spirits. This operation of the Holy Spirit is to open a window to the invisible world for the believer to look through. Supernaturally and miraculously the believer is availed of transactions of another dimension. A revelation regarding Discerning of Spirits could appear as a vision, a trance or in a dream. The Lord could communicate the presence or devices of a spirit (or spirits) in other ways. Here is one example in 2nd Kings:

“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 15-17).

Yet another example of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits is found in the book of Acts as thus: “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, these men are the servants of the Most High God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16: 16-18). Clearly, Paul discerned the invisible person behind the damsel.

The Gifts of The Word of Knowledge and or Faith are likely present with the gift of The Discerning of Spirits.

The 1st of the Power Gifts of the Spirit is the gift of Faith. The Gift of Faith is to be distinguished from “The Measure of Faith” (Romans 12:3) and Saving Faith of Romans 10:17 (So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God).

The Gift of Faith transcends the Mark 11:22-26 faith to remove mountains. The Gift of Faith is sometimes referred to as Special Faith. Like all the Gifts of the Spirit, the Gift of Faith is a Supernatural Manifestation of the Holy Spirit. It is an operation of the Holy Spirit. It is administered by The Holy Spirit. The believer need only co-labor with God to the extent of being yielded and willing.

The fulfillment of UTTERANCES, of blessing and curses, alterations, creations, destructions, removals, and even the raising of the dead are manifested by this Gift. There is no limitation where the Gift of Faith is present.

The 2nd of the Power Gifts of The Spirit is The Working of Miracles. The Supernatural manifestation of the power of God that intervenes in the ordinary course of nature is the Working of a Miracle. The manifestation of any of the Spiritual gifts is a miracle in a general though not specific sense.

There are many examples of miracles cited in the Bible. In the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus; in Egypt, there was the waters being made into blood, frogs produced, locusts and there was darkness so thick that it could be felt. There was the dividing of the Red Sea by Moses’s rod and water given from the rock at Rephidim. There was the Mana from Heaven. Additionally, in the Old Testament there was Balaam’s ass speaking, the Sun and The Moon standing still, the widow’s son being raised, the iron swimming and many other exciting exhibits of God’s wonders.

Our Lord also work many miracles during his brief sojourn on the earth. He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf and dumb and those many infirmities and diseased conditions. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He cast out devils, stilled storms, fed four thousand folks with two loaves and five fishes. He walked on water.

In the Book of Acts, we see Ananias and Sapphira struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit. Peter raises Tabitha (Dorcas). Peter is also delivered out of prison by an angel. Paul’s conversion was truly a miracle; as when every time a person is saved. Paul restores Eutychus to life and shakes off a deadly viper from this hand with no ill effect in chapters 20 and 28 respectively. These are a few of the miracles that were documented in the book of Acts.

The 3rd Power Gift is The Gifts of Healings. It is thought by theologians that the fact that both words (Gifts and Healings) are plural indicates diversity in their application. As an example, one minister will have success when praying for deaf people and, yet another is likely to see the cripple walk.

While the healings that are brought about by the Doctors and hospitals are either directly or indirectly blessings from God, they are not the Supernatural Gifts being discussed here.

There were approximately twelve occurrences of individual healings recorded in the old testament. Notable from that list are Hanna receiving healing from barrenness in response to personal prayers and Eli the Priest’s declaration (1 Samuel 1:9-20) and Hezekiah’s 15-year life extension by the prophet Izaiah after Hezekiah prayed to God (2 Kings 20: 1-7).

There were numerous healings at the hand of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels.

In the Acts of the Apostles there was the healing by Peter of the lame man at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3: 1-11) and Eneas of a palsy, recorded in chapter 9 as well as other miracles in which he worked. Paul healed a cripple in Lystra (Acts 14: 8-10). “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19: 11-12).

The first of the Gifts of Inspiration is The Gift of Prophecy. Strong’s Concordance describes prophecy as “a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; esp. by foretelling future events.”

“But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14: 3) Prophecy is Inspired UTTERANCE and should be distinguished from Revelation. Revelation by The Word or Wisdom may sometimes function together with Prophecy.

Smith Wigglesworth said this: “We see also that he that prophesieth speaketh unto man to edification and exhortation and comfort. How important it is then that we should have this gift in manifestation in the church in order that the saints might be built up and made strong and filled with the comfort of God. But with this as all other gifts we should see that it is operated by the Spirit’s power and brought forth in the unction of the Spirit; so that everyone who shall hear prophecy, as it is brought forth by the Spirit of God, shall know that it is GOD who is bringing forth that which for the edification of those who hear. It is the Spirit of God who takes of the deep things of God and reveals them, and unctionizes the prophet to give forth, that which is a revelation of the the things of God.

Utterance in prophecy has a real lifting power and gives real light on the truth to those who hear. Prophecy is never a mind reflection; it is something far deeper than this. By means of prophecy we receive that which is the mind of the Lord; and as we receive these blessed, fresh utterances through the Spirit of the Lord the whole assembly is lifted into the realm of the spiritual. Our hearts and minds and whole bodies receive a quickening through the Spirit-given word. As the Spirit brings forth prophecy we find there is healing and salvation and power in every line. For this reason, it is one of the gifts that we ought to covet.”

The final two Inspiration Gifts are Divers Kinds of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues. Here is an example of what they might look like when manifested in a Church near you:

A minister tells the story about how he was interrupted early during one of his sermons by a young lady who was obviously overpowered by the Holy Ghost. He says that she came up on the platform with him, which he yielded as he recognized that God was present.

He said that she chanted some language that he did not know and made gestures sometimes made by religious priest of another religion. He said that near the back of the Church he observed a young East Indian man, whom he knew, begin to walk down the aisle toward the platform. The young man looked at the girl with intense amazement. It turns out that she had spoken the young man’s language.

She tells him that salvation comes from God: that to save men, Jesus Christ, who was God, became a man; that one man cannot save another; one man has no power to same another from his sins. But Jesus was God and He had power to impart His Spirit to men.

Here, the young lady was obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and spoke with Divers Kinds of Tongues (other Tongues). The Elder in the pulpit was sensitive to the Holy Spirit and yielded to His Manifestation. The young gentleman, while somewhat dumbfounded, was able to give the Interpretation of Tongues. The Protocol for Speaking Tongues in the Church was known and had been well taught in this Church as should be the case in every Church.

The Inspiration Gifts are for Ministry. They are for the Exhortation, Edification and Comfort of the Church.

AWAKENING, Kingdom Business, Praying In Tongues, Revival Forthwith, Spiritual Growth, UTTERANCE

GOD’S WORK

| THOMAS HART CLEMENTS

“And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day” (Genesis 1: 14-19). 

The above scriptural passage describes the solar system in which the earth that we live on is located and is fundamentally anchored by the sun. Everything else in the system revolves around the sun except the referenced stars. The sun is a star and there are no other stars in our solar system. 

“Our sun is one of at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, a spiral galaxy about 100,000 light years across. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group, a neighborhood of about 10 million light years across, consisting of more than 30 galaxies that are gravitationally bound to each other. Scientists calculate that there are at least 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe, each one brimming with stars. On a large scale, they form a bubbly structure, in which vast sheets and filaments of galaxies surround gargantuan voids” (NASA). 

“Edwin Hubble discovered that the Universe is expanding and that at one point in time (14 billion years ago) the Universe was all collected in just one point of space” (NASA). 

God resides in the Highest Heaven which is constantly expanding. Simultaneously He is managing all that He has previously created including our day to day lives. “Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!” (Job 22:12). 

He is working through His Body (The Church) to redeem that which is, “The Earth and the fullness there of” (Psalms 24:1). All unrighteousness and those party to it will be expelled from the surface of the earth. The earth will be made new (restored), and the righteous will reside hereon forever. “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). “But unto the Son he saith, Thy Throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom” (Hebrews 1:8). 

“From the Old Testament time to the New, God always is found speaking. He spoke in the Old Testament days by the prophets; He spoke through the Lord Jesus; and He continues to speak through the New Testament church. We learn from the Bible that God has a prime work to perform on earth, which is, to utter His own Word. If the word of God is taken away, then almost nothing is left of God’s work. No Word, no work. When the Word is eliminated, the work is reduced to near zero. We must therefore recognize the place of God’s Word in His work. Once the word is removed the work of God ceases immediately. God operates through His word; He treats His Word as His work. 

This morning I heard a preacher say on the television that the “prayer language” (Tongues) is not for everyone (every believer). The bible does not say that. The Lord does say in Mark Chapter 16 that one of the signs that would follow them that believe is that they would “speak with New Tongues”. God gives the UTTERANCE when we speak in Tongues. 

There were two Ministers having a conversation on the radio yesterday and one of them commented on how he was so excited about a recent event in his life that he would Speak in Tongues if they did that in his church’s denomination. Here is what the Lord told me this morning as I Prayed in Tongues. He said that “Utterance is life to His Body the Church just as blood is to the natural human body.”  

There is no part of the human body that functions properly without blood and the Church (The Body of Christ) does not and will not function properly until UTTERANCE (Speaking in Tongues) becomes accepted doctrine. 

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Ephesians 4:4-6). That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another (1 Corinthians 12:25). Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). We are to be unified and co-laboring with Him as He works through us. 

UTTERANCE is Outpoured from the Throne of God continuously (Acts 2:33). We are to be a continuation or (conduits of) this same power that is maintaining the earth and expanding the Universe, not to mention the Giver of Salvation. 

We, (The Church) are God’s Mouthpiece on the Earth. UTTERANCE is the means. Obedience is the mandate.