If you have spent any time on my blog, you may have come across the fact I’m a big proponent of speaking in tongues. I’ve even written a book on the subject in the hopes of stirring people up to it more, but specifically to counter the misconceptions that have led many to avoid it or de-emphasize it.
Former teacher of mine, as well as mentor and fellow author Bert Farias wrote an article for his column on Charisma Online over a year ago called Why Do So Many Pentecostals and Charismatics Not Speak in Tongues Anymore?
Some points worth highlighting:
The use, value, and scope of tongues is so vast that it is difficult to sometimes put into words. If we are not careful some of these things will fade away in this new generation. I’m seeing it. There are certain elements of prayer, for example, that will be lost to our youth if those who are older and more experienced in these areas fail to pass them on.
There is a book in my library I often refer to. It is called, Tongues: Beyond The Upper Room, by the late Kenneth E. Hagin. Every believer should have that book. Every church should teach thoroughly from it. Every minister should read it regularly. There are certain men of old like Hagin and many others who were sent by God with light from heaven for their generation. The challenge with each new generation is to keep the light of the Holy Ghost that these men brought to us. There is a new church methodology that is making it easier to lose this light. There is new ministry philosophy that is content to let it slip away because according to their wisdom, it doesn’t bring in the numbers or the big bucks.
Later on he goes on to say,
Why are we not seeing and hearing more testimonies like this today? It’s simple. Because we are not praying very much in other tongues. The next wave of God’s Spirit is dependent on the prayers of God’s people. Ministers who know and have experience in these areas need to teach more on the Holy Ghost and prayer, and then demonstrate some of it to the people. The Lord told Kenneth E. Hagin that the greatest move of God would come through the combination of the solid foundation of the Word that’s been built over the last few decades and the power of the Holy Ghost that will be manifested as we learn to enter into this deeper realm of prayer.
Read the original post in its entirety here: Why Do So Many Pentecostals and Charismatics Not Speak in Tongues Anymore? — Charisma News.
I couldn’t agree more with Brother Bert’s assessment, and would like to add that I also think that because so many people in past decades have gotten filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit but never accessed their personal prayer language or were never taught how to yield to that inner unction where the prophetic inspiration and tongues comes from, that they in turn have concluded one doesn’t need to speak in tongues in order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and have gone on to teach and preach the same thing from their pulpits or teach it to those they’ve discipled. I deal with this in a chapter of my book about whether one needs to speak in tongues to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
