For if indeed one comes proclaiming another Jesus, whom we did not declare, or you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:4
Having grown up under the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Baptist revivalist influence, it amazes me that so many people put up with what they teach. My amazement is especially pronounced when someone comes speaking nonsense, acting inappropriately, and making grandiose claims with long, verbose words, yet they are perceived as Spiritual and coming from God.
In John 4:24, Jesus states, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him, in spirit and truth, it is necessary to worship.” Spirit relates to our rational (1 Corinthians 2:11). Truth is seeing things as they really are. Therefore, worship—giving God credit for what He has done—requires knowledge, understanding, and comprehension of the truth.
Yet, those who come claiming to speak in tongues lead many into error, saying things that no one can understand as they claim to be speaking for God. Speaking in this manner is not the work of God nor a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Since we worship God in spirit and truth, this then is a manifestation of a different spirit, a spirit of confusion. However, God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).
I know that at this point, many who follow after these types of teachers are rolling their eyes and closing their ears. Unfortunately, accepting this different spirit results in closing the mind to truth. However, bear with me a bit longer, and you might see the truth.
Speaking in tongues was a gift given to the early Church, but it was not speaking in gibberish as we see displayed today by those claiming to possess the gift. Those in the early Church who received this Spiritual gift spoke the wonders of God in a dialect that the hearers understood (Acts 2:6–8). The words they spoke were not something the devout Jews who heard had to decipher or wait for someone who supposedly had the gift of interpretation to reveal to them. How would this be a sign? Since speaking in a tongue was for understanding, this presents an insurmountable issue for anyone claiming to have this gift today if what they speak is not a dialect understood by the hearers. In addition, with the technology we have today, even if someone is not around who knows the language, we can translate between languages on our phones.
Paul dealt with the same type of abuse of the Spiritual gift of speaking in tongues that we see today, primarily in Pentecostal and Charismatic assemblies, in First Corinthians chapters twelve through fourteen. The Church is not to be ignorant concerning Spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1). The gift of speaking in tongues caused itself to cease (1 Corinthians 13:8). We are to put away the things of the inarticulate babbler now that we have the complete revelation of Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:11). The one who speaks in a tongue speaks only to God when no man is present to understand, and edifies himself (1 Corinthians 14:2, 4). Don’t be so foolish as to modify Paul’s meaning to imply that speaking in tongues is a special prayer language; context does not justify that interpretation. We are to be zealous for the gifts that edify (1 Corinthians 14:12). It is better to speak five words with understanding than ten thousand in a tongue that the mind does not comprehend (1 Corinthians 14:18–19). Tongues is a sign for the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 14:22). If there is no one to interpret the words spoken, let the man stay silent (1 Corinthians 14:28). God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Everything is to be done in a decent order (1 Corinthians 14:40).
The apostle John instructs us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1). For those who practice this art, are you willing to test the spirit? Not through feelings, but through fact. Verify that what you are claiming to speak by God lines up with what Scripture states the Spiritual gift was used for: a sign to unbelieving Jews, in the dialect of those being spoken to, speaking the wonders of God. If this is not true, then you are following a different spirit.
Unfortunately, even after reading or listening to this entire message, many caught up in this movement, with its false signs and wonders, will ignore Paul’s admonition. They ignore it because they are carnal—seeking and fulfilling the desires of the flesh to satisfy their emotions. A carnal person cannot understand Spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14). He needs milk, not meat, and is an inarticulate babbler—not understanding what he speaks and claims to believe (1 Corinthians 3:1–3). Will you look at the truth today, or keep on hardening your heart just as Israel did?
