The Invitation/ Prepared/ Holy Spirit as Personal Guide

The Gift That Keeps On Listening

Matt 7:11 December 1, 1999

Madison Avenue sorcerers have long used their deceptive arts to create enticing campaigns to enable the rough and ready Christmas shopper to tread the straight and narrow road of Christmas bliss so they can find that perfect gift for a friend and loved one alike. The wizards of Babylon have taken the vision of sugar plums dancing in the head of the children on Christmas Eve to greater and greater heights with each succeeding Yuletide season. We have been graced with the gift that lasts forever, the present that men dream about, the one she can’t resist and the gift that keeps on giving. They stir up our greed for gold and silver, vacations and transportation, diamonds and jewelry, electronics and perfume, coats and hats, candy and cards; all of which, as the Scripture says, are to perish with the using. Ah! What a wonder to receive a gift that satisfies and benefits the soul and spirit ‑ a gift from God. If you are looking for a real gift this Christmas, or any time actually, if you are born-again, you could receive a gift that is greater than all the rubies of India, a gift that keeps on listening, keeps on answering! Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given unto you.” Matt 7:7

Most evangelical Christians assent to this in principle, but few believe its purpose and power, for asking begins with asking for the Holy Ghost and His spiritual powers manifested by the gifts of His miracles, knowledge, wisdom and Word. Knowing the truth of the scripture which says that Jesus came, died and then ascended on high “and gave gifts unto men” Eph 4:8 is one thing, trusting Christ to give us gifts “according to His riches in glory” Phil 4:19 is quite another.

Jesus tried to reassure us to have faith for receiving great spiritual gifts, especially concerning the Holy Ghost when He said; “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Matt 7:11

The gift of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying gifts make our spiritual lives rich with power, our minds stable with understanding and gives us comfort in Christ. The Holy Spirit is the gift to the believer that keeps on comforting, the gift that keeps on teaching; the one true gift of God that keeps on giving. Once we have asked Jesus for the gift of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and received it by faith, the Spirit will keep giving gifts to us that will enhance, enlighten and strengthen our relationship with Jesus. As a token of this love and promise of gifts, the Spirit gives us, first, the gift of speaking in tongues; a gift that opens the door to all other supernatural, spiritual gifts. At first, this gift seems a useless and foolish thing to our carnal minds, a gift that only makes us seem as if we were silly children. But in a certain respect, it is the greatest of all the gifts which the Spirit will give a Christian because it is the gift that keeps on listening. It is not a gift about speaking or talking because we must give our tongues over to the Spirit of Christ in childlike faith. But rather it is the gift of having God’s wisdom spoken by the Spirit On behalf of us. We do not know what He is saying or asking, but we know He is taking our deepest groaning and stirrings in our spirit to the Father. Paul put it this way in Romans 8:26

“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. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

If you have been or were ever taught to be suspicious of this gift then take another look and reconsider. All bible-believing denominations (loosely called Evangelical) are forced to concede that God gave this gift of the Holy Spirit with the accompanying gift of speaking in ‘tongues’ was given without doubt to the fledgling Church. The bible says also that God does not repent of giving His gifts. The fact that this gift is not or will not be received by all, and perhaps just a few, is worthy of debate and discussion. That it may be confined in general reception to the early days of the Church life, called the former rain in Joel and to the last days before Christ’s second advent called the latter rain by Joel is also worthy of honest discussion. What is unquestionable is that the gift of tongues is an original and unique gift to man of the Holy Ghost, prophesied of by Isaiah and reserved for the powerful prayer life of those who seek to be relegated to the submission and devotion of the Holy Ghost in times of great need. What greater need in the Church has there been than during the inception and infancy of the Church and then in its full maturity in the end when Christ comes back to receive His Church-Bride who has grown into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Himself.The Spirit forms our prayers in His own language before we even know what is needed or desired and takes them to the ever listening ear of the Father. The gift of speaking in tongues is truly the gift that keeps on listening. If you haven’t received it yet you should make this gift the absolute highest on your Christmas list. You should seek books, tapes and personal help from ministers or agents of the spirit of Pentecost to receive this great gift without delay. Pray to the Lord for increased faith to receive this gift of heavenly access as a child. No other gift could serve you as well as this gift that gets the ear of God in such a supernatural and perfect way, in an instant of time. There are no busy signals, no downed lines, no cable problems, no “kick outs”, boot‑ups, hard drive crashes, connection interrupts, or blue screens ‑ it is a direct access line for the born‑again Christian to God’s ear anytime, day or night; it is the perfect and instantaneous way to present needs, known and unknown, to the throne of God.

It is true that the start of something is half the battle, but the bible says, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecc 7:8 Our Patience begins and ends with being patient to let the Holy Spirit have His way with us. (See Yielding to the Spirit)

If the Church needed the glory of the Spirit and its gifts to edify, unify and mature the Church in the beginning, how much more does it need the gifts of the Spirit and praying in tongues to perfect them in the last days of its preparation for the bridegroom? Sadly, too many in the Church have missed this truth and have chosen to revere the rational mind above the mind of Christ, teaching that God took it away and gave the gift of tongues over to the hands of Satan to use as a tool to deceive, confuse, harass and impede Church glory and maturity. This shouldn’t find a place even in the rational mind. Why would God do this? He is not the author of confusion for those who seek Him and love Him. If we had the child‑like faith that Christ told us to return to, and that we often claim to want, then we would not be suspicious of the Holy Ghost and His gifts, especially the one that gives us unlimited access to the ear of the Father.

If you have been taught to be suspicious of this gift then ask yourself these questions. Were the 3,000 men and women on the day of Pentecost suspicious of God’s gift of tongues of fire? Did Paul, who said he thanked God that he spoke in tongues more than any of the charismatic Corinthians, treat speaking in tongues as an insignificant gift from God? And what about the twelve men in Acts with whom Paul met and spoke on the road to Ephesus? When Paul asked them about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost they freely admitted they had never even heard of the Holy Ghost. This was not the response of heathens or aborigines; it was the statement of confirmed believers who were not too stubborn to admit their ignorance. But they received the Holy Ghost and the gift of tongues without suspicion or reservation. They did not suspect that God would be trifling with them by giving them a useless gift or allowing Satan to give them an unclean language. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, so declares the Bible. God has not withdrawn the gift of speaking in tongues; the Church withdrew their faith. Very few of us will open a package on Christmas morning and throw it back into the face of the giver. Even if we don’t understand it or appreciate it, we accept it with joy because it comes from one who is presenting a token of their love to us. But we treat God’s gifts with disdain when we throw the gift of tongues back in His face, and yet claim to love Him more than anyone else in the world.

Many years ago I knew a woman who had recently been converted to Christ. She was, by nature, a very docile and gentle person. She spoke so quietly that if a dishwasher was running or a jackhammer chattering away outside one had trouble hearing her voice. Outwardly, she was submissive and humble, but even she had a stubborn streak in her heart and could not readily receive everything God could offer her. This was in the days of the height of the Charismatic Movement and the gift of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues was being discussed, debated, taught and received in every nook and cranny of every denomination of Christianity. But even this contrite, gentle soul was suspicious until God intervened in a miraculous manner.

While resting at home one day the phone rang and she answered it. The voice on the other end of the line was speaking in tongues. Startled, the demure lady asked; “Who are you looking for?” The voice simply responded by asking for her by name. When she replied, “Yes, this is she”, the voice resumed speaking in tongues and never again spoke a word to her in English. Within moments the tears began to flow from my gentle friend’s eyes and she instinctively knew that the Holy Ghost was urging her to join with Him in speaking in tongues. She fell to her knees and with tears of repentance, mixed with joy, she started to utter unknown words of the Spirit. They were slow at first, but then picked up with rapidity until she was boldly speaking in a “natural” cadence. She never understood the words but knew they were being spoken to God by the Holy Spirit on behalf of her deepest spiritual needs. They were a form of intercession, a pure and perfect language of the Spirit of Christ, being instantly delivered to the ears of the Father in heaven. She knew what Paul was talking about when he had said, the Spirit “makes intercession for us uttering things we know not how to utter”. Rom 8:26

I also know a brother and sister who received the gift of tongues unbeknownst to one another miles part in two different cities on the same day, one by the laying on of hands, the other alone without urging from the Church body, to confirm and validate the timeliness for the gift of tongues in today’s spiritual life. I could tell of many, many unique and personal testimonies, including my own, of the validity of the gift of tongues, but the above two should suffice. This gift is vital to our spiritual health. It is like having a physician on hand at all times listening to our every ailment, like having a loving mother ready to hear our every fear and disappointment, or having a friend who hears our every hope; or like having a father near to us for sweet counsel at all times.

We have a God who hears of our concern about Him and our fellow man. Through the Spirit, our heart can talk to God. The gift of speaking in tongues is not about talking at God; its glory and power is in the fact that we can speak perfect prayers at the drop of a hat and that God is always listening because they are prayers of faith and truth formed by His very own Spirit. It is the gift that gives us access to the throne by the blood of Jesus. The gift that keeps on listening…