The Lord gave me this prophecy. “Take off your diapers! Think maturely about speaking in tongues.”

This Scripture came with it: Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature (1 Cor 14:20 NASV 1995).

This verse is about tongues and is in the middle of a teaching about speaking in tongues.

Read the same Scripture from the Living Bible Dear brothers, don’t be childish in you understanding of these things [speaking in tongues]. Be innocent babies when it come to planning evil, but be men of intelligence in understanding matters of this kind (1 Cor 14:20 The Living Bible).

Jesus Christ gave me the gift of speaking in tongues in 1963. I think it was ’63, maybe it was ’62. Tongues and the Holy Spirit mean more to me now than ever. Wonderful gifts! Yes!

Reflect with me, please, on 60 years of praying or speaking in tongues.

Mature Thinking: Jesus Christ is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. He Made the Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongues the Foundation of the Christian Church. We all recognize Pentecost Sunday as the beginning of the Christian church. What happened on Pentecost? How did Christ form the church? He poured out the Holy Spirit complete with tongues! Never forget the tongues.

Think about it! Without tongues there would be no Christian church! God chose tongues along with the Spirit to begin His church. Tongues are key to our beginning. Tongues are essential to our identity. Tongues are part of our DNA. Dwell on this fact.

Tongues are not an add-on. Nor is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Together they are essential to the foundation of the church.

I was born to Rognar F. Anderson and June N. Anderson in 1942, Their chromosomes are in my body and blood. Nothing can ever change that fact. That is my DNA.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are part of the DNA of the church. Nothing can ever change that fact.

What about your church? Is your church built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit?

Mature Thinking: Jesus Chose the Holy Spirit and Tongues as Inseparable Gifts to His Church. Tongues and the Spirit came together. They came together at the same time. Not separately. Not one hour or one day or one minute apart. Jesus gave tongues and the Holy Spirit together.

Tongues are not an add-on. Some people consider tongues as merely a useful appendage. Think seriously about this connection. On Pentecost Sunday, Jesus gave the Spirit and tongues simultaneously. The Spirit and tongues are Siamese twins. When you receive one, you receive the other. As the apostle Robert Ewing used to say, ” When you get a new pair of shoes, the tongues come with it!”

Reread Acts Chapter 2. Did the Spirit and the tongues not come together? Read Acts 10:44. Read Acts 19:1-7. They come together.

Doubtless, some who know the scriptures will think of Acts, chapter 8 where some Samaritans were being saved and healed and the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on them. True. Neither had they spoken in tongues. Yet, when the apostles came and laid Spirit-filled hands on them, they were receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17).

The scripture does not explicitly say the Samaritans spoke in tongues, yet something happened so dramatic and obvious that Simon the magician offered “cash on the barrelhead” so he could have this same power as the apostles.

What about scriptures other like Romans 8:9 that claim you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. There is no indication that individual speaks in tongues. True, yet remember the letter to Romans was written to the Spirit-filled tongue-talking saints who resided in Rome. In fact, all the churches in the New Testament were Spirit-filled and speaking in tongues.

Mature Thinking: Jesus Gave the Holy Spirit and Tongues to Lift the church out of the Solely Natural into the Supernatural Realm.

Do you want to live in the supernatural?

Before Pentecost, before the Holy Spirit and tongues were given, leaders cast lots for guidance. After tongues and the Holy Spirit were given, they received direct guidance.

Tongues are the gateway to the supernatural.

Mature Thinking: Speaking in Tongues Promotes Prophecy

Prophecy is the spiritual gift the Bible promotes above all others.

Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more [than you are doing now][in order] that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying (1 Cor 14:5 NASV 1995).

Pursue love, yet earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy (1Cor 14:1 NASB 20).

Mature Thinking: Both the Holy Spirit and Tongues are a Gift from God.

Mature Thinking: Tongues Give Evidence of the Resurrection.

Mature Thinking: You’ve Got to Use Tongues to Get the Benefits

Mature Thinking: The Correction for Misuse of Tongues is NOT Disuse, but Proper Use.

–Larry Christiansen

Mature Thinking: Jesus Believed the Holy Spirit and Tongues are Indispensable for Service.

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me Acts 1:4 NASB1995.

Do you feel like a Christian? Maybe I should ask, “How does a Christen feel?”

Last week I went to Muscatine Lawn and Power to purchase a part for our lawn mower. As I entered, I saw the owner, a man named Chris.

I did not feel like talking with him about the Lord. I had already talked with Chris about God a couple of times earlier. He is a nice fellow and has always listened. But this time I made an inner decision to not witness.

I got the mower part (and buried my impulse to complain about the price which ws higher than quoted).

Then I spotted the restroom. At my age, a person has to use the restroom more frequently than a young person. In the men’s room I remembered “Chicken Evangelism, bring up Christ before you ‘chicken out'”.

That thought must have been from the Holy Spirit . . . .

I spent the next 3-5 minutes sharing Christ and His good news with Chris. As usual, he listened to my story. I reiterated how God healed me a stage four, inoperable cancer. Chris seemed impressed. I made sure to share the gospel: Jesus Christ died for our sins. Mine and yours. People saw Him after He rose from the dead. He went back up into heaven. I continued to make the gospel as clear as I could.

“Does all this make sense to you, Chris?” I asked. He responded affirmatively.

“So what is keeping you from accepting Christ? I queried.

” I don’t know,” he replied.

We chatted a moment or two longer. I departed with the words, “We’ll talk again.”

As I got into my car to leave I remembered the research. On average, it takes an adult 7 times to hear the gospel before he responds. Well, I thought, “This man only needs about 4 more people to share Christ with him before he is saved. Lord, please send four more witnesses to Chris.”

As I drove toward home, I suddenly realized my own feelings. I felt so good, so-o-o-o-o-o good! I felt elated. It was beyond satisfaction. I felt happy that I had shared good news with this man. I was excited. I was hopeful.

We all know that life, especially the Christian life, is more than feelings. Yet feelings are important to us.

After sharing Christ, I had an indescribable sense of supernatural joy. I couldn’t wait for my next opportunity to witness. I wanted to do it again!

I felt like a Christian!

As I reflected about this, an idea came to my mind. “Perhaps people don’t act like a Christian, because they don’t feel like a Christian.”

Witnessing is one way to remedy that.

Chicken evangelism: a strategic first step in evangelism! Let me give a recent example of how it worked with a fellow named Dennis Yerington.

Dennis (now known as Denny) was repairing soffits and siding on our church’s building. I had never met him before. As I was preparing to leave the premises, I spotted Dennis leveling a ladder against the building.

I walked to him, caught his attention and introduced myself. After a moment of conversation, I asked, “Have you ever invited Jesus Christ into your life?”

Dennis looked at me mildly startled and answered, “Yes, and I need healing.”

Now it was my turn to be startled. Most people answer either “Yes” or “No” to my initial question, but no stranger had yet requested healing so soon in a conversation.

Often, I pray for a man with a need on the spot, but this time I didn’t. I just invited him to come to church. He surprised me again by saying, “Yes, I will come.”

Since I’ve heard that before–with people who turn out to be no-shows–I was not confident I’d ever see him again.

But on Sunday, Dennis showed up. And he wanted prayer for healing! We prayed. In fact, a whole handful of the church surrounded him and prayed.

God worked. When I talked with Dennis several days later, he had been free of neck and head pain ever since the prayer.

All this happened several weeks ago when I first met Dennis. In the meantime, he has not only been coming to worship meetings, but also has been helping around the church premises. He has carried away some tires left over from a church workday, pressure-washed the siding and soffits, and done some electrical repair. Plus, he has invited relatives and friends to church.

Dennis and I have prayed together about other things. I have been to his home in the country, and he has been to our home.

What is Chicken Evangelism? It’s simply being a friend to someone the first time you meet It’s “bringing up Christ before you chicken out.” It’s a wonderful conversation opener.

How did all this happen with Dennis?

It’s a result of Chicken Evangelism: a strategic first step in evangelism. I’m so glad I asked Dennis, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?

How to Transition to Dynamic, Dedicated-to-a-Task, Documentable Prayer Meetings.

Here’s the Problem

Too many prayer meetings are boring, ill-attended and ineffective. Too many times nothing really happens at a prayer meeting. Or so it seems.

But it doesn’t have to be that way..

How would you describe your church’s prayer meetings? Would you like to enjoy and transform your prayer meetings?

I Propose a Biblical Model that is Dynamic, Dedicated-to-a-Task, Documentable Prayer

Third world churches use this Biblical model with effectiveness. Certainly I did not originate it. I have seen it in the widely expanding church in Mexico. South Korea popularized this type of prayer through the ministry of Dr Paul Yongi Cho.

Would it be wise for more churches, even ours and yours, to experiment with this Biblical form of corporate prayer?

Before continuing, let’s recognize two important facts. 1) All prayer is a plus, whether silent or verbal. 2) Corporate prayer is different than individual prayer. When we pray alone, we can pray the way we want to, the way we are most comfortable, or the way we “have always done it.” Corporate prayer requires us to “lay down our lives” (our favorite method of prayer) in order to unify with others who pray differently.

Here is a report of a dynamic, dedicated, documentable prayer time from the book of Acts.

²³ When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported everything that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ And when they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, “^[p]Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them, ²⁵ who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,

‘Why were the nations insolent,
And the peoples plotting in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

²⁷ For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and purpose predestined to occur. ²⁹ And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant it to Your bond-servants to speak Your word with all confidence, ³⁰ while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

—Acts 4:23-31

Several items are notable.

1 They all prayed aloud together. They raised their voices with one mind.

2 They had “one mind,” i.e., an agreed manner of prayer. Since they did not have to discuss how to pray at that moment, it’s obvious this was an accepted, common, usual manner of prayer for the disciples. Further, they had one purpose–to deal with the current situation: civil authorities (who were slso religious authorities) were suppressing their freedom.

3 They declared God’s word into the situation.

4 Luke documented three stirring results: The place was physically shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak God’s word with boldness.

Revelation 19 Offers Additional Insight into Dynamic, Dedicated-to-a-Task, Documentable Prayer

After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, ² because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” ³ And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.” ⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” ⁵ And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” ⁶ Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

⁷ Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹ Then he *said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him. Don’t do that. . . worship God.

Revelation 19:1-9

Notice again: The participants prayed out loud, together. No boring prayer meeting here! They were LOUD. It sounded like “many waters” and “mighty peals of thunder.” (One visitor to a prayer time at a church in South Korea said, “When they started to pray, it sounded like a waterfall.”)

This is an example of New testament, Biblical prayer! Do our prayer times sound like this?

Do you think children would be attracted to a prayer meeting like this? Teenagers?

Even though it was loud–like rumbling thunder–discernable content was heard above the noise: “Hallelujah,” “Salvation, glory, power belong to God,” as well as other united voices and actions. Yes, actions. Intercession may involve action. Some fell down and worshipped God who sits on the throne.

Judgment was a theme of this heavenly prayer time. The people were celebrating God’s judgments!

The meeting had a leader who spoke from the throne (verse 5). Although loud, the assembly was not a disorderly meeting. When a mistake was made, correction came with it.

Several results were documented from this prayer time. I choose to comment on only one. The presence of God was so great that John fell down and began to worship an angel! Strange, yes, but in a time of the strong presence of God, we become “undone,” and do things we don’t ordinarily do. A powerful prayer meeting moves us into a new realm.

Fortunately, John was corrected in his behavior. “Don’t do that. . . worship God.”

I admit. Not all prayer times will see dramatic, documentable or immediate results. After all, churches prayed for nearly 50 years before Roe vs Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court.

Still, we humans need to see some results for our prayers. We need the encouragement that documentation brings.

A Modern Day Example of a Dynamic, Dedicated-to-a-Task, Documentable Prayer Meeting

I have learned a lot about prayer and intercession from a man in our congregation named Ken Eichelberger. He often reminds us of two goals as we begin a prayer meeting. 1) The direction of the Holy Spirit to discover the task for the day and 2) the energy to pray it into being.

On one particular day, we were led to ask for repentance or removal of national leaders in America. Shortly, a well-known and well-respected Christian teacher died unexpectedly. Then the news cam out this leader had been engaging in sexual immorality.

Was it because of our prayers? We don’t know everything. But we do know this: We prayed; a man was removed.

Jesus “retired” from effective ministry on earth to initiate an effective intercession ministry from heaven. Perhaps God is calling many to lead effctive prayer ministries while we are stil on earth.

Are your prayer meetings dynamic, dedicated to a specific task and finding documentable results?

Dynamic Prayer is “Caught” More than “Taught”

If you are stirred by the Holy Spirit to upgrade your corporate prayer times, invite Ken and me to join you in your prayer meeting by replying to this email with your intention.

This Truth is a Big Reason Why I Follow Jesus:

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection Is Probably The Best-Documented Historical Event Ever

During my college days I considered giving up Christianity. But wait. . . I determined that if Jesus Christ really rose from being a dead man, I would follow him. On the other hand, if facts could not show conclusively that He rose from the dead, I would give up the whole scenario.

The following article gives many of the same facts that convinced me the historical evidence for His resurrection was overwhelming.

BY: SCOTT POWELLAPRIL 15, 20226 MIN READ

Jesus Christ’s Resurrection Is Probably The Best-Documented Historical Event Ever

There are many religions with different founders, prophets, and teachers going back thousands of years. But only one of them, Christianity, has a founder who professed to be the Messiah—the son of God—who provided irrefutable proof of who he was by conquering death through resurrection. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

Christ is also the only person in history who was pre-announced starting a thousand years before he was born, with 18 different prophets from the Old Testament between the tenth and the fourth centuries BC predicting his coming birth, life, and death. Hundreds of years later, the details of Christ’s birth, life, betrayal, and manner of death validated those prophecies in surprisingly accurate and minute detail. One thousand years BC, David prophetically wrote about the crucifixion of Christ at a time crucifixion was unknown as a means of execution.

Every other consequential person of history came into the world to live. The death of other religious leaders—such as Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Mohammad, and Confucius—brought an anticlimactic end to their lives and their work.

But Christ came into the world as God’s son in order to die and pay the price for man’s sin. His sacrifice was the ultimate climax of his life, done for the benefit of all mankind—opening the way to eternal life in heaven for all who believe.

Of the four major world religions built on personalities, only Christianity claims its founder is still alive, having overcome death through resurrection. No Jew ever believed that, after Abraham died and was interred, his tomb ever became empty. After Buddha died, no disciple ever claimed that he or she saw or spoke to him again.

As for Mohammed and his teachings that are the basis of Islam, there is no trace of this founder appearing to his disciples or followers after he died at age 61. His occupied tomb is located in Medina and is visited by tens of thousands of devout Muslims every year.

Christ was unique in that he gave up his life as a sacrifice to fulfill why he came into the world. Christ set the highest standard of love possible, both in his teachings and in making the ultimate sacrifice—giving his life to rescue and save mankind. Then, to provide “seeing is believing” evidence, God brought Jesus back from being dead in a tomb to being alive—resurrected—so people would have living proof of who he was.

The New Testament provides accounts from multiple sources who witnessed Jesus firsthand after the resurrection. In fact, Jesus made ten separate appearances to his disciples between the resurrection and his ascension into Heaven, over a period of 40 days. Some of those appearances were to individual disciples, some were to several disciples at the same time, and once even to 500 at one time.

Particularly noteworthy is that there were no accounts of witnesses who came forth and disputed these appearances or called it a “hoax.” Not a single one. Nor do we find any historical record of any witness accounts that were contradictory.

While there are skeptics of the biblical account of Jesus, there’s actually far more reliable historical evidence for his life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection than for any other historical figure of ancient times. Consider, for instance, that the authenticity of Alexander the Great, who was born some 350 years before Christ, is based on two original biographical accounts of his life by Arrian and Plutarch, which were written some 400 years after Alexander died.

The manuscripts of Virgil and Horace, both of whom lived within a generation of Christ, were written more than four centuries after their deaths. The copy of works by Livy and Tacitus on Roman history and the works of Pliny Secundus on natural history were written on average some 700 years after the time of the original account.

Yet no one doubts Virgil and Horace lived and authored great poetic masterpieces. Nor do we hear questions about the authenticity and accuracy of accounts of Livy and Tacitus in chronicling the events of the Roman Emperors Augustus, Claudius, Nero, or Tiberius.

About 1,000 times more manuscripts preserve the deeds and teaching of Jesus in the New Testament (about 25,000 total) than there are preserving other classical ancient works of historic figures who lived at approximately the same time, with the exception of Homer, whose “Iliad” is backed by 1,800 manuscripts. But that is still less than one-tenth the number of ancient manuscripts that back the authenticity of the New Testament.

We know the historical Jesus mainly through four different accounts known as the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—not written hundreds of years later, but within a generation or two of Jesus’s life. Apostles Matthew and John provide eyewitness accounts from their years of walking with Jesus as disciples. Mark also had eyewitness experience, although he was only a teenager when Jesus began his public ministry. Luke, the doctor, learned about Jesus from his friend Paul, the apostle who wrote the most letters in the New Testament.

Because of their experience with the resurrected Jesus, the apostles were in a unique position, knowing with certainty that Jesus was truly the Son of God. They had been present for the life, ministry, miracles, and death of Jesus. If the claims about Jesus were a lie, the apostles would have known it. That’s why their commitment to their testimony was so powerful and compelling.

Additionally, the apostles’ willingness to die for their claims has tremendous evidential value, also confirming the truth of the resurrection. No one will die for something he invented or believes to be false.

Seeing, talking to, and touching the risen Jesus transformed the apostles, who then committed the rest of their lives to educate and advocate for the truth about the message of salvation through Christ. With the exception of John, who died exiled on the island of Patmos for his testimony of Jesus, the other 11 apostles—including Matthias who replaced Judas, the betrayer of Jesus—died as martyrs for their beliefs in the divinity of Christ.

It turns out that Easter, which has its ultimate meaning in the resurrection, is one of ancient history’s most carefully scrutinized and best-attested events. The resurrection is real, and changes everything. Easter is the commemoration and celebration of the single event that transformed the world forever.

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Scott S. Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute. This article is a vignette adapted from his acclaimed book, “Rediscovering America,” now Amazon’s No. 1 new release in the history genre. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org

Publisher’s note: Do you know a thinking person not yet following Jesus? If he were to see this post, would it help him investigate further?