discipline

What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word “discipline’? Personally, I go to one particular memory of childhood when my dad spanked Satan himself out of me. Yes, my parents were into spanking - my mom stopped being scary to me about age 9 or 10. But my dad, when he got angry I would fear for my life until I was… 23? The correction/discipline from my dad was rare because he was pretty laid back – but when he had HAD it? It was over.

Discipline is not a term that is very popular here in America – I mean, why is the first part of American Idol so funny? It’s because dumb people think they can sing – what makes them dumb? Singing isn’t a discipline for them – it is a fetish.

I fell that, early in my walk as a Christ follower, discipline is embraced. When I really enter this life and I get about 6 months – year into it, it’s like discipline takes a back seat. The discipline I am talking about is directly related to the holiness topic last week.

Discipline in my pursuit of God
• scripture,
• prayer,
• meditation

Discipline in my choices for life
• character,
• moral choices,
• Lifestyle

Discipline in personal struggles (how I respond to things that happen in life
• death,
• sickness,
• injustice

How we handle life is a direct product of how we live life. Let me illustrate it with a clip from the movie Miracle.

The team had two main issues at first:
1. They didn’t work during the game
2. They were all individuals

1. They didn’t work during the game
- You will be who you prepare yourself to be. If you don’t prepare by working, then you won’t work during the game – ok, I hate working, but if these guys don’t work hard at their skill continually, they will lose it. Their talent isn’t enough.

4-11In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline,
but don't be crushed by it either.
It's the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.
In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?

My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline,
but don't be crushed by it either.
It's the child he loves that he disciplines;
the child he embraces, he also corrects.
God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. 12-13So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!
Hebrews 12:4-13 (MSG)

If you sit around lazy with life you don’t become the President – or even the President’s landscaper – the writer of Hebrews illustrated this is verses 12-13. How do you treat your own life – right now – How do you prepare? Where do you want to be? It’s true for life as well as relationship – how do you protect your relationship with God? What disciplines do you currently use in your life?

Here’s a list of more historical disciplines:
2 Categories (Dallas Willard)

Abstinence Engagement
Solitude Study
Silence Worship
Fasting Celebration
Frugality (fasting $$ wants) Service
Chastity Prayer
Secrecy (in our good deeds) Fellowship
Sacrifice (risk – Abraham) Confession
Submission


That’s a big comprehensive list to work with, huh? One thing I can suggest that is very practical is to take that list and practice one discipline from each column every day. You can basically do everything in a week – and repeat.

Unless we practice and discipline our lives, the “game moment” will prove us as failures. I remember one time in college (story of ministering to the lady at Chili’s who had a miscarriage).

2. They were all individuals
Did you notice that the coach finally blew the whistle when one team member recognized what team he was on? You see, you’re on a large team – not by yourself. But, a lot of us fell that our lives with Christ is individual, don’t we? According to this scripture in Hebrews 12, and most of the New Testament, our lives with Christ are to be lived out in community.

“Help each other out” tends to indicate community – much like that team. The name on the front of the uniform is more important than the name on the back. Helping each other is more in tune with what the Creator desires than going into hiding and seclusion.

Challenge:

Take the card and live a discipline from each category this week – start with this tool to grow your discipline and personal holiness.

holiness?

I used to think holiness meant legalism. My family once went to a church that had these rules:
· No dancing of any kind to music.
· Women must wear skirts or dresses in the sight of God (I guess that's all the time?).
· Women must not wear makeup.
· Men must never have hair past their collar. · No movie theaters, etc.

This was an “attempt” to keep us holy. Then, I went to a school with similar rules – belts, no facial hair, etc. So, you can see my problem with legalism. I have since embraced and been critical of the true and full definition of legalism:

“A slavish following of the law in the belief that one thereby earns merit; it also entails a refusal to go beyond the formal or literal requirements of the law” → moral code.

Legalism is very ineffective because it ignores the facts that I never outgrow the need for divine grace and that the underlying reason for the moral code is love – It reminds me of the “union worker” stereotype.

No, holiness is not legalism. I have to define this attribute of God better than that. So, what is holiness? Many will answer in different ways: being Christ like – making your faith a top priority - living a pure and sinless lifestyle – having a good attitude about people and life – focus → on God in life – living a moral lifestyle - accepting and believing and practicing Biblical truth. These are the most common answers to this question – but scripture says that holiness is an attribute of God. So, in order to refrain from allowing society, relative truth, or any person to define holiness, I went looking in scripture: Over and again the Old Testament talks of God being holy, and the Hebrew word used is - pronounced qadosh or qados – meaning “marked off, or withdrawn from common use – consecrated and sacred – absolute purity and goodness –

Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV)

indicates that this type of holiness can’t even look at injustice and sin. In Luke 5:8 (NIV), Peter feels this holiness and tells Jesus to go away. When we measure our holiness (and our definition of holiness), not against a standard of our self or someone else, but against God, the need for a complete change of moral and spiritual condition becomes apparent.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (NIV)

Jesus tells us in a sermon to “be perfect” – and we can’t be perfect. Sometimes we get confused with that statement. Yes, at our conversion to the Christ life we take on the holiness of God – a life change –

he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 (NLT)

Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
I John 3:9-10.

But there is this problem of humanity and a failure to live up to this holiness. We still have something we need to do for the rest of our mortal lives – live holy – grow in that life – it is an ongoing thing called sanctification. We can’t confuse our salvation (being saved and justified before God) and the ongoing process of sanctification.

Justified at Salvation Sanctification

Legal standing Internal condition
Once and for all Continuous through life
Entirely God’s work We cooperate
Perfect in this life Not perfect in this life
The same in all Christ followers Greater in some than in others

You see, sanctification is the process of making this body and human life holy – it takes time, will, and pain. It doesn’t end.

There is a life plan for sanctification:

Mindset and realization at conversion –
Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
I John 3:9-10.

· I John 3:9-10

· Growing in holiness – life on earth – never ends

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
I John 1:8 (NLT)

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Romans 6:12-14 (NLT)

Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20

Even the Lord’s Prayer – forgive our sins – pray every day according to Jesus

· Perfect and complete – death –

Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
Philippians 3:21(MSG)

We will always have the battle with sin in this life, but we are actually supposed to win this battle. Personally, I don’t believe a person can reach full sanctification in this life. I find more of Paul’s teachings and New Testament passages that prove Christ’s return and new life with Him completes our holiness. Because of Christ, we are presented as holy – therefore, we can’t continue to live enslaved by sin – we are free, so we must live free – not enslaved or condemned.

I can see why groups of people take living the Christ life extreme with sanctification – but the problem is that a lot of times, judgment and attitudes become clouded with false righteousness. – It’s our job to be sanctified and balanced in our struggle – at the same time we have to life different if we don’t live different we are not being transformed: no change…we HAVE to change.

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)

This should be our prayer:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV)

the more you know: absolute truth

Seriously? Truth that never changes no matter the situation. Honestly, relativism is way more attractive. In the reality of my life, I find it more beneficial to hold to something as flexible as me. I know that I have been taught some ridiculous things as a kid.

• Hot stoves – yes, it’s hot but not necessarily evil.
• Strangers – yes, it’s a wise thing to be careful, but not every stranger wants to kill me and throw me in a river.
• Drugs – yes, drugs kill – but Rx drugs make me ok – so, not all drugs fry my brain – only the illegal ones. Wait, nicotine is legal but it can kill me – oh well.
• Movies – all rated R’s aren’t bad – Passion of the Christ? – no there are some great movie (Little Miss Sunshine) that are rated R. So no, rated R movies don’t send me to Hell. So Jesus, he’s my homeboy, but is it really necessary to be all Nazi and Republican about my faith? Jesus understands me – it wasn’t like he was mean – except to the religious people – so they must be bad.

The biggest problem with relativism is that it makes so much sense right now. But, when you look at the big picture of life, relativism can seem dumb and ignorant. In fact, at times it can seem down right evil.

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. Judges 17:6 (MSG)

²⁵ At that time there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing. Judges 21:25 (MSG)

“At this time, there was no King in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.”

So basically pandemonium ensued and the most used phrase in Judges was created. “Again, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Judges 3,4,6,10,13

There is no way we can do no evil without the definition of evil – evil can’t change! Good can’t change! When we do what we feel like doing we end up doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord.” So what now?

Is there a list of don’ts & do’s? Ten Commandments – yeah right – and along with those the Old Testament tells us what to do if any man has a “nocturnal emission.” This gets outright ridiculously legalistic. So, no list for me – I can’t live up to it – and Christ knows that. He provided the way to eternal life and no lists. But if I am a Christ follower – where do I draw the line on what is forever true? How do I live now knowing and gaining wisdom that seems to constantly change my perspective on absolutes?

Is there absolute truth in the Christ life? There has to be because God’s nature demands it. I really believe there is more absolute truth then relative truth. However, I really do believe that truth and experience are related. Here’s what I mean: Let’s go to uptown to Bo A – you jump off – you scream to me all the way down that you are fine – but eventually, the pavement will become very close. We may continue to live on happily for hours and even days after a close person has, unknown to us, passed away, but attain the truth will come with a crushing effect on our experience. Since the meaning and truth of this Christ life will eventually have ultimate bearing on our experience, we must understand then (Millard Erickson). So, let’s make this personal here: there are several things we thinks are (some) arguable in scripture.

But this we KNOW is absolute: that when we enter the Christ life, we begin a new life that reflects God (we get holiness) and it is something that is a continuing work of God in our lives – I Peter 2:9; I Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 4:1

^9-10But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

I Peter 2:9-10

²I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, believers cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours!

I Corinthians 1:2

³In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. Ephesians 4:1

We are addressed in scripture as “saints” – we are far from saints

So, we live unchanged lives – we are made holy because of Christ (2 Timothy 1:9, NIV)

⁹who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

We are to live the righteousness of Christ…that means my decision making process is directly influenced by my relationship with him. It means that I don’t do normal things that would please me, but that I would put on the mind of Christ. I could really spend a lot of time on personal holiness, but I’ll stick to absolute truth.

But we are far from complete and perfect – we struggle knowing how to live – we struggle with relativism and absolute truth, especially regarding what is sin and what is not. And in studying this, most resources (theology) are relativistic.

So here is my absolute statement regarding the Christ life: we are to live with the Holy Spirit discernment and with Christ motivation in our life. This statement seems simple, but it is really a difficult concept. Have the Holy Spirit discern – not me – and every decision motivated by Christ.

If we can just start living that way, relativism will start to be a dead issue (permanently)

“There always comes a time in history when the person who dares to say 2 + 2 = 4 must face death. And the question is not what reward or what punishment will be the result of that meaning. The question is simply whether or not 2+2 = 4.”

I know there is relative truth, but how I live will determine my belief in absolute truth.

Refining Charismatic Lables: Rhythm

In last week’s talk, I eluded to an imbalance danger. I tried to make the point that our excitement level as a group of people who want to (and enjoy) feel God (Pentecostal) cannot overshadow the point of our existence as the church.

1. Be known for our love (John 13:34-36) and

2. To make disciples (Matthew 28).

Rob Bell's Nooma series has a great discussion about this "rhythm" thing. You can check it out at www.nooma.com.

In essence, it is important that our whole self incorporate this spiritual mandate and fight the danger of imbalance in our journey. It is paramount that we find our rhythm and place in this God-life.

Along with Rob's "rhythm" talk, comes some different questions to ponder and discuss:

Question #1

What do you believe about God’s involvement in our daily lives?

Read Exodus 3:14 (KJV)

Question #2

Why do you think people, including some writers of the Bible use human physical references like “hands,” “feet,” “eyes,” and “he” to describe God, when other scriptures state that God is spirit and has no form?

See Deuteronomy 4:15-18 (NIV) and John 4:24 (MSG)

Question #3

What does it mean for you to be in or out of tune with the song? Are you in tune?

Question #4

Can you believe in God and be out of tune with the song?

Does it work the other way around?

Question #5

What is more important to Jesus: what we believe or what we do?

see John 10:10 (CEV)

Conclusion

You need to find the song God has written on your heart and be in tune. The song is the rhythm of your life. In tune is the way you live with that song.

Here is where we stand:

Main song

1. Loving God – relationship with Creator
2. Loving Others – being the church and building the kingdom
3. Making Disciples – bring folks along with you

2007 Underground

Loving God – prayer and worship and submission to teaching

Loving Others – groups that serve

Making Disciples – who we bring with us – outreach to build our community and the Kingdom

This is empowerment from Acts 1:8: this redefines the charismatic label.

Refining Charismatic Labels: History

I chose Richard Simmons to signify the danger of goofiness in our spiritual walk. He just makes me laugh and I feel that a lot of times we only see the extreme (goofy Richard) in some charismatic theology. I am out there, but I do have fun at it.

Plato said that all philosophy (the way we think about life) begins with wonder.
Francis Bacon said that wonder dies with knowledge

The main problem with charismatic theology is that it is full of wonder – it seems to void of rational thought and intelligence. We value intelligence. Greeks valued intelligence – the Jews wanted signs.

Charismatic experience is all out wonder. There really is no explanation for some things; and the things we justify we can’t explain we justify. Justification by faith – or at least the lesser evil.

History (this is some great stuff to google)

§ History of Pentecostal & Charismatic faith

§ Early 1900’s
o Azusa Street Revival
o Charles Parham
o William Seymour

§ 1920’s
o Denominational Acceptance & Growth
§ Pentecostal
§ Assemblies of God

§ 1970’s - Today
o Today: Radical Figureheads
§ Benny Hinn
§ Rodney Howard - Browne
§ Brownsville and Toronto Revivals (1990’s)
§ Creflo Dollar
§ Morningstar
§ Reinhard Bonke

o Spirit Phenomena
§ Healing
§ Out of control

How does the label of charismatic history appear in light of these scriptures?

Jesus commented, "Even more blessed are those who hear God's Word and guard it with their lives!" As the crowd led, he took a fresh tack: "The mood of this age is all wrong. Everybody's looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you're looking for is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. But the only proof you're going to get is the Jonah-proof given to the Ninevites, which looks like no proof at all. What Jonah was to Nineveh, the Son of Man is to this age. Luke 11:28-30

He told the dove merchants, "Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!" That's when his disciples remembered the Scripture, "Zeal for your house consumes me." But the Jews were upset. They asked, "What credentials can you present to justify this?" Jesus answered, "Tear down this Temple and in three days I'll put it back together." John 2:17-19

Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king's court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: "Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe." But the court official wouldn't be put off. "Come down! It's life or death for my son."

John 4:47-49

It's written in Scripture that God said,
In strange tongues
and from the mouths of strangers
I will preach to this people,
but they'll neither listen nor believe.
So where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues no one understands? It doesn't help believers, and it only gives unbelievers something to gawk at.

I Corinthians 14:21-23

Are these biblical things happening?

§ Love

§ Healings

§ Disciples

§ Etc.

YES!

But there is also as imbalance danger:

§ Charismatic Actions vs. Great Commission

§ Charismatic Actions vs. Love of disciples (the mark of a disciple)

§ Charismatic Actions vs. Gospel message

The Charismatic actions, weird and inexplicable as some are, should not overshadow the message of the love of Christ.

Being the church and building the Kingdom.

We should pray and seek intimacy with the Creator – but we should always act out our faith!

Self Awareness

We need to come to a place of contentment in

§ who we are in Christ

§ who we are as a disciple

§ who we are in the global church

Too many times we focus on one of these three things and leads to IMBALANCE.

Charismatics simply want to feel God and experience His power. That is not a bad thing. It is when the selfish desire for experience clouds the God-desire for the disciple’s life.

I will close with a quote from Ravi Zacharias. “Until we see in ourselves the uniqueness of God’s touch, we will always want to be someone else and will live under the illusion that being someone else would be better.”

Know who you are – embrace it – and always seek to know your Creator more and more. Be careful to stay humble and unselfish, but go after God with all the tenacity you can muster.

Refining Charismatic Lables: Tongues

When I hear the topic of tongues, I am first reminded of being a child and watching TV preachers and “tent revival” atmospheres. Powerful “god like” preachers calling down power from heaven. They were intimidating.

For anyone who hasn’t had any experiences with this stuff, I consider them lucky. More times than not, our experiences cloud and distract the beauty and wonder of an experience like “tongues.” After all, it’s alluded to (in scripture) as a routined gift for those “Spirit life-ers.” Seeing the distortion and abuse of tongues causes a cynicism and pre-judging attitude toward any belief system and I believe this to be inherently natural. But who am I to say what is extreme? I am simply a continual student in this dance, myself. One will need to judge and educate himself in these matters. What I layout is my (and many others) beliefs and schools of thought on the matter of tongues (but mainly my own).

Before I get too detailed, I believe a life in the Spirit is defined by living a listening life. A believer should be consistently listening and “in communion” with the Creator. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit should be built upon familiarity and submission. A “constant praying lifestyle” is what scripture indicates (pray without ceasing). How else can this happen without communion with the Holy Spirit? It is in this communion, that begins at salvation.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed,

you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14

Now the Holy Spirit has several functions (Counselor, Teacher, Comforter, etc.); but it has one clearly defined purpose: to empower us to be like Christ and serve (see Acts 1:8).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

It is in this “empowerment” that we find the early account of other tongues (Acts 2). There are many theories and schools of thought regarding pneumatology (doctrine of the Holy Spirit) and the use of tongues. The synoptics, John, and Paul, all have different emphases. But let’s take the Lucan account in Acts 2, and hold it next to all of scripture for a thorough investigation. This means we may dust off the Old Testament from time to time, God forbid J.

1. Acts 2 – Lucan account with Joel – Personal

2. Tongues in daily life – Personal The Holy Spirit as personal guide – corporate is an issue I will not go into here.

1. Tongues in Scripture (Mother Theresa, Billy Graham) Acts 2 is the most popular instance 2:4

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:4

Tongues – languages (Gk. Glossa) – glossolalia (the guttural noise our words make)

Acts 2:17 – Will prophesy – PROPHETEUO } same passage Joel 2:28 – Will prophesy - NABA } parallel

The language was common – a reversal of confusion (Babel)

This is the main function of public “tongues” – Symbol of Divine Communion. But, Paul makes this phenomenon more personal. Here is where a lot of the “weird” theology happens. Paul speaks more on an active passivity (termed coined by Simon Chan). This, simply stated, results mainly in the personal relationship with God. Therefore, tongues is a personal and intimate revelation of the triune God (Father, Son & Spirit).

* Ephesians 3:16-17 ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

* Galatians 2:20 ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

* Romans 8:9-10

⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

* The Spirit indwelling the believers who creates the character of Christ.

Paul used tongues more than anyone

“I thank God that I speak in tongues

more than all of you.” I Corinthians 14:18

and uses it as communion with God

“For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ``So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray `````with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” I Corinthians 14:14-15

This intimacy is related through this act. Paul recognized the unintelligible tongue – the physical act of speaking in tongues is not only a pointer to but also embodies the spiritual reality – what is experienced is similar to conversation – one acts and yet feels that one could not have acted otherwise (Chan 51).

This act of praying in tongues is a powerful evidence of the Spirit – what does this mean?

§ It is an embodiment of the Christ life

§ Brings us to a closer relationship with Him.

§ The point is to draw closer through this prayer language.

Many of the church fathers identified tongues as “guttural moanings” and humming. Throughout church history, it has taken several connotations. It has been abused and taught incorrectly. Its teaching has damaged others by making them feel as if they could not “grasp” the Spirit because they didn’t speak in another tongue. Many have taught that tongues is proof - it is merely evidence. Like tears are evidence of depression/sadness – you can still be depressed without tears. But don’t underestimate the power and “commonness” of tongues.

2. Tongues in Life

Tongues were used by Paul daily. How?

§ Constant communion with God

§ A prayer language

§ A safe place of symbolic refuge

§ Power in the communication

We need awareness of this present Holy Spirit.