QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Transcription

1 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS by Giacinto Butindaro Rome, 2007 First Edition

2 INTRODUCTION What follows is a series of questions which throughout the years both believers and unbelievers have put to me both by word of mouth and in writing and also questions which even though were not put to me personally it is common knowledge that they are asked both by believers and unbelievers. The grace of the Lord be with all the saints Giacinto Butindaro 2

3 ANGELOLOGY 1. Is it true that every believer has at least one angel who protects him? Yes, that s true, for it is written that the angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them (Psalm 34:7). - The Italian Bible Diodati Version (which is very similar to the King James Version) reads gli angeli del Signore that is, the angels of the LORD instead of the angel of the LORD. The early disciples believed that every believer was protected by the angels of God. We deduce this from the following story written in the book of the Acts of the apostles: Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter [Passover] to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the [an] angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place (Acts 12:1-17). Please note how those believers thought that outside the door of the house where they were gathered was the angel of Peter. Jesus in speaking about children mentioned their angels which in heaven behold the face of God. Here are His words: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:10) There are many testimonies of visions of angels which were seen around believers. Sometimes angels appear to men in the form of men normally dressed or dressed in military uniforms, and not in white shining robes. 3

4 2. Are angels worthy of worship? No, they aren t, because they are God s creatures and we must worship the Creator, that is, God, rather than His creatures, as it is written: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10). That we are not allowed to worship angels is confirmed by the book of Revelation in which John tells us how he fell at the feet of the angel of Jesus (who had showed him certain things) to worship him but that holy angel forbade him to worship. Here are the words of John: And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God (Revelation 19:9-10; 22:8-9). Things are very clear, therefore: angels must not be worshipped. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for the worship of angels is idolatry and idolaters will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Let no one cheat you of your reward taking delight in the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18), which is widespread in Catholicism. See that you don t worship nor serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 3. Who were the sons of God of Genesis 6:2, of whom the Scripture says that they married the daughters of men? They were angels, for the angels of God are called the sons of God in the book of Job, as it is written: Whereupon are the foundations [of the earth] thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:6-7). I say that the sons of God who shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the earth were angels and not human beings for man had not yet been created, in that man was made on the sixth day while the earth was made before. That is the only explanation which can be given to those words. The fact that the sons of God of Genesis 6:2 were angels is confirmed by the apostle Peter as well as by Jude. Peter says that God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell [Tartarus], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Peter 2:4), and Jude says: And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 6-7). In relation to the words of Jude, I would like you to notice that he says that Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them gave themselves up to fornication and perversion in like manner or in a similar way, that is to say, they committed fornication as those angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation. Some believers say that those sons of God were human beings (according to this interpretation, they were men who at that time called upon the name of the Lord) and not angels. But this interpretation is not correct because if those sons of God were human beings and not angels, it would not make sense to say that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose (Genesis 6:2) for it would be tantamount to saying that the sons of men saw the daughters of men that they were fair and they married them. What kind of strange or unusual thing would have happened? I don t think that in that case there would have been something strange or unusual. Instead, the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, called those beings sons of God for their nature was different from the nature of human beings. Thus the writer wanted to highlight the different nature which existed between the sons of God and the daughters of men, in that the sons of God were angels while the daughters of men were 4

5 women born from the union of man and woman. This is confirmed by the passage that points out the time when that event occurred, as it is written: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them (Genesis 6:1), for it is evident that the angels could see the beauty of the daughters of men only after the daughters of men were born. 4. How can we affirm that even Gabriel is an Archangel? Can we call him archangel because he is one of the spirits who stand in the presence of God? Listen, as far as Gabriel is concerned, I do not teach that he is an archangel, for I do not have any biblical proofs to teach this. In the first book written by Luke, Gabriel is called angel (Luke 1:26), thus I say that he is just an angel. Of course, Gabriel is before God, but he is called angel so it is better to say that he is an angel. I know that some people call Gabriel one of the archangels, but they call him in this way only because he stands in the presence of God: to me this is not sufficient to call him archangel. 5. What is the difference between an angel and an archangel? The difference is that the archangel is an angel who belongs to a higher rank, for the book of Revelation presents Michael the archangel (Jude 9 - archangel means chief angel ) as the head of the heavenly host, as it is written: There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Revelation 12:7-9). 5

6 BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT 1. What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit? The baptism with the Holy Spirit is a baptism ministered by the Lord Jesus Christ to His followers, as John the Baptist said: He [Christ] shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:11), and as Jesus said to His disciples before He was taken up into heaven Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (Acts 1:5). Therefore, it is a baptism that one receives after the new birth (in that it is by the new birth that one becomes a follower of Jesus). Through this baptism the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, for this is what happened on the day of Pentecost to the about one hundred and twenty disciples, as it is written: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:4), therefore the believer through this baptism receives a measure of the Holy Spirit that will be added to the measure of the Holy Spirit he already has and thus he becomes full of the Spirit, for according to the Scripture the believer at the time of his conversion receives a measure of the Holy Spirit in his heart who enables him to call God Father but when he receives the baptism with the Spirit he will be filled with the Spirit. In other words, when a person is born again he receives the Holy Spirit but not the fullness of the Holy Spirit; he will receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit when he is baptized with the Holy Spirit. Through the baptism with the Holy Spirit the believer is endued with power from on high, as the Lord Jesus, before He was taken up into heaven, said to His disciples: For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:5,8). This power enables him to be an effective witness of the grace of God in his life. We need to say also that when a believer receives the baptism with the Holy Spirit, he begins to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives him utterance, for this is what happened to the about one hundred and twenty disciples at Jerusalem when they were filled (or baptized) with the Holy Spirit: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). And not only to them, but also to Cornelius and his household and to the about twelve disciples at Ephesus (Acts 10:44-46; 19:1-7). Speaking with other tongues, therefore, is the outward sign attesting that the baptism with the Holy Spirit has been received by the believer. This baptism can be received through the laying on of hands as well without it, for in the book of the Acts of the apostles the about one hundred and twenty at Jerusalem, Cornelius and his household at Caesarea received it without the laying on of hands (Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46; 11:15); while the about twelve disciples at Ephesus and Paul received it through the laying on of hands (Acts 19:6: 9:17). 2. Some Christians say that if a Christian does not speak in tongues he does not have the Holy Spirit, is that true? No, it isn t and I will show it immediately from the Scripture. First of all, however, I must give a brief introduction. When some Christians say that those who don t speak in tongues don t have the Holy Spirit, they do not mean that those who do not speak in tongues don t have the Holy Spirit at all, nor do they mean that they are not saved, but rather they mean that they have not yet received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which is an experience subsequent to the new birth. Therefore these Christians don t mean that a believer who doesn t speak in tongues is not saved or is not a son of God. However, they use an improper expression, which leads people to think that those who do not speak in tongues do not have the Holy Spirit. And indeed many believers understand that expression in that way, and when they hear it they get angry and feel offended since they don t 6

7 speak in tongues. Therefore that expression must be rejected and avoided even though some believers do not use it in order to say a wrong thing. However, there are some Christians who use that expression to mean that those who don t speak in other tongues don t have the Holy Spirit at all, thus they don t belong to Christ and are still lost. I am going to show that this meaning given to this expression is untrue. To do it adequately, however, I must first of all explain what speaking in tongues is, in that once I have explained it, it will be easier to understand why that expression is wrong. Now, according to the teaching of the Scripture, speaking in tongues is a spiritual phenomenon produced by the Holy Spirit in the believer when the believer is baptized (by Jesus Christ) with the Holy Spirit, that is to say, when the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. To be baptized with the Holy Spirit and to be filled with the Holy Spirit are expressions that refer to the same experience, for the Scripture says that just before Jesus was received up into heaven He told His disciples that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days ( For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence - Acts 1:5) and on the day of Pentecost (when the promise was fulfilled) they were filled with the Holy Spirit, as it is written: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). Now, what happened when they were filled with the Holy Spirit? They began to speak with other tongues (which means that before that moment they did not speak in other tongues) as the Spirit gave them utterance. That was the first time the disciples of the Lord spoke in tongues. Now, having established that speaking with other tongues follows immediately the filling up with the Holy Spirit, it is evident that speaking in tongues is a sign attesting that the believer has experienced the filling up with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if this spiritual phenomenon is missing that means that the believer is not filled with the Holy Spirit (that is, he is not baptized with the Holy Spirit). Does that mean, then, that the believer who doesn t speak in tongues, does not have the Holy Spirit since he is not filled with the Spirit? Not at all, for saying that a believer is not filled with the Holy Spirit is not tantamount to saying that he does not have the Spirit. Let me give you an illustration: if I say that my glass is not filled with water, I don t mean that inside my glass there is not a drop of water, I just mean that inside the glass there is not enough water to say it is full of water. Therefore there is some water inside the glass, but the water does not reach the rim of the glass. The same thing must be said about a Christian who is not filled with the Holy Spirit: he has a certain measure of the Holy Spirit, but he is not filled with the Holy Spirit. That s all. The believer who is not baptized with the Holy Spirit or filled with the Holy Spirit has anyway a certain measure of the Holy Spirit for he feels he belongs to Christ, he feels he is a son of God and he calls God Father. How can he have this assurance within him? Because of the witness of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in his heart. Paul explains this to the Romans when he says: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself [Himself] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (Romans 8:15-17). Therefore, a believer who has not yet been filled with the Holy Spirit, belongs to Christ, he is a son of God, because he has a measure of the Spirit, who is present within him since the moment he believed. If he did not have that measure of the Spirit, then he would not belong to Christ, as it is written: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (Romans 8:9), but since he has a measure of the Holy Spirit (for when he repented of his sins and believed in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit came to dwell in him) then he belongs to Christ. At this point, you may ask me this question: If he has a certain measure of the Holy Spirit, why does he need the baptism with the Holy Spirit? In other words, What does a believer filled with the Holy Spirit have more than a believer not filled with the Holy Spirit? The answer is this: he needs the baptism with the Holy Spirit in order to receive power from on high, for Jesus said to His disciples about the baptism with the Holy Spirit they would receive: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, 7

8 and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). So this is the difference between a believer filled with the Holy Spirit and a believer not filled with the Holy Spirit: the former has received power from on high, the latter has not yet received it. There are no doubts about it. And what about tongues? Obviously they are a sign that differentiates a believer filled with the Holy Spirit from a believer not filled with the Holy Spirit. Now I would like to say something about tongues, that is, something about their utility of which we hardly ever hear. He who speaks in a tongue, speaks to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). And what does he say to God? The apostle Paul says that in the spirit he speaketh mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2). And the same apostle explains what kind of mysteries the believer utters in the spirit, for he says that he prays and intercedes with other tongues, he gives thanks to God with other tongues, and he sings to God with other tongues. No matter if the believer speaks with only one foreign tongue or with several foreign tongues (in this case he has also the gift of diversities of tongues), the believer speaks to God. Is speaking to God useful? Of course, it is. In this case the believer intercedes for the saints in another tongue asking God - by the Holy Spirit - for certain things (unknown to the believer, yet known to the Spirit), he gives thanks to God for His benefits, he sings His praises in foreign tongues with spiritual words. All these things the believer does by the power of the Holy Spirit; all these things in other tongues, yes, in other tongues. Who will dare to say that these things are not useful? I think nobody. Therefore, if the ability to speak in other tongues is missing, the believer will not be able to pray with other tongues, to sing with other tongues, and to give thanks with other tongues. Somebody may say: Well, it suffices for me to pray and to give thanks and to sing to God in my own language! Brother, you are not speaking wisely, for if God has provided His children with the ability to pray, to give thanks and to sing to Him in another tongue or in several tongues, you cannot say that it suffices for you to speak to God in your own tongue. And please note that the One who has decreed this is God, the same God who created all things by His endless wisdom. It would be like saying that a person can walk even with only one leg! Of course he can, but he needs some crutches. But certainly he will not be able to run, he will not have the same abilities as those people who have two legs. Therefore, if this is what you wish, you can continue to pray, to give thanks and to sing to God only in your own language, but for sure you will have some limitations. Therefore, what differentiates the believers who speak with other tongues from those who don t speak in other tongues is not their belonging to the body of Christ or their salvation, but rather it is the power and the ability to pray, to give thanks and to sing to God with other tongues (that is, by the Spirit). Therefore, the right thing to say about those Christians who don t speak in tongues is this: They have not yet been baptized with the Holy Spirit, and thus they have not received power from on high, nor the ability to pray, to give thanks and to sing to God with other tongues by the Holy Spirit. Of course, I know that even this expression will irritate some of those believers who are not baptized with the Holy Spirit, however this is the truth. I conclude my answer by saying that he who is baptized with the Holy Spirit is not more saved than he who is not baptized with the Holy Spirit; he who is baptized with the Holy Spirit is not more important in the eyes of God than the one who is not baptized with the Holy Spirit; he who is baptized with the Holy Spirit is not a believer belonging to the first category while he who is not baptized with the Holy Spirit belongs to the second category; both the former and the latter are brothers in the Lord, both of them must be accepted in Christ, honored, loved and helped. However he who is already baptized with the Holy Spirit must say the truth also about this part of the counsel of God, that is, that those who do not speak with other tongues are not baptized with the Holy Spirit, even if the believer who is not baptized with the Holy Spirit will be offended by his words. 3. Are there any Christians who speak in tongues but actually are not baptized with the Holy Spirit? Yes, there are, and they are even very numerous. Many pastors as well as many sheep are not baptized with the Holy Spirit at all, even though they seem to have been baptized for they speak 8

9 with other tongues, which actually are not true tongues for these people have never experienced the baptism with the Holy Spirit. These people were able to counterfeit the baptism with the Holy Spirit because tongues are the outward sign attesting the baptism with the Holy Spirit, thus to them it was sufficient to invent some words, that is to say, to utter some vowels and some syllables, to give the impression to many that they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. In many cases, this took place because of the power of suggestion of some preachers who, by using expressions like Begin to speak a word, then speak another word, and you will see that little by little you will learn to speak with other tongues!, or Say Alleluia, Alleluia, or, Worship the Lord, surrender yourself to the Lord and you will see that you will begin to speak with other tongues or again Speak with tongues, speak with tongues, or You need to release the Holy Spirit, you have to let Him out. Just begin to offer Him sounds, just offer Him sounds, like a little child. Don t pay any attention to how you feel or how you sound. Just do it! persuaded them into uttering some words which looked like the speaking with other tongues produced by a true baptism with the Holy Spirit. However, just as in the natural field sooner or later a counterfeit product will be discovered, so in the spiritual field sooner or later a counterfeit baptism with the Holy Spirit will show itself for what it is. How will it prove to be false? Believers will discern it is a false baptism with the Holy Spirit by the following evidences. First of all, those who speak those words have not received power from on high, which was promised by the Lord to His disciples, as He said: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8), thus since they lack power it is impossible to believe that they have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Secondly, those who speak those strange words do not experience any edification inwardly, for a true speaking in other tongues edifies the believer who speaks in tongues, for the apostle Paul says that He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself (1 Corinthians 14:4). And thirdly, they do not speak those words because the Spirit gives them utterance or because the Spirit prompts them to speak those words, but because they try hard to speak those words, that is to say, because their speaking with other tongues is not a spontaneous phenomenon produced by the Holy Spirit but a complicated phenomenon produced by their craftiness and ability. Obviously, those who give the impression to be baptized with the Holy Spirit deceive themselves as well as the others. In my opinion, however, they cause the greatest damage to themselves for they wilfully deprive themselves of the power of God as well as of this glorious and useful spiritual phenomenon, which is speaking with other tongues that follows the true baptism with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, to come out of this diabolical deceit, they must stop speaking those meaningless expressions and begin to earnestly desire the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Since I know that very often a counterfeit baptism with the Holy Spirit is caused by the impatience of believers, I say to those believers who have not been baptized with the Holy Spirit: Have faith in God, wait patiently and confidently for the Lord to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. You must understand that when He baptizes you, you will not invent anything, for you will begin to speak with other tongues as the Spirit will give you utterance. 4. Many Christians affirm that the baptism with Holy Spirit is received when one is born again, while some others affirm that it is received after the new birth: who is right? It is the latter who are right, for according to the Scripture the baptism with the Holy Spirit is received after one has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are various biblical examples confirming this. The first example is that of the apostles of the Lord, who were already believers (and thus they were already born again) when they were baptized on the day of Pentecost. This is what we deduce from these words that Jesus said to the Father on the night He was betrayed: Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them (John 17:7-9

10 10). Therefore, the disciples of Jesus were already born of God prior to the day of Pentecost, on which they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, for they had believed that Jesus was the Christ sent by God into the world. Is it not written Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1)? It is true that between the arrest of Jesus and His first appearance to them the disciples had a period of confusion (for instance, Peter denied the Lord three times), and that when Jesus rose again they at first did not believe He was risen (for when the women told them that they had seen Jesus and He had spoken to them they believed not and their words seemed to them as idle tales - Luke 24:8-11), but it is also true that when Jesus appeared to them they believed He was risen: Thomas who was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them, when Jesus appeared to him too believed in Him. By the way, as for the appearances of Jesus to His disciples, I would like you to notice that when Jesus appeared to them He said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost (John 20:22), which is very important for it confirms that the disciples even before the day of Pentecost had the Spirit, or rather they had a measure of the Spirit, thus they belonged to Christ for the Scripture says that if anyone does not have the Spirit of God he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9). As I have just said, the disciples even before the day of Pentecost had a certain measure of the Holy Spirit; what then happened on the day of Pentecost when they were baptized with the Holy Spirit? Well, it came to pass that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and because of that filling up they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). Therefore, speaking with other tongues was the outward sign attesting that they had received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Another biblical example attesting the difference between the new birth and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, is that of the believers of Samaria. They believed the Good News preached to them by Philip and were baptized in water (Acts 8:12). However, since Philip did not have the gift of laying hands on believers that they might receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, those believers were only baptized in water. But when the apostles who were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them to pray for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. And this is what happened, for the apostles went there and laid their hands on those believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. Someone might say to me that in this case it is not written that those believers began to speak with other tongues. Well, it is true that it is not written, however those believers began to speak with other tongues, for it is written that Simon, who had believed in the Gospel as the others, saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given (Acts 8:18). How did Simon realize that those believers had received the Holy Spirit? Obviously, because he saw and heard them speaking with other tongues. The other biblical example is that of the about twelve disciples at Ephesus. Here is what Luke wrote: And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve (Acts 19:1-7). As you can see, those men Paul met at Ephesus were disciples of the Lord Jesus, thus they had believed in the Lord, but they had not yet been baptized with the Holy Spirit, in that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Therefore Paul laid his hands upon them that they might receive Him, and as in the other cases we saw before, the baptism with the Holy Spirit (or the filling up with the Holy Spirit) was accompanied by speaking with other tongues. 5. Is it possible for a Christian to be filled with the Holy Spirit without speaking in tongues? No, it isn t, because ever since the day of Pentecost when one is filled with the Spirit he begins immediately to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gives him utterance. 10

11 I have said ever since the day of Pentecost for it was on that day that this spiritual manifestation started to accompany the filling up with the Spirit. Here is what happened on the day of Pentecost to the about one hundred and twelve when they were filled with the Spirit: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,.. they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). Before the day of Pentecost one could be filled with the Holy Spirit without speaking in tongues. Here are a few examples of men who prior to that day were filled with the Spirit but did not speak in tongues. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was filled with the Holy Spirit but he did not speak with other tongues, he only prophesied (Luke 1:67); John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother s womb but he did not speak with other tongues (Luke 1:15); and Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit yet He did not speak with tongues (Luke 3:22; 4:1). Therefore, from the day of Pentecost on, tongues are the outward sign attesting that a person has been filled with the Holy Spirit, that is to say, that a person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit, for the filling up with the Holy Spirit is nothing but the baptism with the Holy Spirit. 6. Is it through the baptism with the Holy Spirit that one becomes a member of the Body of Christ? No, it isn t. Otherwise we should conclude that the apostles, before they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, were not members of the Body of Christ, that is, of the Church of Christ. Can we say such a thing about those men? No, for Jesus, before He was arrested, had said to them: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:1-5). Particularly, I would like you to notice that Jesus said He was the vine while His disciples were the branches of the vine; therefore since the branches are part of the vine, it is evident that the apostles were real believers even before they were baptized with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and so they were members of the Body of Christ. The above mentioned words were spoken by Jesus to His disciples before He suffered on the cross, but even after He suffered Jesus said to His disciples some words that make it clear that they were members of the Body of Christ. For instance, when Jesus appeared to His disciples He said: Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained (John 20:21-23). Therefore since the apostles had the Holy Spirit (a measure of the Holy Spirit) before the day of Pentecost, it is evident that the Holy Spirit bore witness with their spirit that they were children of God and thus members of the Church, even before the day of Pentecost, on which they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, let no one deceive you with empty words, brothers, for a believer is a member of the Body of Christ (that is, of the Church of God) even before he is baptized with the Holy Spirit. Whoever has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ is born of God, that is, he has been regenerated through the Word of God and the Spirit of the Living God. Therefore he is a son of God, and if he is a son, he is a member of the Church of God, that is, of the spiritual house in which God lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). One becomes a member of the Church of God when he believes, and not when he is baptized with the Holy Spirit and begins to speak with other tongues. 11

12 7. Is it right to ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of the Holy Spirit? In other words, is it correct to call upon the Holy Spirit in order to receive the Holy Spirit? No, it isn t. Because the One who gives the Holy Spirit is the Father, as it is written that God the Father hath also given unto us his holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8) and that Peter, referring to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the house of Cornelius, said to those who were of the circumcision: Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (Acts 11:17). Therefore Christians ought to call upon God the Father and not the Holy Spirit in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus Christ taught 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? (Luke 11:13). 8. Is it true that on the day of Pentecost tongues were given to evangelize? No, it isn t. Let me explain why. Now, Luke says: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine (Acts 2:1-13). First of all, note that those Jews, devout men, came together when they heard this sound (Acts 2:6 NIV) like the blowing of a violent wind, thus they arrived to that place while the disciples were already speaking with other tongues through the Holy Spirit. And what were the disciples saying in other tongues? They were declaring the wonders of God. This was noticed by those Jews who came together and heard them, for they realized that they were speaking in their own languages the wonders of God. I would like you to notice that all the disciples of the Lord were speaking the wonders of God, each one of them in a foreign language, yet all of them were speaking the wonders of God. Can those wonders of God, which they were declaring, include also the Gospel those Jews needed to hear? The answer is no. Why? Because the Gospel was preached to those Jews in the Hebrew language (the language they all could understand) by Simon Peter when he stood up with the eleven (after he heard some making fun of them saying they are full of new wine ). Here is what Peter preached to them: Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, 12

13 and by wicked hands have crucified and slain [you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross]: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [Hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell [Hades], neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:14-36). Now, I say this: If the about one hundred and twelve were preaching the Gospel in other tongues to those Jews, don t you think that Peter did not need to preach the Gospel to those Jews in the Hebrew language? Therefore, the disciples of Jesus, through their speaking in tongues were not addressing the unbelievers. And this is confirmed by the fact that those Jews were pricked in their heart after they heard the sermon that Peter preached to them in their language, as it is written: Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart. (Acts 2:37), and not when they heard them speaking in their own languages the wonders of God. On that occasion they were amazed and perplexed, but not pricked in their heart. Only when they heard Peter saying that Jesus, whom they had crucified, had been raised from the dead by God and made both Lord and Christ, were they pricked in their heart. And also by the fact that those Jews spoke to Peter and the other apostles these words: Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37), for if those Jews had already heard the Gospel in their own languages they would surely have heard that they had to repent and be baptized in the name of Christ, while the fact that after they had heard them speaking with other tongues they did not know what they had to do means that in those words the disciples spoke in other tongues was not included what the Jews had to do in order to be saved; it was after Peter preached the Gospel to them in the Hebrew language that they heard what they had to do. To believe that tongues are given in order to preach the Gospel is a mistake that many believers made at the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States of America when the Pentecostal revival broke out. For they believed that the tongues which they had received with the baptism with the Holy Spirit were for the purpose of evangelization and thus some of them went to foreign countries thinking that they would preach with those tongues, but after some time they returned to their country very disappointed. This mistake is still made by some believers for they don t know the following words of Paul: For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God (1 Corinthians 14:2). Please note how Paul says very clearly that tongues are directed toward God and not toward men. 9. Is there a gift of laying hands upon the believers that they may receive the Holy Spirit? Yes, there is such a gift. I deduce this from the answer Peter gave to Simon (a former wizard of Samaria, who had believed the Gospel preached by Philip the evangelist) when Simon offered Peter and John a sum of money to receive from them the power to lay hands on people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Here is the answer of Peter: Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money (Acts 8:20). Peter and John therefore had that particular gift, that is, the power to lay their hands on believers that 13

14 they might receive the Holy Spirit. Also the apostle Paul had that gift, for when he laid his hands upon the disciples at Ephesus they received the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues (Acts 19:6), and through the laying on of his hands Timothy received the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:6). Instead, Philip the evangelist did not have that gift, even though he was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and preached with boldness the Gospel of Christ and did many miracles in the name of Jesus Christ; I deduce this from the fact that even though the believers of Samaria believed through him, they did receive the Holy Spirit only when the apostles Peter and John prayed for them and laid their hands upon them (Acts 8:15-17). 10. Can a believer be filled with the Holy Spirit today and begin to speak with other tongues tomorrow, or after several days? No, such a thing is not possible because speaking in tongues follows immediately the filling up with the Holy Spirit. For on the day of Pentecost, when the about one hundred and twenty disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they immediately began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4); the same thing happened at the house of Cornelius when the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the words of Peter, as it is written: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God (Acts 10:44-46). And still the same thing happened at Ephesus when Paul laid his hands upon some disciples of the Lord, as it is written: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied (Acts 19:6). Therefore, speaking with another tongue (or with more than one foreign tongue) is the visible sign which appears immediately when a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. 11. Under the law when some people were filled with the Holy Spirit they did not begin to speak with other tongues, could you tell me why? Because God had decreed that speaking in tongues as the immediate sign of the filling up with the Holy Spirit would follow the filling up with the Holy Spirit from the day of Pentecost on. Why from the day of Pentecost on? Because God had determined that He would begin to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh on that day. It was on the day of Pentecost that these words of the prophet Joel began to be fulfilled: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18; Joel 2:28-29). Under the law, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given, that is to say, He had not yet been poured out (however, under the law, there were some people upon whom the Holy Spirit came or who were filled with the Holy Spirit). This was confirmed by Jesus when during the feast of Tabernacles He said: If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38), for John explained that this spake he of the Spirit, which [whom] they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:39). However, after Jesus was exalted to the right hand of God, He received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and poured out the Spirit upon the Church (Acts 2:33). Therefore, from the day of Pentecost on, the filling up with the Holy Spirit had to be followed always by an outward sign and that sign was the speaking with other tongues. And this is confirmed by three stories recorded in the Acts of the apostles, for in all of them it is said that when the Holy Spirit fell upon believers they spoke with other tongues: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the about one hundred and twenty disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 11:15), the 14