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Old Solar – The Gift of Tongues
Portal
to Supernatural Power: Sixth of Seven
Wherever the Spirit is, there are spiritual gifts following. A spirit-filled believer may be used in one or many at once. Though they may lie dormant, these "gifts" await their "stirring up" and use by those who will boldly receive them and step out. |
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Faith & Science
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1
Corinthians 12:1-11; 14:1,5
We look now
to spiritual resources in general, and the gift of tongues in particular.
An
Introduction to the Supernatural Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NIV) {1} Now about
spiritual gifts (pneumatikon),
brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
The church at Corinth was on fire with the
Set-apart Spirit. Paul writes because there was a great move, and those who were
moving in the Spirit requested sound teaching from the master teacher. For Paul
was a Spirit-baptized man, born into apostolic ministry by the Spirit, and
taught the great overarching themes of Scripture by the same Spirit. He was an expert in spirituality -- he had
been to the third Heaven of Yahweh -- yet that was so mystifying to him, he
couldn't write down what he saw. Yet now he writes this letter with the purpose
of systematizing the unsystematic reality of the Spirit realm.
We humans have the propensity for taking any
spontaneous move of the Spirit and organizing it - often right out of
existence. But Paul must do this very thing - organize supernatural spiritual
manifestations - because of the limited spiritual sensitivity of people
whose minds must put even the Set-apart Spirit to order. So in our study of
spiritual things,
Limit
not the Set-apart Spirit
I hope to
likewise make some sense of the supernatural "gifts" to you today, so
that you might covet the best gifts, and be filled with power for Kingdom-style
living.
1 Corinthians 12:{2} You know that when
you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute
idols. {3} Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of
Yah says, "Yahshua be cursed," and no one can say, "Yahshua is
Yahweh," except by the Set-apart Spirit.
Paul is here teaching a method by which a
skeptic may readily determine if someone is filled with the Set-apart Spirit or with
an unclean spirit. An unclean spirit can’t proclaim through a person's mouth
that "Yahshua is Yahweh" by virtue of his shed blood. It is not just a
matter of saying "Yahshua is Yahweh," but proclaiming everything that
phrase entails. A demon can by no means plead the blood of Yahshua, for it will
mean its end.
There are many Messiahians today who would
like us to believe that spiritual manifestations like tongues are of the devil.
These poor, misled, spiritually dead souls might do well to apply Paul's test
before attributing what may be from Set-apart Spirit to the devil: to do so
and be wrong is to commit the unpardonable sin.
1 Corinthians 12:{4} There are different
kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. {5} There are different kinds of service,
but the same Yahweh. {6} There are different kinds of working, but the same Yah
works all of them in all men. {7} Now to each one the manifestation of the
Spirit is given for the common good.
Paul now is teaching that, though there are
many spiritual resources, they do not come from gods, as the pagans believed.
Rather, all benevolent spiritual gifts have a common origin -- the Set-apart Spirit
-- and they may manifest in ecstatic experiences. But in the end, the "gifts" always culminate in good
works to strengthen the whole body of Messiah.
The List of
Supernatural Spiritual Gifts and their Uses
1 Corinthians 12:{7a} To one there is
given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of
knowledge by means of the same Spirit, {9} to another faith by the same Spirit,
to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, {10} to another miraculous
powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to
another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the
interpretation of tongues.
I call these the "Supernatural
Spiritual Resources" because they all deal with suspending or influencing
three-dimensional reality through the power of the fourth (or spiritual)
dimension.
{11} All these are the work of one and the
same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Wherever the
Spirit is, there are spiritual gifts following. A spirit-filled believer may be
used in one or many at once. Though they may lie dormant, these
"gifts" await their "stirring up" and use by those who will
boldly receive them and step out. Think of a person who is engaged in godly
ministry as a powerful wheel. Think of the gifts of the spirit as spokes, with
the hub of the wheel being a love that is as active as it is empathic, all
these mounted on the axle of the Set-apart Spirit. All the parts must be in place
for the wheel to function in moving the vehicle from place to place.
Why Pursue
Spiritual Resources
Hear how
Paul admonishes the "big wheels" of Corinth:
(1
Corinthians 14:1,5) {1} Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual
gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. {5} I would like every one of you to
speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is
greater (of greater use to the body) than one who speaks in tongues, unless he
interprets, so that the church may be edified.
It might be
enough to answer the question, "Why go after these spiritual gifts?"
very simply: Because "The Bible tells us to." If we believe that we
were once spirit-babes, then wouldn't it make sense that we should grow up in
spirituality?
Paul testifies, "When I was a child, I
spoke like a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."
He is speaking here of moving like a powerful wheel onward and upward from
carnal church traditions to the mighty realm of the Spiritual. He tells us in chapter 14 that the gifts of
tongues and prophecy are essentials for a strong and spiritually mature church.
Speaking in tongues strengthens the individual, and prophecy strengthens the
body of believers. These two gifts are spiritual exercise machines which, when
used regularly, keep us from becoming potatoes of the pew, for they are the
power tools for Kingdom building.
Tracing
Tongues Through Scripture
Now having briefly introduced the spiritual
gifts, let's explore one gift more thoroughly, the gift of tongues, because it
was the first one received when the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, and
because it is the most common gift in operation today.
Do you remember the story of Babel's tower
(Genesis 11)? In the beginning, all
creation spoke the same language. Yahweh spoke to angels in one language,
Yahweh spoke to humans in that same language; and humans spoke to angels in
that same language. The prophet Isaiah
tells us that Yahweh confused human language because the great king of Babylon,
in collusion with fallen angels, boasted that he would build a high tower into
Heaven then steal the power from Yahweh and "make himself like the Most
High" (Is 14:14).
The result of Babylon's folly has caused
thousands of years of divisions and wars, has pared us into hostile nations and
peoples, created tyrants and slaves. There are thousands of languages today,
and thousands of divisions. And this is why we call unintelligible prattling
"babble;" a person who babbles talks but is not understood. The
babble of misunderstanding has divided nations, families, and churches.
In the
context of the world's babbling, Yahweh promised that there would come the
great day in which he would bring back a unity of Spirit and also of language,
so that those who followed him might overcome all division and take part in the
new heaven and earth. Yes, there is to come a time when all creation will again speak the undivided language of Heaven, so that all who serve Yahshua Messiah might be united into one great, benevolent theocratic society. The Bible calls this "The Kingdom of Heaven." Weekly we pray "Thy Kingdom Come..." The gift of tongues shows us that the Kingdom has, in significant measure, come through the restoration of the heavenly language. Hear the words of the prophet concerning the restoration of a common language: |
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(Zephaniah 3:9-10) At that time (says Yahweh) I will change the
speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name
of Yahweh and serve him with one accord. {10} From beyond the rivers of
Ethiopia (as far as far) my suppliants, my scattered ones, shall bring my
offering.
Yah is here
promising to restore the "pure Speech" of Heaven when Messiah returns
in victory and vengeance to rule and to judge. The wonderful fact is, the final
outpouring of the Set-apart Spirit has already begun; indeed, we are in the final
years of it. For in this century
Yahweh has fulfilled this prophecy. He has poured out his heavenly
language on humanity as a sign that his Kingdom and Messiah are on the way.
This outpouring has been universal in scope, disregarding of denominational and
doctrinal lines, incorporating hundreds of millions of people, and creating a
unity of spirit among believers unlike ever before.
So many of our kind don't have a
clue as to the significance of this century's outpouring, with its signs and
wonders. That's because the move of the Set-apart Spirit is like the wind -- if you want
to be wind-blown, you've got to go outside where it's blowing. We'll
never feel the refreshing breezes of the Set-apart Spirit
unless we move to where the Spirit is moving.
Tongues Four
Ways
One might rightly ask, "I don’t
understand what somebody is saying in tongues.
What good is a language nobody understands? Isn't that just babble?" In answer: Speaking in tongues is understood by Yahweh and often
by angels. It allows us to speak to the Almighty directly. And these languages
are interpreted they allow Yahweh to speak to a congregation or individual
directly as well. The resource of tongues or languages works four ways,
according to scripture and our experience of working in this gift for 35 years.
1. The first
way is demonstrated in the scripture in Acts 2, when those in the upper room
were given the ability to speak human languages they’d never learned. All the
strangers in town heard the disciples of Yahshua praising G-d in their own
native languages. Thus this kind of "tongues" enables a person to
speak the things of Yah to another person of different language.
A simple example: When I was a schoolboy,
my mother and I were baptized in the Set-apart Spirit. She asked Yahshua to give her a heavenly language and she received.
I was in the eighth grade studying Latin in school. One evening I passed her bedroom and heard her praying. The words
were "Amo Deus" -- over and over again. I barged in. "Mom, where
did you learn Latin?" I asked. "Oh, is that Latin?" she replied.
"I was just praying!" This was a sign to me; I was learning Latin
from school, and my mother was learning it too directly from Yahshua. ("Amo
Deus" means, "I love you G-d.")
2. The second way Yahweh uses the Heavenly
Language is in tandem with another gift, the interpretation of tongues.
We find this use demonstrated in Acts 19:6, where the Ephesian believers, after
they had been baptized with the Set-apart Spirit, "spoke in tongues and
prophesied." This is where one person speaks in a language nobody
understands, then another person receives the translation from the Set-apart Spirit
in a like manner, i.e. English. This is so that Yahweh may speak a
special word, or "prophecy," to an individual or group. Mignon and I
often work together in "tongues and interpretations" when the Spirit
has a special word for someone's situation. When the Set-apart Spirit speaks to you
in this fashion, through tongues and interpretation, you’d better listen!
3.
A third way “tongues” can be used is against evil spirits. This understanding doesn’t come directly
from Scripture but from experience. I
am inspired to use a language this way when casting out demonic
tormenters. I can only assume that this
is Yahshua speaking through me directly to the tormenting spirit not unlike he
did in the Bible accounts many times.
3. The other way Yah uses the Heavenly
Language is demonstrated in the Bible in Acts 10:46. The people of Cornelius'
household were "speaking in tongues and praising Yah." It is in this
event that, through prayer and waiting, Yah gives a person the ability to speak
the heavenly language directly unto Him in praise, petition and glorification.
Once this type of tongue-gift is received, it doesn’t cease until death, unlike
the other types of tongues.
One may speak praise to Yah and edify
oneself any time and in any place. Some folks call this their "prayer
language." Paul tells us that this kind of prayer is strengthening.
Indeed, when we pray in this way, we not only glorify Yah beyond our natural
capacity, but we also bring incredible joy into our own spirit being.
I call praying in tongues "the perfect
prayer" because one's spirit prays directly to Yah, by-passing the mind.
Every serious Messiahian should ask diligently for the perfect prayer. Of all
the spiritual gifts, this is the most valuable to the individual believer, and
takes the least faith to receive.
"Old
Solar"
I told you that the language of tongues was
the language of Heaven, yet people may hear Latin, or Chinese, or who knows
what. That is because the language of tongues is in fact one language; and it
is all languages together, but above all, it is spiritual language.
The great Messiahian apologist C. S. Lewis
gave a name to this kind of heavenly language. He called it "Old
Solar." He believed it to be the reuniting force throughout Yahweh’s
universe. And you may receive "Old Solar" as a gift for the asking.
There is nothing to fear, for, if you’re reborn in the image of Yahshua, Old
Solar is to be your natural language anyway. For your English is artificial,
having been forced upon you by your society.
In May of 1994 I met an elderly Nazi
visiting from Austria. After I had preached the church service, he approached
me and said, "Your name is Schneider -- you're a kraut like me.
Sprechen-sie Deutch?" I said, "Ich vershtay nicht die Deutch" ("I
don't understand German.") Then he said to me, "You see, they have
not only stolen your glorious German heritage, but the Anglos have also stolen
your precious, native language."
But this
Nazi was wrong. I was taught English, and it took me years of hard
labor. I could learn German if I wanted to. Yet I acquired fluency in
"Old Solar" over a period of years with no effort but prayer
effort, and with just a little practice. It came as naturally as a baby's
prattle. This tells me that German is not my native tongue, nor is English; Old
Solar is. I can pray the perfect prayer and get results, even though I've never
formally been taught that language.
In Old Solar, there are no words for
cursing Yah; there are no words that denigrate others; there are no expressions
that serve to demean one’s self. There are only words of praise and adoration,
words of help and healing toward others, words of edification and godly
expression toward self, words of education and uplifting, and words of unity
and never division. Those who use the gift of tongues to divide just don't
understand. For Old Solar is the
perfect language spoken by the children of Yah all over the earth, and by the
departed saints and angels in Heaven. And it is a heavenly gift to you who
believe in Messiah's coming and trust his promises.
Now don't you want to learn this language
without having to learn it? You should, because you will have to learn it when
you get in the Resurrection, and it may not be so easy then. It's best you seek
your language now as a gift from the Almighty. Paul said, "Seek the best
gifts." Just ask Yah for your Perfect Prayer. Ask diligently, then live in expectation of receiving, and you
shall. My Perfect Prayer, A Song
Listen to it!
When I speak to Yah I pray the Perfect
I asked for his gift - to pray the Perfect
When I speak to Yah, I pray the Perfect
Now years have gone by but still the
Perfect Jackson Snyder, July 19, 1992, updated January 23, 2002
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