Justice Newby reminded me of something with his speech. He spoke about how much you can learn by walking through a graveyard and looking at the headstones. Almost every headstone you see will have two numbers separated by a dash, the date of birth and the date of death separated by the lowly dash. That dash represents and punctuates the brevity of a person’s entire life. And should our Lord delay His return to us, I too will have my life represented by a dash; and so will you!

What will that dash represent of your life? Is it a life of self-fulfillment and excess, a life of comfort and ease, pain and trials, or a life of goodness and service to others? Whatever type of life you are living or faith you practice, there is one glaring, inescapable truth that we find in 2 Corinthians 5:10:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

All of us will one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will judge us for what we have done in this world. Will your works stand up to God’s test?

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”—1 Corinthians 3:12–13, (AV)

Charles Thomas Studd was an English evangelist and missionary born in 1860. He served in China, India and Africa. He is attributed as the author of the following poem:

Only what’s done for Christ will last. What have you done for Christ lately?

The post The Dash of Life appeared first on The Font Family.

First, there was my book. Writing “The Ultimate Guide to The SDLC” is the hardest task I’ve ever undertaken. It took 5 solid months working 60 to 80 hours a week to complete the first draft. Editing took another 2-3 months. The book published in December 2010.

Next came Colonial Job Seekers (CJS). CJS is an outreach ministry of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina. CJS was started over 10 years ago to help job seekers find their way after the loss of a job. It has grown to become the largest and most respected job seekers network in the Raleigh area with 200-300 people attending every Monday morning. I began attending regularly after writing the first draft of the book. It didn’t take very long before I was asked to join their leadership team and facilitate the Information Technology Special Interest Group. The greatest blessing for me in this ministry is William Zhou.

A friend had given me a ticket to attend a Business for Missions luncheon at a local country club. I’d never attended this particular group’s functions before and was excited for the opportunity. I ended up sitting next to the Vice President of Corporate Chaplains of America. As we chatted, he mentioned he had need in his organization for an IT resource. It didn’t take long for me to discover the job wasn’t a good fit for me, so I shared a bit about my role at CJS and offered to distribute his requirements to my job seeker mailing list. His number one requirement was someone with a Biblical World View.

A couple of weeks passed and at the end of one of our Monday morning CJS meetings. I was approached by William Zhou. He said, “I’m very interested in the position at Corporate Chaplains of America, but I don’t know what it means to have a Biblical world view.” I quickly located a Bible and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Twenty minutes later, William bowed his head and asked Christ to save him.

Just this evening I received the following email from William:

I would like to say thank you for leading me to Jesus Christ. The past half year was the best experience of my life since becoming a Christian. My wife became a Christian 3 weeks ago.

William was hired by Corporate Chaplains of America and thrives there.

Yes, the past two years have been filled with God’s blessings. Besides CJS, I’ve been deeply involved in my own churches outreach ministry. I’ve preached at Durham Rescue Mission and the Wake County Correctional Facility. Each week, I present the Gospel as part of our music ministry where we perform hour-long concerts at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. There isn’t a more rewarding feeling than knowing God used you to lead a soul to Himself and an eternity in Heaven.

The other day, I was out on a Daddy-Daughter date with Tori. On the way home she said to me, “Dad, I know you haven’t been making as much money as you did when you were working, but I never felt it.” Doesn’t that just say it all about our Gracious God and His endless provision in our lives? Thanks be to God!

The post Thanks Be to God—I’ve Landed!! appeared first on The Font Family.

I frequently browse the different LinkedIn groups to which I belong. Wherever possible, I answer questions people post in those groups. On the day under discussion, I happened to be browsing questions in the WordPress group. A young woman (judging from her photo) asked a question about a source for WordPress training. From the tone of her post I perceived that she was frustrated by her search for quality training. Most of the answers prior to mine were book recommendations. I decided to answer privately.

Recently, as a service to my web patrons, I added high quality video training sessions for WordPress. I sell the training for $1.00 per module for a total of $17.00. Not a bad price, when you consider that you’re getting almost 78 minutes of excellent, easy to follow tutorials, right? So I took compassion on this woman’s plight and wrote her to offer a free training account. Her reply?

“…although nothing is usually free, is there a catch?”

This sounds like cynicism to me. Does it to you? She didn’t trust my free offer, perhaps wondering if I had some nefarious purpose behind it. This got me to thinking. Why don’t more people accept the free gift of salvation from Jesus Christ? The Bible clearly teaches that salvation…eternal life in heaven…is a free gift from Jesus. There’s nothing we can ever do to be good enough to earn it on our own accord. Jesus freely offers it to all who will accept it.

I believe it’s because as humans, we’ve grown accustomed to being cynics. By definition, cynicism is a contemptuous distrust of human nature and motives, not Godly nature and motives which are always Pure and Holy. But as humans, we extend our cynicism to God and treat him as though He were just another human being, which He is not. Even though Jesus is a perfect human being, He is still our perfect God. As such, He is beyond the temptation of human nature and motives. When He says something is free, He means it with no strings attached! There’s no catch involved!

It’s easy to understand why people are cynical of other people. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” God’s Word is talking about the human heart in this passage, not God’s heart. Here are a couple of other verses to ponder:

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”—Psalm 18:30, (AV)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”—James 1:17, (AV)

God’s gift of salvation is a perfect gift that comes from above. When you think about a gift, when does it actually become yours? Every year many of us celebrate some occasion where we might present a gift to another. As we search for the perfect gift, something that will be cherished by the other person, we put a lot of love and thought into its selection. Don’t we?

After you’ve done all this shopping and have selected the perfect gift, it’s time to give the gift to your loved one. You wrap it up nicely and make it look real pretty. Maybe you put a bow on it and express the perfect sentiment in the card. You actually experience a little excitement as you prepare to present your gift to its intended recipient and imagine the look on their face and the joy they will experience when they open it.

But something happens when you arrive at their house. You walk through the front door carrying this beautiful gift. You go to hand it to the celebrant and they turn and walk away, never acknowledging the present you’ve prepared for them. You follow them around for a little while and say, “I have this gift for you.” Again and again, they walk away from you, never accepting the gift that you’ve worked so hard and sacrificed for. They just don’t believe that something so wonderful could be theirs for free. How does that make you feel?

Isn’t it the same with God? He sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to take the penalty of our sins onto Himself and die in our place on Calvary. Jesus is God’s gift to us. And God is sitting on His throne in Heaven offering this gift of Jesus Christ as the atonement for our sins. It’s completely free for the taking. There’s no catch!! How do you think it makes God feel when we turn our backs on the gift and refuse to accept it?

Don’t be cynical when it comes to God. His conduct is not motivated by self-interest. His conduct is motivated by His love interest in us. He wants us to receive the best He can offer. Accept His gift today. Tomorrow may never come.

The post There’s No Catch!! appeared first on The Font Family.

1. a : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something
b : one in which confidence is placed
2. a : dependence on something future or contingent : HOPE

I would love to be able to unconditionally trust people, but for the most part, I can’t. I’ve been stabbed in the back or thrown under the bus more times than I can count by people I trusted. Of course, my immediate family doesn’t count in this characterization. I categorically trust them. And even when that trust is somehow violated by a minor infraction, we talk things over, forgive one other, grow in grace, and move on. Yet, our families our human. The people we work with are human. The folks we fellowship with are human. Do you know what the Bible says about the human heart? Here’s what God inspired the prophet Jeremiah to write:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”—Jeremiah 17:9, (AV)

Can we ever place our trust in something so deceitful and desperately wicked? No, we can’t. There is One though, in Whom we can place our confidence, especially when it comes to planning our future. We can be totally assured and rely upon His character, ability, strength, and the truthfulness of His Word to guide us through our most difficult circumstances and the trials of life. In fact, again speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God says,

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”—Jeremiah 29:11, (AV)

Only God can surely know what goes on in our human hearts. After all, he is our Creator. As humans, we can’t even trust ourselves at times, let alone trusting others. We’ve all had circumstances where we’ve thought more highly of ourselves than we ought.

The Bible is clear. There is only One who is worthy of our unconditional trust, God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”—Proverbs 3:5–6, (AV)

When I lost my job in December of 2009 because of the greatest recession to hit the United States since the Great Depression, I never in my wildest imagination thought that I’d still be unemployed in August of 2011. Yet, here I am, a great employee still seeking to partner with a great employer to experience my next role in life. No matter what the results of the job search, I trust God with all of my heart to bring about the outcome, and my income for that matter. He has never failed me in the past, (though I’ve failed Him plenty), nor shall He fail me this time around. God is always faithful, God is always good, and I trust Him completely.

To sum this up, I’m going to rely on Job to express my closing thoughts on the matter:

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”—Job 13:15, (AV)

The post A Trust Story appeared first on The Font Family.

“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”—1 Corinthians 13:8–12, (AV)

There’s no doubt that the sign gift of tongues was important to the early church. But I can’t think of an issue that creates more contention amongst believers than the discussion of whether or not tongues is a gift for today’s church. Those of you who have had an experience with tongues believe it is for today. Those who have been brought up in a fundamentalist background know its not for today. But we all can’t be right and truthfully, there’s no sense arguing over it.

As human beings we often let our experiences trump God’s Word. Experiences can be extremely powerful motivators. But God’s Word is supposed to be our ultimate authority, isn’t it? If not, then we are believing something that isn’t true no matter how real it is.  We are believing what 2 Thessalonians 2:9, (AV) calls “signs and lying wonders.” “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

Our decision to believe that tongues are for today or not hinges upon our understanding of one single verse of Scripture. That’s 1 Corinthians 13:10, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.” Specifically, our decision hinges on the first part of that verse, “But when that which is perfect is come…” What is “that which is perfect?” It all boils down to what we believe the “that which is perfect” actually is.

Some believe “that which is perfect” is Jesus Christ Himself at His second coming. There are some problems with this. The word translated from the Greek as perfect is “teleion.” Teleion is an adjective that means” brought to its end, finished.” or “wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” The entire phrase translated “that which is perfect” is “To Teleion.” “To” (that which) is an definite article of neutral gender. This does not describe Jesus Christ, nor is Christ ever referred to in the Bible with the name “Perfect” even though we know He is.

“That which is perfect” cannot refer to the Holy Spirit either. When 1 Corinthians was written, the Holy Spirit had already entered the picture. The only safe conclusion that we can come to is that “that which is perfect” refers to something of neutral gender that is not yet complete but is anticipated by Paul to be completed in the indefinite future. What could that be?

I believe “that which is perfect” refers to the completed canon of Scripture. The Holy Bible. Here is why I believe this:

1. The early church had special needs
2. They did not have a complete New Testament
3. They needed authentication of these revelations by miracles and signs. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”—Hebrews 2:3–4, (AV)
4. The New Testament was finally completed and is the “living and powerful” word of God.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”—Hebrews 4:12, (AV)

As I’ve stated previously, the gift of tongues was used only in the transitional period between Law and Grace and that the sign gifts continued through the time of the Apostles while the New Testament was in the process of being written and completed. So if this all true, what are people experiencing today? What is the source of the experiences often accompanied by feelings of euphoria and spiritual highs? Why are people not turning to God’s Word to understand the truth? Why are people allowing experience and emotion to trump the authority of God’s Word?

It all comes back to 2 Thessalonians 2:9, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” As I stated in Speaking in Tongues—Part 1, today we are witnessing a growing phenomenon of satanic activity in the realm of the miraculous. Where the Devil does not succeed in taking the Bible from us, he works hard at taking us from the Bible. Sadly, when he succeeds in getting Christians to focus their attention on some supernatural experience, those seeking after the experience have neither the time nor interest in searching the Scriptures for God’s truth.

I do believe God is still in the miracle business today. But as for the sign gifts, the Bible speaks for itself, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:”—1 Corinthians 1:22, (AV). “Greeks” here means gentiles.

And when speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus said, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.”—Matthew 16:4, (AV)

So if you fall into the camp that believes experience and euphoria trump God’s Word, won’t you please seek God’s wisdom from His Word instead? I’ve known many great men of God…great soul winners who have led hundreds, maybe thousands to the Lord. Not one of them ever spoke in tongues.

The post Speaking in Tongues—Conclusion appeared first on The Font Family.

• Is for Jewish unbelievers
• Is always acknowledged as a known human language when documented in Scripture
• Is used as a missionary or evangelistic tool
• Confirms the message of the Gospel

Today, we are going to evaluate what the Bible teaches is the proper use of tongues in church worship practices. First, tongues are not a prayer language. Look at Romans 8:26-27:

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will ofGod.”

Human beings are inherently weak spiritually. Now there’s nothing wrong with asking God for things or for His blessing on people, but the most overused word in our prayer lives is the word “bless.” But even Paul had difficulty at times knowing the right things to pray for, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” It’s during times like these that the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter, makes “for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

What does this mean? If something cannot be uttered, is it audible to those around us? Of course not! When the Holy Spirit inspires us with “groanings which cannot be uttered,” they are conscious, deep and intense yearnings moving us and teaching us to pray. We may still not be able to put our requests of God into a definite form, or even express them in words; but we know that God knows the meaning of what His own Spirit has inspired (V.27). Even apart from the faith and inspiration of the Gospel, the internal consciousness of our souls, with their yearnings after something as yet unseen, is one of the most cogent evidences of a life to come. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

A more serious problem arises in the understanding of the 21 references to tongues in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. There are those who insist that the tongues in 1 Corinthians are ecstatic utterances not known in any country on earth. They base their conclusion on the term “unknown” which appears in 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 13, 14, 19, and 27. But the student of God’s Word must not fail to observe that the word “unknown” is italicized in every place where it appears. This means that it does not occur in any Greek manuscript but was inserted by the translators. Translations are not inspired. Only the original autographs as dictated to men by the Holy Spirit are inspired. The Holy Spirit did not inspire Paul to write that the tongue is unknown. All the usages of tongues in Paul’s treatment of the subject refer to foreign languages. “So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into air” (1 Corinthians 14:9)

Let’s keep something in mind about the Corinthian church, it was one messed up body of believers. Paul’s letters to them were to instruct them in proper Christian conduct and behavior. When tongues were used in the church, Paul establishes rules in 1 Corinthians 14:27-28 for their orderly use:

“If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and thatby course; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. ”—1 Corinthians 14:27–28, (AV)

When used in the church, at the very most only three people were permitted to speak in tongues. They needed to speak in turn and not all at the same time; and one of them must be an interpreter to translate what was being said to the entire congregation. If there was no interpreter present, tongues were not permitted. Is that the way tongues are being used in churches today? Are today’s churches following this Scriptural precept? Based on your experience, if you answered “no” to either of these questions, the use of tongues is unscriptural. That church is not following God’s Word regardless of how wonderful or emotional the experience.

There is never any reason for anyone to speak except to converse intelligibly. The term that is used to identify tongues in the Bible is “glossolalia,” made up of two Greek words, glossa (language or tongue) and lalia (speech). The Greek word laleo means “I speak.” The word is never used for mere sound or noise. Nor is it used for the mumbling or muttering of unintelligible gibberish. The tongues-speaking in the New Testament was in the native languages of the people hearing them. The supernatural phenomenon which took place at Pentecost was the exercise of a gift whereby many people from many countries, gathered at Jerusalem, heard God’s message in their own language. This was indeed a miracle of God.

It’s an arbitrary and strange interpretation of Scripture that makes tongues-speaking in the New Testament anything other than known human languages. There is no trace of Scriptural evidence that tongues were ever heard by anyone as incoherent, incomprehensible babbling.

We’ll conclude our Bible study on Speaking in Tongues in our next lesson.

The post Speaking in Tongues—Part 4 appeared first on The Font Family.

“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.”—Acts 2:4–6, (AV)

Acts 2 describes the events that occurred on the day of Pentecost. As the Apostles and those that waited with them in the upper room received the sign gift of tongues, the tongues were used as a missionary or evangelistic tool in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11 (AV) which says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”

Acts 2:5 says, “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.” There was no need for the disciples to learn other languages before they could communicate the Gospel. God overcame the language barrier through the miracle-gift of tongues.

When the disciples “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4), the hearers responded with the question, “And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”—Acts 2:8, (AV).

Those attending the feast were “Jews” from other countries who spoke many languages and dialects, and yet each heard the Gospel in his own tongue. Whenever tongues are used in Scripture, they are always acknowledged as a known human language. They would have to be wouldn’t they, if their purpose is to convince the Jewish unbelievers of the Gospel and fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy?

The people who heard the Gospel message preached in their own languages (tongues) responded in great numbers. “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”—Acts 2:41, (AV)

The second mention of speaking in tongues occurs in Acts 10:46:

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision [Jews] 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. Then answered Peter, ”—Acts 10:44–46, (AV)

On this occasion the use of tongues was to communicate the Gospel and to confirm the message of the Gospel to the believing Jews who accompanied Peter. As a result, Cornelius and his house became believers. Later, when relating this experience, Peter associates it with Pentecost. He says, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning” (Acts 11:15). At the house of Cornelius, tongues-speaking was a sign to the Jews present at a time when the Gospel was being communicated.

The third passage in Acts in which speaking in tongues is recorded is Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.”

Again the purpose of tongues was missionary and evangelistic. When Paul came to Ephesus he encountered twelve disciples of John the Baptist. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Ghost when (not since) you believed?” (Acts 19:2, see the R.V.). These at Ephesus considered themselves to be Christians because they had heard the message of John through Apollos. You see, there is a belief unto salvation and a belief that does not result in salvation. The latter is merely an academic, intellectual belief that even Satan and the demons demonstrate (James 2:19. cf. Mark 5:7).

There are undoubtedly people today who have a belief in the historical Jesus Christ as a man and maybe even the Son of God, but who have not been saved. Paul suspected that such was the case with the disciples of John whom he met at Ephesus. When he learned they were not saved, he told them they must trust Christ for their salvation. We can understand the confusion they might have experienced, therefore some evidentiary sign was necessary. “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). Again the purpose for speaking in tongues is obvious, namely, to communicate the Gospel message.

These are the only instances of tongues-speaking recorded in the Bible. Except for the passage in 1 Corinthians, none of the later Epistles even mention speaking in tongues. Many of you will probably disagree when I say the gift was used only in the transitional period between Law and Grace and that the sign gifts continued through the period of the Apostles while the New Testament was in the process of being written. But I’d like to encourage you to stay with the study as we move into Speaking in Tongues—Part 4 so you can see what God says about the matter.

The post Speaking in Tongues—Part 3 appeared first on The Font Family.

²¹In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
²³If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
²⁴But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
²⁵And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on hisface he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

In meditating on these verses, I first defined the term “prophesying” as it applies to these verses so we would all be on the same page. Then, I asked you to consider the following two questions:

1. Is prophesying (preaching) for believers…or unbelievers?
2. Are tongues for believers…or unbelievers?

In today’s study, we’ll tackle these question, but let’s start with the first question, “Is prophesying (preaching) for believers…or unbelievers?”

The answer to this question lies in verses 22 and 24:

²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

According to verse 22, prophesying (preaching) is for “them which believe.”

In verse 24 we read, “²⁴But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:”

According to verse 24, prophesying (preaching) is for them “that believeth not” because it convinces them of the truth.

So which is it then, is prophesying for believers or unbelievers?

Likewise, let’s look at the second question, “Are tongues for believers…or unbelievers?” This time the answer is in verse 22 and 23.

²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

According to verse 22, tongues are a sign “to them that believe not.”

²³If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

According to verse 23, tongues are not a sign for unbelievers.

So where does this leave us, so far from this passage of scripture we learn:

• Prophesying (preaching) is for them that believe.
• Prophesying (preaching) is for them that believeth not.

And…

• Tongues are for them that believe not.
• Tongues are not for them that believe not.

Apparent contradictions like these are the very reason why we must very carefully study Scripture. God does not make mistakes and His Word is perfect. There are no mistakes or contradictions in His Word. If that’s true, then apparent contradictions must be the result of our lack of understanding. So let’s dive more deeply into God’s Word to see if we can make sense of these apparent contradictions.

First, verse 21 begins, “In the law it is written…” As Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he is quoting the Old Testament. “The law” here refers to Old Testament Scripture. Where can we find Paul’s quotation in the Old Testament? We can find the portion of Scripture Paul is quoting in Isaiah 28:11. For context, let’s read Isaiah 28:9-11:

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, andthere a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”

Next we have to ask ourselves, who is the audience addressed in Isaiah 28? We find the answer in Isaiah 28:1:

“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!”

The audience in Isaiah 28:1 is national Israel (all Jews) as represented by Ephraim. When we understand the audience as addressed in context, 1 Corinthians 15:22 takes on a whole other meaning.

²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

“Wherefore” means because of what is written in Isaiah to the Jews, we understand verse 22 to say,

Tongues are for a sign to Jewish unbelievers and prophesying (preaching) is for Jewish believers.

In 1 Corinthians 15:23, Paul addresses a different audience. He is no longer quoting Scripture addressed to the Jews, he is addressing the New Testament church at Corinth. The New Testament church at Corinth is comprised of Gentiles, so Paul is now addressing the Gentiles. Understanding that Paul is addressing the Gentiles brings verses 24 and 25 into a brand new light. In the New Testament church, Paul says that tongues are not for Gentile unbelievers and prophesying (preaching) is for Gentile unbelievers. Laid out side by side as we did earlier, we see there is no contradiction at all.

• Prophesying (preaching) is for the Jews that believe.
• Prophesying (preaching) is for the Gentiles that believe not.

And…

• Tongues are for the Jews that believe not.
• Tongues are not for the Gentiles that believe not.

Why is this important? Because once we understand that the Bible teaches tongues are a sign for Jewish unbelievers, we’ll more easily understand what God’s Word teaches about the proper use of tongues which we’ll cover in Speaking in Tongues—Part 3.

The post Speaking in Tongues—Part 2 appeared first on The Font Family.

Speaking in tongues the great church divider. Whether it means dialects, heavenly language or it simply doesn’t exist any more, why is it such a divider among the family of God?

Before I sat down to write this post today, I checked the responses to this question. There were 402 of them. From what I was able to scan, the responses fall largely into the category of opinion, experience and partial Bible exposition. Not one of the responses that I read pointed anyone to what the Word of God really teaches on the topic.  To ignore the Word of God on this matter is to fall under the admonition found in Proverbs 21:2 (AV), “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”

Now I know that any Bible study on the topic of Speaking in Tongues or any of the sign gifts for that matter is controversial. Those who have had a sign gift experience will hold fast to that experience, often weighing the experience above the authority of God’s Word. I will never discount the power of the experience you may have had, but I will challenge you to discern the spirit behind it.

I had a speaking in tongues experience myself when I attended a charismatic church in Newark, NJ. I was in my early twenties and newly saved. (You can read about my salvation experience in A Stitch in Time Saves.) One night during a prayer meeting in the sanctuary, I decided to go forward to receive communion. I had never received communion before nor had I ever studied the catechism. I attended Catholic churches throughout high school because my best friends are Catholic, not for any desire of my own. The truth is that I just wanted to experience communion for myself and try to understand why it means so much to so many.

Well, that night I went forward for communion. As soon as the host touched my tongue, I experienced the supernatural. In my mind and spirit, I started praying in tongues. I felt wide awake and filled with an emotional high I had never before encountered. I couldn’t sleep that night and the experience lasted all of about 48 hours before it ceased. I wondered what it was all about and filed it away in my heart as a wonderful experience. But when I started studying God’s Word, I began to question the source of my supernatural experience. Was it from God or from some other supernatural source?

Today we are witnessing a growing phenomenon of satanic activity in the realm of the miraculous. Where the Devil does not succeed in taking the Bible from us, he works hard at taking us from the Bible. When he succeeds in getting Christians to focus their attention on some supernatural experience, those seeking after the experience have neither the time nor interest in searching the Scriptures for God’s truth. The tool that God has given us to discern the spirits is His Word, not our feelings, emotions or rationale.

Based on the study of God’s Word and despite my experience, I absolutely believe that speaking in tongues is not for today. You may hold a different opinion, and that’s okay. But if God’s Word is our authority for all doctrinal matters, then what it teaches must trump our experience and rationale; and our experiences must be examined in the light of Scripture to discern the spirit behind them.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”—2 Timothy 3:16–17, (AV)

To begin our study, let’s meditate on 1 Corinthians 14:21-25 (AV),

²¹In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
²²Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
²³If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
²⁴But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
²⁵And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

So there’s no confusion over what “prophesying” means in these verses. The word in Greek is “propheteia” which means “a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden.” In other words, prophesying here means preaching.

As you meditate on these verses, ask yourself two questions:

1. Is prophesying (preaching) for believers…or unbelievers?
2. Are tongues for believers…or unbelievers?

We’ll study these questions in depth in Speaking in Tongues—Part 2.

The post Speaking in Tongues—Part 1 appeared first on The Font Family.

• A Threefold Cord of Christian Conduct
• The Motives for Fasting
• The Esther Fast
• The Daniel Fast
• The Self-examination Fast
• The Dominion Fast

I also gave you enough information for you to study these fasts on your own:

• The Fast Before Battle
• Fasting to Lift God’s Judgment from One’s Life
• The Fast for Healing

Today, we’re going to examine one last fast that hasn’t been mentioned before. Yet, it drives home a threefold understanding of the results of Godly fasting. We find this fast in Ezra 8:21:

“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”

In Getting on the Fast Track—Part 4, you were asked to keep in mind the specific reasons for your fast. If God asked you to list the top three things you want Him to do in your life and family, you should be able to articulate these reasons and keep them before the Throne of Grace during your fast.

In this verse Ezra is proclaiming a called fast for all the Israelites who accompanied him from Babylon to keep three very powerful and specific reasons for the fast before God: “to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.” What does this teach us?

First, we fast to seek of God the right way for us. If we truly seek God’s will in our lives, God will reveal the right way to you and help you during the transitions. He’ll give you the wisdom you need to accomplish the challenges He’s set before you. He’ll give you the direction that you need as you seek answers to these or similar questions:

• Should I take that opportunity?
• Should I go for that job?
• Should I go to that college?
• What should I do?
• Should I be this or should I do that?

Before we make any decisions in life, we should determine to fast to seek Him and the right way for our lives.

Second, you should fast for your little ones, your children. In Isaiah 58:6-12, God makes a remarkable statement. For the sake of space, I won’t print the entire portion of Scripture here. You can look that up for yourself. We shall look at three key verses:

“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? ”—Isaiah 58:6, (AV)

“Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; ”—Isaiah 58:9, (AV)

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. ”—Isaiah 58:12, (AV)

When we enter into God’s fast, He promises, “thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations;”

• Do you desire to establish a godly heritage for your family?
• Do you have family relationships that need to be restored?
• Are you praying for a lost loved one?
• Do you have children who have walked away from the Lord?
• Are you concerned about the future of your grandchildren?
• Are you praying for the salvation of family members?

God said you will raise up a foundation for many generations when you fast. Ezra fasted and prayed “for our little ones.” Something begins to happen in the homes of people who fast. The house of faith is built and it extends from generation to generation.

Third, we learn from Ezra that we should fast for substance. We fast to petition God about our substance, our resources, and our finances. We affirm to God that He is our Source. We plead with Him to bless us financially and materially.

Conclusion

When we fast, we are seriously seeking God’s face. Fasting disrupts business as usual. Is that what you are looking for? Are you crying out to God to do something in you that He has never done before? Are you tired of business as usual? Then get ready and begin your fast!

The post Getting on the Fast Track—Conclusion appeared first on The Font Family.