Proving Your Filling

Many people are misled by religion to believe that speaking in tongues is the sign of having been baptized with the Spirit of God. Although exercising that gift can be a sign of having been filled with the Spirit, it is not the sign. Problems caused by this include some people feeling condemned because they don’t experience this “sign” and other people simply faking the experience by making noise that keeps the religious police from accusing them of failure or of lack of devotion.

In the Book, some people who had just been filled with the Spirit prophesied, some spoke in tongues, and others were just overwhelmed with joy. In the quite likely event that you encounter some believer one day who questions the validity of your having been filled with the Spirit, looking for “the evidence of speaking in tongues,” be encouraged to direct them to Paul’s instruction on the matter to the congregations in Corinth: “It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.” (1 Corinthians 14:22-23 Holman Christian Standard Bible ©®), and then quiz them with regard to why they, being believers, would look for a sign which Paul suggested is intended for unbelievers. What’s that about?