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Status: is logged in The Third View of Tongues Intro Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Epilogue Appendix A Appendix B Notes

Thank God for this scripture: "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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 11:11-13).

But can it be claimed as certain assurance that those who insist upon a tongues experience contrary to scriptures will never get a stone or serpent?

If this scripture can be used in this way, why then the manifestation of false gifts on every side? For example, I know personally a former preacher who finally discovered his gifts were not of God. I was in the counselling room when he was converted. During his Bible college days I had occasional contact with him. He began working in what would be called a non-charismatic evangelical denomination. He left to pastor a Pentecostal church because of his speaking in tongues and also other "gifts" such as the ability to identify the sins of the people in the congregation. At the same time his marriage deteriorated. He finally left the ministry. In his case there were also frequent outbursts of obscenity and later abject backsliding.

Finally in desperation he came to his former friends, so-called non-charismatic pastors. In a deliverance which lasted several hours these pastors drove out eight demons, many of them naming themselves as false gifts, several of them speaking in tongues.

Experiences like that hardly engender an attitude of trust toward the charismatics by the so-called non -charismatics.

Liberating charismatics from their false tongues by exorcism is not something that happens in isolated cases. Such incidents are increasingly frequent and more books are certain to be written along this line. It's now possible to meet Christians who have been "delivered from tongues."

While false gifts seem especially to involve tongues and to some degree prophecy, other gifts are involved. In fact, Satan seems to have a strategy set which involves the counterfeit of every true gift of the Holy Spirit.

Why so many false tongues? First, it is the focal point, the pressure point. To teach or imply that all believers must or could speak in tongues carries the Christian off biblical ground and opens the door to stones and serpents.

Luke 11:11-13 is carefully claimed by the charismatic movement. There'll be no stones or serpents, the seekers are assured.

Yet I would estimate twenty-five percent of the deliverance ministry God has allowed me over the years has involved the extrication of deceived people from the false charismatic manifestations. Most of the cases included demonic tongues.

One brother who has tested tongues for forty years says that in his experience nine out of ten were false.

In a recently published article one of our contemporaries cites a similar statistic: Ninety percent of the tongues he and his colleagues have tested have been false.^l In my own experience perhaps eighty percent of the tongues manifestations that I have had to deal with have been false.

Still I doubt that the statistics tell the whole story. Because people with genuine gifts and healthy spiritual life do not come for counselling nearly so frequently. But there is no denying that the devil has been having a field day among charismatics. His penetration, whatever the percentage, appears to be massive.

But to face the issue of false gifts, stones and serpents, the open door to satanic penetration is in the merging of the work of the Holy Spirit which is for all with a spiritual gift that is given only to some as God wills. The resulting confusion is very often tragic.

Let hungry hearted believers ask only for the Holy Spirit in His fullness, allowing the sovereign Spirit to distribute and choose the gifts as He wills and the door to stones and serpents is slammed shut.

Another case history is important at this point. A teenager was subjected to the overtures of a radical charismatic group, a group which in turn would certainly be rejected by mainline groups of Pentecostals.

He allowed hands to be laid on him and "saw" a bright light. Later in a "Canadian revival" atmosphere, as distinct from "charismatic" atmosphere, the youth felt a bondage he could not escape until he made a verbal commitment much like this, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I now refuse, repudiate and renounce completely any and all spirits of false prophecy from _____ (naming the false prophet). And I send them to the abyss in Jesus' name." He was instantly liberated and sensed within that the "charismatic" bondage had been broken.

In addition to the departure from biblical ground, there are other reasons why individuals receive false gifts.

The second is that there sometimes is occult bondage in the lives of God's children, sometimes clinging to them from several generations back. For more information on this problem see Kurt Koch's book Occult Bondage and Deliverance (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publishers).

If the person is not clear from the encumbrances of an occult past or present, the possibilities of receiving false gifts is very high. Spirit forces with occult capabilities can easily switch to imitate gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Another reason for the epidemic of spurious charismata today is the tendency of untaught spiritual novices to seek "the baptism of the Holy Spirit" while still entangled in sin.

A teenage girl was actively seeking the "baptism" and living in fornication at the same time. She received all right. But it was a tongues-speaking serpent that had to be exorcised.

In summary, departure from biblical ground must be called the most dangerous aberration.

After ministering in Latin America repeatedly and visiting other parts of the world, I have no doubt that Roman Catholics are changing, that there is more openness than ever before to the gospel. And we rejoice over this.

However, in Kevin Ranaghan's book Catholic Pentecostals, he documents some of the unusual events which are taking place among charismatic Roman Catholics.

One of the witnesses in the book vouches for "a greater realization of the eucharist as sacrifice. . . a deep devotion to Mary." ² All this through tongues.

Now if the Bible is to be believed, the fact is that Christ was once offered and He is the only mediator between God and man.

Some other spirit may indeed promote a glow of good will over the eucharistic reenactment of the death of Christ and devotion to Mary, the great mediatrix. However, it can hardly be the Holy Spirit of Almighty God who inspired the New Testament.

Another case in point, carefully observed by a pastor-friend, proceeded in this manner. In a Catholic center in a Canadian city a Roman Catholic nun was seeking "the baptism" of the Holy Spirit. She was suddenly and powerfully overcome and began to speak in tongues and to manifest great excitement, joy and exuberance. The priest in charge was then careful to point out, "See how powerful Mary is. We prayed to Mary for this."

These comments should not be construed by any means as a blanket denunciation of the charismatic movement among Roman Catholics. Their brand of "pentecostalism" may be the dominant kind in twenty-five years. But these examples make it clear that false gifts no doubt exist among them as well.

There is yet another reason why error and false gifts penetrate the assembly of God's children. In Paul's first epistle to Timothy, three times the aged apostle lays it on the line concerning error:

 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling. -1 Tim. 1:4-6.

 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.-1 Tim. 1:19.

 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. -1 Tim. 4:1-2.

The dominant emphasis is conscience, a good conscience. Like a faulty compass, an off-center conscience opens the door to error. An ignored conscience does the same. And false gifts come marching in.

That spirituality has no continuing demonstrable relationship to spiritual gifts I have illustrated in these pages. How much more reason, then, should the man of God have a clean heart and a good conscience before coveting earnestly any spiritual gift.

Personally, I have learned this lesson a very hard way. Along with friends I entered into a project about which I had qualms of conscience. The results, had I studied Paul's words to Timothy, were predictable. One of the participating brethren was carried into error, charismatic error in fact, and I have no other recourse but to hold myself partly to blame.

The Holy Spirit is holy. He does not rush to fill or equip anyone. The enemy, on the other hand, is an unclean spirit. He does not mind an unclean vessel - in fact, the more filthy, the better.

Death to self, identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, a clean heart and a good conscience are indispensable safeguards for the Christian who would be charismatic. There are no shortcuts, no easy ways.

One charismatic spokesman (we will omit the footnote in this case) has some alarming things to say. While it would be a mistake to attribute his views to all charismatics, the essence of it is that gifts are gifts, period, and that there are no requirements of holiness at all in receiving the spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts may indeed come without cleansing, sanctification, without a clean heart and a good conscience. But from whence will they come? And from whom?

Still another reason for the epidemic of false gifts today is that spiritual things, both good and bad, are contagious. And the evil will always run faster than the good.

The contagiousness of spiritual things is often unrecognized. But it is a vital factor in biblical Christianity. Timothy accompanied Paul for definite reasons - to be taught and to receive the spiritual imprint of Paul's ministry. Indeed Peter specifically says, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10).

Some false gifts are only fleshly. That is not to say they are not dangerous or grievous to our Lord.

A young fellow once confided to me, "The young people at our church think I speak in tongues, but I don't really. It's just me." How many "charismatic" manifestations are purely fleshly, I cannot say, but some are. It would be very foolish to immediately assume that all false gifts are satanic counterfeits. The carnal nature is capable of a very great deal and finds the imitation of speaking in tongues no great difficulty.

It is generally stated that the charismatic movement is opposed by other Christians "because the devil hates and fights the teaching about spiritual gifts."

That is true. Genuine spiritual gifts, functioning in a Christ-adorning manner are devastating to Satan's kingdom.

But that is not the whole truth. Probably half of the opposition to the charismatic movement comes from the Holy Spirit dwelling in the so-called non-charismatics. They sense within that something is very, very wrong among the charismatics.

Finally there are many false gifts because there is a great dearth of the Holy Spirit's gift of discerning of spirits. The church of our Lord, adrift in charismatic confusion, does not know what is what nor who is who. Surely we need to weep.