The Gifts of the Spirit, Part 7

Greetings, friends and new listeners. Welcome to the Archie Hardy Ministries program.

I'm Sharon Ottz thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's teaching by my father, Brother Hardy, is exciting and informative so make sure you get each episode of this outstanding exposition on the gifts of the Spirit. The final two of the gifts. The two that involve tongue, and tongue means language. Diverse kinds of tongues.

I want you to notice and follow this in your head. Diverse in plurals means species of languages and interpretation of tongues. Diverse kinds of tongues. You do not get one tongue. You do not get one language in this gift.

You get diverse languages. How many understand this point? You don't get one tongue. And I kept telling you, remember, let the prophet speak two or three.

How many say amen? And you're going to find out that when you speak in tongues, you're supposed to speak in two or three tongues. That is why you get diverse tongues and not one tongue.

Diverse, different, different species of languages. And we're going to find out why in this most misunderstood gift of all and one of the ones that's most hated by the devil. I believe he fights tongues more than anything of the supernaturals that God has. One reason, it's a sign of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. If Jesus is still in the tomb, which means He hasn't risen, and if He hasn't risen, then He hasn't received the promise of the Father and poured out the Holy Ghost. If He has risen from the dead and not in the tomb and poured out the promise of the Holy Ghost like on the Day of Pentecost, then every time you speak in tongues, you are saying, He is risen, He is risen, and He lives forevermore. Bad singing, good revelation. Every time you speak in tongues, you're saying He's risen, He's not in the tomb.

All right. The gift is in the plural in both words. This means a person receives not one tongue or language but a plurality of tongues. This is a very important point, for God always witnesses His Word in two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13, 1 said, this is the third time I've come to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall every word be established. God witnesses His message in two or three. That's why we've got Genesis, that's why we've got Exodus, and we've got Deuteronomy. He knows what Deuteronomy means. Deuteronomy, dew is two, and anonomy is law, the second law, the second witness. That's why we've got three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that are telling the same thing. How many say them? John is telling you about the deity of Jesus. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke are giving you the same miracles, the same messages, the same parables and such, because in the mouth of three witnesses. How many say him at?

Is that all right? Now we're going to go into the usage of the tongue. Tongue is used as a sign. The Holy Spirit used the gift of tongue as a sign to the hearer on the day of Pentecost.

This was to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah as quoted in 1 Corinthians 14, 21, and 2. It is written in the law, and I think that's Ezekiel 28, 11, with men of other tongues on their lips will I speak to this people, yet for all this will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not. But prophesying serveth not for them that believe, but for them that believe. Tongues are for a sign. And in the church services, tongues broken out during the preaching part are out of the order unless they are interpreted. The saints don't need a sign.

I don't need a sign. What I want is edification, exhortation, or comfort. Give me a prophecy. How many say him at?

Is that all right? On the gift of tongues, the Holy Ghost anoints and gives the word to speak forth by the believer. Acts 2, 4 show that. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance. Whenever the Holy Ghost wants to use the tongue to bring a message in the church, he anoints the speaker and tells him what to say. How many say him at? Then the companion gift, because interpretation cannot function without tongues.

See how there are a team? If there's no tongue, there's nothing to interpret. How many say him at? So the interpreter is to give the interpretation of what was said in divers' tongues.

More than one, at least two, and at the most three. How many say him at? The Holy Ghost puts the anointing on that activates the gift of tongues spirit and tells that spirit what to say in two or three different languages.

How many say him at? Jesus also promised the believer would speak in tongues as a sign and proof of his resurrection, Matthew 16, 17. And these signs shall follow them that believe in my name shall they cast out devils and they shall speak with new tongues. Every time you speak in tongues, like I said, you're saying he's risen. God wants to use this gift to the church.

The Holy Ghost, like I said, anoints the gift spirit and tells the gift spirit what to speak in two or three languages. It's a sign to the unbeliever in the attendance, but it's no good to the rest of the church until it's interpreted. Paul 1 Corinthians 14, 5 and 13 said, I would that you all speak with tongues, but rather that you prophesy. For greater is he that prophesyeth than he that speaketh with tongues except he interpret that the church may be edified.

Greater what? Greater benefit to the church, not a greater person. Greater benefit because the speaker in tongues only edifies himself with a prophesier edifies the whole church and himself. Tongues is no purpose at all to the church without the interpretation. When interpreted, it's equal to prophesy.

How many say mm? Regulation of the gift of tongues and prophecy. Now here's where we come into the most misunderstood part about gifts and prophecy. In 1 Corinthians 14, 27, Paul here regulates how a tongue message should come. Remember that God always witnesses his word in two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13, 1, this is the third time I'm coming to you in the mouths of two or three witnesses. Show every word be established.

How many say mm? Now let's pick it up and read what he has to say. 1 Corinthians 14, 27, if any man speak in an unknown tongue, and notice the unknown is in italics.

How many see the slant print if you've got a King James version? And the unknown means it's not in the original. All it says in the original Greek, if any man speak in a tongue, and here the translator is trying to interpret it that it's unknown to the speaker. It's a language he doesn't know.

It's a supernatural language. How many say mm? It doesn't mean it's not known somewhere in the universe. How many say mm? How many is out there? You follow me?

Okay. If any man, and I want you to notice it's man singular. Forget about interpretations now. Let's think of the gift of tongues operate, right? If any man speak in a tongue, he is commanded to be what? He's commanded to do what?

Let it be by two or the most three. You don't bring a message to the church with one tongue. You bring it with two or three so that in a mouse of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. Do you see that there? He said if a person singular feels God moving on him to bring a tongue message, he's to speak that tongue message in two or three of the species of languages that God gave him. As a witness that God demands in two or three witnesses. See it?

How many see it? If any man speak in a tongue, I'm going to leave by no now, let it be by two or the most three and that by course. And in your syllabus I told you that the word that by course means anamaros.

Anamaros. This is a prepositional phrase and it means speak a part in a tongue or one tongue and then a second part in a different tongue and then a third part in another tongue. He's to speak in two or three tongues, one part in one language, one part in another language, one part in the third language. How many see it? If any man speak in a tongue, don't even speak by one but let him speak by two or the most three and that by course one after another. How many say he met? Now here's how Pentecost is interpreted.

There can only be two or three messages spoken in tongues in any one service and don't say nothing about that at all. We're not even talking about interpretations yet. Can you see this compound sentence?

How many sees it? Let's take it and break it up. They've got it in commas. Let's break it up. If any man speak in a tongue, not one, let it be by two or the most three.

How? One after another, one part of the message in one language, another part in another language, another part in the third language and then let one interpret what he said in the two or three tongues. And he didn't say how many times that could happen in a church service. Don't mix up interpretations with the tongue part. Interpretations don't come in until after you spoke the two or three tongues. And let one interpret, not three different people interpret the three parts of the tongue message.

You see it? You're not even talking about interpretation yet. Yet all, mostly Pentecostal organizations say there can only be two or three messages. Well let's take it the way they said it. Two or three messages, it means that one person has to speak two or three.

Right? It can't be three different people. It all has to be at the same time in the service. It can't be one in the beginning, one in the middle, one in the end because it said one right after another.

That by course. How many say amen? And third it says one person has to interpret all three.

How many times have you seen a message in the beginning? A little later on another message in tongues and interpretation and at the end interpretation and God used six people, three different people to bring the tongues, three different people to bring the interpretation against this scripture in there. How many say amen? God's not regulating, not limiting the gifts of tongues and interpretation but regulating them, telling them how it must come. Two or three, that man speaks two or three of your species, that's why he gave him more than one language. Speaks the message that God's given him in two or three. You know most of the time we've got a little bit of tongues and a whole lot of prophecy. How many say amen?

I'm trying to reach out there, I don't know whether you don't believe me or what. Of course if you don't believe me then you have to prove I'm in error like Mr. Finney said before you can demonstrate to me, before you can convince me of error you must first demonstrate to me you understand what I'm talking about. How many say amen?

Now you can't fault me grammatically. I stayed within the commas and the interpretations didn't come in until after the two or three tongues were spoken. And then it has to be singular speaker in tongues and singular interpreter. How many say amen?

Okay, so let's lock that in a little bit tighter. Now if we limit speaking in tongues to two or three messages in a service by the 27th verse, let's go down to the 29th verse and see what he says about prophecy. And he uses the same formula, let the prophets speak two or three and let the others judge. Well that means it only can be two or three prophecies come, doesn't it?

If we use the interpretation of the 27th it does though. And remember the word led is what? Commanded to do it. He commands two or three prophets to speak in the apostolic churches in the first century.

Why? We must remember they didn't have the written word of God like we do. They don't have first Corinthians that we can check their message. They don't have the full revelation of the New Testament that we can check their message. Therefore when God is going to bring a prophecy, he had two or three prophets to speak and then let the rest what?

Judge. But now Peter said we have a more sure word of prophecy, the written word. How many say amen? So now if somebody prophesies I don't have to have two or three more to speak. To witness it I got a second witness in the word here.

I'll line it up with the word. But the formula was let he commanded two or three prophets to speak and then let the rest judge. So what does the 28th verse say or the 30th verse say? If anything be revealed to another to sit by let the first hold his peace for you what?

31st verse? For you may all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted. So he wasn't limiting nothing. He was regulating and telling how it must come.

How many say amen? In those days because they had not the Bible to check them. But God was bringing progressive wisdom and knowledge to the church. What did he say in Ephesians the third chapter about the third verse? Paul said I'm now speaking to you things that were hidden from men in age past that is now being made known to the sons of men by whom? The apostles and prophets. So the prophets along with the apostles were bringing the revelation of the New Testament. And that's why whenever God was going to bring revelation through the prophets he had at least two or three prophets in that service so that they could two or three could witness.

In other words when the two or three prophets prophesied they didn't say the same thing but they lined up and harmonized in their message. And the rest of the people especially those that had the gift of discerning of spirits was to discern and judge and see if it was the Spirit of God bringing the Word. But now since the apostles and prophets have given us the canon of the Word and nothing can be added to this Word and this is infallible. Spoken prophecy can be fallible. But the written prophecy and Word of God is infallible.

It's absolute truth. But spoken prophecy must be judged because of man's spirit getting into the action. How many say amen? So therefore God doesn't hold strict to this rule because of the Word of God that's been canonized the infallible Word and we can judge the prophecies. And we can judge the tongues and interpretation. If somebody gets up and speaks their message to one language, a second language, a third at the most and somebody interprets first of all we judge their lives to see if they're acceptable.

How many say amen? And then we judge the message like the prophecies to see if it lines up with the Word of God. If it meets the criteria of judgment then we take it from the Lord and rejoice. Of course now when we bring the prophecy your spirit's in tune with the Holy Spirit and you know it's God, your spirit's lifted up. How do you know that it's the true gift of prophecy? Because it's going to edify the church.

How many say amen? You're going to be edified and lifted up. A word is not going to come and you're going to be sitting there and wondering, you know, is that God?

What's he saying there? Your spirit's going to know. If you're in tune with God you're going to know he did spiritual what?

Discerns all things. Even if you don't have the gift of discernment, if you stay spiritual you'll still discern. Now how many understand Paul was not limiting but regulating, telling how the true gift of prophecy in apostolic days, the truth gift of tongues, you spoke one, two, the most three, one man interpreted what you said and it didn't have any limitation on how many times it was commanded to be brought that way. When prophecy came in the Corinthian church in apostolic days two or three prophets had to speak and the rest judged. But then if another revelation came or one that sat by then this first one anointing will recede and this fourth one could get up and prophesy. And then Paul said the whole church could prophesy one after another one by one that all may learn and all may be what?

Edified. How many understand? Isn't that beautiful? Okay, now God not only uses the tongues for a sign of the unbeliever, not only does he use it to speak to the church, but tongues is the most beneficial gift to the saint the saint can have because it builds him up and he's talking to God and he's worshiping God and praising God in a supernatural language. How many say amen?

Huh? By the gift of tongues a man is able to build himself up. 1 Corinthians 14 for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifies himself.

And that's not bad is it? But that was the danger in the Corinthian church. They were selfish and they didn't care about the rest of the church so they came in and the whole church was speaking in tongues the whole service and that's all they did and everybody went away feeling great because they got edified. But Paul said what about the rest of the church and what about the sinner and unlearned person that comes in and all you do is speak in tongues and do it the whole service and don't do nothing else is that you're going to say you're crazy.

They might come a second time to see if you're really crazy but they won't come no more after that. And our on our motive and our goal should be to edify the church and reveal Jesus to the lost and get them saved. And if I can get edified and doing it, amen. And if I don't if I get struggled I'm in the battle preaching or teaching so be it but as long as the church gets edified and as long as somebody gets saved. How many say amen? Okay Paul said if I speak in tongues I edify myself. By the gift of tongues I am able to speak directly to God. 1 Corinthians 14 2 14 and 15 said for he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men but unto God.

That's why it's so beneficial. How many say amen? Huh? For no man understands him how be it in the spirit he speaks mystery and it don't even help you naturally. For if I pray in an unknown tongue my what praise? My spirit praise my gift spirit praise. How many say amen? But my understanding is what?

Unfruitful. Paul said what is it then? I will pray with the spirit. I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also. Said good let your spirit speak in tongues but then let him go ahead and speak in your own language so you can get blessed too.

Natural man. How many say amen? It also enables him to worship and sing and bless God through it. It's man speaking to God not God speaking to man. That's why he can get out of order because tongues can be used without the direct anointing and inspiration of God.

This is the only gift that can so be used without the direct anointing and gift of God. It's your spirit saying amen. It's your spirit singing. It's your spirit praising God.

It's your spirit talking to God. How many say amen? And if it was the direct work of the Holy Ghost all the time why would he rebuke the whole church speaking at once in tongues for the Holy Ghost would never do that. How many say amen?

You have to control that. Anybody that blurts out when a man's on an anointing and preaching and breaks out loud loud loud in tongues and then don't bring an interpretation he's out of order. Amen what an insightful and timely teaching by God's servant brother Hardy on the gifts of the Spirit. Thank God that he has endowed his church the body of Christ with these nine marvelous manifestations of his Holy Spirit to bring forth mighty works of healings deliverance and revelation to his people and also as a witness to others that they might believe on his son the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the early church in Acts went forth preaching and teaching the gospel God worked with them confirming his word through mighty signs and wonders. How much more do we today need the gifts of the Spirit in this age of counterfeit supernatural manifestations by the kingdom and prince of darkness. This teaching is vital to our understanding for every believer and answers the question unequivocally and scripturally are the gifts of the Spirit for today and who may operate in the gifts how and when you will understand the operation the purpose and the function of the gifts of the word of wisdom the word of knowledge prophecy and discerning of spirits and how these gifts often work in tandem with each other as well as the power gifts of faith healings and working of miracles.

And finally you will understand the gift of diverse tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues and what the difference is between the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues given to the individual for his own personal edification and the gift of diverse tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues that operate in the church assembly. This complete in-depth teaching on the gifts of the Spirit is available on a double CD set and can be yours for a love gift of ten dollars or more for the radio ministry. Request offer 304. Our mailing address is RG Hardy Ministries P.O. Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 21203 or order online at RGHardy.org. That's RGHardy.org. Again the offer number is 304 for the gifts of the Spirit a double 2CD set for your love gift of fifteen dollars or more. Our mailing address P.O. Box 1744 Baltimore, Maryland 21203. Until next time this is Sharon Nodd saying maranatha.