How did Peter and the disciples with him know that Cornelius and his house received the Holy Spirit? By the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. Peter and co. knew this because the same thing had happened to them, back in Acts 2. The same principle applies today.
This may not be a perfect analogy, but humour me. What is a good way to know that someone belongs to a certain culture? By the language they speak. I speak English, so that means I belong to one of the English cultures in the world. What better way to know that we now belong to a heavenly culture than to speak in a heavenly language. What an experience!
I believe that one reason speaking in tongues is the sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is because the tongue, or the mouth, is our most unruly part (there's scripture for that). Everyone has trouble controlling it. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our tongue, we are giving the Holy Spirit control of the hardest to control piece of us. Symbolically, we have just given Him complete control of our lives.
Yes, it still happens today, everyday, all over the world, and it's the best experience you could ever want to have. Don't ask, "do I have to receive the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues?" Rather, shout for joy because we get to receive the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues. It's the best thing that could ever happen to you.
This may not be a perfect analogy, but humour me. What is a good way to know that someone belongs to a certain culture? By the language they speak. I speak English, so that means I belong to one of the English cultures in the world. What better way to know that we now belong to a heavenly culture than to speak in a heavenly language. What an experience!
I believe that one reason speaking in tongues is the sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit is because the tongue, or the mouth, is our most unruly part (there's scripture for that). Everyone has trouble controlling it. When we allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our tongue, we are giving the Holy Spirit control of the hardest to control piece of us. Symbolically, we have just given Him complete control of our lives.
Yes, it still happens today, everyday, all over the world, and it's the best experience you could ever want to have. Don't ask, "do I have to receive the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues?" Rather, shout for joy because we get to receive the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues. It's the best thing that could ever happen to you.
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