JOTS FROM OLD JAKE
THINKING?
Saturday, Apr. 07, 2007 - 5:36 a.m.
I was reading a book on Angels when my mind carried me back to some of my childhood days in the church. Some of the most precious times of my life were in that old church after the Sunday night meeting during and after the altar call. Yep they had altar calls every night meeting we ever had. I guess that the Sunday morning meeting ended too close to dinner time and most folks had dinner in the oven. If they were not home at the allotted time the dinner would get too toasty.
Anyway, back in those days it was believed that every born again person should be baptized in the Holy Ghost with evidence with speaking in tongues. (I know that some of you might not know too much about speaking in other tongues, but I won�t look down my nose at you for that!) Because of this belief we would come down, get on our hands and knees at the altar and seek the Holy Spirit. I remember that during these times that the presence of the Spirit would be so evident that we would start singing in the spirit and at times the angels would join in and help. Sometimes the Spirit would fall on someone and they would get up and dance� they would have their eyes closed be dancing around the altar. I was quite young one time I remember and that was happening with several people. Every one was praising and singing praises to the Lord with their eyes closed. Except that is, ME� I opened my eyes long enough to see what was going on and I saw a lady dancing on the altar and she had her hands high in the air her face turned toward the heavens and dancing up and down that altar. She came to the end of the altar and kept on coming. She danced about three feed beyond the end and turned around and came back. She was suspended in the air all the way until she got back to the altar. I didn�t believe my eyes at first but then she went to the other end and did the same thing and came back. I had forgotten that until this morning as I was reading about the angels.
I suppose that my statement, �back in those days it was believed,� would lead you to think that I no longer believe in being baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Well, my belief has changed some� but I still believe that speaking in other tongues is real and for today. I can�t prove to you that you have to talk in other tongues to prove you are filled with the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact I have known people who have operated in other Gifts of the Spirit that didn�t speak in other tongues. It is rare for that to happen. I like the way one of my friends put it, �you don�t have to� but you get to!� Then the next thing out of his mouth is, �why wouldn�t you want to?�
Also, the part of seeking hours upon hours to get the infilling is something I don�t find necessary most of the time. I used to lead someone to Jesus and have them say the sinners prayer with me from their own heart and really meaning it, and adding at the end of the prayer a request to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then telling them to just start praising the Lord and thanking Him for saving them. Many times they would start speaking in tongues right then and hand not even known what it was all about. Then I would explain it to them and show them in the scripture about the day of Pentecost.
I found out that the Holy Spirit never leaves you once you have been filled. You can push Him back and not pay attention to Him. But He never leaves you! That! I am so thankful for!
May You Be Blessed by the Holy Spirit to Overflowing!
Bye for Now!
