Introduction
Brothers and sisters, good morning. Today, we are revisiting an old theme, and it is not just any old theme. We have not spoken about the issue of speaking in tongues for many years. Previously, whenever we received someone, we had to fuss over the matter of praying in tongues for quite a while. This time, we are discussing the second installment of the Miracle Series, with the theme being Speaking in New Tongues.
These signs will accompany those who believe; faith and miracles are intertwined. To this day, faith remains a serious issue. If Jesus were to descend or appear, He might say to us: You unbelieving people! Do you understand? I do not wish for God to say this to me, but the probability of it happening is quite high.
The reason is simple: my understanding of miracles is very clear. The result of my faith is not life itself; the fruit of my faith is miracles. Many people assume that the fruit of faith is life, and they think that moving chairs in the church or arriving early for gatherings equates to a good life. No, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is those things, but the fruit of faith is miracles.
When Jesus appears, the first thing He does is criticize our unbelief. There are many areas where we lack faith. Even when I minister to everyone and miracles are manifested, and you receive healing, the faith within me is still in a state of near death. When I minister, you will notice that the prayer gradually fades away. Why does it fade? Because you are contending with unbelief in your heart, striving to keep it out.
Therefore, the reason the church lacks miracles is a problem of faith. You believe in Jesus, so show us the evidence of your belief. Those who believe in Jesus must have miracles. Do you believe? It seems the lame continue to limp, the blind continue to be blind, or one might say, Let me introduce you to a doctor. Can this truly work?
I tell you, a church without miracles is filled with schemes, overt plots, and covert conspiracies, ultimately becoming a place of demonic traces. The most formidable scheme of the devil is to turn the powerful Gospel into a powerless one, to transform a church full of miracles into a church full of schemes, and to make a church that casts out demons into one that casts out pastors.
There was a Chinese pastor who founded a church in the United States. When I contracted COVID-19, even though I was physically weak, I did not forget to browse my phone. I saw a message from this pastor. He also contracted COVID-19. After a few days, he said he had recovered, which made me extremely envious, as I had not recovered and was still very weak. He wrote an article lamenting the power struggles within the church. Do you understand what is meant by power struggles? It is the contention for power and profit within the church.
I wondered how this church he founded had turned into a church of power struggles, and how he ended up criticizing himself. Wasn't it his creation? Creating a church where God is not present, but demons are, can that church truly be good? Feeling emotional, I am especially grateful to God that our church is so unified. The brothers and sisters spontaneously pray for me, with no power struggles, only the casting out of dragons and tigers; no contending for power, only fighting against dragons and tigers. This was my early aspiration when establishing the church.
A pastor was sued by the leaders of his church and later suffered from depression, speaking with tears and snot on the stage. As I listened from below, I thought that this was no joke. My CPU in my brain worked hard. Compared to the computing power of artificial intelligence GPT, my little brain is not inferior. Calculating madly, I arrived at a result. What result? Establish a church that is a glorious church, a victorious church, a church where God is present.
Through the problems of others, I learned a lesson. Smart, right? As I was pondering this matter, a message arrived. This pastor suddenly passed away. Hadn't he recovered from COVID-19? How did he suddenly pass away? Feeling emotional, such things happened frequently at that time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, often at intersections, someone would suddenly collapse and die.
Moreover, some people recovered from COVID-19, came out feeling happy, and then while jogging, bam, they died. Can those without spiritual eyes understand this? They cannot. They were suddenly seized by demons, with ox-headed and horse-faced guardians escorting them away, and the physical body collapses. Seeing the passing of this pastor, I no longer envied his quick recovery. I would recover slowly, trusting in my God.
I can tell you all that I almost did not make it through that time. At that time, I became very interested in the matter of death. Why? Because I prayed in tongues every day, about eight or nine hours a day. Whenever I had nothing to do, I would pray in tongues after browsing my phone. The sound was not loud, unlike how energetic I am now.
Praying in tongues is good; I kept burping, about hundreds or thousands of times a day, and also constantly farting. I tell you, if that dirty, filthy air had not come out, it would have been deadly. You cannot hold it back, so praying in tongues is good. If I were to pray with my understanding, I would have to compose words. At that time, I was so physically weak, without the strength to write essays and compose words. Praying in tongues is so much better, whether loud or soft.
I once explored the matter of praying in tongues, so today we are discussing the second installment of the Miracle Series, Speaking in New Tongues. Ah, this thing of faith is so powerful; speaking in tongues is a manifestation of faith. You must know it is faith because these signs will accompany those who believe: in His name, they will cast out demons and speak in new tongues.
We have established a holy church, a church centered on God, a church that casts out demons, and a church engaged in prayer warfare. Of course, praying in tongues is indispensable. I have a logic within me that you must learn, as it is very good.
Who is the founder of church building? It is Jesus. So if you are learning to build a church, who should you learn from? From Paul and Jesus. Since we believe in Jesus, we must learn from Jesus. What Jesus did, we must also do. What Jesus did, we should do well, and what Jesus did not do, we should leave alone. This logic of mine is not a joke; it is very important.
If you are a preacher and suddenly hear me speaking about this doctrine, consider it carefully. I ask you, when did Jesus bring drummers and guitarists? He did not. Did He bring singers? He did not. Did He have worship teams? He did not. So why are we doing these things now? I do not know. Jesus was afraid we would learn the wrong things, so He only did a few things, doing them well. We should just do what Jesus did.
Many churches, and I am not criticizing, but speaking from the heart, I hope they can hear. They do not do what Jesus did, and they do a bunch of things that Jesus did not do. Therefore, we must implement the words of Jesus. This scripture we are discussing must be thoroughly understood. Reading the Word of God and then acting upon it makes one wise. We must be wise.
People who are foolish will definitely insist on being themselves. Remember this. Do you want to insist on being yourself? If you say, I must live out my own self, the subtext is actually fool. How can you be smart by insisting on being yourself? You must insist on being like Jesus. You say, Ah, being like Jesus is a bit difficult. Then be like Joseph.
We must imitate Jesus and imitate Paul, especially in casting out demons and speaking in new tongues, which we have not implemented enough. Some people are foolish; they do not believe what Jesus said and find many reasons. Have you noticed? Especially the things Jesus Christ said after His resurrection from the dead and until His ascension, these words are very important.
I ask you, after dying and being resurrected, would anyone have time to waste on nonsense like, The weather is nice, and the Los Angeles fires are good? No, they would only talk about the most important things. For example, He said to Peter, Do you love Me? Peter said, I love You. Jesus said, Feed My sheep. Feeding is very important, and we must not find reasons again. These are very important words, and it is hopeless if people do not believe.
Regarding speaking in new tongues, some people say, Lord Jesus, try prying open my mouth and see. Is the Lord Jesus just standing idly by? What would He pry open your mouth for? Who knows if you brushed your teeth. Let me speak in new tongues? Click, the teeth clench, unbelief. So I feel that these people live by their feelings, which is a very evil thing. Do not believe those feelings.
You must know that Chinese Mingding Destiny is not a theology of burping and farting. Chinese Mingding Destiny has feelings, but feelings are not theology. Do you understand? Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of practicing faith. These signs will accompany those who believe. We do not talk about feelings.
You say, I have no feeling when I speak in tongues. It is not about feeling; it is about exercising faith. These signs will accompany those who believe. Speaking in new tongues is about faith, not feeling. Jesus never criticized people for not having feelings or for not burping, but Jesus often criticized people for their hard hearts.
I have seen many Christians who live by their feelings. I felt very peaceful at the time, so I married him. How did it turn out like this now? Why is there no peace now? Feelings. I loved him so much back then. That is also feeling. Now I feel I do not love him anymore. I have no feeling. Oh my goodness, I tell you, that is a responsibility, not a feeling.
I felt very peaceful when I started this business, so why am I losing money? I even prayed and felt peaceful. Some of us are relying on feelings. The Bible does not talk about this. The promptings of the Holy Spirit and feelings are not the same thing. So the matter of praying in tongues is an exercise of faith. Praying in tongues has brought a lot of trouble to people.
A pastor hung a banner in his church that said, Tongues are forbidden. Large characters: Tongues are forbidden. Powerful! Do you want to oppose Jesus? Later, Jesus sent him to prison, where he stayed for years. Who told you to hang that banner? Do you want to oppose Jesus? The Bible never tells us to forbid tongues. The Gospel cannot be changed. This pastor was bold enough to ignore the commands of Jesus after His resurrection.
Why has the church lost the great power of God? It starts with unbelief. Praying in tongues is an exercise of faith. To this day, praying in tongues is still a problem for the church. At the mention of praying in tongues, Praying in tongues is not good! Praying in tongues comes from demons! A lot of opposition.
I myself feel strange. Are these people not reading the same Bible? Is the command of Jesus not clear? Changing the powerful Gospel into a powerless one, they do not see a problem. But a speaking in tongues, they feel is crazy. Do you not feel strange? They still think they are the most authentic.
When I was seeking God, I had a very peculiar experience, which I tell you must have been arranged by God. I was seeking, and the first time I walked into a church, they said, Is this your first time at church? and they recorded my name, then took me to a place. At 8:30 in the morning, they took me to a classroom for a lesson, and after the lesson at 10:30, there was a Sunday service. At 12:30, they took me to a small room where they wanted to lead me to be filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues.
At that time, I had not decided to believe in Jesus; I was just looking around, but they put me in the small room. Oh my goodness, leading me to be filled with the Holy Spirit, not letting me leave. From 12:30 to 1:30, I was not allowed to leave; from 1:30 to 2:30, I was still not allowed to leave. Oh my goodness, my stomach was growling with hunger. My mouth was not praying in tongues, but my stomach started to.
Then I looked at the clock, and it was 3:00. Oh my goodness, I admired these people and their great faith. I was flexible, so I said, If this goes on, I guess I won't be eating dinner. What should I do? Never mind, I'll learn a few phrases. They were speaking in tongues, and I thought, Learning this is fast. Am I not a language learner? It's normal to learn another language. Oh, they were so happy, He is filled with the Holy Spirit; he can speak in tongues. Then they released me, and I could finally go out to eat.
Thank God, none of you have encountered this. If you encountered this, would you still go to this church? I tell you, I would still go. Why? After I came out of that church, I do not know if it was from hunger or what, but oh my goodness, the sunlight was so beautiful! Wow, the flowers, plants, and trees were so beautiful! So vibrant! When I entered the church, my eyes saw the whole world as gray, like black and white photos, but when I came out, it suddenly became colorful. It felt good.
In the church, they spoke English, and my English was not good. I could only understand about 10% or 20%, and it was still very difficult. Oh my goodness, after coming out of the church, the whole world changed from black and white to color. It was good, so I went again the next week. Fortunately, they did not call me into the small room again that next week. From then on, I desperately read the Bible, and I realized that the Bible really said that.
I have a characteristic in the way I do things: I like to find the classics. If the classics say this, and they also do this, then there is no problem, right? No problem. I am quite grateful to them. After a period of time, I longed to receive praying in tongues. The last time, I learned it, and I had actually received it already. But later, I found that they had taught me wrong. You can just say it, and do not worry about it. As a result, there was something called a power encounter, a Holy Spirit power meeting, and I went.
After going, they said, Those who want to receive tongues, come forward. That day, I really spoke a few words, dryly and stiffly. Later, we practiced slowly. I tell you, which of the people who speak in tongues now are saying it by feeling? Are they not all saying it by faith? Actually, I tell you, it has nothing to do with feeling. After a period of time, I finally had a chance to cast out demons. At that time, I was in someone else's church, just watching them cast out demons.
You must know that praying in tongues has undergone systematic research by me, and today we will have a systematic discussion of what the Bible actually says. Praying in tongues is a miracle; it is the command of Jesus, and it is very important. Praying in tongues is closely related to being filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The first coming of the Holy Spirit was Pentecost, and then there was praying in tongues, which is very representative. The first time is always like this. Do not change it, thinking it is not like this. It is always like this. From then on, the disciples carried the power of Jesus Christ, and miracles and signs followed, confirming the message preached everywhere. Peter went everywhere preaching about being filled with the Holy Spirit, and Paul went everywhere asking if people had received the Holy Spirit. This matter is a key component of the Gospel.
So what Gospel did Peter and Paul preach? First, repent; second, accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; third, be baptized in water; fourth, be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Do you understand? Four components. Yet today's churches, strangely, only talk about three components. They only talk about repenting, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, and being baptized, and they get rid of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to baptize us with the Holy Spirit. It is this logic.
So this discussion on praying in tongues, we must discuss it well this time. I will share a small episode. After I received tongues, I loved praying in tongues. Before, when others were praying in tongues, I would read the Bible, but now when others were praying in tongues, I would also pray in tongues. Anyway, no one in the church could hear me. After praying, I felt comfortable in my heart. You slowly think about it and experience it. Praying in tongues is especially good.
Then the opportunity came. My younger brother's son had a difficult birth and was unconscious after birth, being rescued in the hospital. How did it happen? That was thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, did your family have a phone? No phone, no cell phone. As a result, my mom called me, and one phone call cost a month's salary. Then she called to ask if I could pray for the child.
The next day, I took a day off from work to pray! It started at 8:00 in the morning and continued until 4:00 in the afternoon. Have you ever tried it? What are you saying? Fortunately, there was praying in tongues! When you do not know how to pray, you pray in tongues, just like some of our pastors who forget what they want to say in the middle of their sermon. Today, we will talk about this problem. They forget what the problem is. I am telling a joke; just listen to it. I hope this does not happen.
Praying in tongues is so good. Praying for those eight hours exhausted me. At that time, there was no phone, no WeChat. Now it is so convenient; you can even video call, and it is free. Oh my goodness! Praying turned my whole face and palms red, burning like fire. Ah! I felt it. I prayed until I felt it.
Someone said, Didn't you say you don't believe in feelings? Feelings exist, but they are not theology. Immediately, a word came to me: This child has been healed. Is it a coincidence that it ended at 4:30, and the next day I called my mom to ask how the child was? My mom said, Miraculously, the child was healed at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. It turns out that space and time cannot hinder the work of God. Miracles can still cross thousands of kilometers. God!
Ah, so good! This Gospel is powerful! My family started to believe in the Lord. You understand that kind of belief: they sit in church for a while, take a nap, and go home. They believe in the Lord, but they do not know what they are believing in. I want to thank the Lord; this is truly a treasure! Do not let it go; hold on tight. Hold on tight to such a good grace. Let us read this scripture, Mark 16:14-20.
Scripture
Later Jesus appeared to the eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. Amen (《Mark》16:14-20)
Prayer
God, today let us begin to receive this treasure, let the Holy Spirit fill us, fill us more and more, let the Holy Spirit fill us as Jesus was filled without limit. God, may You have mercy on us, so that we may tidy up the remaining faith within us and completely believe Your word. God, bless us, bless us today. Let Your Holy Spirit pour down greatly. Fill our brothers and sisters.
Let our brothers and sisters once again receive power to preach the Gospel, with Your sign following us, confirming the Gospel we preach, confirming the word we preach. Let our words and the way we speak not be through wise and persuasive words, but through the Holy Spirit's powerful evidence. God, give us faith, give us strength, so that we can constantly trust in You and become vessels that manifest Your miracles. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!
Scripture Background
The background of this scripture records Jesus appearing to the disciples after His resurrection from the dead. It's strange that He only appeared a few times, and I think to myself, If You were with us every day, eating and drinking with us, there wouldn't be any unbelief. Sometimes, my brain isn't very bright, and I often want to give Jesus an idea. But after giving the idea, I realize it's a terrible idea.
Later I thought, why does Jesus keep dragging out the matter? If You're going to appear, then just appear every day. I'm here. Come on, boys. This time He appeared to Mary, and that time He appeared to someone else. Oh my goodness, why is this so difficult? It turns out that God has never left us. Why? Because if He appeared, we wouldn't need faith. Believing when He hasn't appeared is faith; believing only when He appears means you don't need to believe.
Look, if I have a million, I believe I will have a million. You do not need to believe; you have a million. You say, Teacher, I do not have a million. Look at how much is in your account. Teacher, I only have three digits in my account. That's the same as me in the past. In the past, I also only had three digits. It does not matter; three digits definitely exceed one hundred. I have one hundred dollars, and I believe I have one hundred dollars. You do not need to believe. Jesus is sitting there; you do not need to believe.
Later I thought, why is my idea a terrible idea? Why does God not appear? Actually, He is among them. God wants to train their faith. Seeing and then believing is not blessed. Not seeing and yet believing is blessed. So whether He appears or not, you do not need to worry about that. What you need to worry about is faith. What should you not worry about? “Why don’t you appear?” Do not worry about that; worry about faith.
Jesus criticized them for their unbelief and their hard hearts. It is not about seeing or not seeing; it is about walking by faith, not by sight. It is about walking by faith, not by feeling. Those who believe will be accompanied by signs and wonders, and He will confirm the preached word with signs. I ask you, how do these signs come about? If your back pain has healed today, is Jesus present? Jesus is definitely present. When we worship, when we praise Him, God enthrones Himself on our praises, and He sits on His throne. Seeing is not called faith.
I once truly thanked God because my faith was weak, so weak that I was lying on the ground. You were lying down, but I was lying face down. However, lying down and lying face down are actually not much different. The altitude is very low. While praying, God opened my eyes and let me see something. Actually, God does not like to let me see often. If He always let you see, that is not called faith. Do you understand?
Later, Jesus and his disciples, about five hundred of them, gathered on the Mount of Olives. While speaking with them, He was lifted up, ascended into heaven, witnessed by five hundred people. Good heavens! Let me tell you, when we watch Journey to the West, it's a filmed production, with actors dangling on ropes, swinging back and forth. But Jesus had no ropes; this wasn't a film shoot. He truly ascended into heaven, stepping on clouds. We didn't see it ourselves, so let us choose to believe.
Then these disciples gathered in a large house, the home of Mark. The Mark family had a hall that could accommodate one hundred and twenty people. These one hundred and twenty people remembered what Jesus had told them: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power and go to preach the gospel, from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Without the coming of the Holy Spirit, what gospel can you preach?
Therefore, the gospel we believe in has the coming of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. How do you seek the Holy Spirit? One day passed, and the Holy Spirit did not descend. Two days passed, and still no descent. The one hundred and twenty people dwindled to just twelve. Would that work? No, it wouldn't. These people began to receive faith. Why? Because Jesus said, You are unbelieving and hard-hearted. I tell you, the thought resonated in their ears, I must believe, I must believe. One day passed without anything happening. I ask you, would you continue to pray?
As a result, these people prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit! You say, How do you know? This is my fabrication; I wasn't there, how could I know? But my fabrication is based on evidence. These people remembered how Jesus had taught them to seek the Holy Spirit, like going to a neighbor's house to ask for bread: Give me bread, give me bread. Then, the neighbor, unable to bear the disturbance, gave him bread.
Seeking the Holy Spirit is like this: Give me the Holy Spirit, give me the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Just like that, every attempt was the same. So they prayed in Mark's house, like asking for bread, and the Holy Spirit descended, and they prayed in tongues. From then on, Peter preached the gospel: repent, believe in Jesus, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, be baptized in water, and be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Wherever he went, he asked, Have you received the Holy Spirit?
Later, the most important four elements of the gospel were missing one piece: the power. Today, many churches have three pieces, a missing part. It's like a car without an engine; can it run? I find a car, spray it with paint, put on wheels, and it looks good, but it has to be pushed by people. Sitting inside, there's no air conditioning, or you have to use your feet to propel it forward. Exhausting. Building a car that cannot be driven.
Therefore, Paul elaborated on this gift of tongues, until now, Chinese Mingding Destiny has taken over the baton of this gospel and begun to restore the powerful gospel that Peter and Paul preached in those days.
Speaking in Tongues is the Fruit of Faith
Speaking in tongues is a fruit of faith; speaking in tongues is a miracle. Believe, believe in what? Believe in what Jesus said. How Jesus spoke is how we believe; the logic is simple. Some people say they believe in Jesus but don't believe in what Jesus said. How strange. They stubbornly turn the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ into Mahayana Buddhism.
Belief is powerful; only those who believe can speak in tongues. Why don't you speak in new tongues? Unbelief. Why is the church so resistant to tongues? Unbelief. They don't even believe what Jesus said. Regarding faith, I am a practitioner of faith. I will tell you how I do it. Initially, I explained speaking in tongues to people, and my explanations were so nonsensical that even I found it difficult to explain.
Later, I changed my approach and shared my own experiences from that time. So, those who come among us, if they haven't been to other churches, they think it should be like this. But it's not. This is an invention of Chinese Mingding Destiny. We don't wait until you finish reading the Bible before leading you to speak in tongues, nor do we wait until you understand what tongues are before leading you to speak in tongues. It's not like that.
Do you believe in God? I believe. Come, let's receive tongues, receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. Simple, isn't it? Very simple. And it works. Some people have extensive knowledge, but it's not the knowledge of Jesus; it's all classical Chinese learning. When it comes to receiving tongues, their mouths are tightly shut. I say, Open up, open up, why is it so difficult? I am being very direct. But they are obedient. Learning a few sentences is nothing; say what I say. Then they learn from me.
Many people say, Can this work? Do you think I'm stupid? I'll tell you what happens. I understand this. Remember, speaking in tongues is an input. In itself, it is not an output. What is the output after speaking in tongues? The person must be edified. Many people are spiritually dull; don't they need to be enlightened? After speaking in tongues, the result is that they are edified themselves. Like me, before entering, I saw the world in grayscale; after coming out, I see the world in color. So there is an input-output concept.
For example, when you come to work, that's your input; when you read a book, that's your input, but there are no results. You come to work, sit at your desk, have a cup of coffee and a newspaper. What's the result? You have to create value to have a result. So, some companies manage input, only caring if you come to work, not caring if you create value. That company is bound to fail. Everyone comes to sit and drink tea. Hiring a bunch of tea drinkers is a waste.
Management, sometimes you can't manage output because output is vague, so we manage input and manage output. For example, how many papers have you published, how many patents do you have, how many product improvements have you made? These are all outputs. Speaking in tongues is not an output; speaking in tongues is just an input. You will receive power within, which is good. If you have power within, then what? Do what God says.
If you don't have power, what do you do? For example, if you want to deal with the flesh but don't have the power, what do you do? Speak in tongues, rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body. I explain this theory to everyone; look at the results, look at the results! For example, when I speak in tongues, I can cast out demons. Demons listen to me.
Speaking in tongues edifies yourself! If you can't edify yourself, who can you edify? You can't edify others. So it's an operation of faith. After the input, what is in the middle? Faith. The input itself is also faith, so faith is important.
When You Ask for the Holy Spirit, God Will Not Give an Evil Spirit
Many people ask, Are there evil spirits in speaking in tongues? There are evil spirits. Some of our teachers teach people only one sentence: This may be from an evil spirit. They didn't finish. Actually, are there evil spirits? Yes, there are. But why do we say that God will not give an evil spirit? Because the manifestation of the evil spirit is the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I must tell you this logic.
Usually, evil spirits don't manifest. Evil spirits manifest because the Holy Spirit fills them, and that is the process of casting out the evil spirit. I once led someone in prayer, and I knew immediately that it was a demon manifesting, howling. Remember, speaking in tongues is not about screeching. That's definitely a demon. Then how can the Holy Spirit come if a demon comes? No, when the Holy Spirit fills, the demon wants to leave, so it howls. Do you understand?
So when you speak in tongues, is it the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit? The Bible doesn't teach us to judge. You just continue Fill with the Holy Spirit, fill with the Holy Spirit, more and more fill! Then the evil spirit will leave. For those who are howling, you need to continue to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Some people are frightened when an evil spirit manifests, thinking that a demon has come. But it's not.
Jesus already knew that people praying for the Holy Spirit would say that an evil spirit was given to them. Jesus understood people's unbelief very well. Jesus taught people the Lord's Prayer in Luke chapter 11. Verses 1 to 4 are the Lord's Prayer, and verses 5 to 13 are about asking for the Holy Spirit. Let me read it to you:
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 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 11:5-13)
Can you understand it? If you can't understand it, go home and read it ten, twenty, a hundred times, and you will understand. What is Jesus saying? Jesus is saying that if you ask for the Holy Spirit, He will not give you an evil spirit. Heavenly Father, fill me with the Holy Spirit, fill me with the Holy Spirit. Then an evil spirit comes. Don't you think this God seems a bit off? Our God is great and awesome, full of power. Can't He even manage this small matter? You might say, Teacher, what you just said is not good. What do you mean speaking in tongues is a small matter?
It's really not a small matter, it’s speaking in tongues, but it is a very small thing. If God can't manage even this, then what can He manage? Ask for the Holy Spirit, and an evil spirit comes. Jesus already knew that those muddleheaded people would complicate things more and more. Speaking in tongues, Let's see if it's the Holy Spirit or an evil spirit. If you ask for the Holy Spirit in the name of God, in the name of Jesus, how could it be an evil spirit? Impossible.
Therefore, we must be careful not to treat human experience as the word of God. The word of God is established in heaven and never changes. Today, our brothers and sisters must have this faith. For those who have such confusion online, let me explain it again. Some people speak in tongues because they want to show off, and that's bad. Many people have the wrong mentality; it's not faith, it's a strange thing. They want to show off themselves. Do you think that will attract demons? It will attract demons.
Asking for the Holy Spirit will not give you an evil spirit. How to ask? Give me bread, give me bread, give me bread, right? How to knock on the door? Open the door, open the door, open the door, that's how you knock. Understand? Persistently ask, don't beat around the bush. Lord, if you want to give me the Holy Spirit, then give it to me. If you don't want to give it to me, then forget it. Don't even think about it; you definitely won't get it. Who asks like that? We are all already in bed, Then forget it. You are too polite.
We must have some boldness. Some brothers and sisters are too polite, and that's suspicious. Their speech is like a radio announcer, seemingly very refined, but God doesn't like that. What God likes is Give me bread, give me bread. Such a simple matter, why must you beat around the bush? When I used to lead people to speak in tongues, I would explain a lot, but after explaining for a long time, people didn't believe, so let it go. So start to develop a habit: don't beat around the bush. If people say, I don't have time, that won't do.
Recently, a brother told me that he went to drink with some people. He said that he only spoke the truth after drinking five ounces of alcohol. Why must he drink? Because drinking finally overcame the barrier. Anyway, you can't say anything about me. I'm drunk, you can't blame me. If what I say is wrong, you can't blame me. I said it when I was drunk. In the workplace, they have learned a lot of circumlocution, but you can't do that with God. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is similar to being filled with new wine. So brothers and sisters, you must know that when you ask for the Holy Spirit, God will not give you an evil spirit.
Being Filled with the Holy Spirit Results in Speaking in Tongues
Many people say that being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are not the same thing, but I tell you, what happened the first time people were filled with the Holy Spirit? Everyone was speaking in tongues. If there weren't people from other places, Peter and the others, no one would know what they were saying. Fortunately, there were people from other places who heard and said, Hey, how are you speaking in our local language?
I don't know if there were people from Shandong among them at that time. There might have been someone speaking with a Shandong accent. Why? Because the Holy Spirit also speaks Shandong dialect. And there were also people speaking Cantonese, and people speaking in the language of birds, birdsong and fragrant flowers. It doesn't matter. Fortunately, there were people nearby who heard and testified that it was really a language.
So, the first time being filled with the Holy Spirit was like this, and the subsequent times must be like this. The subsequent times are all about following the pattern! Being filled with the Holy Spirit, they are like the person asking for bread, knocking like this, crying out like this, and those who come later also cry out like this. This time being filled with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, and next time they will also be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
I don't have time this time to tell you too much about the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts explains it very clearly. You can listen to my Bible study on the Book of Acts. Peter and Paul, wherever they went, they led people to receive the Holy Spirit, that's what it means. So this power, the result it brings, the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, is speaking in tongues.
Many people debate that being filled with the Holy Spirit brings life. That's nonsense. It's still several steps away from life. What does speaking in tongues do? Speaking in tongues edifies oneself. Doesn't edifying oneself mean edifying life? We rarely use the word life. We are all about Mingding Destiny. Peter once preached a sermon, in Acts chapter 2 verses 37 to 38.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:37-38)
Such a simple principle, do you understand? In the future, don't say that being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are not the same thing. Actually, the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the gift of tongues.
Speaking in Tongues is Praying in the Spirit
Speaking in tongues is praying in the spirit. Everyone must not misunderstand this. Speaking in tongues is inherently unintelligible because it is praying in the spirit. Let me read to you from 1 Corinthians chapter 14.
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. (1 Corinthians 14:1-2)
Can you understand that? He who speaks in tongues speaks not unto men, but unto God. I ask you, is speaking to God important? It's important. Is prophesying important? It's important. But is speaking to God important? It's more important, more important!
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying. (1 Corinthians 14:2-5)
Don't misread this passage. It is about desiring spiritual gifts. Many people read the first half of the sentence, Follow after charity, and then stop. Actually, speaking in tongues is praying in the spirit. It is a gift. It is speaking to God, speaking mysteries in the spirit. He who speaks in tongues edifies himself. If you can't edify yourself, who can you edify? So how should we say it?
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)
You must know that Chinese Mingding Destiny searches the Bible more truthfully and enthusiastically than many Evangelical churches search the Bible. But our speaking in tongues, our praying in the spirit, our pursuit of spirituality, is more spiritual than many Pentecostal churches. Our speaking in tongues, our healing the sick and casting out demons, we do better than many Pentecostal churches. Our Bible study, we do better than many Evangelical churches.
I'm like an old woman Wang selling melons, praising my own goods. Don't argue with me. If you say, You're not, I won't argue with you either. So our brothers and sisters must know that the Bible says, What is it then? We must pray with the understanding, and also pray in the spirit, sing with the understanding, and also sing in the spirit. Both things are necessary; they cannot be replaced by each other.
Paul Spoke in Tongues More Than All of You
Paul says, I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all. But I tell you, Paul also preached more than all of you. But in the church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might teach others, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue. Suppose you come all the way to Singapore to see me. We sit there, order some dishes, and then you don't say anything, and I don't say anything. You eat yours, and I eat mine, and we eat silently. Oh, it's so tiring to eat like this. So, people, it's not just about eating. When you drink, you have to chat about drinking, right?
If you come all the way to the physical church, and on a Sunday I stand on the pulpit and speak in tongues, from beginning to end it's all speaking in tongues, you won't come next time. Why? You can't understand. So people must know that truth is still related to understanding. Everyone must not misunderstand this. In the church, I must preach this way well. Recently, I must also tell you that preaching must be done in a way that is pleasant to hear. If you don't preach it pleasantly, people will be exhausted after listening. It must be pleasant to hear so that we can transmit the substance through pleasant packaging.
When you meet in person, you can't just output in tongues. For example, I can't understand Cantonese, and you give me a bunch of Cantonese. I am reminded of my experiences when I was young. When I was young, I was quite hurt. Why was I hurt? Because when people wanted to say something they didn't want me to hear, they would speak in Hokkien, which I didn't understand anyway. But sometimes I would join in the fun. After they finished speaking, everyone would laugh, and I would laugh stupidly too.
Later, they discovered that this kid was okay, they didn't need to guard against him anymore, so they said a lot of things. One day, I became their boss. I got promoted because I was good at my job. After I got promoted, they were dumbfounded, thinking, Oh no, he knows all our secrets. Actually, when people said those things I didn't understand, I was quite embarrassed there too.
So in the church, we must speak words that everyone can understand, and they must also be pleasant to hear. The church must teach people the truth, teach people to be smart, teach people to be as shrewd as snakes. You can't just output a bunch of tongues. But is speaking in tongues a lot good? Good. Speaking in tongues a lot is very good. In that case, I tell you, the church will have a complete truth and receive a complete gospel. What does this mean? Because people's strength and ability comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Do you want to cast out demons? You dream of it, so you need to speak in tongues a lot. Oh, I don't know if my speaking in tongues is from God. It doesn't matter. When you ask for the Holy Spirit, He will not give you an evil spirit. But in your understanding, you must know and learn the truth.
If we want to continue to recover lost ground, continue to cast out demons, and take back what belongs to God and belongs to us and offer it to God, then speaking in tongues is indispensable. These signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils. Casting out demons requires what? Speaking in tongues, speaking in new tongues.
Brothers and sisters, in this year, we will constantly cast out demons, whether in understanding or in spirituality, whether in ability or in truth, we must constantly grow! Recovering lost ground has very high returns; the returns are very abundant. Why are you poor? Because demons have stolen your blessings. Why are you sick? Because demons have occupied your body. Why do people have bad luck? Because demons are with you in your actions. So we begin to cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit!
This year, brothers and sisters will all fight a turnaround battle. Those who are sick, cast out the demons of sickness! Those who are poor, cast out the demons of poverty! Those who have bad luck, cast out the demons of bad luck! As you cast them out, my goodness! Orders come in, targets are met, and they are even exceeded. The Spirit of God will help you. So these things are all about faith. Do you believe? You must begin to believe.
I believe that many brothers and sisters need to cast out demons. Do you need to deal with the flesh? Yes, but after dealing with it, you still have to cast out demons. If you don't cast them out, the demons won't leave. There are also demons of laziness. Many of our bad habits are inextricably linked to demons and also to the flesh. When you want to change the flesh, you can decide to change, but when demons are controlling you, it's difficult. So casting out demons is followed by speaking in new tongues.
Next time, we will talk about handling snakes. Oh, what a feeling! It is the exercise of faith, always relevant. From now until forever, until we see the Lord, we are still exercising in faith, trusting in our God.
This is the beginning of an era of signs and wonders. Signs will follow our brothers and sisters. This is also the beginning of an era of blessing people through miracles. Chinese Mingding Destiny will bring widespread influence. In the church industry, the gospel of Jesus Christ will once again become a gospel of casting out demons! The gospel of Jesus Christ will once again manifest among us the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.
May God bless everyone! Amen!