AUTHORITY, POWER & TONGUES
Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to empower us with His Spirit to continue his ministry of bringing the gospel of the kingdom. This includes the power to expel demons, heal the sick, speak in tongues and proclaim with boldness His marvelous works.

He promised, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" The Baptism of the Spirit is for power - power over sin, sickness, demons and power to do the works that Jesus did and minister in His name.

"He who believes in me the works that I do he shall do also and greater works than these will he do because I go to the Father" (John 14:12) Now it is often pointed out that the church does the greater works than Jesus because it extends the word further than Jesus in His earthly limitations was able to do. This is true but we are also to do the works that He did. This includes authority over demons and healing the sick in His Name. This is the birthright of the church and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to begin to do this.

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:17-18) Those who receive the anointing with the Spirit can lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover.

Today millions of believers all over the world can verify the reality of this power in their own lives. These gifts , power and authority do not just belong to the leadership ministries of the church but to all believers who believe and receive.

Authority over demons is simply the authority to take dominion over spirits of fear, stress, unbelief, discouragement, poverty, depression, strife, jealousy, uncleanness, infirmity etc. Because we live in a spiritual world we have to deal not only with negative thoughts, but with wicked spirits that inject these negative and corrupting thoughts into our minds ,. All believers are offered the authority and power to expel such spirits from their lives and consciousness in the Name Of Jesus which is above all names.

By faith, we lay hands on the sick as Jesus' representatives and acting in His name, we can bring the healing power of the Holy Spirit into people's bodies. We can apply the benefit of Jesus' atonement and rebuke spirits of infirmities from people's lives.

Many things of the Spirit are beyond the reach of our minds. The Spirit enables us to pray (if we cooperate with Him) in a language that reaches beyond the limits of our minds. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we on ought but the. Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." (Romans 8:26-27)

The gift of tongues and other manifestations of the Spirit (including prophecy, interpretation of tongues, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles and discernment of spirits) can manifest in the lives of believers who ask Jesus to anoint them with His Spirit.

Those who actively receive the Holy Spirit can pray in tongues as the Spirit gives them the ability. Since 'the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet" tongues are not automatic or uncontrollable but something we choose to do as an act of the will by faith. We do the praying and the Holy Spirit makes it a language of deep communication to God. It is not automatic. The person must begin to speak syllables in a language he does not understand, and the Holy Spirit makes it a language that God understands. In this way, we are enabled to pray in a way that is beyond the limits of our understanding "Whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6: 17) It is normal to accept and expect this gift with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Paul writes. "Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy." (I Cor. 14.5)

On the day of Pentecost "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to SPEAK in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4). They did the speaking and the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. When we speak in our own language, we use our tongues our vocal chords, and our will. To speak in tongues we do the same except we remove the censorship of the mind. It is not magic, it is partnership. The Holy Spirit does not force us to do anything. We freely and deliberately co-operate with Him.
"For one who speaks in a tongue, speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him but he utters mysteries in the Spirit." (1 Cor. 14:2) From this we can see clearly that tongues are not for preaching but for prayer.

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