Are you equally blessed when being "baptized with the holy spirit" whether speaking tongues or not?

Question

What does "baptized with the holy spirit" really mean? Does it mean tongues? What blessings are given? Have I still recieved the spirit even if I never recieved tongues?

Answer 1

you receive the holy spirit when you are born again.
the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a deeper relationship, and tongues is the evidence that you received it. however however not everyone that receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit, receives the gift of tongues.
I realize that this will be disputed by some, however when my wife received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, she never spoke in tongues, but she did receive the gift of interpretation.

Answer 2

Their are at least two areas more important than speaking in tongues. They are to love and to hear. The Bible will become a new book for you also.

The first is found in Galatians 6:16,24. There you will find two lists. A list of things you no longer have any desire to do and a list of things that now flow naturally out of your heart on a daily basis.

The baptism of the holy spirit is you giving up yourself by faith and Jesus Christ taking full control. Tongues and other working gifts will come and go. What the baptism is; is the beginning of a real love affair and a never ending story between you and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second area involves your ability to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus when he is speaking to you through Scripture, through another person or in your own spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit you will be able to discern which answers, and what part of certain answers are true; even if it doesn't agree with your thinking, your experience, or what you have always been told. Scripture will start to speak to your heart.

So these are most important. To have the fruits of the spirit, being the very presence of love; and to have discernment of truth about what is taking place in and around you; because of a real presence that abides with you and in you.

Answer 3

All Christians have recieved the Holy Spirit, tongues or no tongues! We need to first know that all Christians receive the Spirit upon their conversion and in this sense all Christians have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. This means that they are saved and that they have all they need at that time to be able to live godly and holy lives.

1 Cor. 12:13 says, "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."

Those who have not experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (meaning a sudden and powerful experience) are not second class citizens by any means! They are the ones who experience the Lord over a long period of time and get just as blessed as those who suddenly step into the torrent of the Spirit's presence. In fact, the Baptism of the Spirit can be a pitfall since so many people who have experienced it long for it again, almost to the point of putting the validity of their faith in the experience instead of the clear teaching of the word of God.

Answer 4

There is no such thing as a Christian who has not been "baptized with the Holy Spirit"...it is what happens when the Christian first meets Christ and asks Him into His heart and life.
Alot of folks don't realize what "tongues" really are. In Acts 2, when the disciples were given "power from on high", all the people present understood them speaking in their own languages that they had spoken from their childhoods.
Something miraculous had happened. Evidently, these men were speaking foriegn languages they had never been taught. Or, perhaps, God had given them the language mankind had spoken before the Tower of Babel. Although, again, every person there heard "our own tongue, in which we were born", in spite of the fact that they had come from many different lands.
They were not speaking in some angelic language, that's for sure. I've heard some people say that tongues are the language that angels speak, because Paul said "even though I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love..."
Notice, Paul did NOT say that he did, indeed, speak in the tongue of angels, but that IF he did, but didn't have love, he would still be nothing but alot of annoying noise.

So, what about the people who claim to have this strange gift? Alot of them, obviously, are faking...they no more speak in tongues than I speak Japanese (which I do not). But some definitely are being influenced by something.
From what I've seen of these folks, both online and in person, they seem to be rather self-righteous, judgmental, and sometimes, downright rude. They do not show the character of Christ. I can only conclude, then, that the spirit motivating them has nothing to do with Christ. I do fear that they may be opening themself to quite another spirit...especially when I see such things as groups of men and women, lining up at an altar, to have their spirits "slain", or a pastor who is unable to read a single verse of scripture without making animal noises, or people giggling hysterically at inopportune moments for no apparent reason, or stumbling about as if they'd had too much to drink, or down on the floor, acting like barnyard animals--mooing, clucking, barking, squealing like pigs--I once saw a woman do such a good imitation of a chicken you'd almost swear her knees had turned backward. None of these things are Biblical, Jesus never did any of them, nor did any of the Apostles, or anyone else mentioned in scripture. But Jesus did warn us, and so did Paul. The spirit behind these manifestations (where they are not outright fakery) is NOT holy at all, but rather just the opposite. It is a spirit of deception....

You recieved the Holy Spirit the second you became a Christian. You have not received the "gift of tongues" because it is not from God.
Pray that God will protect you from the spirit of deception.

Answer 5

Excellant question.
The answer to your first question is yes. The speaking in tongues was to establish that the Holy Spirit was indeed working in the people.

Paul asks the question, do all speak in tongues, the obvious answer is no.

There are 2 biblical babtisms by the Spirit. The first is into the body of Christ, whereby you are saved. The second is for power, to serve Jesus Christ.

There is a list of fruits of the Spirit, but the blessing are many and varied.

Answer 6

Baptized in the Spirit means receiving more than one gift from the Holy Spirit but speaking in tongues is the most common. Yes you have received the Holy Spirit - sometimes tongues does not come immediately but it will!

Answer 7

Everyone who has accepted Christ as Savior, has been baptized in the Holy Spirit- and that does not mean that that person will speak in tongues- that is just one sign of the Holy Spirit- anyone who tells you must speak in tongues to be saved or full of the Spirit, they are wrong- Paul in scripture- said that he spoke in tongues, but that was not for everyone. IF you know Jesus as your Savior- you have received the Spirit.

Answer 8

Friend, when you get saved, forgiven of your sins, you are washed cleaned and the Holy Spirit is received, if you continue your walk with the Lord, you get sanctified, which is cleansing of the outer and inner stuff that must go from your life, then you seek for the Holy Ghost, this is being baptized with the evidence of speaking in tongues, which is what pentecostals say alot during testimonies, thank the Lord for saving, sanctifying and filling me with the Holy Ghost. It is salvation, the cleansing, and speaking in tongues. This is when you receive the power of the Holy Ghost. Go to the word, the Bible and let it flood your heart, friend, talk to Jesus and if you desire to seek for speaking in tongues let Jesus guide you, tell him you hunger for more of him and he will direct your path. Oh the awesome love of God...be blessed.

Answer 9

well, it makes you bold enough not to feel silly doing it, that's for sure. And for edification, there is no need to speak in this way in front of others (unless the Spirit moves you), and acceptable to edify yourself while vacuuming the house. Very often, what happens is chanting and singing, although I must say, without anyone there to translate for you, I wonder if you know what you are saying.

The blessings that are given are varied. Some can prophesy, some see visions, some become healers, some have the ability to weep. What happens in almost all cases is being slain in the spirit.

Answer 10

the sign of being baptized with the holy spirit is speaking in tongues, if you haven't spoken in tongues then you don't got the holy spirit...you can take a look at cornelius family in the book of acts when they were baptized they spoke in tongues and so did the people in the upper room on the day of pentecost.