 BY KEN BOONEFrom the time a believer is born again they are invited to participate in the supernatural side of God. On a daily basis Jesus demonstrated the supernatural to His disciples. He turned water into wine, multiplied food, walked on water, healed the sick, and produced many miracles. He did this so regularly that John went as far to say that if everything Jesus did had been written down the world would not be able to contain the amount of books required to document every miracle. Jesus demonstrated this supernatural lifestyle to his disciples not so they could just be witnesses but that they would be participants. On occasion Jesus would send them out alone to demonstrate the supernatural side of the Kingdom of God by healing the sick, and casting out demons. Jesus instructed his disciples to then teach others the very same things they had been taught which would have included the supernatural works that they had been producing. Jesus did not limit these experiences to His disciples only, nor did He restrict them to a particular generation within the church. Often He would make inclusionary statements such as: …”he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” Certainly we see the fulfillment of this verse in the early church. The books of Acts is filled with miracles, angelic visitation, healing, deliverance, signs and wonders, but it is also well documented that these events continued beyond the generation of the church in the book of Acts. St. Augustine as well as many others before him wrote of the sick being healed, blind eyes opening, and the demon possessed being set free. There is a reason that the book of Acts is the only book of the New Testament that does not include a formal ending because the acts that it contains were never meant to end. The world has a natural hunger for the supernatural. Just look at the most popular movies and television programs. Not only does the world have a hunger for it but there is also great need that often requires supernatural intervention. The church was designed to satisfy that hunger, and meet the need. When Philip traveled to Samaria he demonstrated the supernatural by producing miracles, and casting out demons. The Bible records in Acts chapter 8 that the people listened intently to what he had to say because of the miracles. And as a result the entire city was filled with “great joy”. Prior to this, their spiritual hunger was fed by witchcraft and sorcery. The world will satisfy its own need for the supernatural even if that means settling for a cheap imitation. These supernatural experiences can be available to every believer. Jesus listed some of the signs that would follow believers in Mark 16:17-18, He said: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” I believe there is a reason why Jesus lists speaking in other tongues in His short list of the signs. I know that tongues has been a debated issue in many Christian circles and has some baggage attached. Maybe you are reading this and thinking about that very thing. But what if we saw tongues for what it really is? Would you be willing to hear this topic from a differing perspective? Let me share with you my experience with this gift and all the benefits it has for the believer. Would you take that journey with me? The Apostle Paul was certainly no stranger to the supernatural. In his letter to the church at Corinth he stated that his desire was that they all would have the gift of tongues (1 Cor 14:5). And later in the chapter he goes on to say: “I thank my God, I speak in tongues more than ye all.” (1 Corinthians 14:18 KJV). What is also obvious is the emphasis that Paul is placing on praying in the Spirit. In verse 4 Paul states that when we pray in tongues our spirit is being “edified”. The Greek word here means “to build a house”. That is to say that praying in tongues causes your spirit to expand. Jude writes “But ye, beloved, building up yourself on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” (Jude 1:20). We are spiritual beings living in a human tent. When we pray in tongues the emphasis is placed on the spirit person within us, causing us to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit living in us, and the spirit realm around us. Praying in tongues is itself a spiritual act which positions us to respond to the situations around us in the Spirit, and thus do what the Holy Spirit would do through us. I believe that a consistent prayer life that is centered around praying in tongues is vital to walking in the supernatural. Paul said that when we pray in tongues our spirit prays directly to God’s spirit, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God” (1 Cor. 14:2,14, NKJV), and when the Holy Spirit intercedes through us according to Romans 8:27 we are then praying the will of God. Therefore we are praying the perfect will of God right back to God Himself. Praying in tongues then releases the will of God into us so that we will release His will into the earth. Walking in the supernatural is simply exchanging the realities of Heaven with the realities that exist in the earth. Being sick with cancer is a reality. However it is also a reality that cancer does not exist in Heaven. When Jesus healed the sick, or performed a miracle He was revealing the will of God for that situation. In order to see the supernatural invade the natural it is necessary that our minds be renewed. That we don’t think naturally, or even see things through the natural eye, but we think according to the will of God, and see things through God’s perspective. Jesus demonstrated the will of God when: “He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38). Before Jesus was able to produce good works, and heal the sick He was first filled with the Holy Spirit and power. While the bible never states that Jesus spoke in tongues it does indicate that believers would as they are baptized with the Holy Spirit and power just as Jesus was. This baptism of the Spirit enables us to undergo the process of having our minds renewed so that we can see another possibility other than the natural circumstances surrounding us and to do just as Jesus did by implanting the “perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2) into impossible situations. I have found that praying in tongues accelerates the process of the renewed mind by allowing us to participate with the Holy Spirit in a prayer language which is itself supernatural and is designed to condition us to think towards the possibilities that exist in the realm of the supernatural. You and I are seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places right now, according to Ephesians 2. I’m not waiting to get to heaven I’m already there! And because I exist there I can see, and hear from that place. Tongues is the bridge that connects the language of my spirit to the language of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26) with the hope that I will speak on earth what is being spoken in heaven. Our tongue is the most powerful part of our entire being, when I align my speech with His will the result is supernatural!  Ken Boone currently serves as a co-host on The Alliance Podcast at boldcupofcoffee.com and founding pastor at Alabaster House as well as a public speaker, travelling equipper and writer.
Ken and his wife Christa are the proud parents of four children. They have been married for more than 15 years. And have been in the ministry for more than 17 years, They have dedicated their lives to preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom", and to living a life in partnership with Holy Spirit. Their desire is to see believers equipped to live a lifestyle that brings the realities of Heaven to the world that we live in, to see the culture of the Kingdom of God replace the cultures around us. And to fulfill the mandate from Jesus to: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, freely you have received freely give."
Comments
|
