Is it a must for someone to speak in tongues after the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Simple answer, no! It is possible for someone to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit without speaking in tongues.
I have previously touched on this matter in this article.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is like welcoming a visitor who has a bag full of gifts into your house. The gifts are meant to be given to people who welcome him but of course the visitor chooses when to give the gifts.
Sometimes he gives out gifts immediately he is welcomed into a house and sometimes he withholds the gifts.
The treatment you give to the visitor after welcoming him into your house affects the decision of the visitor to give you gifts.
Take note that the visitor also chooses from the wide range of his gifts which gift to give when the host deserves a gift.
Why some People don’t speak in Tongues after Baptism
1. Fear to speak in Tongues after Baptism
I have witnessed many people who receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit but don’t speak in tongues because of fear. Fear is the weapon of the devil against the work of God in our lives.
Just as God requires faith to operate in our lives, the devil requires fear to operate.
Some people who get the baptism of the Holy Spirit have not dealt with fear to a level that allows them to speak in tongues.
It must be mentioned that speaking in tongues can be scary. Giving up control of your tongue is not easy.
After the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a believer gets the ability to speak in tongues but if the believer has fear he won’t speak in tongues.
I have also witnessed cases of people who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and didn’t speak in tongues until later.
For such cases, those people do receive the ability to speak in tongues but they take a bit of time to work up the courage to do it.
I have encouraged a number of people after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit to overcome fear and speak in tongues.
2. No Desire to Speak in Tongues after Baptism
Some people receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit but they have no desire to speak in tongues. I have witnessed people who went to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit because other people were going to receive it.
When a call is made for people to come to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, people show up for various reasons.
Some come because they want to speak in tongues, others come because they want to please their parents, others come because their friends are coming, others come because they are tired of sitting and want to stretch their legs.
Since God is just, whatever reason brings someone to the altar to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God will grant it.
The one who came to speak in tongues will speak in tongues, the one who came to please his parents will get his reward.
Developing a desire turns out to be a major factor that makes many people fail to speak in tongues after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes I witness servants of God struggling to get someone to speak in tongues and I laugh to myself because I know the person has the ability but there is no desire.
The ability to speak in tongues can be imparted but developing a desire is the responsibility of the individual.
3. Lacking Knowledge
Did you know that God allows you to experience His gifts only if you know they are from Him? Yes, that is true.
God knows that if He gives you His gifts without you knowing they are from Him, the devil can easily deceive you that he is the one who gave them to you.
As a result, God has to make sure you know that speaking in tongues is a gift from Him before He allows you to have it.
I have met people who believe that speaking in tongues is of the devil. Others believe it is merely the utterance of the speaker and has nothing special.
For people with such beliefs, God cannot permit them to have the gift of speaking in tongues. To such people, the ability to speak in tongues will drive them further from God rather than draw them closer to Him.
Since God wants speaking in tongues to draw us closer to Him, He would rather withhold the gift than give it only to make someone worse.
This is why it is usually important to brief someone about the gift of speaking in tongues before praying for the person to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Remember the incident in Acts 19; Apostle Paul began by asking the people he met if they had been baptized. When they said they only knew about the baptism of John, He explained to them the baptism of the Spirit before praying for them.
The knowledge he gave them helped them understand the need of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Speaking in Tongues after Baptism of the Holy Spirit: Conclusion
According to the perfect design of God, a person is supposed to receive the ability to speak in tongues after the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God is our helper and when we receive Him, we also receive all the gifts that He has. But because of our lacking nature, we often don’t manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit after baptism.
Some are able to speak in tongues right after baptism while others take time to start speaking in tongues. Some never speak in tongues even after receiving baptism.
If you are praying for someone to receive the baptism, know that there is a limit to what you can do. After asking the Holy Spirit to fill the person, you have done your part. It is up to the person to gather courage to speak in tongues. Of course you can always offer help where possible.
Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not hard. Many people struggle to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit rather than receive the baptism.
Either way, the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are things that every serious believer must desire. Why not?
Peace!