Speaking in tongues in the 21st century is still alive and kicking. How can the gift of the Holy Spirit vanish yet we still need it?
Some people believe that speaking in tongues in the 21st century ceased but they are wrong. I see this tendency in many other areas.
A simple example is in the line of the career I am pursuing; blogging. There are people out there who say blogging is dead even though we are still around and everything is going great if not better than before.
Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Given that fact, there is no way the Holy Spirit will be present in the 21st Century and yet His gifts are dead.
Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Is it still available in the 21st century? Absolutely! Knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Is it still available in the 21st century? Yes!
There are many other gifts of the Holy Spirit and all of them are available in the 21st century. I wonder what someone will be thinking to claim that speaking in tongues ceased.
The Challenge of Speaking in Tongues in the 21st Century
The truth of the matter is that the world is becoming less and less spiritual as we progress through the ages. During Biblical times, everyone believed in the existence of the supernatural.
The big problem those days was that some people believed in false gods. The prophets of God worked hard to remind the people that Yahweh was the true God.
God also performed mighty miracles to remind people that He was the only true and powerful God.
But in this age, we have a considerable number of people who completely don’t believe in the existence of the supernatural.
This effect of unbelief has affected how people perceive speaking in tongues. If people have the audacity to doubt the existence of God, do you think they will hesitate to claim speaking in tongues doesn’t exist in the 21st century?
Jesus asked us a rhetorical question; will the son of man find faith on earth when He returns?
All spiritual affairs including speaking in tongues require faith to operate. When faith dwindles on earth, spiritual affairs take a hit.
During the times of Jesus, miracles were almost a daily phenomenon. Today, someone getting healed of a mere cold sparks all manner of doubts. Remember healing is a gift of the Holy Spirit just like speaking in tongues.
How many churches in the 21st Century don’t believe in the gift of speaking in tongues? How many intentionally fight people who speak in tongues?
And those are churches. We have not even mentioned average people who don’t care about spirituality.
Speaking in tongues in the 21st century is facing the unfortunate fate that meets all spiritual gifts; unbelief.
Sad but true!
The Attitude you need to Speak in Tongues in the 21st Century
The way things are going, it will be a losing battle to fight back against the increasing unbelief in the gift of speaking in tongues.
The best you can do is hold on to your faith so that you are not carried away in the wave of unbelief that is sweeping people across the world.
Speaking in tongues is an advanced way of praying and of course it requires great faith to operate. When we read about speaking in tongues in the book of Acts, it is talked about as a normal occurrence.
In Acts 10 we are told of the household of Cornelius that received the Holy Spirit when Peter was talking to them. Peter was not trying to get people to speak in tongues neither was he talking about speaking in tongues but people received the baptism.
Today, we preach about speaking in tongues in a 1 hour sermon and pray for people but only a handful have sufficient faith to speak in tongues.
Many speak empty tongues and there is a lot of faking. The genuine power of the Holy Spirit when someone is speaking in tongues is barely experienced today.
I have been to churches that speak in tongues and it was sorrowful. People were speaking in tongues but their lives don’t reflect the power of the Holy Spirit they claim to be operating in.
Speaking in tongues just like all other gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to help us be like Christ. The gifts of the Holy Spirit bring out the fruit of the Spirit in us.
As a believer who speaks in tongues in the 21st century, I will urge you to hold on to your faith when it comes to speaking in tongues. Don’t give in to the temptation to quit practicing the gift.
Have the attitude of ‘If I die let me die speaking in tongues’.
The Hope in Speaking in Tongues in the 21st Century
It may look like speaking in tongues is dying in the 21st century but remember the gospel looked like it would die during the days of persecution but it has survived to this day.
The gifts of God too face a lot of opposition but they never die. They can’t! The gifts of the Holy Spirit will be around until the last day that Christ will appear.
The gospel of Jesus suffers great persecution. There is no way the gifts of the Holy Spirit including speaking in tongues will escape persecution.
Despite the struggle, God expects us to faithfully walk in the gifts that He has given us through the Holy Spirit.
When everyone is saying speaking in tongues no longer exists in the 21st century, let us pray in tongues fervently.
Speaking in Tongues in the 21st Century: Conclusion
It doesn’t matter what century it is, provided the Holy Spirit is still around, speaking in tongues will continue operating as well as other gifts.
Take it as a personal responsibility to hold on to your faith in the midst of the challenges that speaking in tongues faces in the 21st century.
There is all manner of discouragement but don’t pay attention to it. Rather, focus on your relationship with Jesus and use praying in tongues to build your intimacy with God.
Peace!