Expressing the Holy

(Acts Study)

The first two chapters of the Book of Acts describe God’s Holy Spirit within us. Many churches use these chapters to emphasize the ‘gift of speaking in tongues’--or glossolalia. I have been around people who practice glossolalia--but this has not helped me understand God or anything else. Instead of bringing spiritual understanding, for me, it has led to spiritual confusion.

I have a good friend who was inculcated with the belief that speaking in tongues was a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Conversely, she presumes that the lack of this ability indicates the absence of God’s Spirit. Over the years, this friend has told me how often she has wished for this gift of speaking in tongues. However, her words and actions have nudged me closer to God than any practitioner of glossolalia. She has expressed the Holy Spirit to me in ways I can understand. She has influenced me to follow Christ instead of following the crowd. She has taught me, by example, how to be be more receptive to God’s Spirit.

When we are infused with the Holy Spirit, we are able to express God in ways that others understand. When we are receptive to God’s Spirit, we are filled with power, boldness, confidence, discernment, and the peace and joy that comes from His presence.