The other morning, in picking up my personal
mail here at the Carlton House, the desk clerk
handed me a most imposing -looking envelope.
It was marked United States Senate. The letter
had been sent airmail. Upon opening the envelope,
I found out that it had been written by... the
senator's wife. The letter was beautifully written.
She has been listening to our radio broadcast.
She asks a question, though, that I feel that
I want to answer her question. In doing so, I
may answer your question also. Because it is
a most important question. Let me read just a
paragraph or two of her letter. I missed your
exposition of the tongues movement. I should
so like to know your belief on this. These people
seem to feel that they have something which the
rest of us lack. If it is of the Lord, Why should
I feel so embarrassed, so disgusted, when I hear
someone speaking in tongues? In the hospital,
a group of them visited me, and it was most embarrassing.
One woman, whom I know, looked down her nose
at me because I do not speak in tongues. She
teaches a Sunday school class, is very, very
active in religious things, prayer groups, etc.
But she believes that while doing this work for
the Lord, she can live exactly as she pleases,
do exactly as she pleases, because her belief
in Christ and her speaking in tongues sets her
apart. from gods thou shalt not. I do not mean
to condemn someone for something that I do not
understand or have not experienced. But please
help me, Ms. Komen, in answering my question.
I miss your views on this subject because of
maddening static and interference. some months
ago when you preached on the Holy Spirit. The
Senator's wife signs her full name, gives her
full address. You know, I sincerely believe that
the lack of teaching on this subject is one reason
why so much reproach has been brought on the
most beautiful experience that can happen to
one who has been born again. I want to first
of all set you very straight on something and
follow me very carefully. I do not know whether
I'll be able to give the full answer to the Senator's
wife in just as one broadcast. So I ask you please
to follow me because I shall speak as simply
as though I were speaking to a child. I feel
that teaching on the subject of the Holy Spirit,
good sound doctrinal teaching regarding this
experience of being filled with the Spirit, good
sound teaching as to the speaking in an unknown
tongue is needed this hour. You know... It's
so hard to cope with ignorance. And you'll find
ignorance in every phase of life, always. Those
in the medical profession will agree with me
that there's ignorance among those in the medical
profession. Take the profession of law. Not a
lawyer, but what will agree with me that even
in his profession, There is ignorance. But I
believe that in any profession, even though there's
ignorance there, it is most appalling and most
detrimental when you find ignorance when it comes
to the things spiritual and the things of God.
Because it brings such reproach. shh, on the
Lord Jesus Christ, on his word, on God the Father,
and especially on the Holy Spirit, the mighty
third person. ignorance has brought such reproach
on something that is so beautiful, so wonderful,
so real, so vitally important to Every child
of God. Therefore, I'm going to take you step
by step. And please, as we begin our little heart
-to -heart talk on this subject, will you just
sit there with an open mind? That's all that
I ask of you. Will you please just now turn yourself
upside down and shake yourself from all preconceived
ideas? and sit there with an open mind, an open
heart, open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
I find some folk who are so set in their ideas,
so set in what they believe, that if an angel
were to come all the way from glory to earth,
and try to teach them, they would disregard the
teaching of an angel and would still hold to
their own belief. We're going to take the word
of God. Beloved, no person can take issue with
God's word. That's the highest authority in heaven
and earth. Regardless of what you have been taught
by man, regardless of the theology of the organization
that you belong to, regardless of what your pastor
has taught you or your priest has taught you
or what your neighbors have said, if it's...
Contrary to what God's Word says, remember God's
Word is always right. There can be no question
about it. All that I ask of you as we begin these
heart -to -heart talks on this vital subject
is that you allow your mind to be open to the
Word of God. And in answering the question asked
by the senator's wife, I'm going to begin with
something that may seem to you to be very remote.
And yet, here is really the answer. Turn, if
you will, please, to the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians.
Oh, but somebody says, Miss Gorman. What has
that to do with Acts 2 -4? Everything is the
same person. I want you to become acquainted
with this wonderful person of the Holy Spirit.
And remember, he is a person. All that some people
think of whenever you speak of the Holy Spirit
is just one thing, tongues. Speaking in tongues,
you just mention the Holy Spirit. And invariably,
there's only one thought that enters their mind.
Tongues. They have never become acquainted with
the power of the Trinity. the person of the Holy
Spirit. Let's see what he is really like. I want
you to, first of all, get acquainted with the
ministry of the gifts that he gives. He gives
wonderful gifts. But I want you to see the ministry
of the gifts. I want you to see the fruits of
the Spirit. Let me read it to you. Oh, you know
what that 13th chapter, 1 Corinthians, involved.
You know. But just sit there with an open heart
as I read it to you under the anointing of the
Holy Spirit. speak with the tongues of men and
of angels and have not love, I am become as sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have
the gifts of prophecy, watch it. Is there a gift
more coveted than the gift of prophecy or the
gift of the word of knowledge? or the gift of
the word of wisdom? Is there anything that we
could covet more than these gifts? And yet, watch
this. Though I have the gift of prophecy and
understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and
though I have all faith, so that I can remove
mountains and have not... Love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Now
watch. Love suffereth long and is kind. Love
envieth not. Love vaunteth not itself, is not
huffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh
not its own, is not easily provoked, and thinketh
no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth
in the truth. beareth all things, believeth all
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Love never faileth. But whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they
shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall
vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy
in part. But when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood
as a child. I thought as a child. But when I
became a man, I put away childish things. For
now we see through a glass darkly, but then face
to face. Now I know in part. But them shall I
know, even as also I am known. And now abideth
faith, hope, love, these three. But the greatest
of these is love. I have just given you, from
the word of God, the fruits of the Spirit. The
fruits... of the Holy Spirit. He gives gifts.
Marvelous gifts. And may I remind you again that
the nine gifts that we speak of as nine gifts
of the Spirit are only a part of the gifts that
he gives to God's children. They are only an
example. Don't limit him when it comes to his
giving of gifts. But as truly as He gives gifts,
there will be certain roots from these gifts.
There are certain roots of the Spirit. There
are certain evidences by which we know. The fact
which one possesses is real, is genuine. By their
fruits, ye shall know them. By their lives, ye
shall know them. By their deeds, we shall know
them. You see? The experience is personal. Whatever
experience we receive from the Lord, when it
comes to the new birth experience, it is an experience
between the master and the individual. The actual
transaction is not seen by even the one who may
be standing very near to that one. It's an individual,
a personal transaction. But... There will be
an outward evidence of that which has taken place
internally by that one's actions, by the life
that he lives. By this shall all men know that
you have been born again. There will be the outward
manifestation, and there'll be no doubt whatsoever
as to whether or not that... one has been born
again in exactly the same way when it comes to
one who's been healed of the spirit. That wonderful
experience is something that's individual. When
literally the Holy Spirit comes into that body
and takes that body and makes it his temper.
temple of the holy spirit the most sacred the
most wonderful experience and believe me it's
vitally important to every born again christian
i believe with all of my heart and being filled
with the spirit call it the baptism of the spirit
i believe in it and every christian should start
possessing his possessions in the spirit. But
watch something. There will be no doubt as to
whether or not that one has literally been filled
with the spirit, has actually received the fullness
of the spirit because there will be evidences
of that experience. evidences, outward evidences
of that one having yielded their body as the
temple of the Holy Spirit. This 13th chapter
of 1 Corinthians gives us definitely these outward
evidences. that we are to expect from the life
of one who has been filled with the Spirit. Oh,
my friend, there's much more than speaking in
an unknown tongue. Paul begins in that very first
part. By saying, though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels and have not love, I am
become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
And a lot of folks are sounding off. But there's
no power. There's no fruit. It's just noise.
All right. Let's analyze the fruit of the spirit.
Love suffereth love. There goes the impatience.
Love is kind. There's no room for... Unkindness.
Love endeth not. Watch it. There goes jealousy.
There goes jealousy, my friend. Where you find
jealousy in a life and jealousy in the heart.
You're not going to find the abiding presence
of the Holy Spirit. Watch it. And sometimes I
think one of the most prevalent sins among Christians
is the sin of jealousy. And yet when it comes
to the fruit of the Spirit, love envieth not.
Love vaunteth not. itself. Boasting. Is not puffed
up. There goes pride. Does not behave unseemly.
Seeketh not its own. Is not provoked. Taketh
no account of evil. There goes backbiting and
malice. Beareth all things, no more complaining.
Believeth all things, no more mistrust. Hopeth
all things. There goes anxiety, worry, despondency.
Hear it. For me to live is Christ, and Christ
is love, and that's the real evidence when one
has the Holy Spirit in his life.