I had a moment decades ago that still reverberates loudly within me every day of my life. The way water moves a mill wheel, Christ’s living water moves me from within my innermost being throughout each day. It all started in an instant. I call it my Apollos moment.
When someone has a good education, extensive Bible knowledge, religious fervor, and talks accurately and boldly about Jesus, is anything missing from their Christian faith? According to the Bible, that’s not enough. Jesus said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing?” It’s vital that Christians stay consciously aware of “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” and continually surrender to being “led (controlled) by the Spirit”?
The story of a man in the Bible named Apollos illustrates this. You can read it Acts 18:24-28. My story is very similar. Here is my Apollos moment.
I had been a Christ-follower about a year. During that time, I had devoured the Bible daily. I was very excited about Jesus. However, some people explained to me that God had something more for me. They called it the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and said that it included the “gift of tongues” which they said was a supernatural prayer language that flowed with power and love from deep within you. They showed me several Scriptures about speaking in tongues and asked if I wanted the Holy Spirit’s power that comes with that gift. Although I didn’t mentally understand it, my heart was hungry, so I said, “Yes, I want anything God has for me?”
My good news bringers laid hands on me and began to pray for me in tongues. I felt something stirring deep within me when suddenly words that I didn’t know began to flow out of my inner most being. In a moment Jesus was more real to me than my physical environment — gushing like a fountain, like a mighty rushing wind, like rivers of living water, from somewhere deep inside of me. I prayed in tongue for hours basking in Christ’s presence, love, and power.
Ever since that moment I’ve had an awareness of Christ in me. He never leaves me alone. Even in my darkest and most painful moments, He has been with me, comforted me, and strengthened me. I pray in tongues off and on throughout each day and when I do, I experience that amazing moment once again and am lifted up by the Spirit’s inner flowing. The biblical concept of “joy unspeakable and full of glory” isn’t just a religious idea, it’s a present moment reality.
If you’ve never had an “Apollos moment” I recommend that you make sure that your life is fully surrendered to the risen Jesus. Then ask God for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues.
When the gift of tongues is first mentioned in the Bible in Acts chapter two, it says: ‘They began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.” Although speaking in tongues is supernatural, we have a part to play. We speak but the words we utter come from God’s Spirit. When you ask God for the gift of tongues, step out in faith to receive it by moving your vocal cords and speaking out in a few words you don’t know. As you exercise your faith a stream of unknown words and a flood of joy will flow from within you.
Pray in tongues often. Don’t give up on it. The more you do it the more you will experience the presence, power, and love of Jesus flowing from within you.
Free Gas For Your Think Tank (A blog to jog your mind and unclog your heart . . .) 