ENCOURAGING TESTIMONIES OF OTHERS WHO SPEAK IN TONGUES
I CAN’T THINK of a better way to conclude this book than by giving you a handful of fascinating and encouraging testimonies of how the gift of tongues has been a blessing to other Christians and how God has used this gift to make a powerful impact on the body of Christ. Although we should base our beliefs only on Scripture, these stories can serve to confirm what we’ve already determined on biblical grounds to be the truth concerning speaking in tongues.
JACKIE PULLINGER AND CHASING THE DRAGON 1
I met Jackie Pullinger for the first time in January 1991. I was in Anaheim, California, at the invitation of my friend Jack Deere, attending a national Vineyard conference. The first night there Jack took me to dinner and said he had a few friends he’d like me to meet. One was Mike Bickle, with whom I would later serve for seven years in Kansas City on the staff of Metro Christian Fellowship. The other was Jackie Pullinger. Jack had not prepared me for what was to come. I don’t think I’ve been the same since.
“So, Jackie, tell me about yourself,” I said somewhat nonchalantly. For the next two hours I listened as she told me the story of her life and her ministry in the Walled City of Hong Kong. I distinctly remember calling my wife later that night and telling her, “Honey, I think I just met a Christian!” I know that sounds odd, but until I met Jackie, I don’t believe I really knew what being a Christian was all about. I had never encountered such humility and power, such self-sacrifice and joy, such unbridled love for Jesus and for the lost and broken of the world. We returned to the Anaheim Convention Center in preparation to hear Jackie speak at the evening plenary session. As we prepared to walk in, we opened the door for Jackie only to discover that she had disappeared. We panicked. The three of us fanned out to find her. It didn’t take long. There she was, kneeling over a homeless man who had been digging through the garbage in one of the huge dumpsters looking for food. Jackie was praying for him.
“Jackie, come on! They’re waiting for you inside.”
“Let them wait,” she replied, somewhat dismissively. “It’s only a conference.”
As we finally rushed her in to get prepared to speak, I’ll never forget what she said. “You’re responsible for what you see. You can’t change the world, Sam. You can’t help everyone. But you are responsible for what you see. I saw him and did what I could.” It was a lasting lesson I learned that night. We had the privilege in Kansas City of hosting Jackie on two more occasions. Only those who have heard her speak and watched her minister can understand the impact she has on spoiled, wealthy Western Christians. But I digress.
Now, let me back up and tell you how Jackie arrived at where she is today.
Jackie, born and raised in England (with an identical twin sister), was only five years old when she first sensed the call of God on her life. As she grew to adulthood, the message became even clearer: “Go.”
“Where, Lord?”
“Go. Trust me, and I will lead you. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will guide you with my eye.” 2 Rebuffed and turned down by every missionary organization she contacted (no one wanted a twenty-year-old who had studied at the Royal College of Music in London and lacked proper “missiological” training), Jackie sought the advice of a pastor. His counsel was short and straight to the point: “Well, if you’ve tried all the conventional ways and missionary societies and God is still telling you to go, you had better get on the move. . . . If I were you I would go out and buy a ticket for a boat going on the longest journey you can find and pray to know where to get off.” 3
She did. Jackie Pullinger quite literally took the proverbial “slow boat to China” and has been ministering in Hong Kong for more than fifty years. The infamous Walled City, where Jackie set up shop, sat on only six-and-one-half acres of land but was home for upwards of 50,000 people! It was quite literally a world unto itself, with neither China nor Britain exercising proper jurisdiction. It was a haven for thieves, murderers, extortionists, drug lords, pornographers, illegal immigrants and refugees, the homeless, runaways, pimps, and prostitutes (many of whom were twelve- and thirteen-year-old girls sold into the trade by neighbors, boyfriends, and even parents). Pornographic theaters as well as opium and heroin dens lined the narrow walkways and alleys. The city was ruled by the Triads, Chinese secret societies that had degenerated into ruthless criminal gangs.
The filth was beyond belief. Open sewers, human refuse flowing freely in the streets, rats that no longer reacted to the shrill screams of frightened visitors. Bodies of addicts who overdosed the night before were piled outside the city.
Into this nightmare walked a twenty-year-old girl from England who had no money, no job, and couldn’t speak a word of Mandarin. 4 But she managed to learn enough to tell the heroin addicts about Jesus. Much to her disappointment, she saw very little fruit in the first two years of her ministry. Things began to change when she met a young Chinese couple who bluntly told her: “You haven’t got the Holy Spirit.” Jackie was offended. “Of course I have the Spirit,” she thought to herself. “I couldn’t believe in Jesus if I didn’t.” 5
Jackie soon discovered they were talking about the gift of tongues. The couple laid their hands on her, prayed, and encouraged her to begin speaking. Nothing happened. The couple persisted, but so did Jackie! Finally, when she could stand it no longer, Jackie opened her mouth and said, “Help me, God.” I’ll let Jackie tell you what happened:
As soon as I made the conscious effort to open my mouth, I found that I could speak freely in a language I had never learned. It was a beautiful articulate tongue, soft and coherent in that there was a clear speech pattern with modulated rise and fall. I was never in any doubt that I had received the sign that I had asked for. But there was no accompanying exultation. I had imagined being lifted up into praise and glory, but it was a most unemotional experience. 6
The absence of an emotional high was frustrating and confusing to Jackie. For the next several months she largely neglected any exercise of her new gift. Her ministry in the Walled City continued, but with very few lasting results.
Then she met an American couple. It had been two years since she first arrived in Hong Kong and one year since she supposedly received the gift of tongues. “Do you pray in tongues, Jackie?” they asked. “No, not anymore. I haven’t found it that useful.” The American lady responded:
That’s very rude of you. . . . It’s not a gift of emotion—it’s a gift of the Spirit. You shouldn’t despise the gifts God has given you. The Bible says that he who prays in tongues will be built up spiritually, so never mind what you feel—do it. 7
Jackie promised the couple that she would devote fifteen minutes every day to praying in tongues. After about six weeks Jackie noticed something remarkably different in her ministry. People with whom she shared the gospel began to believe in Jesus! But that isn’t where the story ends. It was only the beginning.
The single greatest obstacle to deliverance from drugs was the indescribable and unbearable pain of withdrawal. The agony of going cold turkey had driven the vast majority of addicts back to their habit. But Jackie made a startling discovery. She herself has no explanation for why God chose to do it this way, but she is happy He did. It was her custom to pray for her new converts to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to receive a prayer language. They always did.
But then she observed that when the pain of withdrawal would begin, it would just as quickly end if the individual would begin praying in tongues! It took a while to convince a few of the converts, but the horrors of withdrawal made them desperate. As Jackie and others would pray for them in tongues, they too would cry out to God in their new language. Miraculously, and virtually without exception, each one came off drugs without the wrenching pain associated with this experience.
Most of these addicts had been on heroin or opium for years and had quite literally run out of space on their bodies in which to inject themselves with the drug. Their lives were controlled by their addiction, and few would hesitate to steal or even kill to support their habit. Many had sold friends and family members into prostitution to keep the flow of drugs coming. Yet when they converted to faith in Jesus and prayed in tongues, the power of addiction was defeated.
I have no explanation for this. I don’t have a biblical text that I can cite in support of how God has used tongues in Jackie’s ministry. All I can do is state the facts as I know them and let you draw your own conclusion. But the simple truth is that every single person, numbering in the hundreds, who prayed to receive Christ under Jackie’s ministry also received the gift of tongues. And every single heroin addict who prayed in tongues at the onset of withdrawal pains came through the experience without the slightest discomfort.
Whether God will make use of tongues in a similar way through the ministry of others is something neither I nor Jackie nor anyone else can predict. Our responsibility is to obey God’s Word and trust Him for the results.
WHEN A PROMINENT SCHOLAR SPEAKS IN TONGUES
Let me share another story that may be an encouragement to you in this regard. What follows is a letter I received from a nationally known and widely respected scholar concerning her own experience with tongues. She is an accomplished author and a brilliant theologian. Here is what she said:
For what it’s worth, let me quickly relate my own tongues experience. Twenty years ago, in high school, my wild and crazy Pentecostal boyfriend and his Pentecostal cohorts tried every which way to get me—a conservative Baptist girl—to speak in tongues. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, but try as they did (prayer, moaning, speaking in tongues over me . . . everything short of slashing themselves with knives), nothing happened. They came to the conclusion that I was horribly unspiritual and resistant to God’s work in my life. I can’t say that I was deeply marred by the experience, but it did leave me feeling somewhat wary of the validity of the gift.
In June of this year [1995], the Spirit put on my heart the desire to enter an extended fast. On the fourth day (a really, really difficult day of battling against the physical and mental desire to eat) while I was pouring my heart out to God, foreign and strange words welled up from deep within and came spilling out of my mouth. It was quite a few moments before it dawned on me that I was speaking in tongues. Over the next days and weeks of the fast, I was able to use this gift to battle against severe temptation. I doubt whether I would have had the physical, mental, and spiritual strength to complete the fast without it. I felt as though the Spirit of God within was interceding to the Father on my behalf. The gift remains with me. I feel most moved to use it during times of deep intercession or deep praise. “Deep” is the best adjective I can think of—it is kind of hard to describe, but I think you know what I mean. 8
The interesting thing about this woman’s experience is that she was not seeking the gift of tongues. She was simply seeking God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. I’m not suggesting that you must follow her example nor that you will necessarily receive a new prayer language simply because you fast and pray. But you might!
THE EXPERIENCE OF A MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN
The following is the testimony of one mother, Kendra, and her ten-year-old twin children, Nate and Natalie, all of whom (together with Kendra’s husband, Jimmy) are active in Bridgeway Church where I serve as lead pastor. I have their permission to use their names and tell you what happened.
Nate’s story
On March 14, 2018, I was sitting on the floor in my living room in front of my mom, playing video games on the computer. Mom had worship music playing on the television. We were talking about different spiritual gifts like prophecy. I asked Mom to pray for me to receive the gift of tongues because I really wanted more spiritual gifts and sometimes I didn’t know what to say to God. She said yes and asked my sister, Natalie, to pray with her over me. Mom asked me if it was OK if she and Natalie prayed out loud in tongues over me. They prayed for a little while, and then Mom asked me if I felt anything, but I didn’t.
They prayed a little more, and again Mom asked me if I felt anything, but I didn’t. She asked if Holy Spirit had given me syllables that I was thinking about, and I said yes. Mom asked me to say it out loud. As I said it, I started speaking in tongues just like they were. Then I stopped to ask my mom if she was sure I wasn’t going to bite my tongue because my tongue was moving so fast and weird. I continued to pray in tongues for a little while. Then I started playing video games on my computer again.
Speaking in tongues wasn’t as exciting as I thought it might be, but I am still glad that I have this gift. I usually pray in tongues every day right before I go to sleep and every morning when I am waking up. Now, even when I don’t know what to say, I can still pray to God.
Natalie’s story
On July 23, 2017, when I was nine-and-a-half, I was lying with my mom on her bed. She was playing with my hair while talking to me. She asked what I wanted her to pray for me. I wanted courage and boldness to pray out loud for other people like she does. When she prayed for me, I got a picture in my mind of me being a piece of dough that Jesus was making into a loaf of bread. Then my mom asked if I had ever wanted to speak in tongues. I said, “Yes!” I thought it would be cool to talk to God my own way and to remember how amazing He is. Sometimes I don’t know what to pray, so praying in tongues would be awesome.
She asked Holy Spirit to give me the gift and started to pray for me in tongues. My tongue started to curl up without me doing it. It was a strange feeling. I was thinking of syllables in my mind. I told my mom about my tongue curling and the syllables in my mind. She told me to say them out loud. When I said them, more syllables came out of my mouth without me trying. I told her I thought it would be easier to sing them than to say them. So I started to sing in tongues. It made me feel sleepy and peaceful. Then I went to bed and prayed in tongues until I fell asleep.
I still pray in tongues a lot, especially at night when I am alone. I love to talk to Jesus by praying in tongues until I fall asleep.
Kendra’s story
One day I felt the need to meet with my pastor, Sam, without any pressing agenda. I wasn’t certain why, but I scheduled a meeting. I recently had encountered some new experiences with Holy Spirit that I was still processing through. I was definitely skeptical of any miraculous gifts, but these new experiences had opened my mind to the possibility that there was more of God than I knew about. During this meeting Sam started talking to me about the gift of tongues. I wasn’t sure how we came to this subject, but I was very intrigued. He recommended a book for me to read and prayed that I might receive tongues. Nothing happened immediately.
One evening, about a week after the meeting, Holy Spirit brought up a memory in my past. I was journaling about the memory when I felt like Jesus wanted me to lie flat on the ground. Once on the ground I heard in my mind very clearly, “Just rest.” As I lay there, my face started contorting involuntarily in so many different directions all at once. Being a medical professional, I started compiling my list of differential diagnoses in my head and deciding if I should wake up my husband. But there was such a peace in my entire body that I decided this could be spiritual.
After several minutes of facial contortions everything stopped again. I heard for the second time, “Just rest.” I felt as if my body was completely weightless and relaxed. Suddenly from deep in my throat this voice came out, moving my jaw faster than this Southern girl had ever moved it. There was no voluntary movement on my part. I was in awe, yet logically trying to figure out what was going on. I thought, “This must be speaking in tongues. This has to be what others have told me about.” I rationalized with myself that if God was God, then of course He could do anything with my body that He wanted to. This must be God. All the time I was thinking this, my mouth was under the full control of Holy Spirit.
Later that night, I asked Holy Spirit to “do it again.” Again my mouth moved so fast and my voice was saying things I didn’t understand. I rushed to find a mirror. In amazement and giggles I was in awe at realizing who God really was and the power He had over my life. Such feelings of divine love filled my heart. He was in total control, and I felt so safe in His care. I’ll never be the same!
CONCLUSION
I trust you are greatly encouraged to hear of what the Holy Spirit has done in my life as well as in the lives of these I’ve mentioned in this final chapter. No, I can’t guarantee that you will receive the gift of tongues should you ask for it. But I’m almost certain that you will not receive it if you don’t ask. Speaking in tongues is not the most important of all the spiritual gifts. But neither is it the least significant among them. It is merely one of the many tools with which God has blessed His church for the building up of the body of Christ. My prayer is that you will have been both instructed and challenged from what you’ve read in The Language of Heaven. May God direct your heart into a deeper experience of His love and a Spirit-empowered capacity to pray and praise Him with greater zeal and passion.