A Second Blessing
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 18
- 2 min read
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)
I hope you don’t skip over the Second Chapter of Acts because you think it was a one-time odd occurrence! It was the first time people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the Bible evidence of speaking in other tongues, but it was not the last! The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second blessing available to those who have received the first blessing of salvation. We consider this the day the church began, but this was not the day Jesus’ disciples got saved. After Judas hung himself, the eleven remaining disciples were born again when Jesus breathed on them on the evening of His resurrection. Think about it. No one could be born-again until Jesus died and rose from the grave, so they were the first!
You can read about it in John 20:20-22, which says, “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”
The Gospel records only Jesus’ closest followers in the room that day, but on the Day of Pentecost, 109 other people were with them! Every one of them received the first blessing, believing on Jesus as their Messiah and Lord, and they also partook of the second blessing—the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is the first evidence of this gift.
Sometimes this gift is used to communicate a message from God to people whose native language you don’t know, and that’s what happened here. The more common manifestations of tongues are for praying God’s perfect will and building up our spirits so we can participate in the Most Holy Faith (Jude 1:20), which is faith that cannot be shaken.
Practical Application
If you have questions about speaking in tongues, consider getting my book, “Speaking in Tongues: Who, Me?” It is a second blessing available to all believers.
