Questions & Answers
Questions 38 (COD Page 191)
Does this church teach that you have to speak in tongues to receive the Holy Ghost?
262 No, sir. No, we don’t. Speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Ghost, see, not the Holy Ghost. It’s a gift. This Tree bears nine manners of fruit. Is that right?
263 If you look on a apple tree, got apples, you say it’s a apple tree. Look on a tree, it’s got pears, you say it’s a pear tree. No matter if it’s got sycamore bark on it, and got pears on it, the life of it is what? The life of it is pear tree life. Is that right?
264 Now, this Tree of God bears nine spiritual fruits. Is that right? All right. There is all different... Said, “One is given teach-... knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues,” nine different spiritual gifts grow on this Tree of God. Is that right? Well, now, just speaking in tongues isn’t the only one, there’s others in there, too.
265 Now you can speak with tongues and still not have the Holy Ghost. Now, just remember that. I’ve been right... I’ve seen witches and wizards come up speaking in tongues, and they ain’t got the Holy Ghost. You know, I’ve seen them come up shouting and jumping, and they ain’t got the Holy Ghost. I stood in the corn dance here not long ago, out... and a little up piece from Douglas, Arizona, up there. Seen that corn-dance
when they have it up there, and that wizard come out there and carried on terribly, and everything, carried on and throwed dirt over him there. That didn’t mean he was saved. The man was a-a witch doctor.
266 I stood in India... in Africa and seen witch doctors come up and challenge me like that, with their enchantments, and even drunk blood out of a human skull. That’s right. You better know what you’re talking about when you face that. But I’ve seen the power of Almighty God bind that man till he couldn’t move. So then, his eyes glassy like that, and they pack him away. Yes, sir.
267 Brother, God is real! That’s right. But God is a Spirit, not confined only to speaking in tongues, or this, that, or the other. I say that any man that is... That’s the trouble in the church here. See, you... Pentecost went wild on that one thing. They got down to the people... Instead of-of laying hands on them, and them receiving the Holy Ghost, they got them down at the altar and begin to beat them on the back and holler, “Say it! Say it! Say it!” And say a word over and over, till they got confusion and not tongues.
268 If a genuine Holy Ghost person is born of the Spirit of God, he’ll live a godly life. Some of them man was living horrible lives, and you know that, and their fruits proved that they wasn’t. Jesus said, “By their fruits you shall know them.” And the fruit of the Spirit is not speaking in tongues, that’s a gift of the Spirit.
269 Peter never said, “Repent, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, ye shall receive the Holy Ghost.” He said, “Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost,” when they heard these tongues and people speaking. It’s one of the Holy Ghost gifts that they receive. Amen. All right. Got to hurry.