Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

When a person speaks with other tongues, he or she is speaking in utterances from the Holy Spirit, as He speaks forth out of the human spirit directly to God (1 Cor. 14:2). There are numerous reasons given in the New Testament for praying in the prayer language of the Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we speak mysteries that the Lord wishes to make known for us (1 Cor. 14:2), as the Spirit can show us things to come (John 16:13). Paul wrote that, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1 Cor. 14:4). The Greek word for “edifieth” ( KJV ) is oikodomeo and is the root of the word edifice . The word alludes to building a house. Since our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16), the edifice that is being built up is the inner spirit of the person that dwells within them. One of my personal favorites is the twentieth verse in Jude, which reads: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” The phrase “building up” means to build upon something that already has a foundation. Believers already have a foundation of faith through their redemptive covenant (Rom. 12:3). However, Scripture indicates there are various levels of faith that move up the spiritual ladder. When a storm was endangering their ship, the disciples had only “little faith” (Matt. 8:26). When people came to be healed by Christ, He often commented that their faith had made them whole (Mark 5:34). The Roman centurion told Jesus, “Only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus said this soldier had “such great faith” (Matt. 8:8, 10).