Introduction:

  Rev. Edward E. Stelling was pastor of Charleston Harbor Bible Church
in Charleston, South Carolina.

  Mr. Stelling records in this file his early life and introduction to
the Gospel, his contact with the tongues movement, and how the Lord
led him out of that movement.

  He trusts that the Lord will mightly use this personal testimony to
help those who are having trouble understanding what the Word of God
teaches regarding the present charismatic movement.




                      I SPOKE IN TONGUES
                   
                  by Pastor Edward Stelling

                        My Conversion

I was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1907. My parents being 
Episcopalians, was christened in that church. Faithfully the' brought me 
up to attend Sunday School church, and the young people's society. In 
due season I learned the catechism and wac confirmed by the bishop. But 
I had never been saved. I became a member of the choir president of the 
young people's society, and president of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew's 
but I was not saved. I even attained the position of Cross Bearer and 
Altar Boy, but I was not a Christian. On some special occasions I was 
permitted to read the Scripture from the lectern and prayers from the 
prayer book during a service. Still I was not saved although the church,
because of infant baptism, counted me "a member of Christ, a child of 
Go,d, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

At the age of 25, I moved to Washington, D.C., in order to study 
commercial art. I was working in the Census Bureau of the government and 
attending the Epiphany Episcopal Church. As secretary of the Sunday 
School, I noticed the influence that a certain teacher had upon the 
young people she taught. I decided to attend that class. She took an 
interest in me and unknown to me, prayed for me to be saved. One day she 
gave me a book to read on the new birth. I struggled through and 
returned it. Her question was, "How did you like it?" My reply, "Oh, it 
was a good book," but under my breath, "but not for me." Then after a 
time, she invited me to a meeting outside the church, where the people 
gave testimonies.  That night everyone seemed to speak about being born 
again. I went home lifted up, thinking of what a wonderful service it 
was. I felt those people were really doing a grand work.

At my desk the next day, some voice seemed to say to me, "When were you 
born again?" I wondered, "When was I born again?" Then like a flash it 
came to me that they were speaking about infant baptism. "Of course they 
were, for that is what the prayer book states." I then resumed work and 
was happy. But the voice seemed to insist, "When were you born again?" I 
stopped work and wondered, "Just what did they mean? If they were not 
talking about infant baptism, what could it be?" Then again like a flash 
there came the answer that they were speaking about confirmation, and it
seemed so dumb of me not to have thought of that before. Once again I 
was reassured and worked with whistling spirit.

But there again came that persistent question, "When were you born 
again?" Now I was really troubled; for if they were not referring to 
infant baptism, nor confirmation, then I know not what, for I had no 
more religious experiences upon which to rely. For about two weeks I was 
greatly disturbed over this being born again. Those whom I asked about 
it gave me no help, until I visited my Sunday School teacher. She 
explained that I was a sinner and needed a Saviour. Jesus Christ was 
that Saviour Who died for my sins, and I needed to accept Him personally 
in order to have peace and sins forgiven. There and then I accepted 
Christ and found peace. My life was so changed that my mother could 
detect it in my letters and asked me to come home and explain what had 
happened to me.

I gave my testimony to the young people a church and met with strong 
opposition.

The Scripture says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved" (Act' 16:31); I believed and was saved and knew ii It also says, 
"Therefore if any man be ii Christ, he is a new creature; old things ar 
passed away; behold, all things are become new" (Il Corinthians 5:17); I 
was now ii Christ, Christ was in me, and my life wa really changed.


                My Introduction to Pentecostalism


My early Christian life, however, was full vacillation--I was happy one 
day and defeated the next. I began to understand how weak the flesh is. 
I was still yielding to temptation; was finding it hard to break with 
the world; was failing to witness for my Lord; I was not reading my 
Bible; and my prayer life wa almost nothing. These things never bothered 
me before, but now they constantly affect my conscience. I seemed to be 
thinking much, too, about being filled with the Spirit read everything 
that came across my pal about being filled; I gave special attention 
sermons on that subject; yet no matter ho hard I tried to meet the 
conditions, I could make no progress--I just could not find the 
fullness. Furthermore, the conditions give were confusing, for all the 
ministers did agree on how to be filled.

I was in this state of mind when a Christ' friend, Gene Scheele, asked 
me to go wi him to the Full Gospel Tabernacle. He knew my difficulties 
and my heart's desire. said, "Ed, come on over to this church; you like 
it. It is one of the happiest groups Christians I know. They have fine 
singing and are on fire for the Lord, witnessing and winning souls 
continually." It sounded fine to my discouraged ears, and I went.

The church at that time was having evangelistic meetings led by Mrs. 
Edith M. Pennington. Every seat was taken and extra chairs placed in the 
aisles. The musical part of the program was rousing. Mrs. Pennington 
preached a message on salvation, and I enjoyed it. But coming out of a 
church that majored in ritual and reverence in their service, I was 
quite upset by the informality of this service. Especially was I 
disturbed when one or two during the service would arise and speak with 
unintelligible tongues. These would stand up somewhere in the 
congregation. Then after they were quiet, another from the platform, 
usually an elder or the pastor, would speak in English. This was my 
first introduction to hearing speaking in tongues and an interpretation.

When the invitation was given, many moved freely toward the altar 
railing around the pulpit. Some stood and some knelt. I mentioned to my 
friend Gene that we should go home now. "Oh no," he said, "let's stay 
for the after-meeting; this is the best part of the service." I yielded 
against my better judgment.

Soon prayers and praise began to ascend from the seekers, as they 
prayed, for the most part, aloud. The overtone increased in pitch. Here 
and there a shout. Hands began to rise and tremble. Some people started 
weeping; some were clapping their hands. Then I saw a few women fall 
backward from the railing in unbecoming positions, but small blankets 
were quickly thrown over them. Many were speaking in tongues, some 
praying, some praising, and some singing.

I grew quite frightened and told my friend that he could stay, but I was 
leaving. He left with me and tried to explain things on the way home, 
but I was very confused. When I did reach my room, I knelt by my bed for 
a long time in prayer and confessed to the Lord that I was fearful of 
this experience. I asked why I should be afraid if this was of Him. If 
this was the proper way to be filled with the Spirit, why should I be 
moved with fear? I set out a fleece, that if this was of the Lord, He 
would remove the fear that I had of it by the next Sunday (for the 
campaign closed that Sunday), and I would go forward and tarry for the 
"baptism."

All that week I thought upon that service, and each time I reconstructed 
the scenes in my mind, fear gripped me. At the end of the week, I 
decided to use some of my accrued leave and stay home on Saturday to 
pray. Someone placed into my hands a book on this subject, and I read it 
through. Everything seemed to be explained in such a simple manner; the 
Scriptures used were very reasonable; and I found myself beginning to 
understand. Suddenly, I realized that my fears had left me, and just as 
I had prayed, before the next Sunday. I fully concluded it must be of 
the Lord and with joy decided then and there to go forward the next 
night.

Again the church was packed with an over-flowing audience. It made no 
difference to me where I sat, for I was determined to be the first to 
the altar rail. I do not remember anything about the message as I was 
awaiting the invitation. As soon as it was given, I started down the 
aisle to seek the baptism. I knelt, while my friend Gene sat in the 
first pew behind me. A worker knelt by my side and asked if I came to be 
saved or to tarry for the Holy Ghost. I told her I was saved but wanted 
to be filled with the Spirit. She advised me to praise the Lord and keep 
praising and praying and yielding to Him. She blessed the Lord and left 
my side. I followed instructions as nearly as possible, but nothing 
happened.

I turned and looked about me and saw a number with their hands raised 
and speaking in tongues. I decided to try this; maybe it was the way. 
However, nothing happened, and I soon became tired of holding up my 
hands.

Then I looked about again, and this time I saw a number had fallen 
prostrate on the floor. The thought came to me, "No wonder you do not 
receive the power; you would never let that happen to you; you are too 
proud. An Episcopalian on the floor of the church. You would never 
humble yourself to do that." At once I determined that if that was 
required to humble me, if fear of lying on the church floor before all 
these people was hindering me from receiving the Holy Ghost and power, 
it would be a stumbling block no longer.-I lay down right alongside the 
nearest seeker.

But still nothing happened to me, and I began to despair. Several came 
over to my side and began to pray in tongues and encourage me to praise 
the Lord and "let go and let God." The elder and the pastor came over 
and laid their hands on my head and prayed in tongues, but still nothing 
happened. I held up my hands until they were weary, and I kept going 
over these phrase' that I heard others use, "Hallelujah. Glory to God. 
Praise you, Jesus! Praise you Jesus! Hallelujah, Praise the Lord! Bless 
you Jesus bless you, Jesus!'!

I felt the sensation come up over my body. My arms, which were now by my 
side, began to move by this power. The power crept on up to my chest, 
then to my neck and stopped. I remembered what the woman had said about 
the tongue, and I praised hard, yearning for my tongue to be taken. Then 
it was, and it began to move like a trip-hammer. I began to use sounds 
and syllables that I did not recognize.  Behold, I was speaking in 
tongues. My tongue was moving faster than I could ever move it in normal 
conversation, and I was not in the least tired, nor were my hands tired 
as they had been earlier in the evening, though they shook and shook. My
whole body was refreshed.

I spoke in tongues; then I sang in tongues, the syllables seeming to 
match the music; then I prayed in tongues. I was in burden and squirmed 
on the floor. All at once I was seized with "holy weeping," and I wept 
until I thought my heart would break. Then suddenly I was seized with 
"holy laughter"; I laughed until I thought my sides would break; nor was 
I thinking of anything funny-no, not even in my imagination; I was under 
the grip of this power. From weeping to laughter, I behaved as one 
hysterical, and yet I had never had hysterics in all my life.

After some time had elapsed, this power released me, and I began to 
quiet down. I opened my eyes and looked around. I sat up and was 
strangely surprised to find that there was no one left in the church 
except my friend Gene, who was faithfully sitting in the pew next to me. 
It was close to midnight. I stood to walk but was so dizzy from the 
experience that I had to reach for the back of a pew to steady myself 
from falling. Think of it dizzy from lying on a floor--it certainly was 
not a worked-up experience.

As I steadied myself, the Scripture came to my mind, "Others mocking 
said, These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). I did not remember 
the exact words, but I knew the apostles were accused of being drunk on 
the day of Pentecost. So I let out a shout, for I was thereby assured 
that I had the true baptism of the Holy Ghost.

As I walked the streets that night going home, I felt like I was walking 
on a cloud. Oh, was I happy, and my friend happy for me. I went to bed, 
but I did not sleep for praising the Lord. Often through the night I 
would scratch the sheets to see if something was under me, for I felt 
like I was floating on a cloud.

I was living in a boarding house with a number of other Christian young 
people who worked in Washington, most of them for the government. Each 
morning after breakfast we had group devotions. I had been told by the 
Pentecostal folk that if I did not testify of my experience, I would 
grieve the Holy Ghost and lose the experience. So at the first 
devotional meeting, I decided to testify.

After asking if I might say a word by way of testimony, I told them 
briefly what had happened to me the night before. Some knew I was 
interested in this experience, and when I began to speak, their heads 
dropped. The only one who seemed to understand, outside of my Christian 
friend, was the Negro cook, who clapped her hands and cried, "Praise 
God, Master Edward got the Holy Ghost."

I found a new boldness in witnessing; each morning I would stop in the 
parks along the way and pass out tracts and deal with souls. In fact, I 
was late to work several times but consoled myself with "first things 
first."

Then one morning at my desk, that sensation of a current flowing through 
my body ceased. I had had it day and night ever since I came under the 
power. I was frightened. I thought I must have sinned and grieved the 
Holy Ghost. I rethought my waking hours of that morning before coming to 
work but could think of no definite sin. It worried me so, I decided to 
ask off and go home half a day.

Being given leave for half a day, I rushed to my room, locked the door, 
dropped to the floor, and began to praise Him again as at the first when 
I had received the baptism. I knew that if I could repeat the actions of 
that first night, the power would come on me again-and it did. But when 
my friend Gene came home from work and I told him of the experience, he 
explained that I had nothing to fear, for it was very unusual for me to 
have the bodily sensation as long as I did. He said it usually departs 
that very night of the original baptism.

My friend had been tarrying, I found out after my experience, for about 
twenty years for the baptism (that is, off and on) and had never 
received it. I told him to come down to the church next Sunday night, 
and I would pray for him; I was sure he would then be baptized and would 
speak in tongues. He did go with me and fell under the power that night. 
After that, he and I would go to a certain home of one of the 
Pentecostal women of that church, and a group of us would tarry for 
"Refreshings" or "anointings." At such times, I always spoke in tongues, 
often praying, singing, weeping and laughing.


                   My Deliverance From Tongues
 

But now I must turn your attention to those things which led to my 
deliverance from this power. The first that made me question it a little 
was the failure to see what I expected to see among the Pentecostal 
people--a spiritual life that extended way beyond the normal. I expected 
victory, fruitfulness, consecration, spiritual discernment, the wisdom 
of God, Bible understanding and depth of prayer commensurate with 
Spirit-filled lives; instead I found carnality, impurity, defeat, 
ignorance of God's Word and spiritual pride. Not, of course, in 
everyone. There were a few who bore a good testimony, but many lived 
below the normal Christian life. I know we find them in every church, 
but not every church claims this mature experience; not every church 
claims to have the "meat of the Word" and the "spiritual gifts." It made 
me wonder.

Again, I entertained a doubt when a close friend, who loved God's Word, 
would not have anything to do with this doctrine or experience. This 
friend lived in the same boarding house. Each day that I came home, I 
would see him at his desk studying his Bible. I also noticed that 
whenever anyone would ask him a question about the Christian life, he 
would answer with some reference from the Scriptures. I knew he lived a 
clean life and witnessed for the Lord faithfully. It bothered me that he 
would not tarry. One day I asked him why. He said, "Ed, I have read both 
sides of this subject, I have studied the Scriptures on it, and I cannot 
see my way clear to seek it. I want everything God has for me, and I 
have prayed earnestly about this matter, but I am not convinced." (This 
friend, George Miles, later became president of a Bible institute and is 
now president of the Washington Bible College and the Capital Bible 
Seminary in Lanham, Maryland.)

Another thing that made me question tongues was what happened in a 
Christian youth fellowship. I enjoyed the privilege of sharing the 
leadership of this interdenominational group with two other young men, 
Gene and George. After I had received the baptism, naturally I became 
interested in every other Christian receiving it, too. I knew it was 
what they needed but they, as most Christians, were prejudiced against 
the Pentecostal young people. I began to pray for them to receive the 
power. A number of Pentecostal young people became interested in this 
group and prayed with me to introduce the experience to them. The 
influence began to affect our prayer meetings especially. Finally, since 
we were approaching a split in the group, we had a special meeting of 
the deeply interested Christians. I could see that we had been in the 
wrong. Surely, the Lord would not give me a spiritual experience that 
would lead to strife among believers. Surely, a Spirit-filled Christian 
would not foster division among the saints, and that is what we were 
doing by forcing this experience upon the group.

A Bible teaching pastor in the city often brought messages to our group 
of young people. All of us respected him highly in the work of the Lord. 
He knew the Word well and knew how to impart that knowledge. The Lord 
had blessed his ministry among us (over a hundred young people). Of 
course, these young people were praying for me to be delivered from the 
day I became vitally interested. Now many of them were pleading with me 
to visit this minister and let him show me the Word on this doctrine of 
tongues. I constantly refused, with the argument that he did not have 
the experience I had, so how could he have the light I had on the Word. 
My old Sunday School teacher, however, joined in with them, beseeching 
me to speak to this Bible teacher, promising to make the appointment for
me. I assured them that I was perfectly satisfied, could never doubt the 
reality of such a marvelous experience, and knew that he could not show 
me anything different in the Scripture; but to bring peace, I would go.

This pastor patiently went through Acts 2 and I Corinthians 12- 14, 
showing me that what I had was not scriptural. All during the interview, 
I was praying that the Spirit might fall on him and prove to him that 
what I had was real. I thought of what a wonderful power for God he 
would be if he had what I had along with his knowledge of the Bible. 
Everything he said was going in one ear and out the other. Because he 
saw that he was not making any headway, he prayed and closed the 
session. But I could not forget that this Bible-loving pastor was 
convinced that the tongues experience was unscriptural. Now I had 
confidence in two people who both loved the Word of God, but yet did not 
believe in the baptism of the Holy Ghost with tongues.

The next shadow that crossed my experience was concerning my sweetheart. 
I was quite interested in a young Christian nurse who was serving in the 
Sibley Memorial Hospital. She played the piano for this 
interdenominational youth fellowship, and I was the song leader. After 
my experience at the Pentecostal church, I asked her several times to go 
with me to one of the services, but she steadfastly refused. I prayed 
earnestly for her to speak in tongues.

Then it occurred to me to ask her if she would visit one of the homes 
with me, where we met for prayer. I picked out the home of a mutual 
Pentecostal friend. She agreed to go and also to tarry for the Holy 
Ghost in that home. It was the apartment of a widow of a Pentecostal 
minister.

That night I spoke in tongues freely and prayed earnestly in tongues for 
her to be baptized. She fell under the power and began to speak in 
tongues as she lay on the floor. It being late at night, the telephone 
rang, and the people in the lower apartment threatened to report us if 
we did not quiet down. They claimed that the chandeliers were shaking. 
We praised the Lord all the more because we were being reproached for 
His name's sake.

During that night, I had an unusual experience. I had been kneeling at 
the side of my sweetheart praising the Lord in tongues. There was an 
over-stuffed chair behind me. I turned slightly toward that chair, and I 
was lifted and thrown against the chair by this power, with my feet 
dragging along. This stirred me to praise all the louder.

But when we went down to my car, I noticed that my friend was not elated 
such as I was the night I received the baptism. Already her woman's 
intuition led her to doubt the authenticity of it. My questions received 
cold answers. Immediately, I thought that she had gone through all this 
Just for me, because we loved each other and expected to be married. 
From that time on, we had strife over this matter. She came out more 
boldly against it and I rebuked her severely for tampering with such 
holy things. We "broke up" and "made up" a number of times over tongues. 
It seemed that we would never be married. Nevertheless, we were married, 
being convinced that it was the Lord's will, in spite of our differences 
on this subject.

In less than a month after we were married, Mrs. Stelling was hit by a 
taxi in Washington. I brought her home from the emergency operating room 
and tried to take care of her in our modest little apartment. I had to 
do the housework, cook, and work a full-time job besides. Through the 
night I had to be awakened whenever she had to turn from one side to the 
other. It was wearing me down. Then one of the Pentecostal women, a 
practical nurse, asked if I would like her to come and spend a day with 
Mrs. Stelling to help out. I thrilled at the suggestion and told her to 
do what she could to rid her of this foolish idea that tongues was 
unscriptural.

The day that the friend came, I prayed hard that the Lord would give her 
wisdom to convince my wife, so that we could be of one ac cord about 
Pentecostalism. I could hardly wait to punch the clock and go home to 
seœ what success had been made. I offered t< drive the nurse home. On 
the way I asked he what progress she had made- She replied "Your wife is 
very stubborn. I could no change her view at all. Brother Ed, the Lori 
has given you a very unusual experience) among us, and you must not let 
anyone stan in your way to take this message out." Well Could I believe 
my ears? Was this woman suggesting that I leave my wife for 
Pentecostalism? This suggestion so shocked me that I forgot my wife's 
stubbornness. This seemed like the last straw that broke the camel's 
back. I did not know much Scripture, but I knew better than that. I knew 
the Lord would not bring into my life such a spiritual experience that 
would cause me to divorce my wife. We had prayed long and knew His will 
about our marriage. Yet I still could not deny this tremendous 
experience that I had. How could it be wrong? Surely the Lord would not 
let me be deceived when I sought Him so earnestly about it. And all of 
these Christians in Pentecostalism--could they all be deceived? I just 
could not turn back--even the thought was repulsive--it struck fear into 
my heart.

One night Mrs. Stelling and I decided to attend the Bible Conference 
being held in a local church by a nationally known Bible teacher. At the 
close of the service, we moved back toward the book table. While 
scanning the books, Mrs. Stelling picked up one titled The Modern 
Tongues Movement. She glanced through it, then turned to me and asked, 
"If I buy this booklet, would you read it?" I took the book out of her 
hands to note the author and publisher. Dr. Louis S. Bauman, Bible 
teacher and pastor of a Brethren church, was the author. I quickly 
handed it back and said, "No, I would not read that; the author has 
never had the experience I have had, so how could he have the light on 
the Scripture that I have?" She then asked, "Do you mind if I buy it for 
myself?" I replied, "I don't care what you buy for yourself." So she 
took it home.

Some days later, she knew that I was planning to take the afternoon off 
in order to study for a message I was to give that weekend. Like a wise 
wife, she told me that she was going for a walk, and left that booklet 
lying on the table. During the afternoon, I arose to get a drink of 
water and, passing the table, noticed the booklet. I stopped and looked 
at its cover. "No, I'm not going to read it. What does he know about 
it?" And I passed on. Coming back, I stopped again. An urge came upon me 
to read and see just where he was off in his teaching. Curiosity gained 
the best of me. I decided that I could read it and replace it before she
returned, so that she would never know that I had read it.

I began to read. Page after page I read. It gripped me. I was amazed at 
how accurate he was on the Pentecostal teachings, practices, and the 
experience that I had known as the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It was 
interesting, too, as to how he had set up his book. For he described the 
Pentecostal experience in part and then on the same page showed that the 
Scripture did not-agree. It was like setting up pins in a bowling alley, 
then bowling them down--so that, piece by piece, I was losing my 
experience. By the time I had read through the book, I had no experience 
left.

About that time my wife walked in, looked at my face, and said, "Praise 
the Lord!" "Why?" "You don't have to tell me, Honey; you are delivered." 
"Yes, I am, and, what amazed me, I did not have the same emotional 
ecstasy coming out that I had going in. I have peace. Why, I did not 
realize how stirred up I had been, until the peace of deliverance 
flooded my being. (Some time afterward my friend Gene was also 
delivered. Praise the Lord!)

These are a few of the points that Dr. Bauman brought out. First, the 
gift of tongues was the least of the gifts (I Corinthians 12:28). The 
Pentecostal made it the -greatest because all others depended upon it. 
Second, tongues were a sign to the un-believer (I Corinthians 14:22). 
They made it a sign to the believer; for by it you are filled with the 
Spirit. Third, the true gift of tongues was spoken only when there was 
an interpreter present in the assembly (I Corinthians 14:27-28). Many 
times I had heard speaking in tongues in the public service without any 
interpretation, and never had I heard anyone ask if an interpreter was 
present. Fourth, the true gift was under the speaker's control (I 
Corinthians 14:32). Often I had heard, "Let go and let God" and "When 
the power came upon me, I was in a trance; I couldn't have stopped 
speaking if I wanted to." Fifth, no woman was to speak in tongues in a 
public service (I Corinthians 14:34). And women were the chief speakers.

When I was delivered, I could come to only one conclusion. I knew this 
power that came upon me was supernatural; it was not human, the energy 
of the flesh, a worked-up emotion; for I could not do in the natural 
what I did under the power. There were only two supernatural powers. 
Since the Word of God proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was not 
the Holy Spirit, it could only be a deception of Satan, a counterfeit of 
the true baptism, the true fullness of the Holy Spirit. When I told this 
to my Pentecostal friends, with horror on their faces, they declared 
that I had committed the unpardonable sin and would pay for my folly. 
That was over 40 years ago, and surely by this time, my witness and 
ministry have proven the contrary. In fact, what I had expected to find 
through the tongues experience, I have found since I was delivered. I 
have made this statement publicly many times, and herein inscribe it 
again, that the experience taught by tongues people, that the baptism of 
the Holy Ghost is an experience apart from salvation and evidenced only 
by the individual's speaking in tongues, is of the Devil. Also, the 
teaching that only those who have spoken in tongues have been filled 
with the Spirit, is of the Devil. Please do not quote me as having said, 
as I have so often been accused of saying, that the tongues people are 
of the Devil. I have never said that and never will, for I myself was 
saved while under the power of the Wicked One. For the most part, I 
believe Pentecostal people are saved and believe in the salvation of 
sinners by grace alone through the blood of Jesus Christ. But they have 
added to their teaching this spurious deceptive experience, instigated 
by Satan himself.

            
               Scripture for Satanic Domination


Dr. Bauman significantly shows in his littleœ book that Satan was the 
first one in the Bible to speak in tongues. He energized the serpent to 
speak in a human tongue, so that Eve could understand. Furthermore, the 
tongue was used to deceive the woman (Genesis 3:1 13).

The question arises in the minds of many "Can Satan thus dominate or 
control believer?" We shall suggest to you several Scriptures that 
testify to this truth.

In Acts 5, we have the instance of Ananias and Sapphira, who were 
believers that lied to the Holy Spirit concerning their consecration. 
Said Peter, "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the 
Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?"

In I Corinthians 5, Paul writes concerning the discipline of a believer 
who had fallen into the sin of fornication while a member of the church 
at Corinth. He said, "For I verily as absent in body, but present in 
spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him 
that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when 
ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of 
the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Likewise, of Hymenaeus and Alexander, who had made shipwreck of their 
faith, Paul wrote, "I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not 
to blaspheme" (I Timothy 1:20).

But Il Timothy 2:24-26, I believe, especially applies to the Christian 
who has been led into this deceptive experience of tongues: "And the 
servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to 
teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if 
God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the 
truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the 
devil, who are taken captive by him at his w-iI.'5--l believe that I was 
one who was opposing myself while insisting on the genuineness of the 
tongues experience. I was in a snare of Satan unknowingly. But when the 
Lord gave me the grace of repentance, to acknowledge the truth, I was 
able to recover myself from Satan's snare. Praise the Lord!

  I would like to thank Pastor Ed Stelling for his devotion and love to
Jesus Christ over all these many years.  I first met Ed Stelling back
in January of 1965 four days after I can to know Jesus Christ as my
personal savior.  You see he was the Pastor of Charleston Harbor Bible
Church, in Charleston, SC at the time.

I consider myself very fortunate to have sat under his ministry for
almost four years.  He was/is one of the greatest expository teachers
of the Word of God that I have even had the pleasure to be ministered by.

../