It is usually (and correctly) stated by those who oppose tongues that the real and ongoing evidence that a person has the Holy Ghost is the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Gal 5:22-23. What's sad is that the anti-tongues people have somehow gotten the idea that the pro-tongues people minimize the fruit of the Spirit.

      The fruit of the Spirit is the primary and ongoing evidence that a person has the Holy Ghost for two reasons. First, these attributes are the characteristics of holiness which are the reflection of the Holy Ghost within. Second, there are many people who "speak in tongues" but not by the Holy Ghost. There are those who speak in tongues out of their own emotions, those who fake it, and those who speak in the "spirit" by the unction of Satan in occult worship.

      No sensible Christian has ever minimized the importance of the fruit of the Spirit! But it takes time to observe someone's life to see if they exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Thus, the fruit is not suited as an initial evidence of being filled with the Holy Ghost -- nor is it meant to be. The only "on the spot" indicator of someone being filled with the Holy Ghost is their immediate verbal reaction to what the Holy Spirit is doing within them.

      The initial evidence of someone being filled with, baptized with, or saved by the Holy Ghost is a "speaking" forth from the heart. For it is out of the heart that man speaks (Matt. 12:34). With the heart man believes and in his heart he receives, but it is with his mouth that he testifies of and verifies what has happened within (Romans 10:9-10, Luke 12:8-9).

      When I have unsaved people respond to an altar call, I first watch for genuine contrition over sin. Then, I look to see if they pray through to victory. I can always tell immediately when they have found the victory because they will express a verbal testimony out of the river of living water the Holy Ghost has birthed within!

      When a person is saved by the Holy Ghost convicting them of sin and drawing them to Christ, not only will they testify of the goodness of God, they can't keep themselves from testifying (John 4:28-29, Acts. 9:20).

      Likewise, when a saved person is baptized with the Holy Ghost, they will speak out of the overflow of their heart by either 1) tongues, 2) prophecy or 3) magnifying God (Acts 19:2 & 6, 10:46).

      Further, those who are saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost will experience additional fillings. Again and again, they will verbally express joy and praise and be rejuvenated by the power from on high to boldly preach the gospel of Jesus Christ with signs following (Acts 4:30-31).

      Whenever any work of the Holy Ghost is accomplished in a person's heart, there is always a visible, initial evidence of speaking. This is followed by the long term evidence of obeying the Word and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit.

      Old Testament prophesying which occurred when the Holy Ghost fell on someone was usually in a known language. In light of the "this is that" statement by Peter, this becomes significant because tongues are usually in an unknown language. Thus, the "sameness" of the Old Testament and New Testament evidence is centered in the speaking from the heart rather than in the unknown or known-ness of the words spoken.

      To us at Kingdom Ministries, one of the biggest errors of most "Pentecostals" is their emphasis on speaking in an unknown tongue, rather than in speaking alone.

      The Bible's emphasis (in both Testaments) is always on the speaking from the heart, not whether the language was known or unknown. Note in Acts 10:46 that some Gentiles spoke in unknown tongues and others intelligibly magnified God. Also, in Acts 19:6 the same thing happened as some spoke in an unknown tongue while others prophesied with understanding (I Cor. 14:2-3). And in Acts 2:4 & 11 the "tongues" were unknown to the speakers while known to the hearers! It is also evident from the wording of I Cor. 12:29-30 that not everyone will manifest the gift of tongues.

      From the scriptures, we should understand that while "tongues" is the most common type of speaking in response to the Holy Ghost baptism, it is not the only type. Thus, "speaking," NOT "tongues," is the initial evidence one has been baptized with the Holy Ghost.