As a Church of God preacher, I embrace the view that speaking in tongues is the first physical evidence that one has been baptized with the Spirit, but I also agree with Pastor T. L. Lowery who said, “If the only evidence that you’ve been filled with the Spirit is that you speak in tongues, then I question your experience.” Why would he say that? He said it because speaking in tongues is the initial evidence, not the only evidence, and certainly not the most important evidence that a person has been filled with the Spirit. I would argue that while the evidence of the baptism may be that the believer speaks in tongues, the purpose of the baptism is power to be witnesses of Jesus Christ.
