Why Kenneth E. Hagin Said the Church Lacks True Holy Spirit Power

There is a book in my library I often refer to. It is called Tongues: Beyond The Upper Room, by the late Kenneth E. Hagin.

Every believer should have that book. Every church should teach thoroughly from it. Every minister should read it regularly. There are certain men of old like Hagin and many others who were sent by God with light from heaven for their generation. The challenge with each new generation is to keep the light burning that these men brought to us from the Holy Ghost. There is a new church methodology that is making it easier to lose this light. There is a new ministry philosophy that is content to let it slip away because according to their wisdom, it doesn’t bring in the numbers or the dollars.

In the aforementioned book, there are some amazing testimonies of the miracle-working power of God that was manifested through those who strongly believed and practiced praying in tongues. One testimony is told of one Brother Boley, a missionary to West Africa. He would travel by sailboat to some primitive islands to preach the gospel to unreached tribes. One night on his return to the mainland, a storm arose at sea. This was at the turn of the 20th century when they did not have light or navigation equipment.

The storm was so bad that they reached a point of two choices. They could stay out at sea and be swallowed up by the turbulent waves, or direct the boat toward shore through the coral reef, where in all likelihood; it would be smashed to pieces. Either way, barring a miracle, everyone on the boat would die.

Unbeknownst to Boley, one of his helpers back at the mission station on the mainland, had a burden to pray that night. Not knowing the situation or even quite what she was sensing, she prayed in tongues for about two hours. Then the burden lifted and she had a note of victory that the answer had come. The Old Pentecostals called this “praying through”—something so few Christians know anything about today. This is one of the elements of prayer modern Pentecostals and charismatics are losing.

Hagin heard Boley share this testimony in person , or else I would have had a hard time believing it myself. Around the same time that the burden of prayer lifted off this woman, the boat took off in the air like an airplane, sailed over the dangerous reef and landed in the harbor, where the waters were calm and peaceful. There was much rejoicing, and not a life was lost.

Why are we not seeing and hearing more testimonies like this today? It’s simple—because we are not praying very much in other tongues. The next wave of God’s Spirit is dependent on the prayers of God’s people. Ministers who know and have experience in these areas need to teach more on the Holy Ghost and prayer, and then demonstrate some of it to the people. The Lord told Hagin that the greatest move of God would come through the combination of the solid foundation of the Word that’s been built over the last few decades and the power of the Holy Ghost that will be manifested as we learn to enter into this deeper realm of prayer.

Here is a powerful quote from Hagin in the book I referred to here:

Oh yes, we’ve seen the power of the Holy Ghost in a limited fashion, but a wave is coming that will bring His power on a higher level and in a far greater measure than we have ever seen before. I can see that wave out yonder in the deep waters. It’s coming!

Don’t stay on the old wave of yesterday’s move of the Spirit. Swim out to the deep waters of the Spirit realm by praying in the Holy Ghost, and get on the next wave of God’s purposes for this hour. Then keep on praying so you can ride that new wave as it builds in divine power and glory.

I’m convinced the wave that is coming will be twice as high as the healing wave, the Charismatic wave, or the faith wave. In fact, it will be twice as high as all of them put together! I believe it is going to be the wave that sweeps us right on into the shores of the glory world!”

It is surely not a time to back off from the Holy Ghost and praying in tongues. Instead, it is time to double up and triple up in praying in other tongues so that we can see our mighty God display His great power in this time of gross darkness on the earth.

Bert Farias’ books are forerunners to personal holiness, the move of God and the return of the Lord. They also combat the departure from the faith and turning away from the truth we are seeing today. The Tumultuous 2020s and Beyond is his latest release to help believers navigate through the new decade and emerge as an authentic remnant. Other materials/resources are available on his website, Holy Fire Ministries. You can follow him personally on Facebook, his Facebook ministry page or Twitter.