Pentacostalism

The Pentecostal Churches were started by a revival in early 20th century that saw the return of speaking in unknown languages (tongues) and miraculous healings. The return of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which had stayed dormant during the Middle Ages and Renaissance with the exception of the spirit filled Huguenots in France, was a major departure from the liturgical format that most of the Reformed Churches practiced, particularly Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Presbyterianism.  Even the Baptists had a very organized service not too dissimilar to the liturgy, and they forbade any charisma and spiritual gifts, saying they had died out with the Apostles. 

The Pentecostals turned church services into meetings when people spoke in spiritual languages, prophecies were spoken over mikes (microphones), people gave words of encouragement and everyone trembled or shouted praises, it looked very much akin to what the Apostle Paul said a service should entail, “What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.” (1 Corinthians 14:26-33).  This return to active participation in the Holy Ghost and each and every member allowed to speak a word of praise mid service was revolutionary. Since the Reformation, Martin Luther had made the sermon and pulpit the centerpiece of the church service  to replace the Mass and Communion in importance [although Luther still revered the Eucharist, implemented it every Sunday, and believed in Transubstantiation]. Now the focus of the service was the Charisma, the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh as they sung praises, prophesied, spoke words of knowledge, and laid hands on the sick for healing, everything listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”  

What set the Pentecostals apart from other denominations was in addition to believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to be saved, baptism by water, and the inerrancy of Scripture, Pentecostals added a second baptism, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Power which they took from Acts Chapter 1 and 2, when tongues like fire came down on the apostles and they received the gifts of the Spirit, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The Holy Spirit Promised

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,  who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven, Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” (Acts 1:1-14), and “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4). In fact, Pentecostals got there name from this charismatic event which happened at Pentecost. The Pentecostals would find extra proof of a second baptism in Paul’s journey, “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.” (Acts 19:1-7). The laying on of hands at charismatic meetings would become commonplace because of these verses, but this was not the only way the Spirit would descend on people in power, the story of Cornelius shows us it can happen without laying on of hands, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said,  “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.” (Acts 10:44-48). 

Pentecostalism has 700 different church sects and many churches that are autonomous. There are 279 Million adherents to Pentecostalism, with the Churches dividing between Trinitarian and Non-Trinitarian (false, see my latest Trinity posts). I have attended Pentecostal meetings and beheld both Charisma and Esoterica. I consider anything charismatic to pertain to the Holy Spirit and the gifts He bestows (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) and anything esoteric is  experiences never found in Scripture such as rings of fire that warm your feet, slain in the spirit where a man places his hand on a person with closed eyes and they fall backward (the Bible only shows God doing slain in the spirit to rebels and disobedient ones, it is not to be sought out see John 18:6 for the only falling back moment, similar events are Acts 5:1-11, Matthew 17:4-6 but these have them falling forward), holy laughter where people laugh so hard they break a rib which is against the fruit of the Holy Spirit called “self control..” (Galatians 5:23). In fact a way to test if it is a gift is the Holy Spirit is if it has all the Fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23). If the charismatic or esoteric experience isn’t loving, gentle, kind, and etc then it is not of the Holy Spirit.  

I do not believe as the mainline Baptists that the Charisma is evil and of the devil, i  believe the Charisma is the return to the power of God. We got the Scriptures and Gospel back with the Reformation, but it took the 20th Century to get the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to come back. The revivals, such as Azusa Street, The Jesus Revolution and more helped continue the Reformation, getting us back to the Church of Acts. Yes, counterfeits and false prophets arose at the same time to deceive people, but this is why the Apostles John said, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.,” (1 John 4:1-6). If a spirit or prophet draws your attention away from Jesus and unto themselves that is red flag they are false because we must fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and count all things lost but knowing Him (Philippians 3:8). Another way you test the spirits and charismatic experiences is with with Scripture, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Another means of testing spirits is with a gift of discernment, “gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits,” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10). Again a final and easy test of the spirits and spiritual experiences is does it have all the fruit of the Spirit which is grape cluster that is one in the Greek, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23). 

 The Charisma is from God the Trinity, it allowed people to finally feel God in manifest way again which deepens their relationship with Christ is a good thing. There are risks of false prophets and counterfeit miracles via charlatans, but that is the risk we must take if we are to participate in the power of God, “And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:4). The Apostles did preach as Martin Luther would have liked, but they also moved in the power of the Holy Spirit as the Pentecostals do. For it was prophesied that the gifts of the Spirit will not pass away until Jesus Returns on the clouds, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away,  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, these partial things will become useless, When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Baptists (except Southern Baptist) believe the perfect is the Holy Bible, but how can the Bible know you? (1 Corinthians 13:12 KJV) and it is Jesus that is the perfect, “And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,” (Hebrews 5:9), “For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever,” (Hebrews 7:28). The perfect will happen when the perfect who is Jesus returns (Revelation 19:11-16) and when we are with the Lord in the New Jerusalem where there will be no need for spiritual gifts or temples because we will be with God the Trinity in person, “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” (Revelation 21:22). 

If you choose to attend a Pentecostal Church make sure they are Trinitarian, that they believe God is the Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit, One God in Three Persons. Amen.