 
## Evidence for Speaking in Tongues

### Fanning the Flames of Revival

by

Billy Prewitt

Published by SpeakToMeToday.com

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2017 by Billy and Rebekah Prewitt

All rights reserved. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Other permissions will likely be granted upon request.

Unless noted, all Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Please discover these other titles by Billy and Rebekah Prewitt:

You Can Be a Happy Wife by Rebekah Prewitt

Eternal Security: What if John Calvin Was Wrong? by Billy Prewitt

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit by Billy Prewitt

Help! I Am a Teacher! by Billy Prewitt

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).

C o n t e n t s

Introduction

Chapter 1: Endued With Power

Chapter 2: What Is the Promise of the Father?

Chapter 3: Is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Separate from Conversion?

Chapter 4: What Is the Evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Chapter 5: The Three Functions of Tongues

Chapter 6: The Nature of Tongues

Chapter 7: Why Is Speaking in Tongues so Important

Chapter 8: External Experience

Chapter 9: Internal Experience

Chapter 10: The Prayer of Faith

Chapter 11: Dispensations of the Spirit

Chapter 12: Mighty Men That Didn't Speak in Tongues

Chapter 13: The Baptism as a Gift

Chapter 14: Increasing Faith Through Study

Chapter 15: Increasing Faith in the Church

Chapter 16: Preaching Toward Revival

Chapter 17: A Higher Level of Christian Experience

Chapter 18: How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Conclusion

Connect With the Author

Introduction

As I write this book, I am hungry for an outpouring of the Spirit of God fresh and new. If there is one thing that we need it is a mighty move of the Spirit to revive the Church and sweep countless sinners into the Kingdom. It is to this end that I submit to you my findings. I hope that far in addition to bringing understanding, that you will be awakened to a fresh experience with God and that your experience will be contagious.

The materials you are about to read are materials that the Lord has prompted me to study and research for the past fifteen years. Early on in my ministry, I realized that it was of great importance for me to study and understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. With that aim, the Lord has led me on a wonderful journey of faith and discovery. Ultimately, in the process, I have become convinced that a revival of the Spirit and the charismatic gifts is substantially necessary in the modern American church.

It is my hope and prayer that this material will provide a spark that will ignite into a burning flame of revival. May your heart be a ready tinder box to bring this vision into reality.

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Chapter 1: Endued With Power

As Jesus was preparing to ascend back into Heaven, He said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). These are the words that He used to describe the soon coming experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The point was simple: Power. The power to live a life of holiness had been already given (John 20:22). This was a new power that was specifically purposed for witness.

### Dunamis

The Greek word for power in Acts 1:8 is dunamis. This dunamis power is specifically the power for the miraculous. Jesus had demonstrated this kind of power throughout His ministry and was basically telling the disciples, "Now, it is your turn." The context in which the power was given is witness. This power, though enormously personally edifying, is primarily for the advancement of the Kingdom. The Book of Acts is literally a commentary on this power. The displays of power are the mark of the entire narrative. The persons involved were supernaturally gifted with this power and Acts is the living record. What happens when this kind of power is displayed? Well, we could almost turn to any chapter in Acts to find the answer. We will look at a few examples just to prove the point.

Once when Peter was traveling around the various districts of the Church, he paid a visit to a town called Lydda. When he arrived, he found a man named Aeneas that had been paralyzed for eight years. Apparently, without any hesitation, Peter said to Aeneas, "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole" (Acts 9:34), and just like that, the man was completely healed. How hard do you think it was for Peter to convince the residents of Lydda that the resurrection of Jesus was real? Many of them probably knew Aeneas. Many of them had probably cared for him and helped his family over and over again. The Biblical record does not say that Peter preached, but I would imagine he probably did while he was there. Just imagine the sermon. Peter stands up, points to Aeneas who is also standing up. Peter says, "Jesus did that. Does anyone here want to get saved?" Even if we are adding a little to the text here, the result is nothing surprising. Over and again, when people saw what Jesus could do, they were ready to hear what Jesus had to say. The Bible records their reaction: "And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him [Aeneas], and turned to the Lord" (Acts 9:35).

On Paul's first missionary journey, he was faced with a direct confrontation with a sorcerer named Barjesus. Apparently, this man's tactics were persuasive and effective. He was no match for the Spirit-filled apostle, however. Paul rebuked him soundly and then told the man he would immediately go blind, "and immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness" (Acts 13:11). Now that is a sermon! Again, Paul could have said, "Now that you see what Jesus can do, what do you think?" The demonstration of power cleared up the confusion in short order. "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:12). Again, we see the same result as Peter had. There was a demonstration of God's power and immediate kingdom advancement.

Although much of the Book of Acts concentrates on Peter and Paul, these supernatural displays of power were not limited to them. All of the Apostles performed miracles (Acts 2:43). Not only Apostles but also Stephen (Acts 6:8) and Philip (Acts 8:6) performed miracles. It is readily assumed that signs and wonders followed wherever the Gospel was preached regardless of who was doing the preaching (Mark 16:20). There was simply too much charismatic phenomena to record all of it, and as a result, people turned to God. The miracles took place, the power of God was demonstrated, and the conversion of souls resulted.

For those that are concerned about using the Book of Acts as a pattern for practice, Paul made sure to include this concept in his instructional material. "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Paul recognized the necessity, the absolute vitality, of a demonstration of power in the presentation of the Gospel.

### Modern Miracles

Many people claim that God does not do miracles in the modern day. Well, just because He hasn't done one in their church, does not mean that He can't or won't if people will have faith to believe. God still operates in the miraculous. He never stopped, and never will. He is a miracle working God. He loves to show His power and bring to our remembrance example after example of the demonstrations. Just look through the Old Testament at how many times God reminds the people of Creation and the crossing of the Red Sea.

Within the last few years, a pastor who is a very close friend of mine related this story. He had recently spent time with a close friend of his that is a pastor of a church in South America. This man's denomination traditionally does not believe in tongues, healings, or any such like gifts, yet this man received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidential tongues. Shortly after his experience, there were two blind girls that came to his church and were healed of their blindness. His denominational leaders looked into the matter and like the Sadducees in Acts 4:14, they could not refute the evidence that a miracle had taken place.

Now, I know that we live in a day of gimmicks, fakes, phonies, and everything else. We have heard and seen so many "healers" that operate with questionable methods and poor motives that it is sometimes hard to believe something real when you hear it. Even so, I am going to list a few miraculous events that have happened in modern times. In each of these events, I was either a direct witness or personally know the person that was. None of these examples come from hyper-exaggeration oriented people.

I have a close friend that was healed of skin cancer. He had skin cancer on his nose and had already gone through a few procedures. I saw the problem myself. His nose was a mess. Cancer had been confirmed and the problem wasn't going away, that is till he visited a church that was experiencing revival. They prayed for him, and the cancer was gone. He went to his doctor who was skeptical and insisted he do another biopsy. When the biopsy came out negative, the doctor didn't have any other choice but to admit that a miracle had happened. The skin on his nose healed up gradually after the cancer was healed.

My dad traveled from the United States to India to preach. The crowd was quite large and the Indian pastor told him that he should pray for each person that wanted prayer, so the prayers needed to be brief. People lined up for prayer, and quickly, one by one, he laid his hands on each person. After returning to America, he received this testimony. There had been a man in the congregation that was having significant difficulty with his knee. The doctor had put a pin in his knee, but there were still problems. During that service, the man went forward for prayer concerning the problem. He felt something happen in his knee, and he knew that he was healed. One problem remained. The pin was still in his knee. He wondered what he was going to do about it. The next morning he woke up and found the pin lying in his bed. There was no exit wound.

My mother was at a large convention. She felt impressed to give an utterance in tongues. The size of the gathering was quite intimidating, but she mustered the courage and spoke what she was impressed to speak. The message was then interpreted by a man on the other side of the auditorium. After the meeting, there were two men that came up to her. One of them was not a believer. He was from Italy and spoke the Italian language as well as English. He had questioned his friend as to why the lady had spoken in perfect Italian and another person had said the same thing in English. She had never spoken a word of Italian in her life. Imagine how surprised both she and he were when they learned the facts. As I understand it, that Italian man became a Christian that week.

We used to do outdoor services. On one occasion it was supposed to rain. We looked at each other and wondered what to do. Well, we decided to pray about it and go anyway. I must unfortunately confess, that I doubted somewhat and tried to set up our equipment in a weather safe location. It did not rain. I was happy but terribly disappointed that I had been doubtful. The next chance we got for the same scenario I determined to be confident and trust God. The clouds hung black over us, but we set up our PA equipment, my acoustic guitar, and everything else right out in the open. When I started to preach a mocker yelled, "You're going to get wet." I answered back in the microphone, "It won't rain a drop while we are here." Strangely, there were a few large drops of rain that did fall harmlessly. Maybe those were to test my faith. The downpour started as we left the parking lot. This same situation happened several times, but we never got rained on while doing an outdoor service at that location.

A skeptic could call that a coincidence, but this next one is nothing short of amazing. My father-in-law tells this story. He was a new believer in Guyana, South America. There was a big crusade going on in a stadium, and lots of people were gathered to hear the evangelist. During the service, it was obvious that rain was approaching the area. The evangelist was concerned for the people, the equipment, and everything else. He told the congregation to pray and watch what God would do. That whole stadium watched as the rain approached. They saw the rain divide in the middle. Part of it passed on one side of the stadium and the other part passed on the other side while the entire crowd sat dry in the middle.

Not long ago, a lady came to our church. She was a first time visitor, so I did not know her. She had broken her leg twenty years before and had limped badly ever since. At the end of the service, she requested prayer for her leg. Later that week, we learned that she was completely healed. We also learned later that she had previously gone through surgery on that leg. During the surgery, the doctor put a piece of metal in her and fastened it with screws. She said that she had been able to feel the screws by rubbing her finger across them for the last twenty years. After the healing, she said that she wasn't sure if she could feel them anymore. What happened to those screws?

A young man in prison was diagnosed with liver cancer. He requested prayer. We sent him a prayer cloth anointed with oil and told him to pray as he rubbed the cloth over his liver. When he was sent to the medical facility of the prison to be checked, there was no cancer to be found.

### What Do We Do?

I hope that the last section has made you hungry to see the power of God demonstrated in a far greater capacity than you ever have. I am hungry. I have gotten to the point that I just simply can't be content to do church as usual anymore. I am so tired of endless boring services where the people yawn while the preacher provides self-help tips for parents. I'm tired of programs, performances, and well devised practical illustrations. I am tired of looking around during the singing and wondering if we even know why we are gathered in the first place. I want to see the power of God move again. I am hungry for it. I hope you are as well.

Fortunately, we are not left to ourselves. Jesus said, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:18). When He said this, He was talking about the Holy Spirit. Oh, how we need His presence in the Church again. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to usher in the presence of Jesus in our services. The teenagers won't sleep through that service. The children won't grow restless while He is in the house. We won't need to find the catchiest tune to liven things up or play an interesting video clip to provoke thought. When He is in the house and the power of the Spirit is displayed, then we will rejoice!

Peter taught that there is a connection between repentance and refreshing. Acts 3:19-20 says, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you." Did you get that, "Repent . . . And he shall send Jesus!"

Paul said, "Covet earnestly the best gifts" (1 Corinthians 12:31). I want the best ones in my church! I'm hungry to see the power of God demonstrated more and more. I was at a church service several years ago as a pastor from Jamaica looked very seriously across the rostrum and said, "There is more power to be had. I have never been to a funeral and seen the corpse raised to life." I know that I am not the only one that is hungry.

We must commit ourselves to prayer. We must pray and pray and pray some more. We cannot stop praying in discouragement, but we must pray in expectation. We must pray until the Spirit is poured out and until the power of God flows freely. Then we can stand and say like Moses, "Sand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Exodus 14:13).

This is not a time to reflect meaningfully. It is not a time to shy away from the supernatural. It is not a time to use alternate means to gather a crowd. It is a time to press on. Don't just encourage people to be filled with the Spirit. Expect it. Paul commanded it. He said, "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Why? We need His power. We need His witness to confirm the Word of God. We need the supernatural manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit in operation every day!

### Challenge to Pastors and Leaders

Pastors, admit with me that most of the time we preach in the safety of our own building speaking to our own people, but just imagine preaching to a crowd of unbelievers. Many of you may be just as afraid of that as I was a few years ago. Our people say, "Amen!" Unbelievers may curse, shout, or even throw something. No matter your training or upbringing, you are called to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5).

When you stand before unbelievers (even if they are visitors in your church) how will you convince them that your version of Jesus is true? They have been taught in this land that all religions are essentially the same. They have been taught that Jesus is a prophet, an angel, one god of many, a good man, and even a fraud. What makes your Jesus better than the others? They have also observed the phonies, frauds, and merchandisers. They don't believe that your church can help them. Are they right? Painfully, they often times are. They don't believe in Hell or in Heaven. So what are you going to do to bring them to their knees in repentance and faith?

Are you going to rent a bounce house? Oh, I know! Let's have a drama production. That will get them! They have never seen drama before. Are you kidding? Their whole lives are full of drama. They don't need make-believe. They need real-believe. What are you going to do to make that happen?

Maybe we should hire the best musicians we can find and put on real show. That will bring them in. After church, we will have a free barbecue. Now we're talking. They will come, eat till they are full, and leave empty. They won't know God any better when they leave than when they got there. What are you going to do?

I have an idea. Why don't we pray till somebody gets healed? Fast if necessary. I dare you to challenge the people of your church to pray. CALL them to pray. If they love Jesus, they will. If you BECKON them to do what the Bible says, they probably will. Isn't that your job! And if you do call them to pray, pray in faith. Don't pray any "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayers. Get real with God. Make your prayers "effectual" and "fervent." Pray with some expectation. Pray for an outpouring in your home, in your church, in your town.

Someday soon, I hope that you can preach a sermon to the unbelievers with another Aeneas at your side. You won't need sermon notes that day. Aeneas will be your sermon illustration. When you approach the pulpit you can say, "Hey, you all know Aeneas." They will nod as he walks to your side. Your one sermon point will be to say, "Look what Jesus did for him," and then make the altar call and watch the power of God.

### Man of God, Take courage!

### "It is I; be not afraid."

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Chapter 2: What Is the Promise of the Father?

Have you ever made a promise that you didn't keep? Mankind is accustomed to hearing such promises, and, as a result, is also familiar with the sting that broken promises offer. In America, where the saying used to be, "A man's word is his bond," we have come to the commonplace understanding that "promises were made to be broken." Our society has devalued the concept of promises to the point that we are hardly willing to believe anyone. The reason for this is quite clear: the weight of a promise is directly proportional to the character and integrity of the one making the promise.

Knowing that character and integrity are the foundation for promises, what does that tell us about promises that God makes? The Scriptures teach very clearly that God cannot lie, indeed it is impossible (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18). If it is impossible for God to lie, then every word that is spoken by Him must come to fulfillment. As it is written, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). Once God has made a promise there is no need for us to fear or worry because His word never can be broken.

It is difficult to imagine that God can be obligated to do anything, and yet He is very obligated. We do not have the power to obligate Him, and neither does any other created being. God, however, can and has obligated Himself, for once He makes a pronunciation of intent, He voluntarily obligates Himself by His own Word. The list of God's obligations through promises is quite long. In fact, there are whole books simply listing the promises of God.

God only needs to make a promise one time. Often in Scripture, however, we find that God's promises are repeated. There are various reasons for the repetition of God's promises. Sometimes a different context will give a fuller understanding of the first expression. There are other times when promises are clarified and reaffirmed. It could also be that many of the promises are repeated just so that we will be more likely to remember what God intends to do.

Among the repeated thematic material of the Scriptures is the promise concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament this promise is referred to as the promise of the Father. God, on many occasions in Scripture, made a promise concerning the Spirit. Each repetition gives us new understanding and reaffirmation that it is indeed God's design that the Holy Spirit minister in our lives and play an active role in the work of the Church. As we look into this promise and eventually into its realization we will begin to understand just how much God loves us in that He cares to make such a glorious provision for us in the Holy Spirit.

### The Promise is Made

In the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophet Joel these words, "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:28). In these words, the promise of the Holy Spirit is revealed. The promise states that there would be a time coming that would be different from the time in which the prophet lived. The time prophesied would be a time marked by the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon all flesh. This promise stands out among promises because it signifies that a new era would commence in which, God would deal differently with His people than ever before. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God was not poured out on all flesh, but the promise comes to boldly proclaim that a time was coming in which that would happen.

Moses desired to see a time like the one prophesied by Joel. Moses was obviously a man of great understanding because of his relationship with God. In Numbers 11, we read a story that has some special significance to our current topic. The children of Israel were complaining that they wanted meat. Moses was deeply troubled when he spoke to the Lord concerning the problem, and he said, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me" (Numbers 11:14). In response, God told him to gather together seventy of the elders. Moses did as God said and the Bible records, "And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease" (Numbers 11:25). Two of those seventy elders that were summoned did not attend the meeting, but the Spirit also rested upon them in the camp where they were and they prophesied there. When news of their prophesying reached Moses, Joshua urged him to forbid them. Moses answered, "Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:29). Through Moses' words here, we can see that God, at that time, was not pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. His Spirit was only available to a few chosen leaders. Moses realized this and was left wanting. He clearly longed for a time when the Spirit of God would be poured out on all flesh.

The narrative of Moses and the seventy elders clearly reveals that the Spirit of God was transferred from Moses to the elders. There is a direct parallel between this event and the event that happened on the evening of the resurrection day of Jesus. In John 20, we are given the account of Jesus visiting the disciples on that Sunday evening. While Jesus was with them He did something that is quite interesting. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22). Just as the Spirit of God was transferred from Moses to the seventy elders, the Spirit was transferred from Jesus to His disciples. The only difference is that Jesus was able to do the transfer Himself, while Moses was not.

The striking similarities between these two events are amazing, but there is more. Moses specifically mentioned that he wanted all of the people to be prophets and receive the Spirit of the Lord. Moses was obviously pleased that God would answer his request by giving the Spirit to the seventy, but he was also acutely aware that there could be more. Jesus likewise knew that there was more. On the exact same occasion that He breathed out the Holy Ghost on the disciples He said, "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). In other words, after breathing on them and giving them the Holy Spirit, there was something else coming that Jesus called "the promise of my Father."

What promise was Jesus talking about? In Acts 1:4-5, Jesus clearly stated the content of the promise that the Father had made: "Wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." Here Jesus links the promise of the Father to the Baptism with the Holy Spirit that was prophesied by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16; John 1:33). This promise is recorded by all four Gospel writers indicating that it is a matter of utmost importance.

So, we see a steady progression of promise starting with Moses. Moses longed for a promise as yet unmade, and Joel recorded the promise that Moses desired to see. John the Baptist restated the promise in different terms, and Jesus testified to its validity just before His ascension. One thing is obvious in all of this; the promise had not yet come into fulfillment.

In the words of Joel, the promise was the outpouring of the Spirit. The meaning of the Hebrew word that is translated as "pour" is to be spilled or expended. God promised that His Spirit would be spilled out. The implication is that there would be no measure. When a glass is toppled, all of its contents are spilled. When God pours out the Spirit, those that are the subjects of such outpouring will be swallowed up in the gush that flows. The Spirit of God is depicted as moving upon the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2. Just imagine all of the waters of the earth being poured out at once. When the Spirit is poured out, the Spiritual flood will engulf those that receive the outpouring. Also, God is saying that He will expend His Spirit. It is difficult to imagine that the Spirit of God could be expended; therefore, the magnitude of power behind this promise is astounding. God promised that His Spirit would be spilled out and expended on all flesh.

To clarify the concept of the outpouring on all flesh, the Lord spoke more detail through Joel. "Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28). This text gives us a distinct picture that the outpouring was going to elevate the normal experience of God's people to a level of prophetic expression. In other words, Moses' heart cry would be answered. The people of God would all be filled with the Spirit of God and speak prophetically. Another observation that can be made from this text is that the outpouring is generational and genderless in nature. It will not be limited to the old and mature men, but will be available to the women and children as well. The inclusion of children in the passage is an indication that this is something that will be passed from generation to generation in conforming to the pattern of Deuteronomy 6:7, where God instructs the Israelites to pass on the commandments to their children.

Joel's prophecy goes on to say, "And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit" (Joel 2:29). This additional information makes the promise even more inclusive. If the servants and handmaids receive the same outpouring as everyone else, then the barrier of social class is effectively erased. In addition to the erasing of the social class, it must be understood that there were some very strict guidelines concerning Hebrew servants. Therefore, it is necessary for us to see the racial inclusion of the alien in this utterance. In other words Gentiles were included in this promise.

When John the Baptist spoke on the subject of the promise, he did not use the same language as Joel. He introduced the promise in terms of baptism. "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mark 1:8). Baptism presents a different picture than that of outpouring. In both the prophetic utterances of Joel and John, we are confronted with the fact that no humanly understood words can fully communicate the grandeur of the Holy Spirit, much less give us a visual illustration of what was coming. John's picture, however, is that of Jesus administering a baptism with the Holy Ghost. In contrast with John's baptism, Jesus is to be the baptizer. Instead of using water as the substance of this baptism, Jesus would be baptizing in the Holy Spirit. The image is that of a person being fully immersed in the Spirit of God by the very hands of Christ.

Jesus also spoke often of the promised Holy Spirit. Once He made a stark comparison between natural fathers and the Heavenly Father in His discourse on prayer in the book of Luke. He asked, "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?" (Luke 11:11). Several similar questions were asked with the obvious answer being that an earthly father would do better than that. Earthly fathers often are willing to expend themselves to meet the needs and wants of their sons or daughters. After establishing the generous and provisional nature of earthly fathers, Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13). The only way to make a comparison like this is to do it with the perspective that an earthly father must be called evil when compared to God. Yet, even earthly fathers know what is good for their own children. How much more God? Answer: we can't even begin to comprehend how much! But we do know that God's answer to our inferred questions and needs is plainly this, the Holy Spirit. Jesus reveals that the Father earnestly desires to give the Holy Spirit. He also shows that this gift is comparable in its nature to fatherly gifts. God wants the very best for His children and the very best that He has to give us is His Holy Spirit. Jesus also makes reference to the fact that asking is necessary. The promise of the Father is limited only in that it is reserved for those that desire it by asking.

### The Promise Is Realized

And when the day of Pentecost was 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 all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

–Acts 2:1-4

The noise on the day of Pentecost attracted a crowd that asked, "What meaneth this?" (Acts 2:12). Peter was quick with a response to the confused crowd. His answer was simple, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16). Peter had the unique opportunity of being the first to interpret the events of that memorable day. It is interesting that he didn't refer to the recent speech of Jesus concerning the same promise, or the words of John the Baptist. This was likely because his audience was Jewish, or at least converts to Judaism. Rather, he referred directly to the Old Testament as his source of interpretation. What Moses had longed for, and Joel had spoken of was now reality. The Spirit of God was indeed being poured out. The promise of the Father was being realized.

In all the excitement that was taking place, Peter had the opportunity to expound on the promise. The outpouring was not to be a single event for those blessed to be in Jerusalem on that particular day. It was farther reaching than that. If the Spirit had been poured out only on the day of Pentecost, then that would not have constituted "all flesh" as Joel had prophesied. Peter clarified the promise with these words, "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Peter's clear motive was to establish that the promise was to be inclusive.

Like the prophecy of Joel, Peter makes some inclusions that merit a brief analysis. "The promise is unto you." There is no escaping the fact that Peter meant to include all his hearers in the promise. Every person within the sound of his voice was to be included. In addition, the children of those present were included. This is a generational inclusion and also a geographical inclusion. We know that there were people present from many different places. It must be reasoned that this promise was available to the hearers and then transferable for any who had children that were not present. Thus, we have a generational dissemination. Any of these men that had children that were not present would then be able to take the promise back to whatever land he had come from making this promise unlimited to geography. The inclusion of "all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," increases the generational and geographical context. In other words, the promise is not limited to time or distance.

The significance of generational and geographical inclusion in the promise is a primary theme in the Book of Acts, and provides a backdrop for understanding the work of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church and throughout Church history. If we understand nothing else, we must know that when Peter said that this promise is for "you," he was not only talking to those present on that day. He was also talking to you!

We can never be grateful enough for the fact that God has graciously chosen to give us the indescribable gift of the Holy Spirit. As we consider this wonderful Baptism in the Holy Spirit, I hope and trust that you will be filled with power, knowledge and understanding, overflowing in gratitude and affection toward the Father and the Son from whom the Spirit comes.

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Chapter 3: Is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Separate from Conversion?

Now that the promise of the Father has been properly identified as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is now possible for us to begin to mark the Biblical characteristics that define that baptism. The first question that we will address is related to the nature and timing of the baptism. In other words, is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit part of the experience of getting saved, or is it a separate experience entirely?

Before we begin to look into the Biblical narrative, we must first establish a fixed line of reasoning. If the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is part of conversion, then we should expect to find both the baptism and conversion inseparable in Scripture. In other words, if one is part of the other, we should find neither alone. We should expect to see them together ALL of the time. If on the other hand the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from conversion then the two could easily occur on different occasions. If the baptism then is indeed separate from conversion then we would expect to find in Scriptures at lease ONE example where they are separate. Now that we have laid the basis for our study, let's look at the five occurrences in the Book of Acts that describe the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and examine the evidence.

### The Day of Pentecost

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out in fulfillment of the promise of the Father. Our question in this chapter is to determine whether or not this outpouring in which the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was given was equal to a conversion experience for those present. Simply put, were the Apostles saved before Acts 2?

Let us look at a few passages in the Book of Luke to help us determine a brief and yet very conclusive pronouncement concerning this subject. Luke 10 relates the time that Jesus sent out seventy of His disciples. They were to go into the places that He would soon visit and announce the kingdom of God. Once they had done this and returned they were elated by the power that was demonstrated through them over devils. It is at that point that Jesus makes a very revelatory statement. He said, "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Had anyone else made such a statement we might have reason to doubt, but coming from Jesus, there is no room for such. At that moment, before the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus declared that the names of those seventy were written in Heaven already.

Another similar pronouncement was made by Jesus in the same book. In Luke 19, we read the story of Zacchaeus. After he came down from the tree, Zacchaeus declared his intention for restoration and alms giving. At that moment, Jesus made another powerful statement. He said, "This day is salvation come to this house" (Luke 19:9). Zacchaeus was pronounced a saved man by the very mouth of Christ. If you will allow me to make an extrapolation from this story, I will conclude that if Zacchaeus was a saved man, then Peter, James, John, and the others that were standing there with Jesus at that moment were saved men also.

Thus, based on these two passages in Luke, it seems evident that salvation had indeed come to the Apostles before Jesus suffered. As a result, they would have been saved well before the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. One more example, however, is very relevant to this study. The two examples cited above are both pre-crucifixion examples. This is why some would say that they were not saved in a Christian sense.

Before we look at the next example we must consider a simple question as to the necessary ingredients for Christian salvation. What does it take to be saved? The Apostle Paul in the book of Romans gives somewhat of a checklist for exactly that question. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). In this verse we find there are two basic elements that must be present for salvation; namely verbal confession in the Lordship of Jesus and belief in the resurrection. With these two criteria in mind let us now turn to the experience of the Apostle Thomas.

Thomas missed the first appearance of Jesus on the evening of resurrection day. He was absent. The other disciples tried to tell him, but he refused to believe them. The next time that Jesus appeared to them Thomas was there. Jesus approached Thomas directly and told him to examine the clear markings that were still on His body from the crucifixion. The statement that Thomas then made is quite remarkable and yet completely unsurprising. He simply said, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Do you think that Thomas believed in the resurrection of Christ at that moment? Sure he did. To think anything else would be absurd. He was staring at the nail prints and the spear wound. Of course he believed in the resurrection. In stunned amazement the only thing he could say was "My Lord and my God." How appropriate, and in accordance with Romans 10:9, we see that Thomas made a clear confession of the Lordship of Jesus with clear belief in the resurrection. He was a saved man!

The events of Acts 2 come after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The disciples had been in the upper room for ten days praying and waiting for the promise of the Father. Acts 1 gives a brief list of those present in the room. Among those named were the eleven remaining Apostles one of which was Thomas. When the outpouring occurred in Acts 2, Thomas had been saved for at least 42 days. So, in the case of Thomas and the other Apostles, we find that the outpouring of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost came on those that had already been saved for quite some time. It is not possible to see the Day of Pentecost as a conversion experience for them. Clearly conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit were not the same thing.

### The Samaritans

The second occurrence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit came in Samaria. Philip went and preached the gospel to the Samaritans and they responded by believing. They, in fact, believed and went one step further in that they were baptized in water. Once again we see faith and confession just as in the case of Thomas. Luke, the writer of Acts, says that they believed (Acts 8:12). There is no indication of doubt concerning whether these individuals were saved.

The very next few verses then tell that the news of the Samaritan conversions reached Jerusalem, and when it did, Peter and John were sent to check things out. Once they arrived, the first thing they did was pray for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit. They did not lead a prayer for salvation because the Samaritans were already saved.

Now, if you are not aware of the geography of the area, this all may seem quite immediate, but when we realize that Jerusalem is between 30 and 40 miles from Samaria, it takes on a different context. Most of the time, the Apostles walked. If the news traveled on foot, that means it took at least two days for the news to reach Jerusalem and another two days for Peter and John to arrive. The Samaritans would have been believers for at least the better part of a week before Peter and John arrived. Thus we have conversion being separate from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit once again.

Let us take a moment to review our line of reasoning. We noted in the introduction to this chapter that if conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit were the same event, then they should be inseparable in ALL of the Biblical examples. If the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is separate from conversion then it should be seen as such in the Bible at least ONE time clearly. So far, we have two examples of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit coming after conversion for salvation. Let us continue.

### Saul of Tarsus

Acts 9 relates the story of the conversion of Saul (later to be known as Paul the Apostle). Saul was on the road to Damascus when he was visited by Jesus. The experience left him physically blind for three days. God sent a disciple named Ananias to visit Saul. This is what he said to Saul when he arrived: "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17). Later in Paul's ministry, he recounts the story and includes further details about the meeting between himself and Ananias. In Acts 22:12-16, it seems as if Ananias led Paul into salvation, whereas in Acts 9:17, it seems that he led him into the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In both tellings of the story, it is evident that neither the actual conversion experience nor the reception of the Spirit are described. As such, it is impossible to ascertain whether these happened simultaneously or separately.

### The Household of Cornelius

Acts 10 is the next occurrence, and this time it is in the home of a Gentile. Cornelius had seen a vision of an angel and as a result had sent to Joppa for Peter. Peter came and preached to all those gathered. Acts 10:44-46 records, "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God."

In this situation, clearly conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit happened at the same time. Although it could be possible to argue that Cornelius and his household had saving faith a few moments before the Spirit was poured out, it is not necessary. As has already been reasoned, there would only need to be ONE example where conversion and the Baptism in the Spirit were separate to convincingly prove that they are not the same experience. In this case, both occur together. Question: does this mean that conversion and Baptism in the Holy Spirit are one in the same experience? Absolutely not!

Let me illustrate. Imagine if you will that there is a person that takes a long extension cord and plugs it in to a live outlet next to a swimming pool and then holds on to the other end and jumps into the pool. Does he get wet? Yes. Does he get shocked? Yes. Are both getting wet and getting shocked taking place at the same time? Yes. Are they the same experience? No. A person can get wet without getting shocked, and a person can get shocked without getting wet. In this illustration neither of these experiences is dependent on the other. Both can happen independently, but in this scenario they happen both at the same time.

This is exactly what happened at the home of Cornelius, and there is only one minor way in which our illustration differs. The fact is that Cornelius received salvation. Cornelius also received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Both of these came on the same occasion, but that does not mean that they are one in the same thing. Two experiences can happen simultaneously. Based on our earlier observations he could have received salvation without having received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit at the same time, but unlike getting wet and shocked above, he could not have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit without conversion. Thus clearly, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is dependent on conversion. From this text we learn that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit can come with conversion. From the preceding texts we learn that there is no necessity for it to be so.

### Disciples at Ephesus

The last of the occurrences comes in Acts 19. Here, the Apostle Paul traveled to Ephesus. When he arrived, he met some men that were referred to as "disciples" (Acts 19:1). After meeting them he asked, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2).

Why would Paul ask such a question? If conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit are a single experience, then this question would be absurd. It would be like asking someone if they came out of their mother's womb since they were born. If, however, conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit are indeed two separated experiences then the question makes perfect sense.

One question that has often been asked concerning these disciples in Ephesus is whether or not they were saved when Paul arrived. Why would Luke, the writer of Acts, call them "disciples" if they were not saved? The context of Acts 19 would seemingly indicate that these men were converts or at least students of Apollos who is credited as having been "instructed in the way of the Lord" (Acts 18:25). Why would there be any reason to doubt the true faith of these disciples unless there was some kind of motive involved?

Even if the point is conceded and we conclude that they were not saved when Paul arrived, there is still an interesting point in the text to observe. Acts 19:4-6 says,

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Even if one insists that these men were unconverted when Paul arrived, the sequence of events must be observed. First, Paul spoke to them of Christ. Second, he baptized them in water. Surely they must have been true believers at that time. Why would Paul baptize an unconverted man? Then after the water baptism was over, he laid his hands on them to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. There can be no real question based on the sequence of events that they were converted before water baptism and received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit after water baptism. Thus there is clearly a separation between conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is exactly what Paul teaches in his Epistle to the Ephesians: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).

### Summary of Findings Concerning Separation

The Day of Pentecost – The Apostles were saved before Pentecost

The Samaritans – The Samaritans were saved before the arrival of Peter and John

Saul of Tarsus – Saul was saved and received Spirit with Ananias

The Household of Cornelius – Cornelius was saved and received the Spirit on same occasion

The Disciples at Ephesus – The Disciples were saved before water baptism then received Spirit after being baptized

In the beginning of this chapter we set out our line of reasoning. If conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit are two ways to describe one single event, then the Biblical record should show that they are inseparable by time in ALL instances. If conversion and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit are two separate experiences then the Biblical record should show at least ONE example where they are separated by time. Clearly, the Biblical record shows that conversion precedes the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in at least three of the five occasions given in Scripture concerning the subject. Thus we must conclude that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct experience apart from conversion.

Since it has been clearly seen that Scripture teaches that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the same as conversion and does not of necessity happen at the same time as conversion then we will proceed to our next subject of evidence.

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Chapter 4: What Is the Evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Almost every experience has some sort of evidence associated with it, and we must now consider what that evidence might be as it relates to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. If there is indeed some kind of observable evidence, then surely the Scriptures should make that evidence plain. Once again, we will need to consider the occurrences in the Book of Acts to determine what we should expect to see today as evidence.

### The Day of Pentecost

On the Day of Pentecost we find the outpouring of the Spirit described in very clear terms. There were three supernatural phenomena that evidenced that something had happened. Let us take a moment to examine each.

First, there was "a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind" (Acts 2:2). There is no question that this supernatural sound was evidence that God was doing something. We are told in the text that the sound filled the whole house.

As I am writing this, I live in Florida. One thing that Floridians know a bit about is strong wind. About once every three years or so, we get the news that it is time to cover the windows and prepare for a hurricane. For those like me who are not very cautious, we get to see rain go sideways in all directions at the same time. It is really quite neat. The howling of the wind at such times is inescapable. It can be unnerving.

We must remember that the Holy Spirit is God. Being the third member of the Trinity, He is nothing less that the Almighty. So, naturally when He enters a room, we should expect fantastic power when He comes. In this picture given in Acts 2, the sound of rushing mighty wind is not to be confused with a gentle breeze. Strong's offers "violent" as a synonym for word translated as "mighty." The Apostles heard the sound of a hurricane, typhoon, or possibly even a tornado come crashing through the room. Notice that the sound originated in heaven but was inside the room rather than outside (Acts 2:2). This wonderful sign from God evidenced that the Spirit was indeed coming in power. This is not the first time that God has evidenced His power with wind (or in this case the sound of wind). As awesome as this sound was, however, as we will see below, it was not a repeated phenomenon in the other occurrences of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It only happened one time. As a result, we should not expect to hear the sound of a rushing mighty wind when someone receives the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in our services today. God could do it again, but this is not given as evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in Scripture.

Secondly, there "appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire" (Acts 2:3). Again we see a supernatural signal that God was doing something beyond the normal. The sound of wind was a sign that was heard. This sign was a sign that was seen. These tongues of fire literally came to rest upon each person present. Like wind above, God has often used fire to demonstrate His power. The significance of this particular demonstration was clearly indicated to be relevant to the individual in the fact that the fire came to rest upon each. As awesome and as interesting as the tongues like as of fire must have been, they cannot be used as evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for like the sound of wind they are not repeated in the other occurrences in Acts.

Another significant note that is of importance related to the sound of wind and the tongues of fire is the very definition of evidence. There can be no evidence for something that has not happened yet. If you refer to Acts 2:1-4 you will notice that both the sound of wind and the tongues of fire occurred before the infilling of the Spirit. Evidence cannot precede experience, thus even though there is great importance to both of these signs, neither can be used as evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, we come to the third supernatural phenomenon mentioned in the passage, and, unlike the others, it follows the Baptism in the Spirit. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit they "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). Because speaking in tongues is the only listed observable phenomenon that immediately followed the experience of being Baptized in the Holy Spirit we can say that it was the only clear evidence of such a baptism.

The question is not whether the Baptism in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was evidenced by tongues. The question is this: does the Bible show that tongues was the evidence in the other passages. Once again our line of reasoning is very important. If tongues is the evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, then we should expect to find tongues present or at least strongly implied in ALL of the occurrences in the Biblical narrative. If there are other evidences to be considered, then each of those evidences must be either expressly stated or clearly implied in the text. If tongues is not the Biblical evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, then there should be at least one example in the Biblical narrative that clearly says otherwise. In going forward we will see what each occurrence has to say about tongues as evidence.

### The Samaritans

In reading Acts 8:4-25 it immediately becomes obvious that there is a clear absence of tongues. On a first reading, it would appear that nobody spoke in tongues at all; however, there are some important matters in the text that are substantially important to consider.

The story begins with Philip. He was one of the seven men chosen to deal with the problem of taking care of widows in Jerusalem in Acts 6. After the death of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria and preached to the Samaritans. A great revival broke out among the people, and there were many that became believers. Among those that believed and were baptized in water was a sorcerer named Simon (Acts 8:13). When news of the revival got to Jerusalem, Peter and John were sent to check things out. When they arrived they seemed convinced as to the validity of the Samaritan conversions and prayed that the people might receive the Holy Spirit because they were equally convinced that the Spirit had not been given.

Acts 8:17 says, "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." The sentence ends there as does the thought. The next verse switches the subject to Simon. It is very interesting to note that there is no description given of the actual receiving of the Spirit. So, we see not only an absence of evidence, but also the actual experience itself is just stated and not described. Why should we expect to see evidence presented when the actual experience isn't even described?

As the story goes on, Simon saw that the Spirit was given by the laying on of the Apostles hands. He was so interested that he wanted the same power. In fact, he offered to buy the power from Peter and John. Simon was instantly rebuked soundly for even daring to buy God's power, but that isn't the point for us here. What is of particular interest is that Simon "saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given" (Acts 8:18). What exactly did Simon see? Whatever it was, gave evidence to him that something had happened of a supernatural nature.

Just to make a point, we will take some modern answers to this question and see what happens to the story in Acts 8. Some teach that the evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a life of consecration to God. This is an error. It becomes immediately evident by inserting this notion into the story. The Bible makes it quite clear that the Spirit was given at the moment that Peter and John laid hands on the people. Simon responded immediately. He did not wait around for a few weeks to observe the life of consecration that resulted. No thinking believer would argue against having a life of consecration to God, but that is clearly NOT what Simon saw. He had to see something that was immediately evident as a result of the experience. A life of consecration would not be immediately evident.

Others say that any of the gifts of the Spirit can be evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures clearly list 21 gifts of the Spirit. Others have been debated, but 21 are absolute (see Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, 27-31, and Romans 12:6-8). Many of those gifts would be hard to immediately observe. For example, how could it be instantly observed that a person was gifted in the area of governments or mercy? Even if the list is limited to the nine gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, immediate observation could be questionable. How could a person immediately and visibly evidence discerning of spirits, faith, or even a word of wisdom? Simon could not have seen any of these gifts and come to the immediate conclusion that power had been transferred. This is also an erroneous teaching.

What then did Simon see? He didn't have time to observe a life of consecration, and he could not have observed the gift of discernment. There is only one obvious answer. Simon saw tongues. He knew these people. He had tricked them for years. He knew that they were not fluent in multiple languages, and there had never been such a strange and unusual sight in that village in all of history. When one by one those Samaritan believers received the gift of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues that they had never learned, Simon was impressed. This is not just my opinion on the topic. Overwhelmingly, commentators have attested the same thing. Even commentators that are opposed to tongues in the modern day readily require that the evidence Simon saw was tongues.

The Biblical evidence is substantial that Simon saw tongues. Academic evidence is also substantial testifying to the same. Now for a question that seems to be more relevant. What do you think could motivate someone to attempt to prove that tongues were not present in Samaria?

### Saul of Tarsus

The story of Saul's conversion is another instance where tongues is not specifically mentioned. It is not even implied that there was any evidence seen at all. Let us observe the details.

Saul departed Jerusalem to arrest Christian believers in Damascus. While he was in transit, he had an encounter with the resurrected Christ that changed his life forever. After the encounter he was left blinded for three days during which time he fasted and prayed. A disciple at Damascus received a vision from the Lord also. He was instructed of the Lord to find Saul and restore his sight. Acts 9:17-18 says,

And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Notice that just as in the case of the Samaritans, the actual experience of Saul's reception of the Spirit is absent. The description of the healing is present. The text even specifically states that Saul was baptized in water, but the only information that is given concerning the Baptism in the Spirit is the statement of such by Ananias. In other words, the experience itself is left out of the narrative. Carl Brumback notes this in his book, "What Meaneth This?" He asks, "How could there possibly be any mention of tongues in the narrative, when there is a complete absence of mention of the experience of which the speaking with tongues is but a part?"

Three are a few other observations that need to be made. Saul, later to be known as the Apostle Paul, wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:18, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all." To be sure, Paul spoke in tongues. When would be the most reasonable time to think that he did so for the first time? Any person trying to argue that it wasn't on this occasion in Damascus would need to answer one simple question: why was there a delay? It really would be unreasonable and unjustified to argue such a notion. Again we might ask the question: what could possibly motivate a person to argue against Paul speaking in tongues in Damascus at the time he was Baptized in the Spirit?

### The Household of Cornelius

Acts 10 recounts the story of Peter's visit to the house of Cornelius. This devout man had received a visit from an angel and Peter had seen a vision. All of this led to the meeting that is recorded. When Peter arrived, he preached about Christ and the death and resurrection. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God (Acts 10:44-46).

Tongues is expressly present in this passage, but does its presence add to the argument for tongues as evidence? It certainly does. To begin, the very fact of the presence of tongues immediately following the reception of the Spirit indicates a connection to the Day of Pentecost where tongues was the only evidence recorded. Here we see once again that it is the only evidence recorded.

Another observation of significance is the reaction of the other Jewish men that accompanied Peter on his mission. How did they know that the Spirit had been poured out? Did they immediately observe that Cornelius demonstrated a life of consecration? No. As we have already noted, that isn't immediately observable. Also, in the case of Cornelius, it could be said that he had a life of consecration even before conversion. Was he then Baptized in the Holy Spirit before he met Peter? He could have evidenced a consecrated life to prove it. Of course not. The obvious answer is these Jewish believers heard tongues and immediately came to the conclusion that the Spirit had been given. Peter was also convinced by the same. He later described the scene by saying that "the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning" (Acts 11:15). The implication is that the presence of tongues joined the experience of Cornelius to the experience of the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost.

### Disciples at Ephesus

The last of the occurrences specifically mentions two phenomena as a direct result of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:6 says, "And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." In this situation tongues is accompanied by prophecy. At a first glance, this verse seems to introduce the idea that prophecy or other gifts could possibly substitute for tongues as evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Let us make some brief observations.

It must be noted that prophecy is not listed in any of the other four passages in connection with the Baptism in the Spirit. If Luke had been attempting to relate that prophecy was an equally acceptable evidence, then he surely would have included it in the other passages, but it isn't there and neither are any of the other gifts of the Spirit. Their absence from the examples speaks quite clearly that to accept gifts as evidence for the Baptism in the Spirit is not the Biblical norm.

Second, prophecy is not alone in the context of Acts 19. It is mentioned in association with and, in fact, after tongues. If prophecy (or any other gift) could be used as a substitute for tongues as evidence, it should be able to stand alone without tongues being present, but as it is, such is not the case. There is no place in the Bible where the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by any of the gifts of the Spirit apart from tongues.

### Summary of Findings Concerning Evidence

The Day of Pentecost – Baptism in the Holy Spirit expressly evidenced by tongues

The Samaritans – Simon saw evidence that by implication was tongues

Saul of Tarsus – Saul/Paul spoke in tongues later in his life and on this occasion by implication

The Household of Cornelius – Jews accepted tongues as evidence for Cornelius receiving the Baptism in the Spirit

The Disciples at Ephesus – The disciples spoke in tongues as evidence but also prophesied

Our line of reasoning insists three things. First, if tongues is evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, then we should expect to find tongues present or at least strongly implied in ALL of the occurrences. This is exactly what is found. Our second line of reasoning is that if other evidences are to be considered, then those evidences should readily be named in the text. They are not. Lastly, we stated that if tongues is not the evidence, then we should find at least one example that the Biblical narrative says otherwise. No such example is found.

Based on this line of reasoning, tongues is the evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit because it is reasonable to believe that it is either expressed or implied in each of the five occurrences in Scripture. No other type of evidence can be considered valid because they do not express themselves as such in the narrative passages, and there is nothing in the narrative to suggest that tongues is NOT the evidence.

Our findings thus far have allowed us to define the promise of the Father as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is then defined as an experience that is separate and most often subsequent to conversion which is evidenced by tongues. At this point in our study we will turn out attention to the Biblical teachings concerning tongues.

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Chapter 5: The Three Functions of Tongues

What does the Bible really say about speaking in tongues? How are tongues supposed to function in the life of believers and in the Church? All too often, these questions have been answered quite poorly as a result of doctrinal biases and such. As will be seen quite clearly, there is no need for confusion over this subject. The Scriptures present a well defined picture on this topic. In the Bible, there are three distinct functions of tongues. Each of these functions serves a special purpose and is vital to the health and well being of the Church. We will examine briefly each of these: tongues as evidence, tongues as a language of prayer, and tongues as a gift.

### Tongues as Evidence

As has already been discussed, tongues is the Scriptural evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. No other evidence is presented as valid, and tongues is at least implicitly present in all of the narrative occurrences of the experience in the Bible. It is therefore necessary for us to understand that tongues is the Biblical evidence. The Book of Acts deals primarily with this function of tongues. An absence of knowledge concerning the fact that Luke is dealing with tongues as evidence and not the gift of tongues or even the prayer language of tongues can cause difficulty in interpreting the writings of Luke and the writings of Paul on the subject of tongues. With this simple understanding, however, both the writings of Luke and Paul take on added significance.

Every occurrence of tongues in the Book of Acts is in relation to the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Though clearly there must have been plenty of occasions to mention, there is no occurrence in the Book of Acts where a person spoke in tongues after their initial infilling of the Spirit. The clear absence of such occurrences indicates that Luke was dealing with tongues in direct relation to the experience of Baptism in the Spirit itself. He was not teaching a methodology for the use of tongues in the Church, nor was he teaching how the believer can benefit by such activity. He was only concerning with the association between the initial experience and the evidence for such. With that in mind, there are some observations that can be made concerning tongues as evidence.

Tongues as evidence occur on the occasion of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. When a person receives the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, they speak in tongues. The tongues they speak are the evidence that the Spirit has been given. Once that evidence has been provided, there is no longer any need in that individual for tongues as evidence. Tongues as evidence is a one-time experience.

As such, tongues as evidence has some special features that the other functions of tongues do not share. One obvious example is that there is no necessity for tongues as evidence to be interpreted. On the three examples that specifically mention tongues in Acts, two of those give absolutely no indication that one single syllable was understood by any person present and no interpretations are mentioned. The occurrence at the household of Cornelius mentions that the Gentiles spoke in tongues, but there is no mention of any interpretations given (Acts 10:44-48). The same is the case in Ephesus. The twelve men spoke in tongues, but no interpretation is mentioned (Acts 19:6).

Another interesting feature that is unique to tongues as evidence is the openness of expression. In other words, there is no limitation placed on this function. On the Day of Pentecost it would seem that there were 120 people speaking in tongues at the same time. Some have argued (for no apparent reason and quite in error) that only the twelve Apostles spoke in tongues. (Even so, twelve is certainly a larger number than Paul advocates for the use of the gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:27). In regard to this the Holy Spirit was poured out on "all" of them that were gathered (Acts 2:4). This would indicate the 120 of Acts 1:15.

At the house of Cornelius it would appear that there were a great number of people that spoke in tongues at the same time for he had called together kinsmen and near friends upon all of whom the Spirit was bestowed (Acts 10:24, 27, 44). The Ephesians that spoke in tongues were about twelve (Acts 19:7). In each of these examples "all" spoke in tongues. Thus it is reasonable to conclude that if any number of persons receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, they all may and should speak in tongues immediately even if they are speaking all at the same time. This does not conflict with the teachings of Paul on the gift of tongues because this isn't the operation of the gift. It is the operation of tongues as evidence.

Luke is making a presentation concerning the initial experience of the reception of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Every example of tongues in his writings is related to this initial event. Paul does not deal with the initial experience. His writings concerning tongues are about the ongoing manifestation in both the believer and in the Church. There is no conflict between these two writers.

### Paul and Luke Together

Before moving on to our next subjects, we will take an interesting look at the relationship between Luke and Paul. In this we are not so much concerned with them as authors, but rather as co-laborers. Luke seemingly joined Paul's missionary team in Acts 16:10. Starting with this verse the pronouns distinctly change from "they" and "them" to "we" and "us" indicating that the author, Luke, had joined the team. Sometimes this distinction is referred to as the "we" passages. Luke apparently traveled with Paul from that time until Paul's imprisonment in Rome, for he was even with Paul at the writing of 2 Timothy 4:11.

With these chronological facts in mind, it becomes obvious that both the books of Acts and 1 Corinthians were composed while these two traveled together. It is inconceivable that they did not share their writings with each other. The Book of Acts seems to have been written a good number of years after 1 Corinthians, so Luke would have had both knowledge of its contents and also knowledge of its author's teachings on the subject by personal acquaintance. Luke, being moved upon by the Spirit, saw no need to include in his narrative a thorough teaching on tongues in the Church as such a teaching already existed and was likely circulated. Thus, he wrote on the initial experience, because Paul had already covered the ongoing manifestation. The Spirit leading, one compliments the other.

### Tongues as a Language of Prayer

What happens after the initial experience is over? Do tongues cease? Absolutely not! Paul takes over (at least in terms of subject matter) where Luke left off and speaks of tongues in the Church and in the lives of believers. First we will deal with tongues for the believer.

Paul writing to the Corinthian church said, "I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all" (1 Corinthians 14:18). And yet he made it very clear that he was not talking about public speaking engagements. This statement was not in relation to a church meeting, but rather a statement of personal devotion.

1 Corinthians 14 must be understood in light of a clear misuse that Paul was attempting to correct. The correction was in relation to public worship. There had been some abuses taking place in that church and Paul was dealing with those. Right in the middle of this discourse on public worship and propriety for such, Paul makes it very clear that private prayer is another matter entirely. After saying that he speaks in tongues more than any of them he quickly added, "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19). Clearly he is contrasting private worship to corporate worship. We could paraphrase the two verses as such: "I am grateful to God that I speak in tongues more than any of you while I am alone, but when I stand before the church I would much rather speak in the language that we all understand."

This, along with two other statements given by Paul, indicates the high priority the Apostle placed on personal devotional tongues. He said, "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself" (1 Corinthians 14:4). He also added, "I would that ye all spake with tongues" (1 Corinthians 14:5). There is no question that Paul actually intended for believers to speak in tongues, but his clear intent in this regard was more related to private prayer. The reason for this is clearly stated in verse four. There is definite personal benefit to the individual that speaks in tongues. To put the content of these three verses (4, 5, and 18) together we get something like this. Speaking in tongues is personally beneficial. I wish that you all would speak in tongues. I do it myself and it's great.

Similarly to tongues as evidence, there are no prohibitions made on devotional tongues. A person can speak in tongues as often as desired. One interesting point concerning devotional tongues that was made by David Lim (in an article called "Spiritual Gifts," in Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective, edited by Stanley M. Horton) is worth mentioning at this point. What happens when tongues as a prayer language are incorporated into a public worship service? Does such incorporation violate 1 Corinthians 14:27-28? Lim explains,

If the primary purpose of tongues is to praise God, tongues with interpretation will encourage others to worship. To then deny people the opportunity to respond by worshiping God in tongues would seem to be a contradiction. Paul would then be saying "You may worship with understanding in the assembly, but not in the Spirit. Only two or three are allowed that experience." What about meetings where prayer is the primary agenda? . . . When God touches us in any public gathering, we respond; however, our response must not draw undue attention to ourselves.

He then asserts that "tongues have not been relegated to the prayer closet. . . . If all understand that there are mutual times to praise God, no confusion exists." From this we learn that there is no prohibition for tongues as a prayer language even in corporate worship. The prohibition comes in response to abuse of the gift of tongues which will be dealt with in the next section.

### The Gift of Tongues

Tongues as a gift functions very differently than tongues as evidence and tongues as a prayer language. Tongues as evidence is exactly that, evidence. They evidence to the believer and to the others present that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit has indeed come. Tongues as a language of prayer is primarily for the believer personally. Tongues as a gift is for the Church.

The gifts presented in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are given in the context of v. 7 which says that they are to be of benefit to everyone or at least the Church. The gifts are given to the Church. With such a definition we can readily see that tongues as a prayer language which edifies the individual does not fit in the category of a "gift" in this context. Likewise, tongues that serve only as evidence would not constitute a "gift" in this context either because nobody learns anything (1 Corinthians 14:19). So, the gift of tongues is distinguished among the functions of tongues as being uniquely different particularly in its corporate function.

Understanding the gift of tongues as a gift to the Church (and possibly even to those outside the church, see 1 Corinthians 14:22), it must function in an edifying capacity for the corporate body. One of the most obvious problems that Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians 14 was disorderly worship and in particular the abuse of tongues. Apparently, the people in Corinth did not understand how tongues functioned and when each function was appropriate. Only the gift of tongues has a place of prominence in a corporate worship service. The other functions can be a part, but are not prominent in any capacity.

The clear directive for the gift of tongues in a corporate worship setting is that the tongues must be accompanied by the gift of interpretation for a complete edification to take place (1 Corinthians 14:5, 13, 27-28). The person that speaks in tongues in the hearing of the congregation is then responsible for the interpretation; however, it is possible and acceptable for another person to interpret. Although there could be questions of interpretation on verse 27, it seems that only two or three persons should speak in tongues in this manner on any one given occasion and each should be interpreted. If there is no interpreter, then the person that spoke in tongues is not commanded to cease speaking in tongues, but rather to cease speaking in the hearing of all. In other words, he can still pray (even in tongues) to himself. He should just not call everyone's attention to his prayer.

Before moving into the significance of the gift of tongues and interpretation, I want to briefly discuss the matter of the brother that offers an utterance in tongues that is not interpreted. Every Spirit-filled believer knows that this happens in churches from time to time, and when it does, everyone stands on pins and needles waiting for either divine blessing with a delayed interpretation or divine judgment for allowing such an erroneous utterance to take place. May I suggest an entirely different alternative? Let's say that a well meaning Christian brother takes the courage necessary to utter what he thinks is an utterance from God to the whole congregation. After he speaks there is silence in the building. The Pastor encourages the congregation to wait on the Lord for the interpretation, but none comes. What should we do?

A. let it go and hope that nobody remembers,

B. find that brother after church and rebuke him soundly for being in the flesh, or

C. publicly encourage that brother to pray for the interpretation.

Paul's answer is "c" in verse 13. What if no interpretation ever comes? 1 Corinthians 14 offers no rebuke of any kind to the person that spoke. It does not even qualify such an utterance as mistaken. It simply says that the speaker should "keep silence. . . and . . . speak to himself, and to God" (1 Corinthians 14:28). If Paul didn't rebuke him, why should we? Rather than scold the brother or embarrass him to the point that he decides NEVER to do that again, why not encourage his boldness and place the blame where the Scriptures place it – the lack of an interpreter.

If this becomes a repeated event, however, it may be necessary to teach on the functions of tongues and explain that not all tongues are to be for the entire congregation. This brother may be mistaking his language of prayer for the gift of tongues and make such utterances entirely out of ignorance. Ignorance can be fixed. Fix the ignorance and the problem will cease. If it doesn't cease after thorough teaching, then and only then is correction in order. Make sure in all of this that you don't violate the Scriptures by forbidding tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39).

Now that we understand that the gift of tongues must be accompanied with the gift of interpretation we can look at the significance of the pair. When tongues are interpreted then the congregation will understand what was said in tongues. The meaning of the tongues becomes clear. You will notice that this is the gift of interpretation and not the gift of strict translation.

Some people get caught away with silly notions. Interpretation has been subjected to scrutiny by the ignorant on many occasions. It has been said that you should pay attention to the length of the tongues spoken and if the interpretation does not match its length syllable for syllable then the interpretation isn't from God. WHAT! I am not sure where that comes from, but it isn't in the Bible. Another ridiculous notion is that if a person stutters while giving an interpretation then it isn't from God. That is as absurd as saying that if a Pastor stutters while reading the Bible that the Bible should be thrown away. In both of those cases, the manner of delivery has become the prominent method of evaluation. Neither of these is a Biblical criterion for dismissing an interpreted message. The proper Biblical method of evaluation is judgment of content (1 Corinthians 14:29) rather than delivery.

When tongues are interpreted, they become equal to prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:5). Even so, the Apostle makes it quite clear that tongues and interpretation are to be treated with slightly different order than prophecy which has a freer course. In this chapter, Paul guards against two extremes. First, he guards against the overuse of the gift of tongues. Second, he guards against forbidding tongues.

In our modern churches, clear teaching on this important Biblical topic must be given. Many churches completely ignore the Scripture on this subject or even worse, blatantly rebel against it. For when it says not to forbid, they indeed do forbid. I am sure that abuses of tongues exist in our modern day. To be sure, there are abuses of every kind. Abuses did not invalidate the tongues that were used in Corinth, and the do not invalidate the tongues in use today. Abuses should be curbed by instruction and not by forbidding. Now that we have an understanding of how tongues function, let's look at the very nature of the tongues themselves.

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Chapter 6: The Nature of Tongues

If you ever read articles on the subject of speaking in tongues you will run across the term glossolalia. This is actually two Greek words put together. The Greek word glossa has two definitions. It can mean tongue as in the part of our body that speaks, and it can also mean language as in the distinct language of a nation or people group. The Greek word laleo simply means to speak. When the two words are joined, glossolalia, then the meaning is to speak in a language. One other Greek word is important to this study. The Greek word heteros means other or another. In other words it means something different in comparison to the first. Acts 2:4 with these interpretations added says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak (laleo) with other (heteros) those of a different kind unlike the first tongues (glossa) languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance." To simplify, the text is saying that those present on the Day of Pentecost were filled with the Spirit. When this happened they spoke in languages other than their own, and it was the Spirit that enabled them to do so.

There have been lots of questions on the subject of the nature of this experience and in particular the definition of the glossolalia itself (from here on I will simply say tongues). We will attempt to make as clear a definition as to what these tongues are based on the Scriptural record. Then we will take some time to identify what they are not, and lastly we will observe some mistaken notions concerning tongues.

### What Tongues Are

On the day of Pentecost, we are given a very interesting picture concerning the events that took place. After the Spirit was poured out in the upper room on the 120, the news traveled fast around the area. We are not told how that news traveled, but we know that there was a large crowd that gathered. It has been speculated that the crowd heard the noise of the wind, but I find that particular view hard to believe because of two factors. First, the sound of wind was inside the house, not outside. Also, the crowd did not come and say with astonishment, "Did you hear that wind?"

It would seem reasonable that the prayer meeting of the 120 instantly became an evangelistic outdoor street crusade. It would not likely have been possible for the large crowd to all have heard the believers speaking in tongues if the 120 had stayed in the upper room. The streets would have been crowded to capacity on this Jewish day of festival. There would have been plenty of noise to drown out a muffled sound coming through walls. Neither does it seem reasonable that some herald went through the streets proclaiming that something had happened. The only reasonable answer is that the 120 broke fellowship indoors and went outside with zeal and excitement speaking in tongues as they went. Some have suggested that they eventually went to the Temple and it was there that Peter addressed the crowds, but no indication is given to that effect in the text.

Either way, the Scriptures are clear that a very large crowd gathered. By the end of Acts 2 we know that there were about 3,000 souls that were saved that day (2:41). This does not take into account those that refused to believe and be baptized. With such a large crowd, confusion is expected. Luke, fortunately gives us insight as to the content of the confusion. Part of it we will deal with here, and the other part in the next section.

"Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language" (Acts 2:6). From this statement we learn that when the 120 spoke in tongues, other people from different nations understood what they said in their own language. They were amazed! The first question they asked was, "Are not all these which speak Galilaeans?" (Acts 2:7). They apparently came to the immediate conclusion that Galileans should not know all of these languages. After all, Galileans did not have a reputation for being intellectually competent. From this part of the narrative, we can conclude that the tongues spoken on the Day of Pentecost were understandable human languages. There are quite a few language groups mentioned and likely many more unnamed if you count the potential for Jewish proselytes from literally anywhere. The testimony is clear that those of foreign languages understood what was being said in their native tongue.

Just as a note before moving to our next observation, I want to mention that the text indicates that this is a miracle of utterance and not a miracle of translation or of hearing. The Holy Spirit gave divine utterance to the 120. No indication is made that there was some supernatural translation that took place. Nor were these men of other nations hearing a word here or there in the clamor of noise. Neither does the text say that these men were supernaturally endowed with an ability to hear a language that wasn't being spoken. Like on occasions before, we must stop and wonder why anyone would propose forcing such understandings on a fairly plain text?

Unlike the Day of Pentecost, on both the occasions of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48) and the Ephesians (Acts 19:1-7) there is no indication that any person present understood a single syllable of the tongues spoken. Yet, seemingly everyone present knew that tongues had taken place. It is pretty easy to notice when someone is speaking in a language that you can't understand. Such speech draws attention even when it is completely natural. How much more so when it is of divine unction? From the absence of apparent understanding in these passages, we can come to a few reasonable conclusions. First, the tongues were the same on these occasions as on the Day of Pentecost. If there had been some kind of difference, then it would surely have been noted. Peter's testimony of the occasion at the house of Cornelius is quite convincing that he accepted their tongues as the same as his own (Acts 11:15-17). Second, since nobody understood the tongues we are left with the possibility that on those occasions the tongues may not have been human languages. Who would ever know? But, the possibility exists for lack of evidence. Therefore the question arises: are tongues known human languages?

In order to answer that question we will need to leave Acts and look to the writings of Paul. He said, "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him" (1 Corinthians 14:2). This verse leaves the door open to the idea of a language that indeed "no man" knows. Although it would not require that interpretation but could simply mean that no person of the native language group would understand, it seems to at least present that possibility. In the larger context of 1 Corinthians 12-14, Paul also says, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels . . ." (1 Corinthians 13:1). The exact same Greek words are used here so it must be understood that Paul is not talking about simple linguistics. He is talking about divine utterance. Even though he does not explicitly say that a person can speak in an angelic language, the implication is quite clear that the possibility exists.

Another nugget of information that is gained from 1 Corinthians 14:2 is that this is an "unknown tongue." These are not learned languages. They are neither understood by the speaker nor by the congregation. The Living Bible actually translates the verse like this: "But if your gift is that of being able to 'speak in tongues,' that is, to speak in languages you haven't learned . . ."

To make a definition from these findings we could say that speaking in tongues is divine utterance which is neither learned nor understood by the speaker. Tongues can be in known human languages, but does not necessarily need to be so. Tongues generally cannot be understood by the congregation, but on some occasions like the Day of Pentecost, they might be understood if it happens to be in a known human language and a person from that language group is present to hear (there are indeed rare, but occasional reports of just this sort in our modern day).

### What Tongues Are Not

Since the Day of Pentecost until the present, those that speak in tongues have been ridiculed. Within a very short time of the outpouring at Pentecost the Scripture records that "Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). There is seemingly always someone willing to call Spirit-filled, tongue talking believers, "crazy," or in this case, drunk. Before proceeding into this discussion, I want to encourage you to both expect this and ignore it. Do not let negative, ignorant comments like this shut your mouth from speaking in tongues!

We can come to the conclusion from the Biblical text that speaking in tongues does not make one drunk, crazy, ignorant, emotionally unstable, or any other such accusation. Peter, James, and John (among the others) were full of the Spirit and had the best seminary degree of any preacher this side of Heaven. They were not ignorant buffoons. Tongues is not the speech of the doctrinally challenged, ignorant, emotionally handicapped believer any more today than it was then.

When reading the story from Acts, it would seem that these mockers looked at the same evidence that had convinced the whole rest of the crowd and simply refused it. I recently read in Robert Gundry's book, A Survey of the New Testament, another perspective that seems to make a lot of sense. If you will notice in the text, Judeans were listed among the pilgrims in Jerusalem at that time. Judeans did not speak a different language than that of Peter and the others. For Peter to speak to Judeans he would have no trouble other than an accent. No miracle would be involved. Gundry notes, "The non-Palestinian pilgrims, both Jews and gentile proselytes, were amazed to recognize the languages spoken in their homelands. But the Palestinians did not understand them and so made the charge of drunken babbling." If that was the case then these mockers would have only heard ruckus while the rest heard intelligible languages. Their accusations then would have been a reaction based on ignorance. The Bible is quite clear, however, that the speech of the 120 was not babble, ruckus, or ecstatic gibberish. One would be wise to avoid categorically claiming that tongues speech today is only emotional gibberish.

Another common understanding among those that speak in tongues is that tongues is a Heavenly language that the devil cannot understand. While the content of tongues will be dealt with in the next section, I want to briefly deal with this notion here. It is a mistake to conclude that in all cases the devil is ignorant to the content of tongues speech. First of all, the Bible does not say that. There is no indication anywhere in Scripture that the devil is limited in this capacity. In fact, there is very little information in Scripture as to what the devil knows and what he does not know. One thing is for sure, he knows a lot more than we often think he does.

Let's just look at this concept for a moment. Even though the Scriptures are silent on this, I think it is safe to assume that the devil can understand all human languages. He certainly has access to all humans. It would seem that he can communicate with and understand humans in any language group. With that as a given, the Day of Pentecost presents a situation where believers spoke in known languages. It would seem reasonable to believe that the devil could have understood those languages. Even if, as is suggested above, a person speaks in a language of angels, the devil is a fallen angel. He was participant with the other "sons of God" in the council in Job 1:6. There didn't seem to be any problem in communication there. The devil likely knows the angelic language as well as any other angel.

Even with these observations, I am willing to submit that if God does not want the devil to understand something, He could cause that to happen. He could make it so that the devil would not understand. Such may be the case in the "groanings" of Romans 8:26. The fact remains, however, that we do not know and the evidence quite heavily leans against this notion as it is commonly understood.

### The Content of Tongues Speech

The Bible gives some interesting insight into the content of the tongues speech itself. When it comes to supernatural manifestation we should all readily admit that there are probably things we don't know, but in spite of this, there are things that we can know. Paul writes, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (1 Corinthians 12:1). There are definite bits of knowledge that can be derived concerning the actual expected content of tongues.

The first occurrence of tongues on the Day of Pentecost includes Luke's mention of the statements made by the crowd. Some of them said, "We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11). From this it can be derived that the content of tongues can include declarations of God's works. This might have been as simple as a statement of praise or it could have been as complex as to rehearse history like one of the Psalms. We do not know how in depth the declarations were, but we know the basic idea.

Paul also speaks of the content of tongues in 1 Corinthians 14:2 by saying that the person that speaks in tongues "speaketh mysteries." How could we ever guess the extent of that application? It could include, however, the mysteries that are presented in Christ such as the mystery of the Gospel. This could also lead us to connect Romans 8:26, and the "groanings which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26-27 is likely a description of tongues speech, but the evidence is not conclusive. Even so, the "groanings" of the Spirit are beyond our grasp of knowledge quite possibly as are the "mysteries" of 1 Corinthians 14:2. We do know, based on this same verse, that regardless of the content the direction is heavenward: "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God." There may be some exceptions to this, however, as we will see in a moment.

To include Romans 8:26-27 in our discussion at this point is reasonable. Praying in the Spirit must be compared to praying in the Spirit even if tongues is not specifically mentioned in this passage. Here we see the added content of intercession. In this passage the Spirit assists when we don't know how to pray.

The exception concerning the direction of the speech mentioned above comes when we realize that the gift of tongues when interpreted is equated to the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:5). The content of prophetic utterance is well documented in Scripture and can contain almost any subject whether past, present, or future. It can include praise, rebuke, rehearsal of history, foretelling, and just plain preaching of righteousness. If this is taken into account then the gift of tongues could have any variety of content. In this particular case, we are blessed with the opportunity to know the content because it is interpreted for the benefit of the congregation.

It is simply amazing to know that when one speaks in tongues, the Spirit is the One praying. When we pray in our own native language, we can pray selfishly (James 4:3) and make all kinds of mistakes. Just as a funny example, we were asked once to pray for a young man's mother. We prayed earnestly for her blessing and salvation. After the meeting we learned that she had been dead for years. Imagine our surprise! I suppose that we should have asked a few questions before we commenced. The Spirit, however, does not make mistakes like that. He is perfectly able to communicate with God the Father even when we are confused on the matter we wish to pray about (Romans 8:26-27). When we pray in tongues, we may be praising, giving thanks, interceding for somebody, or even asking God for a specific blessing. We have no idea what we are praying about, but we are certain of one thing. We are praying perfectly in the will of God. How wonderful!

### Summary of the Content of Tongues Speech

Acts 2:11 – The wonderful works of God

1 Corinthians 14:2 – Mysteries

Romans 8:26-27 – Intercession

1 Corinthians 14:5 – Any subject of prophecy

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Chapter 7: Why Is Speaking in Tongues so Important?

On many occasions believers that speak in tongues have been accused of overemphasizing one gift above the others. Leaders who teach tongues as the evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit have also been targets for the accusation of placing too much stress on tongues in their teaching. Unfortunately, many that teach and promote speaking in tongues have lessened the intensity of their appeal as a result of such criticism. In churches that believe in speaking in tongues there has been a steady decline over the last several decades in the percentage of constituents that actually experience tongues in their own lives. Why is speaking in tongues so important after all? There are thousands of churches all over the world that do not even believe in speaking in tongues and they seem to function just fine without it. Why are the promoters of tongues so insistent?

A simple definition of charismata is supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. These manifestations occur in both the Old and New Testaments and are sometimes quite spectacular. Relevant to this part of our study is the list of charismatic gifts that is recorded in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. There are nine such gifts listed: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation. There are other gifts listed in the New Testament, but these are the ones that require supernatural phenomenon.

In his discourse on these charismatic gifts, the Apostle Paul indicates that these gifts are to be a continual and essential part of church ministry. There is never a hint in the New Testament that the gifts will cease before Jesus comes again (1 Corinthians 13:8-10), and that has not happened yet. So, we should expect to see the charismatic gifts in operation in our churches on a regular basis. It should be the norm and not the exception.

We stated already that there are thousands of churches that operate just fine even though they do not even believe in speaking in tongues. If you were to do a study, you would most likely find that in almost all of those churches there would be an absence of all nine of the charismatic gifts. Many churches even state directly that they do not believe in the operation of these gifts in the Church today. In fact, just while writing this book I read a statement of faith for a church that specifically stated that they believe the gifts died with the Apostles. Fortunately, they are wrong. The gifts are in operation today, and it is my desire that they not only continue to be in operation but that they grow in magnitude. In almost all cases, however, a denial of tongues is a complete block to the realm of charismata.

The opposite is also true. When tongues is embraced and accepted, all of the charismatic gifts can be in operation in the Church. Let's have a look at the Biblical basis for such a statement.

### The New Testament Assumption

The New Testament, starting with Acts 2, makes the assumption that all of the churches understood and experienced charismatic gifts. It also makes the assumption that the charismatic gifts are the normative pattern for the edification of the Church. As a result of this assumption, when Paul wrote to Corinth, Ephesus, or Philippi, he was writing to charismatically gifted churches. No explanation was necessary because it was normal and assumed.

The reason for this normality and assumption can be traced to the Book of Acts. The emphasis on charismata by the Apostles cannot be overemphasized or overlooked. The very first thing that Peter and John did after assessing the situation at Samaria was to pray that the Samaritans would receive the Spirit (Acts 8:14-15). Similarly, Paul's immediate emphasis on the reception of the Spirit is seen in the occurrence of the Ephesians in Acts 19:1-7. The three most notable Apostles agree in unison as to the immediate importance of charismata and were not content until that matter was settled. The most notable Apostle of all, Jesus, placed a heavy emphasis on the subject of charismata. He told the disciples that they should not go anywhere or do anything until they had received the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Thus through this emphasis, the churches were universally propelled into charismatic experience.

It is easily observable in the Bible that charismatic gifts begin with the reception of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The normal pattern was for new believers to be urged to receive the Baptism in the Spirit. Interestingly, there is no place in the New Testament where any of the charismatic gifts is seen in operation before the person executing the gift had received the Baptism in the Spirit. The gifts are clearly the natural outflow of the Baptism in the Spirit. Thus by implication, every person that executed one of the charismatic gifts had previously spoken in tongues.

The order of experience is seen in the ten day period between the ascension and the Day of Pentecost. The Book of Acts opens with an introduction and a few parting words that Jesus shared with the disciples and then He ascended back into Heaven. Luke records that Jesus was present for forty days with the disciples before leaving (Acts 1:3), and Pentecost is the 50th day after Passover. So, there were ten days after the ascension before the Day of Pentecost arrived. During those ten days, there was absolutely no manifestation of supernatural power. Nobody was healed, no miracles took place, there was no oracle of prophecy given, and nobody was even converted. It was a time of complete spiritual nothingness. The eleven most spiritual men on the planet were present. Mary and the brothers of Jesus were present. Thus out of the nine New Testament writers (eight if Hebrews was written by Paul), six of them were in the upper room. Spiritually speaking, this was the most amazing gathering of believers that the world has ever seen, but there was no power. They prayed, elected another brother to replace Judas, but other than that, absolutely nothing happened.

Then the Day of Pentecost came and the same people were from then on, constantly surrounded by great and powerful manifestations of the Spirit. People were healed, miracles did take place, oracles of prophecy were given, and people were converted everywhere they went. What happened? The answer is quite simple. They received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and what is more important, they understood it.

I will take a moment to address a common misunderstanding among Spirit-filled believers. Many times in our present day, people see the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as some kind of spiritual arrival point. People think that if they are filled with the Spirit then they have achieved some spiritual place of rest, and they, of course, with such a faulty understanding settle into their new found experience. This was not the understanding in the New Testament at all. It was not a place of spiritual achievement, but rather an experience for new believers. It was not an arrival point but rather a launching pad. It was not the end of the long haul, but the beginning of a powerful ministry. Jesus had taught that the power of the Holy Spirit would be given to empower witness (Acts 1:8), not so that the believer could then relax and wait for their number to be called.

With the teaching of Jesus fresh in their minds, the believers on the Day of Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately launched out into charismatic ministry. In contrast to the ten days of powerless existence that preceded Pentecost, the days that followed were full of energy and excitement. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit had served its purpose: entrance into the supernatural realm of charismata.

### A Doctrinal Problem

In his autobiography, Charles Finney describes a fellow minister's teaching in these terms: "I soon found that his teaching had placed the church in a position that rendered it impossible to promote a revival among them, till their views could be corrected." This is very similar to what many people do in our day as it relates to charismatic gifts.

Think about this. What kind of person wouldn't want to be healed of cancer? What kind of person would not want to have a supernatural word of wisdom to help them deal with a situation they are facing? What kind of person would not want to have a miracle performed on their behalf? It is hard to conceive of anyone so strong headed that they would not readily admit that these are desirable things. Yet many people, by their very doctrine, deny themselves these precious and awesome gifts. Let me explain.

When a church, or individual, makes the commitment to stand against tongues, they, at the same time, make a commitment against receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The reason for this is that they deny the evidence that comes as part of the experience. They may think they have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as part of their conversion, but that simply is not the way the Bible presents the material. Since the Baptism in the Spirit is the launching point for charismatic gifts, and they deny themselves the experience by their doctrine. They are doctrinally bound to be Christians with no charismatic power. The doctrinal position that denies tongues also denies the Baptism in the Spirit. The person or organization is alienated from all of the charismatic gifts.

There is also one word of warning for Spirit-filled believers concerning this matter. The doctrinal position that denies tongues causes a significant difficulty in Biblical interpretation particularly in the New Testament on the subject of the Holy Spirit. You may hear one of these persons and respect their ministry in every area, but realize that when they speak on the subject of the Holy Spirit, it is decidedly non-charismatic in nature. This seemingly simple issue has extremely far reaching effects as to the interpretation of materials not only in Acts but also in the Gospels and Epistles as well. So be very careful how you listen.

The truth of the Word always brings freedom. When the truth of the doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a separate experience from that of conversion, evidenced by tongues, is accepted and experienced, then there is a great freedom that comes. That freedom reveals itself in the gifts of the Spirit.

### Insistence Is Important

Spirit-filled believers, and in particular the leaders of churches and movements of Spirit-filled believers, have placed a high emphasis on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and, as a result, the tongues that come as evidence. Many times this emphasis has been criticized, and even though the urgency has decreased in the recent generation, it still exists and must be revived.

Why is such insistence important? Based on our findings in the Bible, there is somewhat of a chain reaction. When a person receives the Spirit, they speak in tongues. When a person speaks in tongues, they are ushered into charismatic power. When a person is ushered into charismatic power, they go forward into Spirit-empowered ministry (unless they have a poor understanding of the purpose of the Baptism in the Spirit and then sit back and relax). The Bible consistently testifies that the fuel for the revivals in the Early Church came from the constant demonstration of charismatic power.

The Book of Mark ends with these words: "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." This ending is preceded by a list of the "signs" that would be seen. Jesus said, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-18). This list includes several of the gifts mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 (discerning of spirits, tongues, working of miracles, and healing). When the Apostles and other disciples "went forth" it was the Lord that worked with them in this way.

The Early Church was so full of charismatic manifestation that Luke did not feel it was even possible to mention all of the examples. On several occasions he summarized a great deal of charismatic activity apparently in an effort to make his treatise more concise. For example, Acts 6:8 says, "And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." No description is given concerning what those wonders or miracles were. On most occasions it was the charismata that brought power to the preaching. When Philip went to Samaria they didn't say, "Wow, this man speaks well!" No, that wasn't the point. Yes, they heard the preaching, and it, no doubt, was powerful, but the charismatic manifestation that accompanied the preaching was what brought the great and powerful revival that took place. Acts 8:6-7 relates the story: "And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed."

Again and again the same thing is seen; preaching accompanied by mighty miracles was followed by conversions. Only on rare occasions was there any exception. In fact, in most cases where powerful preaching was not accompanied by manifestations of power, the effect was less than remarkable. When Paul preached to Agrippa, there were no miracles and nobody was saved. When Paul preached in Athens, there were no miracles and there was no mass revival there either, and it would appear from the Biblical record that no church was started. Paul knew well that when preaching is accompanied by the power of the Spirit in charismatic manifestations that the result is noting less than astounding. He writes, "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). If anyone could have brought wise words it would have been Paul, but he knew that his words alone would not be enough even if they were taken from God's Word. He needed the power of demonstration to confirm the Word.

Man or woman of God, it is my hope to instill in you confidence. Be bold! Don't let anyone tell you not to speak in tongues. Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit with demonstrations of His power. Lead people to experience the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as the evidence. Refuse to let those that have received the Baptism in the Spirit to be comfortable and lay back and relax. If we are ever going to see the results that were normal in the Book of Acts, we must seek the results in the way they sought them. This isn't something we can plan or organize. It isn't a light show or a video presentation that stirs the emotions. This is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit that stirs fire in the heart and releases the other tongues that sing praises to God! It is the entrance into the supernatural power of God and the demonstrations of His Power to save the lost and deliver the captive.

People will mock. People will criticize. They will call you crazy or even extremists. Press on anyway. Don't slow down. Don't give up. Keep believing, praying, and insisting on tongues. God will see! He will hear!

### AND THEN HIS GLORY WILL FALL!

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Chapter 8: External Experience

In the second chapter we discussed the roots of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit from a doctrinal perspective beginning with the Old Testament and came to the conclusion that the experience was rooted in the prophetic expressions of those early proponents of Spiritual outpouring. In the next two chapters we will deal with the ramifications of the narrative texts concerning the activity of the Spirit in the lives of people before the Book of Acts, for there is much to learn concerning the current and future activity of the Spirit from those passages. In this particular portion of our study we will concentrate our efforts on the Old Testament external experience.

### "The Spirit of the LORD"

In reading the Old Testament, we come across an experience that captures our attention. Judges 3:9-10 is the first recorded mention of that experience: "And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war." This experience happened to a small number of individuals in the Old Testament. The phrase "the spirit of the LORD," occurs 26 times in the Old Testament. Of those times, only a dozen refer to the this experience and only nine people are mentioned as having had the experienced. Another similar expression that occurs 14 times in the Old Testament is "the spirit of God." Of those mentions, eleven are personal experiences. In addition to these, Moses by implication of the story in Numbers 11:17 experienced the Spirit. Joshua also experienced the Spirit at the laying on of Moses' hands even though the particular expressions mentioned above are not given (Numbers 27:18, Deuteronomy 34:9).

All of the men listed below experienced the Spirit of the Lord coming upon them. Observation of this experience will help us understand more fully the extent of the Spirit's power.

### Summary of Old Testament Experiences

### "the spirit of the LORD"

Judges 3:10 – Othniel

Judges 6:34 – Gideon

Judges 11:29 – Jephthah

Judges 13:25, 14:6, 14:19, and 15:14 – Samson

1 Samuel 10:6 – Saul

1 Samuel 16:13 – David

2 Chronicles 20:14 – Jahaziel

Ezekiel 11:5 – Ezekiel

Micah 3:8 – Micah

### "the spirit of God"

Numbers 24:2 – Balaam

1 Samuel 10:10, 11:6, and 19:23 – Saul

1 Samuel 19:20 – The messengers of Saul

2 Chronicles 15:1 – Azariah

2 Chronicles 24:20 – Zechariah

Ezekiel 11:24 – Ezekiel

### Powerful, Selective, and Temporary

One of the most easily recognized repeated characteristics of the Old Testament external experience of the Spirit is the power that came about as a result. In every case, the person on whom the Spirit came was empowered in one way or another. In the cases of Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and Saul, the power was military might. In the cases of Jahaziel, Ezekiel, Micah, Balaam, Saul and his messengers, Azariah, and Zechariah the power of the Spirit was primarily for prophetic utterance. In all of these cases, the Spirit was given to empower men to do things that they would not have been able to do ordinarily.

Another observable characteristic is that the experience was given to selected individuals (with the possible exception of the messengers of Saul). This was not a generalized experience that anyone could expect, but rather an experience that God sovereignly chose to bestow on an individual. Gideon must have had brothers because he was the least in his father's house (Judges 6:15), and yet none of the brothers had the Spirit of the LORD come upon them. How many men were there in Israel when Samson and Jephthah were alive? These two were endued by the Spirit while there is no mention that any others had the Spirit upon them. Some were occasionally and sparsely selected, others were not. God is sovereign and He chose whom He would.

In addition to empowerment and the selective nature of the experience, the bestowal of the Spirit was neither permanent nor irrevocable. In the case of Samson, the Spirit came upon him on several occasions. This would clearly reveal that the Spirit was not upon him perpetually, but only briefly and for certain situations. Even one step farther than this is the observable fact that the Spirit could be grieved away entirely. Judges 16 tells the sad story of Samson's experience at the hands of Delilah. When he was awakened after having had his hair cut, he no longer had the power to overcome the Philistines. The Scripture says, "And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him" (Judges 16:20). Another example of this is found in the life of Saul. "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (1 Samuel 16:14).

In all of the cases observed to this point, the experience of the Spirit of God entailed the empowerment for either war or prophecy. The experience was for select individuals, and each occurrence was either temporary or as in the cases of Samson and Saul losable.

### External

For this portion of our study, one final observation must be made. In all of the experiences observed thus far, the experience was external. The phrases, "the spirit of the LORD came upon," and "the spirit of God came upon," are used repeatedly. In both situations, the person was not indwelt by the Spirit of God. The Spirit did not come "into" but rather came "upon" these individuals.

The terms that are used to describe the action of the Spirit could be translated as clothed. When the Spirit of the Lord "came upon" Gideon, for instance, the same phrase could be translated as the Spirit of the Lord "clothed" Gideon. Clothing is always external. When you put on a coat, it is outside your body. You do not take a coat into your body, but rather keep it outside and cover yourself with it. This is exactly the picture that the text gives in relation to the Spirit coming upon individuals. The Spirit simply covered them as would a garment.

You might wonder why this is so important. Well, if the Spirit of God came into all of these men, then we have a difficult problem to reconcile. Remember that Samson, Saul and even Balaam are in the list. Would the Holy Spirit of God indwell a person that is of questionable or even wicked character? The last recorded instance of the Spirit being bestowed upon Samson is in Judges 15:15. After that, he defiled himself with a harlot (16:1) and was involved with Delilah before it is recorded that his strength was gone and the Lord had departed (16:19-20). In fact, he was with Delilah for at least long enough for her to persuade his secret from him, all the while supernaturally empowered with strength. Saul is another similar case. Well after Saul had backslidden and the pronouncement of the departure of the Spirit (1 Samuel 16:14), he was empowered by the Spirit to prophecy (19:23). At least in the cases of Samson and Saul, both were Israelites and chosen by God. A case could even be made that each of them had at one time been somewhat godly. Balaam, however, does not share those characteristics. In addition, he was directly responsible for advising Balak to lead the Israelites into idolatry and immorality. If in fact, Balaam, Samson and Saul had the same experience as Othniel and Jephthah, then it stands to reason that the Spirit was not inside, but rather external.

Since the experience was external, it was possible for the Spirit to empower an individual to do things when the individual was not living a holy life. The empowerment of the Spirit did not bring about holy living in any capacity and seemingly did not make any impact on the person other than the task at hand.

### Charismatic Gifts and Spiritual Living

Many people in our day have mistakenly looked at Spiritual giftedness as an indicator for Spiritual maturity. Please understand that there is no place in the Bible that makes that connection. Spiritual gifts are NOT a good indicator of Christian maturity. If we look at the stories that we have listed above with this kind of mentality, we will learn just how erroneous this notion can be.

Let's take Samson for example. Samson was empowered by the Spirit to kill a lion. This happened while he was on his way to break the Law of God by marrying a Philistine woman. I wonder of there was some ignorant soul back then that heard this story and thought, "Wow, Samson must truly be a godly man!" Yet the story indicates that Samson had almost no concern for God at all. He disrespected his parents, God's laws concerning sexual behavior, other matters of ceremonial cleanliness, and even his own Nazarite vow. Samson was about as far as a person can get from being a godly example and yet, he was truly and legitimately empowered by the Spirit to do awesome wonders.

Balaam is another example. If you read Numbers 22-24, it is absolutely amazing how this man prophesied. His prophecies were accurate and straight from God. Yet, he was greedy, presumptions, arrogant and even is listed in Revelation for his scandalous methods (Revelation 2:14).

God has always reserved the right to talk through anything or anyone. Let's just make a short list. He spoke from a burning bush, a donkey, and wrote on a wall (with only blasphemous pagans present). He spoke through Samuel, who was conjured up by a witch. This certainly did not indicate that God was fine with witchcraft. He even spoke through Caiaphas (John 11:49-52), who was at the same time trying to find a way to kill Jesus. He has even used the services of a "lying spirit" (1 Kings 22:22).

Let us beware to assume that a person that demonstrates giftedness is some kind of Spiritual authority. Their prophecies may be true. They may even be directed by God to do or say whatever is said or done. That does not mean that we should equate that giftedness with maturity or godliness. Remember that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift that should be experienced by new believers. Thus even new believers can be and should be empowered charismatically even though maturity isn't present.

Now, let's consider a practical example. Let's say that there is a person of very low character that gets saved. On the same day he gets saved, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and begins to speak in tongues. Later in that service, he lays hands on a sick person who is instantly healed. What should we do? Should we make that person a pastor and all join his church? NO! Absolutely not! 1 Timothy 3:6 teaches us otherwise. How about we praise God for what He has done and continue to instruct the new believer as a new believer should be instructed. God never intended us to view the gifts as a mark of maturity. Fruit, not gifts, is the mark of true Christian maturity.

### Empowerment, Selection, and Permanence in the Baptism in the Spirit

There are some distinct similarities and differences between the external experience in the Old Testament of the Spirit of the Lord coming upon an individual and the experience that is spoken of in the books of the New Testament, particularly in the Book of Acts. The similarities give us insight into the current workings of the Spirit whereas the differences give us understanding of the new covenant and the work of the Spirit in the age of the Church.

One easily recognizable similarity is empowerment. Just as the various people of the Old Testament were empowered in various ways, when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the New Testament, believers were empowered. The empowerment may have taken a different shape and had an entirely different purpose, but the presence of supernatural workings is similar. Most of the empowering in the Old Testament was either for war, or prophesying. In the Church, however, there is almost no empowerment for war with the exception of spiritual war which sometimes includes people (Acts 13:9-11). In the empowering of the Church most of the empowering is related to offices or gifts. As a result, the empowerment in the Church includes things that are completely absent or at the least only hinted at in the Old Testament like tongues, healings, and discernment. In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus sums up the experience of empowerment for the Church and includes some of the new manifestations of the Spirit that had not been seen in the Old Testament. Among those new manifestations, He lists casting out devils, speaking in tongues, various miracles and healings.

Even though there is similarity in the empowerment of people, there is no similarity in the selection of those empowered. Joel prophesied that there would come a day when the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. The selection and individual bestowal of the Spirit was replaced on the Day of Pentecost with a general outpouring that included "all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). No longer was it necessary for there to be recipients and spectators. Since the outpouring on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4, every believer can and should be a participant in the power of the Spirit. Unlike the Old Testament examples, the Spirit is poured out on those that are not leaders and are not warriors. It is as if God has effectively erased the line that was established in the Old Testament between those that could have the Spirit and those that could not.

The temporary nature of the bestowal of the Spirit in the Old Testament can be significantly contrasted to the experience of the Church. The outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was only the beginning. It was not a singular event and neither was it to be temporary. Jesus described the ongoing nature of the Spirit in these words found in John 7:37-39,

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

A river has a continual flow. It is not like a shower of rain that has an end, but rather is an ongoing flow. The new experience in the Book of Acts was not a temporary experience at all. There were those that were credited as being continually "full" of the Spirit. Stephen was one that was "full of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 7:55). Barnabas is also credited with the same quality (Acts 11:24).

The continual infilling never has need to expire or to wane. In fact, its permanent nature shows that such would be against the original intent, however, similar to the Old Testament, the Spirit can still be grieved. In fact, the Spirit can be grieved entirely away. As was seen in both the cases of Samson and Saul, the Spirit departed (Judges 16:20, 1 Samuel 16:14). This is a consistent teaching throughout the Bible.

Genesis 6:3 sets the precedence. The Lord said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man." Nothing has changed. The backdrop for this statement was the wickedness that brought about the flood of Noah. How is the New Testament different on this subject?

Ephesians 4:30 says, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." In addition, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, "Quench not the Spirit." It is possible for a person that is born again and full of the Spirit to grieve and quench the Spirit to the point that the Spirit departs forever. The only unpardonable sin specifically mentioned in the Bible is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit; however, Hebrews 6:4-6 makes it quite clear that,

it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

The Holy Spirit is not imprisoned in a backslidden heart. He is not required to abide in an unholy vessel. A believer cannot walk into sin assuming that the Spirit will continue to dwell within. This is a very dangerous way to think.

### External Experience in the Baptism in the Spirit

It is interesting to note that the visual illustrations given of outpouring and baptism are both external. Simply from this, we could conclude that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an external experience, and it indeed is.

Acts 10:44 describes the experience that Cornelius had with the Spirit in these terms: "The Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word." This language is repeated in Acts 11:15 by Peter when he relates that "the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." The phrase "fell on" would indicate an external experience. For instance, if someone said, "The rain fell on me," we would immediately know that they were wet on the exterior. We would not assume that the person had drunk the rain and taken it internally. By the statement of Peter, this was the case in both the Cornelius outpouring and the outpouring on the Day of Pentecost. In addition, the phrase "came on" is used in Acts 19:6 to describe the experience of the Ephesian disciples. "Came on" is quite easily connected to the Old Testament terminology, "the spirit of the LORD came upon . . ."

The implication of this is directly related to the empowerment mentioned above (as we will see in the next few chapters). In the Old Testament, it was when the Spirit came on a person externally that the mighty works were seen. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit initiated on the Day of Pentecost was a renewal of that same external experience as was presented in the Old Testament. In the Book of Acts, people were externally empowered by the Spirit, but the manifestation was quite different than in the Old Testament. The experience was not limited as had been the Old Testament version, and the new experience was designed to be permanent. The external nature, however, still remained, and that external characteristic is the basis for the supernatural manifestation in the powerful working of charismatic gifts.

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Chapter 9: Internal Experience

In addition to the external experience that was discussed in the last chapter, there was also an internal experience mentioned in both the Old Testament and in the Gospel of Luke that needs to be considered. Again, like the external experience, the description and observations that can be made from the internal experience are valuable in understanding the full opportunity that is available to us today. So, let's get started.

### Occurrences of the Spirit Within

There are five people in the Old Testament that are credited either clearly or at least by implication of having experienced the Spirit internally. In order of appearance in the Bible they are Joseph, Bezaleel, Joshua, Ezekiel and Daniel. Joshua will be dealt with in the next chapter because there are some very interesting elements to discuss in his experience.

The first place in the Scriptures that someone is credited with experiencing the Spirit internally is in Genesis 41:38. In this verse, Pharaoh asks a question related to Joseph: "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" On five occasions in the Book of Daniel, Daniel is credited similarly. Nebuchadnezzar was the first to say that Daniel was a man, "in whom is the spirit of the holy gods" (Daniel 4:8). We will deal with both Joseph and Daniel together because of their similarity. In both cases, we have a pagan king making the assertion. When you study the Bible it is always a good idea to ask, "Who is speaking here?" The Bible makes quotations of some very erroneous statements. If you were to lift one of those quotations apart from its source, you could do significant violence to the overall teachings of Scripture.

To illustrate this point we will briefly consider Job. The Book of Job has chapter after chapter of quoted material from Job's friends. They go on and on with their speeches. Then in Job 42:7, the Lord rebukes them and says, "My wrath is kindled against thee, . . . for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." Yet their wrong words are recorded in Scripture.

Going back to Joseph and Daniel, we must understand that Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar were not in a position to make a statement concerning the activity of the Spirit of God. They were both heathen men. How could they possibly know? It seems that at least Pharaoh made a proper identification of God, but Nebuchadnezzar seemingly did not even know which god credit for Daniel's abilities.

Even if the source can be discredited (and it surely can in these cases), it is not necessary to throw out their observations. It would be hasty indeed to say that Joseph and Daniel did not have the Spirit within. The very testimony of the lives of these men would stand in opposition to such a statement. Joseph was one of the most remarkable men recorded in the Scriptures and Daniel is recognized by Ezekiel in a list that only included him, Job, and Noah as stalwarts of righteousness. So, even if Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar were clueless, their statements could be validated (even if Nebuchadnezzar's statement would need to be corrected and clarified).

Assuming the validity of both Joseph and Daniel internally experiencing the Spirit of God, we immediately recognize something that is very different about this experience when compared to the experience of Samson that was discussed in the last chapter. These men were righteous men of extremely high moral character. Several of those listed in the last chapter were immoral and/or entirely wicked. You will notice that when the Spirit was inside, there was a clear and definite absolute requirement for consecration. No other possibility exists, for the Spirit of God will not be subjected to an improper dwelling place. Unlike the external experience, the internal experience requires holiness.

The next individual mentioned is Bezaleel. Exodus 31:3 says, "And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship." Unlike the cases of Joseph and Daniel, the source of this quotation is God Himself. There can be no question as to the absolute fact that Bezaleel was filled with the Spirit of God. There are a few things that we can observe from both the texts and implications of the story.

Bezaleel was given the infilling of the Spirit, but it is quite clear that the infilling was specific and not a general infilling. He was filled with the Spirit in a few distinct areas that were specific to workmanship. His job was to build the tabernacle, all its furnishings including the Ark of the Covenant, and to make the garments for the priests. When comparing this verse that includes wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to the verse in Isaiah 11:2 it becomes apparent that the infilling that Bezaleel received was lacking as it relates to other characteristics. "And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2). In the case of Bezaleel, there are at least three possible additional qualities given in the Isaiah verse that Bezaleel did not apparently receive.

Unlike Joseph and Daniel, we are not given detailed information concerning the quality of Bezaleel's character, however, his job description can serve to provide significant implication that this man was above reproach. First, he was hand selected by God for the task of crafting the most holy things. It is unreasonable to even consider that God would choose a reprobate for such a task. Secondly, even though the Ark of the Covenant was not yet anointed for its purpose, the handling of its construction must have required some element of consecration. God took quite seriously all breaches of conduct when the Ark was concerned. Thirdly, God would not likely have ordained a man of defiled hands to assemble the garments for the High Priest. Circumstantial evidence points to the conclusion that Bezaleel, like Joseph and Daniel was a godly man.

Ezekiel likewise had an internal experience with the Spirit. "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me" (Ezekiel 2:2). Like Bezaleel, we should not question the source. In the case of Ezekiel we can also identify the quality of personal character regarding the person filled.

From the examples of Joseph, Daniel, Ezekiel and Bezaleel we can see a clear contrast between the internal and external experiences of the Holy Spirit. In all four of these Old Testament examples, the person filled with the Spirit was of a high moral character. In the examples of external Spiritual endowment the person may or may not have been morally sound with the obvious examples being Samson, Saul, and Balaam.

In the New Testament, prior to the Day of Pentecost, there were several more persons credited with being filled with the Spirit. All of those mentions occur in the Book of Luke. These are John the Baptist, Elisabeth, and Zacharias.

Luke 1:41 records, "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." Luke 1:67 says, "And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied." John the Baptist was "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). The transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament has a striking similarity in that every person that was filled with the Spirit can be counted as having high moral character.

### Other Notable Observations

Similar to the observation on the external experience, it seems evident that the internal experience was selective. It seems as if, in fact, that the selection was even sparser. There are less cases mentioned and certainly a great deal less emphasis placed on the experience. This was not something that the general population could expect. The only persons that received this experience were either of select vocational importance or prophetic.

With the exception of John the Baptist and Joshua (see the next chapter) this seems to have been a temporary experience. There is no place before Acts 2 where a person other than these two mentioned (Jesus excepted) was specifically credited with having had a perpetual infilling.

Another very important observation has to do with mighty works. The individuals that experienced the Spirit internally did not perform any mighty miracles with the one exception of prophetic utterance. Joseph was able to interpret dreams prophetically, but did not do any supernatural wonders. Bezaleel was given wisdom, but there was no miracle of might involved. Daniel similar to Joseph interpreted dreams. The only miracles in the Book of Daniel are credited to either God or angels. Daniel is not given credit as having been Spiritually empowered to stop the mouths of lions. It was an angel that did so. Similarly Ezekiel, Elisabeth, Zacharias, and John the Baptist were prophetic in speech, but there were no mighty works of power.

### Internal Experience in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Unlike the visual images given beforehand to describe the external experience (i.e. outpouring and baptism) there are no such visual descriptions concerning the internal experience, however, there is still ample evidence to conclude that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an internal experience.

The description of the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4 says that those present were "all filled with the Holy Ghost." The language used by Luke to describe the Day of Pentecost is the same as the infillings of John the Baptist, Zacharias, and Elisabeth. It is also the same word that is used to describe the experience of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:17).

Even so, there are a few very significant deviations between the pattern presented before Pentecost and the pattern after. First, it must be noted that starting on the Day of Pentecost, the experience was not selective. It was open to all believers. Second, after the Day of Pentecost, the experience was continual rather than momentary. While the initial infilling happened only one time for each individual, there were repeated infillings such as in Acts 4:31, and the state of being continually full such as has already been mentioned concerning both Stephen and Barnabas.

### Both Internal and External

The conclusion that can be gathered from the last chapter and this one is that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is both an internal and an external experience. We have seen that the Bible defines the experience in external terms like baptism and outpouring as well as internal terms like infilling and full and even in the case of Ezekiel the Spirit "entered into" him.

Ezekiel is the only person other than Jesus before the Day of Pentecost that had the opportunity to experience the Spirit both internally (Ezekiel 2:2) and externally (Ezekiel 11:5). The texts of Ezekiel seemingly indicate that even though he had both experiences, he had them at separate times and not together.

Believers starting on the Day of Pentecost were able to experience both the internal and external presence and power of the Spirit through the Baptism in the Spirit. Not only was it an overwhelming experience both internally and externally, it was also perpetual and ongoing. It was also available to everyone regardless of social class, age, gender, race, etc. Clearly there was a significant increase in the activity of the Spirit after the Day of Pentecost. What did that increase mean and what should be expected?

To begin, it means the best of both the internal and external experiences was available. The continued theme of the internal experience seems to have been consecration. The individuals that experienced the internal presence of the Spirit were all people of high character (even before the experience). This may mean that the backdrop for such an experience is holiness. The internal experience and holiness go together and cannot be separated. The Bible gives no record of an unholy person being filled with the Spirit. The external experience was marked by mighty supernatural works. While the person performing the work my not have always had perfect character the work itself was often astounding.

From these observations we can conclude that since the Baptism in the Spirit is both an internal and an external experience, we can expect to see holiness in the life of the person as well as mighty works being performed. This is exactly what is seen in the descriptive passages of the Book of Acts. Repeatedly we see that the people were living lives of consecration and performing mighty supernatural works.

### What About Today?

In our modern day, there have been considerable misunderstandings and, as a result, abuses concerning this doctrine. A clear understanding of the matter at hand should help to alleviate much of that kind of problem and/or at least bring a clear line for leaders to use as a mark for administering such things.

When teaching the Baptism in the Holy Spirit it is very important to teach on holiness and consecration. As we have stated earlier, this is Biblically an experience for new believers; therefore, we must automatically assume that they do not know what is happening to them and in them. Teaching on charismata without teaching on consecration is a great mistake. When this happens, abuses and frivolity are sure to come.

The Book of Acts makes it very clear that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit led to a consecrated lifestyle. Acts 2:42 relates, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." This was describing the Day of Pentecost. They received the Spirit and then set themselves to study in submission to the Apostles teaching. They did not break away from teaching and instruction in the Word, but rather submitted to it.

For this reason, it is imperative that in addition to attending church meetings and partaking of the ordinances that Spirit-filled believers spend time in the Word of God and in prayer in their daily personal lives. When individuals do not become grounded in the Word of God and prayer, they become like the men in the Old Testament that had only the external experience. They may still speak in tongues and prophesy. Their prophesies may be true and accurate, but their lives do not reflect the holiness of the Holy Spirit. If the problem is not remedied, they can grieve away the Spirit entirely and eventually lose out on faith entirely as well.

Another opposite extreme is also possible. They may become so "grounded" in the Word and in the life of consecration as to rule out the external manifestations. I used the word grounded in quotation marks because it is absolutely impossible to become too grounded in the Word. That isn't what I am talking about at all. I am talking about individuals that hold to the letter so strongly as to stifle charismatic gifts. These are modern Pharisees. These individuals are always ready to throw water on what might be wild fire. They claim some kind of spiritual authority because of supposed deep knowledge of the Bible (more likely it is personal bias accompanied with fear). In reality, it is pride. Knowledge puffeth up.

In reading this book you should be able to see that I am thoroughly dedicated to the Bible. I believe it is the inspired Word of God as the absolute rule for faith and practice. I also know that "the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). We must understand that the Spirit still speaks. He does not contradict the Bible. He does not give new commands or present new doctrines, but He does indeed speak. If a person excludes the external dimension of the Spirit in favor of the internal, then the result is the killing by the letter that the Apostle Paul mentioned.

So that we have understanding, let me give you an example. Let's say that a brand new baby believer gets filled with the Spirit in a service and then stands up and speaks a word of prophecy. The judgmental Pharisee will throw water on that prophecy right away because there has been no time of consecration. There isn't any knowledge or depth of the Word in the speaker. He or she might actually make a public statement of warning concerning such uneducated utterances, and finish if off with an admonishment to study the Word.

Well, listen to me brother or sister. If you do this kind of thing, you are quenching the Spirit! Your warning to study the Word comes at the wrong time and place. The Spirit will lead people to do so. He doesn't need you to shut Him up so you can say it.

The answer to both of these opposite possibilities is the understanding that the Apostles had. They understood the importance of Scripture. Peter's first sermon was 23 verses long. Of those 23 verses, 11 are direct Scripture quotations. Almost half the content of his sermon was Scripture. Yet at the same time, absolute freedom of expression concerning gifts was clearly present.

The most obvious example of such freedom was in the home of Philip. When Paul and all his traveling companions visited Philip in Caesarea, it was Philip's four young daughters that prophesied (Acts 21:9). Even with notable men like Paul, Philip, and Luke present there was freedom for these girls to speak prophetically. Nobody criticized them.

Spirit-filled believers must guard against both of the extremes of external manifestation without internal consecration and internal consecration to the exclusion of external manifestation. We must study the Bible and listen to the Spirit as well. Jesus said that true worshipers must worship "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). If we have either experience and neglect the other, we have problems. If we have truth without the Spirit, we have a dead version of Christianity. If we have Spirit in neglect of truth, we have flaky unstable chaos. We must have both all of the time in order for us to be what God wants us to be.

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Chapter 10: The Prayer of Faith

In the last chapter, we mentioned that we would be dealing with the implications of Joshua's experience here. Joshua's experience, at first glance, seems to upset the observations that have been made up to this point, but there is a very interesting conclusion that can be drawn from what seems to be a variance to the pattern.

### Joshua, the Spirit of God, and the Prayer of Faith

In two places the Bible says that Joshua was given the Spirit internally. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him" (Numbers 27:18, see also Deuteronomy 34:9). Based on our study, we should expect two things resulting from an internal experience of the Spirit. We should expect that Joshua would be a man of impeccable character. Without doubt, Joshua fits that criterion. The other expectation is that there will be no supernatural works; yet, Joshua was continually surrounded by wonder upon wonder. Is he an exception to the rule, or was something else happening that we should learn?

In making observations, it comes to our awareness that in all the miraculous activity in the Book of Joshua there is not one mention of the Spirit of God. This is often the case in the Old Testament. There are many examples that could be cited to document miraculous power without mention of the Spirit. One that is abundantly important for our study is in the case of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. In the entire narrative of Elijah and Mt. Carmel there is only one mention of the Spirit of the Lord and that comes from Obadiah in fear that "the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not" (1 Kings 18:12). Other than that, the Spirit is not mentioned at all.

The relevance of this to our topic is found in the Book of James. James ends his book with the subject of the prayer of faith, and Elijah (Elias in the KJV) is the example that he uses. James could have chosen any number of people to mention in teaching on prayer. He could have used Peter, Paul, John, or any of the other Apostles. Yet, likely his intended recipients were Jewish, so he naturally chose from the Old Testament which they would have readily recognized. In doing so, he made a connection of extreme importance as it relates to the working of God in response to faith across dispensational lines.

James 5:16-18 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." The source of power in Elijah's prayer was faith. When he prayed in faith, God answered. E. M. Bounds in his book Purpose in Prayer clearly identifies the source of Elijah's power:

Elijah, without his praying, would have neither record nor place in the divine legacy – his life would have been insipid and cowardly; its energy, defiance, and fire would have disappeared. Without Elijah's praying, the Jordan would never have yielded to the stroke of his mantle (see 2 Kings 2:6-8), nor would the stern angel of death have honored him with the chariot and horses of fire. (see verses 9-11).

The points of this passage in James are quite simple. They could be paraphrased in this way. "Even though Elijah was an ordinary man like any of the rest of us, he lived a life of righteousness. Because of the righteous life he lived, he could pray the prayer of faith. When he prayed the prayer of faith, God heard the prayer and responded. He will hear us also if we pray the prayer of faith." This is consistent with the teachings of Jesus. He often taught on prayer and faith together. In Matthew 21:22 He says, "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." So, here we see that there is indeed another entrance into the powerful realm of the supernatural works of God. This time it is through faith rather than through charismata.

The fact that James, a New Testament post Pentecost writer, uses an Old Testament figure in his illustration of the prayer of faith leads to a very interesting conclusion. The prayer of faith is cross-dispensational. In other words, it is not limited to time. The prayer of faith was operational in the Old Testament just as well as it was in the New and even today. How many examples of mighty wonders in the Old Testament could be understood in light of the prayer of faith rather than in light of charismata? Just to list a few we could cite the ax head floating, the parting of the Red Sea, the parting of the Jordan, the healing of Naaman, the fiery furnace, and on and on. The Spirit is not mentioned in direct connection with any of these and yet the power of such events is astounding.

In looking back to story of Joshua, we can clearly see that he was a man of righteous character which made him an eligible candidate to pray the prayer of faith. He had developed a life of prayer from early on. "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle" (Exodus 33:11). It was this life of prayer and consecration that made it possible for him to pray as he did. One prayer of this nature is recorded in Joshua 10:12-13, "Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies." Now that is an example of the prayer of faith!

### The Prayer of Faith and the Charismatic Gifts

When we look at the miracles that are recorded after the Day of Pentecost, it would be impossible to attribute one to the prayer of faith and another to charismata. The simple reason for this is that all of the figures that were performing miracles were both people of prayer and charismatically empowered at the same time. In this case, we need to recognize the necessity of prayer in the life of a charismatically empowered person.

Peter was a very prayerful person. It seems that everywhere he is mentioned, prayer was close at hand. Acts 3 begins, "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer." They were on their way to prayer meeting in the context of healing the man born lame. Later, the Apostles were presented with a problem over widows. Peter was among the other Apostles that decided their course of action. They said, "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Again, Peter was in Joppa. The Bible says, "Peter went up upon the housetop to pray" (Acts 10:9). It was in the context of that prayer that he received the vision that prepared him to visit the house of Cornelius. Any person expecting to be used of God in any capacity would do well to remember these examples.

In the last chapter we talked about the importance of both the Word and the Spirit. Here we see that there is also an extreme importance on prayer in addition and in support of both the Word and the Spirit. James is said to have worn calluses on his knees from much praying. John, according to tradition, wore marks in the rock on the isle of Patmos where he prayed so fervently. We must spend more time in prayer if we expect to see God do what we are praying he will do. The gifts of the Spirit are not a substitute for prayer. We need both!

What happens when a person that has received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit neglects to pray? The answer is quite simple. The power diminishes and the charismata will eventually become an empty shell or like a cloud with no rain. The other side of that question is quite motivating, however. What happens when a person that is full of the Spirit spends time praying? I think the Book of Acts answers that question quite well.

### How Important Is Prayer?

If the Word of God is like our daily bread, then prayer is like our breath of life. The Bible teaches us about God, but it is through prayer that we can know Him on a personal level. It is a mistaken notion to assume that charismatic gifts demonstrate intimacy with the Savior. This is not the case at all. Charismatic gifts should facilitate intimacy with the Savior, but they do not serve to indicate that such has been accomplished.

Prayer is probably the most demanding of Christian disciplines. It requires great patience and determination. In learning to pray you will be faced with a bombardment of enemy tactics. Many of them are quite subtle, but in order for you to be victorious you will need to recognize them and overcome. If there is one thing that the devil does not want Christians to do, it is to pray! If he can distract our prayer, then he has won a victory against us.

### Entrances Into Power

As we have already seen, there are two entrances into the supernatural power of God. One is through charismata, and the other through the prayer of faith. These, however, are blended in the New Testament to the point that they cannot be distinguished as separate realities. Whether we view these as two things or as one, the bottom line is the same: without prayer the entrance becomes blocked.

Why are there so many people that walk around calling themselves Christians that seemingly have no power from God at all in their lives? There are two simple answers to that question: sin and prayerlessness. Sin should be obvious. We cannot live in sin and victory at the same time. Anyone that teaches otherwise is wrong! Prayerlessness will also cause a person to live an anemic Christian life. Let's forget about power to perform miracles for a moment and simply say that a person that doesn't pray enough is like a soldier that shoots himself in the foot. He won't even make it to the battle. He is a liability rather than an asset to the army. Resources are needed just to take care of him when he should be on the front lines.

In 2 Timothy 3:5 the Apostle Paul warns about people "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." This is exactly what many churches in America have become. Some deny the power of God in their doctrines. Others deny his power by allowing sin to abide. Yet, there is another category that is just as threatening. It is those churches that claim power, teach power, promote power, and yet don't have power because they do not pray enough.

I have yet to see a church in the city where I live that has a well attended prayer meeting! If have heard it said and proven that "people will come if you feed them." People will come if you entertain them too. They don't like to come to pray. It isn't a wonder that the church has become so weak.

Oh, you might find a church that is supposedly thriving. There may be hundreds or even thousands of people that attend. You might have to wait in line to get parking. Don't be tempted to be satisfied with numbers. Remember, Jesus sent his largest crowd away (John 6:66). Go to that church and ask the first twenty people you see, "What time is prayer meeting?" If the church even has a prayer meeting, most of them won't even know. Then ask the same people, "How do you know that you are a true Christian?" Some of them probably won't be able to sufficiently answer that question either.

I have made it a habit to ask people how they know they are Christians. Many don't know. They can name their church, talk about their pastor and such, but they cannot even explain the absolute basics of their faith. Something is wrong! How can we say a church is thriving when there is no prayer and many of the participants cannot even make a valid answer as to the content of their faith? Something is terribly wrong, and we had better begin to fix it in this country or else we are going to enter the post-Christian era really quickly. Oh, there may still be churches, but if the people attending them cannot define the term "Christian," verbally and in action, then what is the point.

We must teach and preach the power of God through prayer. We must teach and preach the power of God over sin. We must teach and preach holy living, and we must lead our people to pray.

A Quotation from E. M. Bounds book Purpose in Prayer seems fitting to conclude this chapter:

We do greatly need somebody who can set the saints to this business of praying. We are a generation of non-praying saints. Non-praying saints are a beggarly gang of saints, who have neither the ardour nor the beauty, nor the power of saints. Who will restore this branch? The greatest will he be of reformers and apostles, who can set the Church to praying.

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Chapter 11: Dispensations of the Spirit

In our study, we have seen that the Holy Spirit has worked in various ways at different times. It is interesting that God, who does not change, does indeed change the way that He relates to us from time to time. The Spirit of God similarly has not changed, but indeed the work of the Spirit has gone through some very distinct transition periods both in the Bible and throughout the history of the Church. Each of these distinct periods of time, dispensations, has its own unique level of understanding, revelation, and experience. We will divide history into four recognizable dispensations related to the Spirit.

### Before the Day of Pentecost

The first dispensation includes everything from Genesis through the end of Acts 1, so we will call it the Pre-Pentecost dispensation. We have documented the activity of the Spirit during this, the longest, of the dispensations. Here we will simply observe the characteristic traits of the experiences that were given.

We have already mentioned that the experiences in the Pre-Pentecost dispensation were selective and generally temporary. The external experience produced charismatic wonders while the internal experience was in conjunction with consecration and personal integrity. We also observed that no person experienced the Spirit both internally and externally at the same time with the exception of Jesus before the day of Pentecost.

### Starting With Pentecost

The second dispensation started on the Day of Pentecost and went through the rest of the New Testament and even a little beyond. Starting on the Day of Pentecost there were marked changes to the activity of the Spirit. Throughout the Book of Acts, it can be observed that the experience of the Spirit was both internal and external at the same time. As a result, there were both intense consecration and supernatural charismatic gifts.

In addition to being both internal and external, the experience was available to everyone. Not only were men included, but women and children were included as well. The gift of the Spirit crossed racial and cultural boundaries as well as social class boundaries. The gift was bestowed across geographical boundaries and was to be passed from generation to generation. To state it briefly, there was a vast change in the amount of activity of the Spirit.

### Pre-Twentieth Century Church History

The third dispensation does not have a concrete beginning. After the first century, Christianity as a whole began to change significantly. The Church grew from a "hated sect" to the popular religion and eventually the official religion of the Roman Empire. As a result of these gradual changes, the Church began to be more and more institutional in that it focused on creeds and government. As a by product of the more formal organization, the Church also became less and less dependent on the leadership of the Spirit and that resulted in the gradual diminishing of the charismatic gifts. Slowly, over a period of a couple hundred years, the charismatic gifts all but vanished from sight.

At this point, I want to make two notes of interest. First, this is the only dispensation that the Spirit did not initiate. The Spirit was present and active in creation. The Spirit initiated the dispensation beginning in Acts 2, and the Spirit initiated the dispensation that we currently enjoy. With this in mind, it might be possible to label the Pre-Twentieth Century dispensation as the "Dispensation of Man." It is truly a picture of the Church in man's hands. We could even go so far as to say that it is a picture of the Church with the Word (and at times even without the Word) but without the Spirit.

The second note of interest is that it is quite possible that God did not intend for the bulk of Church history to be distinctly non-charismatic. As has been briefly mentioned before, there is no indication in Scripture that the gifts should cease before Jesus comes again. Just as God did not intend for Adam to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God did not intend for man to take over the Church to the expense of the Spirit.

If this period of Church history is termed a dispensation for the purpose of study (and that is what we are doing here), then there is no problem observing the norms and ignoring the unusual. If, however, this dispensation was not intended by God at all, then it cannot properly be classified a dispensation (which I believe to be the case). To put this simply, it can be observed that there was a change in activity of the Spirit during the time between the Early Church and the twentieth century, but that observation is not based on God's lack of effort or desire, but rather man's exclusion of God's work. We will, however, continue to use the word dispensation to refer to this period of time for lack of a better word.

There is a lesson to be learned from this before we go on. The modern movement of Spirit-filled churches in the United States is currently heading in the direction that the Early Church did after the turn of the first century. Churches are tending to be more man planned and less Spirit led. If this trend continues the results that have been well documented in history should be expected.

Since this period is not a true dispensation, we should expect to find exceptions to the non-charismatic norm, and indeed that is exactly what is found. Carl Brumback in his book, What Meaneth This? documents some extraordinary findings in history that validate that the activity of the Spirit continued even if on a very limited scale. He particularly focuses on tongues (glossolalia), and readily admits that the cases of such were not the norm. Nevertheless his findings are quite interesting. He writes,

So often it is asserted that the glossolalia was almost wholly removed from the Church by the end of the First Century, the latest date of its existence being given as the Third Century, after which the gift completely disappeared. This assertion, however, rests entirely upon an ignorance of the facts of Church history.

Brumback then cites the 1944 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica which states that the glossolalia "recurs in Christian revivals of every age." He follows with a presentation of testimony from various persons throughout Church history that validate his claims. Even in light of the fact that there were those that did speak in tongues throughout Church history, it remains a fact, that these cases were the exception and not the rule. In general, not only tongues, but by reason of necessity all of the other charismatic gifts as well, were almost absent from the experience of the Church.

### The Twentieth Century Outpouring

Toward the end of the 1800s there developed an expectancy that God was going to do a new work. The general air of expectation was expressed in a statement made by Charles Spurgeon in Holy Spirit Power published by Whitaker House. His statement is quite amazing in retrospect:

Another great work of the Holy Spirit which is not accomplished is the bringing of the latter-day glory. In a few more years, I know not when, and I know not how, the Holy Spirit will be poured out in a far different style from the present. "There are diversities of operations" (1 Cor. 12:6), and during the last few years, the diversified operations have consisted in very little pouring out of the Spirit. Ministers have gone on in dull routine, continually preaching, preaching, preaching, and little good has been done.

The hour is coming when the Holy Ghost will be poured out again in such a wonderful manner that many will run to and fro, "knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4), and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters covered the great deep (Isa. 11:9).

At that time in the United States, many of the mainline denominations had waned in their zeal and had suffered splits and schisms resulting in the holiness movement (to which several modern denominations trace their roots). Many in the holiness movement began to speak of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, a subject that had not held a significant place in theological thought since the first century. The holiness movement generally identified the Baptism in the Spirit in terms of holiness and sanctification rather than in terms of charismata, but the emphasis on the subject led to study. Brumback in What Meaneth This? relates that

at the dawn of the Twentieth Century a deep spirit of prayer gripped many of the people of God in behalf of a great world-wide revival. This fervent intercession was accompanied by an intense study of the Scriptures. Long, prayerful hours spent searching the Book of Acts and the Epistles convinced these believers that the early Christians enjoyed a much richer and fuller experience than they themselves had yet received.

The most popular account of the beginning of the twentieth century Pentecostal movement comes from Topeka Kansas. While this is the outpouring that most Pentecostal and Charismatic organizations use to trace their history, it was not the first nor was it the only outpouring. This particular one is famous because of its direct connection to the revival on Azusa Street, but there were other people that experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues even before 1901.

Before relating the incidents at Topeka, I want to share a less known piece of history. One of the instances of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with tongues as evidence is quite familiar to me. My great grandfather, Daniel Thomas, was the pastor of a Baptist church in eastern Kentucky. In the year 1896, he was visited by an angel that told him he was not preaching the full Gospel. He, soon after, experienced the Baptism in the Spirit and preached it in his church. In true anti-Pentecostal fashion, he was literally thrown out of his church and the doors were locked behind him. He and his family instantly became the outcasts of the town. Before leaving the church that day, he told the four deacons that had been responsible for throwing him out, that they would all experience the Baptism in the Spirit and repent of their deeds. As time passed, those four deacons did indeed experience the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for themselves. Later they approached my grandfather to be the head of a new organization they would eventually call the Church of God Mountain Assembly. He refused to be part of their organization, but the even so, the organization thrived and still exists in the Appalachians.

It was several years later, on the eve of 1901, that the outpouring in Topeka came. William Menzies relates the story in Anointed to Serve: the Story of the Assemblies of God:

Late in December, just before his departure for a series of meetings in Kansas City, [Charles] Parham assigned the entire student body [of Bethel Bible College] the topic of the Biblical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. . . . He had become convinced that there was a supernatural experience available to believers in addition to regeneration and sanctification, yet he had run into considerable variety of opinion as to what constituted the evidence for such an experience. This question he left to his students to ferret out from the Scriptures.

Parham returned to the school on the morning of December 31, 1900. . . .To his astonishment the students all had the same story, reporting that although different things occurred when the Pentecostal blessing fell in the various episodes recorded in Acts, the common denominator on each occasion was that they spoke with other tongues. . . .

At once an air of expectancy charged the atmosphere of the little school in Topeka, for as yet none had received the experience which they had all come to believe was normative for the Apostolic Church. The first to receive was Miss Agnes N. Ozman. . . .

For three days she could not speak in the English language, so overwhelmed was she.

From Topeka, the doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues was taken to Texas where it was then passed on to W. J. Seymour. It was Seymour who was responsible for taking this teaching to Los Angeles, California and eventually the famed Azusa Street Mission. From there, this distinctive doctrine has traveled literally around the world.

The observation of these four dispensations leaves one question of significant importance unanswered. What about those mighty men of God that were so powerful in their preaching and effectiveness from the Reformation till the twentieth century? Were they filled with the Spirit? How can the absence of tongues be explained in relation to men such as Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Spurgeon, and others? There is indeed an answer to this question and we will look at it in the next chapter.

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Chapter 12: Mighty Men That Didn't Speak in Tongues

A question of tremendous significance to Spirit-filled believers is in relation to the mighty preachers that lived during the five centuries prior to the twentieth century outpouring. Why did they not speak in tongues? If tongues is indeed the evidence for the Baptism in the Spirit, then why did they not do so? Were they filled with the Spirit? What about modern believers that don't speak in tongues?

### Progressive Revelation

Progressive revelation is the process by which God reveals the truths that He desires for us to know. It is always the way that God has revealed Himself. There has been no exception to this pattern. God reveals what He wants us to know in pieces. He has never taken one person and poured the whole record of Himself out at one time. He just simply doesn't do it that way.

To illustrate using the Scriptures, God revealed in the Garden of Eden that the seed of woman would crush the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). That's it. For that moment, that was all Adam and Eve knew. They did not know when, where, how, or anything else. It wasn't until Abraham's statement, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8), that it was revealed that God would be the provider and that the seed would be a lamb. Little by little, details concerning the seed/lamb were given throughout the Old Testament until one day in Bethlehem, Jesus was born to bring that revelation to fulfillment. The revelation was given piece by piece over literally thousands of years before the final statement was made and the "Word was made flesh" (John 1:14).

Earlier, we traced the progressive revelation of the Promise of the Father concerning the Holy Spirit. Since God has always chosen to reveal through a progressive time scale, we should naturally expect that He would continue to do so concerning forgotten things as well. In fact, significant portions of the Scriptures were given to do just that.

Any student of prophetic literature will soon realize that much of the prophet's job was to remind. They would remind the people of their history, remind them to return to the Lord, and even remind them of points in the Law that had been revealed centuries before. It is in exactly this fashion that we see the Lord re-revealing the truths of Scripture starting with the Reformation.

During the Dark Ages, the common practice of the Roman church was to do everything in Latin. It irrelevant to them that the people did not understand Latin. In essence, the leaders of the church deprived the people of the content of Scripture. With that kind of practice in effect for over a thousand years, monstrous ignorance was the natural and expected result. Even though the leaders were not always ignorant to the content of Scripture, their insistence on tradition and the authority of the church degraded the pure teachings of Scripture significantly.

In the middle of such gross ignorance and blatant manipulation of Scriptural teachings, Martin Luther discovered the doctrine of justification by faith. The doctrine had been in the Scriptures all along, but apparently nobody was able to see it while all of the corruption was taking place. It was quickened to Martin Luther after it had been absent for over a thousand years. This was the first element of re-revelation that came in answer to the thousand years of darkness.

After Martin Luther, there were many others that made discoveries in the Word of God. Each discovery adding a piece of the puzzle that when completed would make the full Gospel that had been delivered to the Apostles at the beginning of the Church age. Many of these doctrinal discoveries produced new denominations and/or movements of Christian activity. They also produced significant controversy.

After several hundred years of gradual discovery, the time was once again fulfilled. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come. . ." (Acts 2:1), that is the twentieth century, Pentecost once again dawned on the Christian scene. Its dawn was marked by signs and wonders just as is recorded in the Book of Acts. Men and women began to speak in new tongues, people were healed and delivered, miracles began to take place that had not been common before and the mighty move of revival spread across the globe with unprecedented speed and power.

Back to our question: Why did the men of God that lived in the centuries preceding the modern movement not speak in tongues? The simple answer is that in the progressive re-revelation of divine truth, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit had not yet been re-discovered.

### How Do We Explain the Great Success of the Past?

How do we explain the success of men like Wesley and Spurgeon without the Holy Spirit? Well, we don't. There is no question that the Spirit of God was active and participant during the Methodist revivals and many other revivals like them along the way. Then why were there only a few references to tongues? In order to thoroughly answer this question we will need to study John the Baptist a little further.

If you remember, there were several people at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke that were credited as having been filled internally with the Spirit of God. Among those listed was John the Baptist. He was filled with the Spirit from his mother's womb (Luke 1:15). John was a very special individual in the whole of Scriptures. As such, it is not surprising that he was endued with the Spirit in this manner. It is also noteworthy to recognize that true to the internal experience of the Spirit, John did not manifest mighty miraculous works. He did not speak in tongues, heal the sick, or raise the dead. John 10:41 specifically states that "John did no miracle." He did, however, preach very very powerfully! His preaching was so powerful, in fact, that the whole of Judea was stirred: "Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:5-6). Even though John never wrote a book, the power of his ministry was so far reaching that a good many years after he was dead, Jesus was ascended, and the Spirit was poured out, we still find disciples of John in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7). Apollos was also affected by the preaching of John (Acts 18:24-25).

Even with all these credentials, John did not receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He was filled with the Spirit (internal experience), but he did not experience the Baptism in the Spirit. His own testimony makes this obvious. John was the first person to prophetically speak of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. He said, "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mark 1:8). By making this statement, John places the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the future. He does not speak of it as a past or even a present event. It was indeed future, and this indicates clearly that he had not received the blessing himself.

When we realize that John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit and yet did not have the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is not difficult to believe that many of the Christian brethren of years gone bye were filled with the Spirit (internally only) without the Baptism in the Spirit (both internal and external). When we compare the ministry of John the Baptist to the ministry of Whitefield or Wesley (or any number of other men from those times) we will notice some striking similarities. John was a powerful preacher as were both Whitefield and Wesley. John preached strongly against sin and strongly toward righteousness as was evident in the preaching of both Whitefield and Wesley. John's ministry was characterized by piety and consecration as was Whitefield's and Wesley's. The parallel has one more strikingly interesting note. Neither John the Baptist, George Whitefield, nor John Wesley had ministries noted for healings and miracles. They did not customarily lay hands on the sick and see them recovered. They did not heal the lame, open blinded eyes, open deaf ears, etc. There were rare reports of things like healing in the revivals of men like Wesley, but they were not similar to charismatic events such as are listed in the Book of Acts. On those occasions, the man of God may not have had any direct association with the healing at all but simply noted that it had happened outside of his direct involvement. Thus, their experiences do not align with the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, but rather with the internal experience that was given before the Day of Pentecost. The internal experience of the Spirit like the experience of John the Baptist would make it possible for these men to live the lives they did and produce the ministerial results that they did, but it did not make the outward manifestations of charismatic power possible.

Why then would they be filled with the Spirit in a pre-Pentecost kind of way and not receive the Baptism in the Spirit during the age of the Church? The progressive revelation of the Church closely parallels the progressive revelation of Scripture. Salvation was revealed before Pentecost. Even after the disciples were saved, they were waiting in Jerusalem for a promise that they did not know much about. Salvation had surely been fully realized by the time Jesus revealed Himself after the resurrection, and the Apostles were even indwelt by the Spirit in a pre-Pentecostal manner (John 20:22), and yet they waited in Jerusalem for more. In exactly the same way, the men of faith that lived before the Pentecostal outpouring of the 1900s began to anticipate that there was a greater fullness to come, but they did not know exactly what it would look like. There was an air of expectancy, but nobody knew what to expect. Some of these men and women, like John the Baptist and his parents, were possibly full of the Spirit, but they had not received the Baptism in the Spirit.

### What about Modern Believers?

Based on our findings, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is defined as a work separate from conversion that is evidenced by tongues. It is both an internal and an external experience. This definition is obviously controversial, but with the strictest adherence to the materials in the Biblical record, it presents itself as such. In the American church today there are three other basic camps of disagreeing thought on this matter. Let's have a look at each one.

First, there are those that believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is part of the conversion experience. By making this identification, they deny themselves the separate experience that the Scripture clearly teaches. Almost all persons that believe in this manner also deny tongues as evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit even though that is the clear pattern given in the Early Church. Thus by virtue of doctrinal understanding, these individuals are denied the charismatic power that is associated with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Often, you will find that these individuals and churches do not even believe in the present active ministry of the gifts. Some call themselves cessationists and directly deny and oppose the gifts.

Second, there are those that believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is separate from conversion, but do not accept tongues as the evidence preferring rather the life of consecration as evidence. This view has some significant problems Scripturally. We have already observed that the evidence for the Baptism in the Spirit in the Book of Acts was clearly and immediately observable. Consecration is not so easily and immediately observable. There is never a place in the Scriptures where consecration is used as an indicator for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Thus, this notion has no Biblical foundation at all. Another significant problem is that of confusing the purpose of the Baptism in the Spirit with the sanctifying work of the Spirit. These are not the same work, but rather two distinct works of the Spirit. While the Baptism in the Holy Spirit should indeed bring a heightened consecration, the primary purpose is power (Acts 1:8). Thus to define a gift for power in terms of consecration is in error. The biggest problem with this view is that just as the view above, it effectively eliminates charismata from the churches that espouse it. Even if they say they believe in the charismatic gifts, the gifts are not in operation in the church making their doctrinal statement a matter of theory rather than a matter of practice.

Third, others define the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as a separate work from conversion and accept any gift of the Spirit as evidence. While this is closer to our definition, there are still a significant problem because there is no other gift that is associated with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Bible with the exception of the once occurring mention of prophecy (Acts 19:6). Neither prophecy nor any other gift was used to determine whether a person had received the Baptism in the Spirit or not. Only tongues was used to indicate such. We have already covered the lack of evidence for such a claim as well as the inability of certain gifts to even serve as immediate observable evidence. Fortunately, those that advocate this view are still eligible for charismata because they do not refuse tongues and, in fact, often do speak in tongues.

What does this mean for believers that do not speak in tongues in our present era? To begin, it means that they have not experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. They may claim to have had the experience, and they may have had some kind of experience with the Lord that was entirely genuine. Without tongues, however, as evidence, it wasn't the Baptism in the Spirit. Without the Baptism in the Spirit, the charismatic power is unavailable.

Due to the understanding of the paragraph above, many Spirit-filled believers have made some critical errors as it relates to understanding our Christian brethren from other view points. It is entirely wrong to conclude that a person who doesn't speak in tongues is unsaved. Salvation is not contingent on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is contingent on salvation. Therefore, it is entirely possible for a person to be saved and go to Heaven having never spoken in tongues and having never experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Another great misunderstanding that Spirit-filled believers often have is to think that the Holy Spirit is absent entirely from believers that don't speak in tongues. This is not the teaching of Scripture at all. As we have seen even in the earlier parts of this chapter, the internal experience of the Spirit produces great piety and consecration. The result can be wonderfully Spirit inspired preaching that affects the salvation of many souls. All true believers are indwelt by the Spirit of God, and their lives are affected by His holiness and sanctifying work. For this reason, it is unreasonable to compare Spirit-filled church members with members of other churches to determine the level of consecration in an effort to prove anything. It isn't consecration that is at stake. It is power.

One more critical mistake that is often made by Spirit-filled believers is to view other believers with a spirit of arrogance. This is pride! Watch out! As we have said earlier, Spiritual gifts are not an indicator of Spiritual maturity. Don't think that because you speak in tongues you are better than the brother across the way that does not do so. Carl Brumback in What Meaneth This? expresses what he believes Spirit-filled believers should think and do toward those that have not experienced the Baptism in the Spirit. He relates,

Our attitude is much like that of Aquila and Priscilla toward Apollos. To them, the eloquent disciple of John the Baptist was a great man with a wonderful ministry. Nonetheless, his conception of the truth and his spiritual experience were not complete. He needed what they had.

In his sentiments there is respect, recognition of success, and humility. At the same time, there is of necessity the loving discussion of the difference of doctrinal understanding.

### Unacceptable Conduct

Before ending this chapter there is one more issued related to interrelations between Spirit-filled believers and other believers that needs discussion. Many times the Spirit-filled tentmakers (like Aquila and Priscilla) have not been received well by the more educated scholars (like Apollos). In fact, on many occasions there has been harsh criticism, exclusion, persecution, and even violent displays of retaliation from those that do not believe in tongues toward believers that do.

I have already related the story of my great grandfather. As I understand the story, he was literally physically thrown out of his church for teaching the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I also related that he refused to become the head of the denomination that formed. What I did not mention was the ongoing persecution that took place for him and his family from that day on. The persecution was so intense (yes, right here in America), that the family had to go outside each morning to clear away the rocks that had been thrown at their house during the night. The children had to be removed from the public school and home taught because of this threat. This decision was not made to avoid secular mingling, but out of the necessity for the safety of the children.

Because of the large popularity and massive growth of both Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, the persecution has become less radical, but it still exists. Most of the persecution now comes in the form of doctrinal suppression and/or personal exclusion. Not many years ago in Orlando, there was a Christian theme park that refused to hire Pentecostal and Charismatic believers even if the job description was to sell hotdogs. There is another very large Christian organization that currently requires all of its employees to sign a document stating that they will not speak in tongues while at work. This seems reasonable enough; I mean who would think to speak in tongues on the job. The job, however, has mandatory staff devotional times. Now we have tongues forbidden in worship. They absolutely will not hire you if you won't sign the document. That is persecution by suppression. It happens all the time.

I have personally been told not to speak about tongues while participating in a music group with other Christians. I have been personally confronted by a Christian friend that had been taught that tongues were of the devil by his Christian pastor. One man who is a member of a major denomination recently told me that he believed that my church was a "sect." He wasn't simply making some kind of classification either. The tone of his voice and the attitude of his mannerisms were to communicate that I was some kind of false teacher and my church was a cult. I have also had my radio program canceled from a Christian radio station because of teaching on tongues even though I was told I could teach anything in the Bible.

Many Christians who do not speak in tongues are genuinely accepting of those that do. Others are abusive, suppressing, and excluding. The Bible teaches us to exclude false teachers. There is no place for tolerance of heresy. Speaking in tongues is NOT heresy. It is NOT false teaching. Those that speak against tongues would do well to heed Gamaliel's warning (Acts 5:34-39). At the very least, Spirit-filled believers should expect to be treated with brotherly kindness by Christians with other points of view.

If you are a Spirit-filled believer, and you have suffered persecution through exclusion, suppression or any other method, I encourage you to be confident. You are not alone. You do not bear the reproach of persecution in vain. The cause you are standing for is the cause of the Spirit of God. Bear up! Forgive! Teach! Proclaim! And by all means, keep singing in the Spirit and praying in the Spirit. Do not be ashamed of the gifts that God has given you!

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Chapter 13: The Baptism as a Gift

As a presupposition, we view the Baptism in the Spirit as a gift. In John 14:15, Jesus said that the Father would "give you another Comforter." Peter also attributed the Holy Spirit as a gift from God in Acts 5:32. With this presupposition, we must understand that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit functions in the same capacity as the other gifts of God. The gifts of God have some definite characteristics. Understanding these characteristics will help us understand how to receive this gift of the Baptism in the Spirit.

### Characteristics of the Gifts of God

### Gifts Cannot Be Earned

The gifts of God are not earned. In the example of salvation, the Bible is quite clear in identifying it as a gift. Ephesians 2:8 specifically identifies salvation as "the gift of God." The Scriptures are also quite clear that the gift of salvation cannot be earned. Once while teaching a class of youths, we read Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." After reading the verse I asked, "How do you earn life?" Hands went up quickly and answers followed that they thought would be pleasing to me. They said things like "read the Bible," "pray," "go to church," etc. I didn't give them any feedback other than to repeat my question. They tried again and again and began to look at the verse more intently. Finally, what seemed like an endless cause to them became quite fascinating when one of the girls said, "You can't earn it." I smiled as I said, "Exactly." You cannot earn eternal life because it is a gift. If you could earn it, it would be a wage that was owed, but gifts cannot be earned. In identical fashion, the gift of the Spirit is cannot be earned. It is not based on merit. Otherwise, it would not be a gift.

Understanding that the gift of the Baptism in the Spirit cannot be earned leads us to realize that there is no room for boasting concerning gifts (Ephesians 2:9). If one cannot boast of saving works, neither can one boast of works that bring the blessing of the Spirit.

### Gifts Can Be Refused

The gifts of God can be refused or scorned. This is very interesting in light of the last discussion on earning. The gifts cannot be earned, but through sin and unbelief the gifts can be refused. There are many examples in Scripture to confirm this, but two are worth mention. The rich young ruler came to Jesus and was offered the amazing gift of a calling to discipleship. Jesus told him, "Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me" (Luke 18:22). The man scorned the opportunity of the ages on account of greed. How many men throughout history both before and after the earthly ministry of Christ would have gladly sold all and even been willing to die in order to accompany Him for even just a few days! Yet this man lost out. The gift was extended, but it was not appropriated because the receiver was not willing to receive. Another situation that demonstrates this even more fully is the scene of the crucifixion. Jesus was hung between two thieves. His death was more than capable of atoning for the sins of both. The gift of salvation was visibly present before them both, but only one apprehended it. The other is lost for all of eternity regretting the fact that he refused to surrender.

The gift of the Baptism in the Spirit cannot be earned, but it most certainly can be refused. This happens all the time, and there are two distinct categories of refusal just as there are two categories of refusal for salvation. Sin will be dealt with here and unbelief a little later. Sin, is sure to usurp the desire of God to bestow gifts. Just like the rich young ruler, a person can choose sin over the gift of the Spirit. This is seen most clearly when a person becomes a believer and then falls into sin. If they refuse to "sell all" (in this case repent of the sin) then the gift of the Spirit is spurned and will not be appropriated.

### Gifts Are Individually Received

The gifts of God are appropriated individually. Jesus died once for all. This in no way indicates that all are saved by that offering. While the sacrifice has already been made, the appropriation of that sacrifice is on an individual level. In other words, Jesus died to save the whole world, but that salvation has no effect until the individual accepts Christ. The same is true concerning the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. While most of the accounts in the book of Acts represent groups being filled with the Spirit, there is no escaping the individual reality of that infilling. Acts 8:17 relates that it was at the laying on of hands that the Samaritans received the Spirit. This implies individuality. Peter and John did not lay hands on a group but on the individuals that made up that group.

This is a very important thing for believers to understand. For centuries, many people have believed that persons of high quality can bestow merit on others. There are significant theological errors with such a statement, and unfortunately, these errors have shaped the way many people think even today. First, there is no such thing as merit for salvation (or any other gift of God)! Secondly, while the Bible does allow for the gifts of God to be transferred through the laying on of hands (2 Timothy 1:6), this in no way indicates that the gifts can be transferred to persons unwilling to receive through sin or unable to receive through unbelief (see Ezekiel 14:14, 16, 20). You may be wondering why this is relevant to our discussion. No person can be saved because of the righteousness of another person (i.e. a father or a mother). The only way for an individual to be saved is through direct relationship to Jesus. A secondary relationship will not do. In the same way, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit must be experienced individually. We do not receive salvation corporately. We all come to the foot of the cross alone. Sure, there may be others present at the time, but this is an individual journey. Neither do we receive the Spirit as a group but rather as individuals. It isn't enough for the other people around us to receive. We must personally receive as well.

### Gifts Are Received Through Faith

The gifts of God are received through faith. Faith is the substance by which all of the gifts of God are apprehended. The same grace that saved Peter and Paul has left others unsaved by this fine and dividing line called faith. Some are willing to place their faith in Christ and thus the grace of God is made effective. Others are unwilling to believe (or at least unwilling to repent), thus the grace of God is rendered utterly of useless in saving them.

This brings us to unbelief, the other category by which the gifts of God may be refused. While unbelief could be lumped into the classification of sin rendering some form of sin as the root cause of all lack of God given gifts, we will treat it differently here for a very specific reason; there are many believers that don't believe. Let me explain. Obviously, this sounds like a contradiction. Let us say it in this way. Not all believing Christians believe in the Baptism in the Spirit as it is defined in this book. They may be genuinely saved persons and in that sense are believers; however, many refuse to believe that there is an experience separate from conversion called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit which is evidenced by speaking in tongues. Just like unbelief entirely blocks the path of salvation, unbelief also blocks the path of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (and any other gift such as healing, deliverance, miracles, etc.). Many individuals block the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit by doctrinally refusing to believe in charismata. God does not give gifts of grace to those who refuse to believe in the gifts that God wants to give.

Because we know that the gifts of God are appropriated through faith, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit then must follow suit. Faith then is the substance by which the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is given. In order to receive salvation, we must have faith in Christ. Likewise, in order to receive the Baptism in the Spirit, we must do so through faith.

In the same way that a person must have faith grounded on the Word in order to be saved, a person must have faith grounded upon the Word in order to receive the Spirit. While a good understanding of the Spirit may be desired, full understanding is not what God is seeking. I think that we are all glad that God isn't waiting on us to grasp the full realities of the doctrines of Scripture before He hears our prayer of repentance. In the same way, we do not need to have a full understanding of the work and person of the Spirit in order to receive the gift, but faith for the gift must be present.

The Book of Acts makes this quite clear. In all of the occurrences, the persons receiving the gift were demonstrating faith to receive. The Apostles in Acts 2 were waiting in Jerusalem expressly for the fulfilled promise. They may not have known what that promise would look like and all of the theological ramifications of such, but they waited in faith. The Samaritans received the Spirit after Peter and John discerned that they had not yet received. Thus, but implication, they directed their faith toward the gift the Apostles said they needed. Saul of Tarsus received the Spirit after Ananias suggested such was necessary. Cornelius seemed ready to receive anything and everything that God wanted to give through Peter. In this occurrence, there is no mention of the Spirit before the Spirit was given. This clearly indicates that God does not wait on perfect knowledge for this gift, and it also demonstrates His sovereignty in the disbursement of gifts. Faith for reception was clearly present, however, even though they may not have had any knowledge to accompany their faith as yet. The disciples at Ephesus were informed before receiving the Spirit thus indicating a desire on their part to be filled.

As a gift of God, the Baptism in the Spirit carries the same characteristics as other gifts, and we have discovered that the necessary ingredient of faith is essential for reception.

### Expectancy

Of the common joys of childhood, receiving gifts is second to none. Children love to receive gifts. I remember as a child preferring Christmas and birthdays to any other holidays for just that reason. The expectancy is consuming. My parents would put the Christmas gifts out in full sight for a few weeks before the big day. The anticipation mounted and our curiosity peaked with smiles all around as we wondered what might be in that BIG package! As children, we never even begin to think how this expectancy pleases our parents. It brings great pleasure to a parent to give a good gift.

The same is true of God. He loves to give good gifts. Giving is what He does! It would seem reasonable to think that God also takes delight in our expectancy in a similar way to natural parents. He has even said that it is the hungry and thirsty that shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). God delights in meeting expectancy.

The Book of Acts is full of expectancy. Even though the King James Version does not use the word "expect" in any of the Baptism narratives, the concept is quite obvious. The Apostles were expecting the promise of the Father. The Samaritans were expecting something to happen when Peter and John arrived. Saul was expecting something from Ananias. Cornelius was expecting something by Peter, and the Ephesians were expecting from Paul. In all cases, expectation was present.

Expectation is one of the by-products of faith. When one has faith, then expectation is the natural result. The Bible often calls expectation based on faith, hope. In Titus 2:13, the Apostle Paul said that we are "looking for that blessed hope." This is a perfect description of expectancy based on faith. By faith and belief in the Word of God, Christians anticipate the fulfillment of the promised return of Christ. This is the expectancy of every believer for the yet future gift of Christ's second coming.

As expectancy marked the Book of Acts, it also marked the beginnings of the outpouring of the Spirit in the twentieth century. There is clearly a parallel between this time and the time just before the earthly ministry of Jesus in that there was a general awareness that something was going to happen. In his description of the famed outpouring in Topeka, William Menzies, in Anointed to Serve: The Story of the Assemblies of God, states, "At once an air of expectancy charged the atmosphere." It is interesting that Luke describes almost the same thing surrounding the ministry of John the Baptist, "And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not" (Luke 3:15).

If expectancy is one of the by-products of faith, then when there is no expectancy the question is one of faith. When Jesus went to Nazareth to preach, He met an intense void of faith. So much so that He marveled and was hindered from doing many miracles there (Mark 6:5-6). The people at Nazareth were not expecting Him to do anything spectacular. They felt that they had good reasons to doubt, but as a result of their lack, they lost out. Could this be said of our churches today? Most of the time we go to church and we do not really expect God to do something. It is a very sad state but true nonetheless. We have our songs prepared, our services planned, our preaching ready, but have no real anticipation that God will actually do anything. Let's face it, there is nothing more desolate and empty than a church that claims to be "Spirit-filled," and does "Spirit-filled" things, and sings "Spirit-filled" songs, and promotes "Spirit-filled" doctrine that isn't indeed "Spirit-filled." People aren't expecting anything. Fighting and feuding takes up most of the energy of the church and the leadership is busy planning events and activities like a recreation leader at a summer camp. (Just as a side note, I actually saw an advertisement recently that a church was looking for a Pastor of Recreation to join their staff.) It isn't a wonder that the number of persons receiving the Baptism in the Spirit has been steadily declining in the "Spirit-filled" churches over the past several decades. How full of the Spirit does a church need to be in order to be a "Spirit-filled" church? Is 20% of the congregation enough? The farther we get from an expectation to receive, the less people receive. As a result, the pool from which we can choose men "full of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 6:3) gets shallower and shallower. Unfortunately, expectancy has all but vanished in the churches, even those that claim to be "Spirit-filled."

If lack of faith is the reason for lack of expectancy, then the only answer is to do everything necessary to increase our faith and the faith of those around us. "And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). After all, if we expect nothing, we will probably get what we expect!

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Chapter 14: Increasing Faith Through Study

The concept of faith would in and of itself be worthy of many volumes of books. It can be studied in relation to salvation, as a gift of the Spirit, as part of the fruit of the Spirit, and also as the basis for the walk of Christian. It extends into every aspect of the subject of our religion. In this chapter, we will not even begin to make concrete definitions of faith, much less explore the realities of the subject. Our concern here is in increasing faith for the purpose of receiving the Baptism in the Spirit.

As has been discussed in the last chapter, faith is the substance by which all of the gifts of God are apprehended. Thus by definition, faith is the substance by which the gift of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is apprehended. The question of this chapter is simple. How can study help increase our faith?

### Study: General or Specific

In 2 Timothy 2:15, the Apostle Paul advocates study: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The very next verse says, "But shun profane and vain babblings" (2 Timothy 2:16). As our first course of concrete action in an effort to increase faith, we choose study, but general study isn't what we are talking about at all. The kind of study we need is quite specific.

Colleges offer degrees in Liberal Arts. A Liberal Arts degree is a degree of diversity. It includes the disciplines of science, mathematics, language, history, and a host of other subjects. The idea is that the materials learned are "liberal" in their disbursement with the end goal being that students are broadened with a wide variety of knowledge without the specifics necessary for professional skills. If you have received a Bachelors of Arts or a Bachelors of Science from a college or university then it is almost sure to be classified as a Liberal Arts degree.

Liberal Arts is like a sawed off shotgun. A sawed off shotgun is exactly that. It is a shotgun that has the barrel sawed to make it shorter. For those that are not knowledgeable about guns, I will briefly explain. Buckshot is small round metal "bullets" slightly larger than the head of a ball point pen. A shotgun shell (bullet) is about the size of your finger and it is full of little round buckshot. When the trigger is pulled, the buckshot spreads out and hits a broad target.

Let me be less technical. If you take an empty milk jug and shoot it with a shotgun from twenty paces away, the jug will be completely shredded with tiny holes. From twenty paces, a shotgun will make a hole in a wall about the size of a volleyball. If you saw off the barrel of the gun, the shot spreads even more rapidly making a much larger hole. Aiming becomes less of an issue.

Liberal Arts is like a sawed off shotgun in that the students get a little bit of knowledge in a whole lot of areas. This is absolutely NOT the kind of study that the Apostle Paul advocated, and it is NOT the kind of study that will increase faith. Along with Paul's admonition to study, he also warned that in the midst of study there were things to avoid. Paul was teaching a deliberate and accurate approach to study.

Unlike a shotgun, a rifle shoots only one bullet at a time. In order for a riffle to be effective, accuracy is critical as only one hole will be made. Riffles, however, can be accurate and effective at long ranges, when shotguns are only for short range. The target area is very concentrated and the force is also more powerful in that one spot.

If you study broadly (as worldly education is always trying to force) you will learn the good and the bad together as your education is not specific. You may learn good math and bad philosophy at the same school. We, however, are to "shun" the profane and vain. In our illustration of college, we should shun much of the secular teachings that are presented as many are profane and many others are vain. Just to give you some real life examples, we as believers should shun Darwin and evolution, secular philosophy, Freudian psychology, much of the material that is presented as literature in English literature classes (i.e. Poe), the great majority of art history (this study in particular is full of the profane), much of music history (some of the "great" composers were greatly engulfed in worldliness and sin), and on and on. Paul says these vain and profane things "will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker" (2 Timothy 2:16-17).

Immediately after making this bold statement about the dangers of studying the wrong things, Paul cites a tragic story. Apparently, there were a couple of men that had gotten themselves caught away in vain and profane studies. Paul mentions them by name, Hymenaeus and Philetus, saying that they had fallen into error and were overthrowing the faith of others. He makes his point quite clear by saying in essence, Timothy, watch out. Just look at these guys if you don't believe me. Make no mistake and make no excuse, there are certain things that you should not study. There are certain areas that you should not explore. If you do, you are putting your own soul in peril.

General study is not the answer to a life of faith, and in the case of our topic, increasing faith. Specific study then must be the answer. In this passage, Paul said that Timothy was specifically to study the Scriptures, but in other passages, he advocates other studies. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers to be "followers of me." He encouraged the believers to observe his life and emulate it. In doing so, he advocated the concept of mentoring and discipleship. He also advocated (even though this overlaps with the study of Scriptures) looking into the lives of those in the past. He repeatedly taught that the people of Israel served as examples for us to study and from which to learn. In addition, Paul (and others) taught that study through experience is valid. Out of these teachings, we receive three definite areas of study that are beneficial to us in our pursuit of the Baptism in the Spirit.

### The Study of Scripture

The first area of study is the direct study of Scripture. We should become students of the Scriptures. Studying the Bible isn't just for pastors and theologians. Every believer should take the effort necessary to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11. I want to outline a few practices in general and then a more specific course of action.

Every believer should read the Bible EVERY DAY!!! If you are not consistently reading the Bible EVERY DAY, then put this book down and go and read it NOW! The best way to read the Bible is to read straight through. If you have never read through the New Testament, start at Matthew and read all the way through to Revelation. Then go back to Genesis and read the whole way through. If you read a chapter a day it will take you 3½ years to read the whole Bible. You should also spend some time in prayer. I encourage people to keep a pen and notepad with them during their devotion time to take notes. You may also want to highlight or underline in your Bible. This is a good practice. I keep a little 6 inch ruler with me so that I can underline neatly. I strongly discourage reading devotional materials as a daily devotion time. These are no substitute to the plain and simple Word of God. Read those for fun if you want, but not as your devotion. I keep all of the writings of man out of my devotion time completely, and I have never regretted that decision.

After you have established a DAILY habit of devotion, you may want to do more in depth study. If so, you may want to purchase a Bible dictionary and a good concordance (I recommend Strong's). There are many resources available, but these are the very basics that I believe every Christian home should have.

Once the basics are in place, your study should be even more specific if you are interested in increasing your faith as it relates to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. As a start, I will suggest some passages for study that will be thoroughly helpful in your pursuit. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but each of these passages provides insight into approaching God, the glory of God, and/or the Spirit.

Abraham's theophanies: Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-22, 18:1-33; 22:1-18

Jacob's theophanies: Genesis 28:10-22; 32:22-32; 35:1-15

Moses' theophanies: Exodus 3:1-4:17; 5:22-13; 33:1-34:35; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Mt. Sinai: Exodus 19:1-20:22; Hebrews 12:18-29

Dedication of the Tabernacle: Exodus 40:34-38; Leviticus 9

Joshua and the Captain of the Hosts: Joshua 5:13-15

Dedication of the Temple: 1 Kings 8:1-11; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Elijah: 1 Kings 17:1-19:21; 2 Kings 1:1-2:12

Elisha: 2 Kings 2:13-7:20

Isaiah 6:1-8

John 3:5-6; 14:15-21; 16:5-15

Acts in entirety

1 Corinthians 12-14

Hebrews 11

There are obviously other passages that you could choose, but this is a short list of passages that I have found quite useful in inspiring faith. Simply put, these passages force us to be aware that the transcendent God of Glory is real, approachable by faith, and is far greater than our little minds can conceive. When we meditate on these things we should begin to hunger for more. Like David encouraged, "O taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). If we can get one taste of Him we will never be satisfied with anything less! These passages and others like them can help us get that taste!

### Study Through Others

The second area of study that Paul mentioned was study of himself. He often encouraged his followers to observe his life. He also directed them to observe the lives of those in the past (specifically those narratives in the Old Testament). If he wrote Hebrews, then chapter 11 of that book is a case in point. This concept of mentor/disciple can be expanded to include the study of other men and women either past or present that have set examples for us to observe and follow.

Using the list in Hebrews 11 as a guide it seems quite evident that the author is encouraging his readers to study certain persons more than others. Adam and Solomon are left out. I have my own ideas as to why, but that isn't the point here. The writer of Hebrews was attempting to inspire faith and let's face it; neither the lives of Adam nor Solomon (unless taken in part) do that. Their lives inspire defeat and loss rather than overcoming faith. That certainly isn't to say that we should avoid studying Adam. It is simply saying that if faith is our goal, Adam can't be our role model. We are seeking role models of faith if we are going to learn what faith looks like.

With that in mind, we should not think of a general study of Church history as a good way to increase faith. That simply won't produce the end goal. There are those men in history that have been men of faith, however, and a study of their lives and in particular their writings is valid (although not infallible). When determining who to read and study, you might want to consider looking for a few specific repeated elements. Below is a short list of worthy criterion that I use for evaluating those from the past:

Was this person involved in a revival?

Were there miracles resulting?

Did this person pioneer a work against unusual odds?

Did this person have a rich relationship with God?

I am particularly fond of reading materials from persons that have been directly involved in revival movements. I have found these materials inspiring and very useful. To give some examples, you might want to read biographies such as Charles Finney's Autobiography (also called "Memoirs"), or other biographies on such persons as John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Muller, etc. I also enjoy reading and find tremendous benefit from reading sermons such as those by the men mentioned above and others like Smith Wigglesworth, Charles Spurgeon, and Andrew Murray. I also love to read historical accounts of revivals like the Azusa Street revival, the Great Awakening, and other significant revival movements. If you want to be full of faith to believe for more of the Holy Spirit, saturate yourself with these things and the hunger will burn. Remember in your readings to look for those that inspire experience with the Spirit and not just faith in general. You will find that more fruitful.

There are also other materials available from those still alive that are valuable. Obviously, more caution is necessary when dealing in the contemporary, and unfortunately, contemporary truly Spirit-filled materials are less accessible than general Christian reading materials. Yet, when they are found, they can be a treasure. I have been greatly enriched and had my faith strengthened by quite a number of authors that are contemporary.

In addition to academic study, you will want to acquaint yourself with Spirit-filled people that can serve as mentors to you in your pursuit of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. A mentor in the faith is a highly valuable treasure. Just a note on this, persons that are not Spirit-filled will never inspire you to a Spirit-filled experience. I am not referring simply to a mentor of godliness. Those are available, but I am talking about a true proponent of the Spirit-filled experience. Look for a person or persons that actually encourage, fully teach and really live the Spirit-filled life.

### Study by Experience

In discussing the third area of study, I will begin with an illustration. For the past several months, my wife and I have been aware that there is apparently an epidemic of stray cats in our neighborhood. We have watched them casually as they walk across the back yard or lay under our palm tree. They seem completely relaxed and care free until they hear us open the door or begin to approach. Once they recognize our presence, they freeze and stand completely still for a moment. If we move a step closer then they run away as fast as possible.

Just yesterday, we saw that there is new litter of kittens roaming with their mother. They were just playing away in our yard. My wife decided to set out some milk on the back porch to see if they would find it. Shortly, we had kittens and cats all over the porch. This morning she set out a plate with some bread to see if they would eat it. Shortly, the mother came past and gave the plate a good look. After a few minutes, she came past and looked again (apparently dinner rolls are not very good cat food). What happened next was even more interesting. The cat came back on the porch but did not look at the food. Rather, she came directly to the sliding glass door and had a look inside. At once, we realized that we were not only doing some studying ourselves, but we were also being studied.

There is a humongous difference between studying the living versus studying the non-living. You can do a one way study of rocks, but when you study animals they study back. A rock has very predictable behavior, but an animal has a mind of its own. When we begin to study the Holy Spirit, we must realize that He is alive! He has a will and a mind of His own. Unlike some of the cults teach, He is not simply a force. He is the third member of the Trinity, and as such, is a person.

When we study a person, that person studies us in return (most of the time we call this study a relationship). We don't know what they are going to do. We begin to share ideas, opinions, and interests. Similarly, when we open ourselves up to relating to the Holy Spirit, it is not an academic exercise. Let me explain.

A male student in a sociology class may study the female in detail. He may know that women have different characteristics, different personalities, different manners, etc. He may read book after book on womanhood, and yet the moment that he lifts his head out of his books and realizes that there is a young lady across the way that is studying him, all of his book learning just vanishes. If he wants to have a relationship with her, it won't start with books. It will start with conversation.

Throughout church history, men have given themselves to contemplation. We may be more likely to use the term meditation. Either way, the practice is Biblical (if done Biblically), but there are definitely specific guidelines that MUST be followed in order to avoid the dangers that pagan religions offer in the counterfeit of the practice.

Christians should never attempt to empty or clear the mind and meditate. This is a pagan practice that opens the person to unclean spirits. Instead, we should be very specific as to the subject of our meditations. Dr. Cho in Prayer: Key to Revival states, "When you meditate, you must focus your mind clearly on the subject on which you desire to meditate." Andrew Murray also speaks of meditation when he pleads,

Come, my brethren, and let us day by day set ourselves at His feet, and meditate on this word of His, with an eye fixed on Him alone. Let us set ourselves in quiet trust before Him, waiting to hear His holy voice–the still small voice that is mightier than the storm that rends the rocks–breathing its quickening spirit within us, as He speaks. . .

If you choose to meditate on the Holy Spirit or on one the passages of Scripture that speaks of the Spirit, then you put yourself in a relational position rather than simply an academic one. By faith, you are allowing the Word of God in a general sense to become the living Word of God in you. Thus, you open yourself to study and be studied. I once heard a professor say, "If you study the Holy Spirit, He will study you." Obviously, the Holy Spirit has no need to study anything or anyone. The idea isn't the gaining of knowledge but rather fellowship. It is for just this reason that the Scriptures record, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). (As a side note, this may be a good verse on which to meditate). He desires communion with us. Other versions translate this as fellowship. The Living Bible uses the term "friendship." Friendship? Yes, that is exactly it. The Holy Spirit desires to commune, fellowship, friendship with us. Paul said that was his desire for the church at Corinth. It would probably be his desire for us as well.

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Chapter 15: Increasing Faith in the Church

The church setting is incredibly important as an opportunity and as an environment for increasing the faith of others. It seems, however, that the full necessity for such an exercise is all but lost in our modern church world. Even in times when awareness is present, the know-how seems absent. In this chapter, I will direct my comments to those that lead church services; however, this information may be useful to those that are not in a position to lead as well. The following materials presuppose that the materials in the last chapter have been accomplished.

### Preach With Purpose

Rick Warren has gotten the message across quite clearly that the church needs to operate with purpose. Unfortunately, his purpose in being seeker-sensitive stands in direct opposition to the purpose of being God-sensitive, and therefore, is NOT what we are going to deal with in this portion. We, particularly as Spirit-filled believers, should not be asking the question, "What do the people want?" but rather "What does God want?" Our job as ministers is not to find out what pleases the people, but to lead the people to what pleases God. When we come to an awareness of the need to please God, then four distinct things happen. First, we will be in alignment with the teachings of Scripture concerning the fear of God over the fear of man (Hebrews 13:6). Second, by fearing God we will be able enter into true holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1). Third, fear and holiness are necessary ingredients to true worship (Psalm 5:7, 96:9, Revelation 14:7), thus true worship becomes possible (John 4:24). Fourth, true worship invites His presence (James 4:8).

Back to our question, "What does God want?" He has made it abundantly clear in His Word that He wants to fellowship with us! He wants intimacy with us. He wants to inhabit our praises and smell the sweet aroma of our worship. When we realize that this is ultimately the end goal of EVERY service, we will begin to preach not only with purpose, but also with passion. Our purpose and passion will inspire faith in the sincere listeners, and they will cease to be spectators and hunger to be participants in what God is doing.

Does our preaching lead to true worship? Do we preach with that end in mind at all? I understand that there is a time for everything, and there are many valid topics of Biblical teaching that must be covered. In spite of this, we must realize that a seven week Sunday series on managing money will not likely lead to an outpouring of the Spirit. Do you want a church where the Spirit is being poured out, or do you want one that knows how to balance their checkbooks? Balancing checkbooks is a good thing. Financial stewardship needs to be taught (maybe on a week night), but let's get to the bottom line. People are hungry for God. They express their hunger in all kinds of wrong ways that involve cults, witchcraft, and everything else. When they come to church, what are you going to say to them? Are you going to tell them that they can apply Christian principles of administration to their business, or are you going to convince them that God is about to enter the room TODAY!

The purpose of preaching is to convince men and women to believe through faith. While education is important, education cannot and should not be the end goal of preaching. There have been literally thousands upon thousands of persons educated in the Christian doctrine that have gone to hell because of unbelief. While godly behavior is important, it cannot and should not be the end goal of preaching. There have been untold thousands of people that have lived strict lives in an effort to please God that will not enter Heaven. The end goal isn't education and it isn't behavioral correction (while both of these will be part of good preaching). The end goal is faith to believe. Have you convinced your listeners? Have you been convinced yourself?

If you are not preaching with an emphasis on the real expectation of the Spirit's arrival, then you are likely to be passed over when He comes near. Your hearers will not be inspired, and revival will probably not take place in your church. If you do take the courage necessary to proclaim the expectation of His presence and preach the passages that inspire faith in experience (like the ones listed in the last chapter) the Lord may just take notice and come down!

### A Story of Faith Preaching

Of all the stories I have read concerning times of revival, this one sticks out to me because of its utter boldness. After the outpouring of the Spirit in Topeka, Kansas, the Pentecostal revival began to spread to various parts of the mid-west. Within a few years, Charles Parham, the leader of the early stages of the movement, went to Houston, Texas, to preach the doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues. At that time, there was a black Holiness preacher by the name of William J. Seymour that attended the meetings. He became convinced of Parham's doctrine but did not personally receive the experience. At those meetings, Seymour was invited to Los Angeles to hold a meeting in a Nazarene church. When he arrived, the first sermon he preached was on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with tongues as evidence even though he had not received the baptism himself. What faith! What expectation! This man had not experienced the Baptism personally, but he boldly proclaimed it anyway.

I once heard a preacher say, "You can't take people some place you've never been!" Fortunately, he was wrong! When you know that the Lord is leading, and you are willing to follow, you can take others even when you yourself don't know the way and have never traveled there before. Of course, this kind of boldness will put you in an elite group with others like, oh I don't know, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua. Follow the leading of the Lord, and let others follow you. You don't need to know the way. All you need to know is the way maker.

Even still, can you imagine Seymour that Sunday morning? About the only way we can compare the boldness that it took that day would be to consider preaching that message in a non-Pentecostal church today. I am not sure what kind of response he was expecting, but the response is not surprising. That afternoon he returned to the mission only to find that he had been locked out. Literally! Somebody told him that the people were accusing him of being a false teacher and that he was no longer welcome. This may serve as a notice of warning that if you begin to preach by faith, there will be division. There will be some who are offended. I encourage you to go ahead and pay that price.

Did he give up and go back to Houston? Well, no! He had a message. It was as if he was like Moses looking from Mt. Nebo realizing that there was a vast land ahead. Seymour was not willing to give up this side of Jordan. Instead he decided to hold more meetings and this time it wasn't a Nazarene mission but a home owned by Baptists. It was there that the Azusa Street Revival began (originally on Bonnie Brae Street) on April 9, 1906:

As though hit by a bolt of lightning, the entire company was knocked from their chairs to the floor. Seven began to speak in divers kinds of tongues and to magnify God. The shouts were so fervent–and so loud!–that a crowd gathered outside, wondering, "What meaneth This?" Soon it was noised all over the city that God was pouring out His Spirit. . . . Seymour received the experience of Acts 2:4 which he had been preaching on April 12. The home on Bonnie Brae Street could not begin to accommodate the congregation which spilled out into the street (see William Menzies, Anointed to Serve).

There could be many factors to consider that all culminated on an altar prepared for fire, but there is no escaping the fact that the spark that finally struck came through Spirit anointed, faith filled preaching. As the revival continued, they had to move to the famed Azusa Street Mission because of the crowds. It wasn't much of a building, but the crowds were not there for that. They weren't there for socializing either. Frank Bartleman, an eyewitness, noted in his book Azusa Street, "We wanted God. When we first reached the meeting we avoided as much as possible human contact and greeting. We wanted to meet God first."

It is especially interesting to note that the faith inspired preaching did not end when the outpouring began. One eyewitness commented,

As soon as it is announced that the altar is open for seekers for pardon, sanctification, the baptism in the Holy Ghost, and healing for the body, people rise and flock to the altar. There is no urging. What kind of preaching is it that brings that? The simple declaring of the Word of God. There is such power in the preaching of the Word in the Spirit that people are shaken on the benches. Coming to the altar many fall prostrate under the power of God and often come out speaking in tongues (see William Menzies, Anointed to Serve).

Preaching the full counsel of God in faith is an absolute necessity. If we want to see the power of the Spirit move in our churches, we had better begin to preach experiences we have never had ourselves as did Seymour, and also like Seymour, we need to remember who these experiences come from for Christ is the head of the Church and it is He that will baptize us with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

### Preparing for the Spirit

We cannot orchestrate God's movement. I am not advocating some kind of mood manipulation technique. We have had enough phony and fake. We do not know when and how His presence will enter a service, and we have no control over that aspect. On the other hand, we can control whether or not He would feel welcome to enter. Since the Holy Spirit is manifested as a dove in the New Testament I will use birds to illustrate what I mean.

In my father-in-law's back yard, there is tree stump that is about three feet high. Every day he sets out a pot full of water so that the birds can come and take a bath. He gets great please when he sees them come and enjoy what he has prepared for them. He has absolutely no control over when or even if they will come. He just sets out the dish and waits. Without fail, they come. I don't ever see a bird come into my yard to bathe. It just doesn't happen. I could sit at the window all day, and they would never come. The reason is quite simple: I don't set out water for them to bathe in. Why should I expect them to come?

In exactly the same way, the Holy Spirit does not come just because we say He will. He does not come at our bidding. Our job is not to cause the Holy Spirit to come. Our job is to prepare the environment for His arrival. To show this in a Biblical manner, we can look to the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. It was Elijah's job to prepare the altar. It was Elijah's job to prepare the sacrifice. It was Elijah's job to pray. It was NOT Elijah's job to send the fire. That part was reserved for God. What if Elijah didn't prepare the altar or the sacrifice? Once I heard a preacher say, "An empty altar receives no fire!" In the same way that Elijah prepared the altar and the sacrifice on Mt. Carmel, we are responsible to prepare for the presence of the Spirit.

When I was in Bible College as an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to hear an old Pentecostal preacher. I hope I never forget that sermon. Some ministers grow old and dusty because they lose their focus on the one that saved them. They continue in set patterns, ruts if you will, and the ruts get dry and stale. Others seem to have a lively relationship with God that like the widow's oil, never seems to run out. This brother was clearly one of the later. He must have been nearly ninety years old. He leaned on his cane with one hand and held the microphone with the other. When he spoke, his voice was rather bland. He did not have the modern version of enthusiasm that the younger men often demonstrated. He didn't tell any jokes or funny stories. He just stood and preached a sermon that he called, "When the Lamb is exalted, the Dove will come."

Even as I write this, tears well up in my eyes in memory of the tears that I shed then. As he preached, I realized that I was listening to a man that knew the One for whom he was preaching.

The point of the sermon was quite clear just as the title states. Doves need a perch on which to stand. They won't just perch on anything. They need a place that they feel comfortable and safe.

Not too long ago, there was a pair of doves that built a nest in the oak tree in my back yard. As a result, I learned a few interesting things about doves. They built their nest in a very low hanging branch that was just a few feet over my head. Of course, I had no idea that they were there. I just went about my business when all of the sudden the tree came alive immediately over top of me. Let me tell you, it was enough to get my heart racing. As I look back on the incidents (it happened more than once) I realize that I had approached to within about eight feet (or possibly even less) of the nest before they took flight. They were at home and were reluctant to depart.

Some time later, I was visiting my brother-in-law and had a camera and some spare time. So, I went outside and noticed a dove sitting on a power line. I wanted to get a picture of it, but right away it knew that I was approaching. As I walked toward the line, it continued to move away watching me very closely. The power line was quite tall and because of a fence I was not able to approach close enough to get a good shot. The dove seemed quite happy with that fact. Similarly in my backyard, I attempted to photograph a dove. It watched me closely and kept its distance. I got a decent shot, but only with significant magnification. Again, it took flight.

The point of all this is that when the doves were in their nest, I was able to approach far more closely than when they were not. I didn't even need to be quiet about it (in fact I think one of the times I was even mowing). They felt safe in their nest.

When we consider the Holy Spirit in terms of a dove, we must recognize that even though He is powerful, He behaves as a dove in that He reserves the right to depart and often does so with very little notice (i.e. Samson). If we can figure out a way to erect a place for the Spirit to perch, He might come more often and stay longer.

While the aged minister preached I realized the point of his message. The dove of the Spirit lighted on Jesus, the Lamb. If we will exalt the Lamb, the Dove will have a wonderful place to perch. If we chase the Dove, He will fly away. If we exalt the Lamb, He will come – and stay!

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Chapter 16: Preaching Toward Revival

Obviously we cannot preach the entire Bible verse by verse. It would take a lifetime to do so. If you stood and read seven chapters every Sunday, it would take 3½ years just to read it all the way through. There are certain portions of Scripture that rarely (if ever) make it to the pulpit and that is fine, but there are certain subjects that absolutely MUST be present if we want revival and the fullness of the Spirit in our churches. While I make no intention to list all of these here, and the Spirit will surely lead a willing vessel to preach the right things at the right times without my list, these things have proven throughout revival history (and particularly in Pentecostal revivals) to be of absolute necessity. Some of these ideas may require a new way of thinking if you are not accustomed to preaching this way, but let the Lord lead you into this avenue of declaration and power. We are not trying to photocopy past revivals, but it sure wouldn't hurt to learn something from them.

### Preach on Sin as if Those Present Are Currently Responsible

If you want the Spirit to move in your church, you absolutely must preach on sin. You must use words like adultery, fornication, liars, slanderers, ets., from your pulpit. If you are afraid to say it yourself, let God do it by starting your Sunday morning sermon with a Scripture reading from James 4:4. Read the materials of any revivalist in history and you will find this as a common denominator. The two most notable American examples (and there are many) are Edwards and Finney. If you have never read Jonathan Edwards sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, now is the time. I will just put a few examples of the graphic nature of his presentation that stirred New England in the 1730s and 40s. "There is no want of power in God to cast wicked men into hell at any moment." "They deserve to be cast into hell." In another place he said,

Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption . . .

Can you even imagine a minister saying that at some of our churches today?

Finney not only dealt with the subject of sin, but also encouraged anyone seeking revival to do so also. In Lectures on Revivals of Religion, he states, "The very design and object of the Spirit of God, is, to tear away from the sinner his last vestige of hope, while remaining in sin; to annihilate every crag and twig he may cling to. And the object of your instruction should be the same." Finney places any attitude or activity that comforts a sinner in a category of false comforts and clearly states that such false comforts are hindrances to revival. In his Lecture entitled How to Preach the Gospel, he states,

Preaching should be direct. The Gospel should be preached to men and not about them. The minister must address his hearers. . . . Many preachers seem very much afraid of making the impression that they mean anybody in particular. They are preaching against certain sins, not that have anything to do with the sinner. It is the sin, and not the sinner, that they are rebuking; and they would by no means speak as if they supposed any of their hearers were guilty of these abominable practices. Now this is anything but preaching the Gospel. Thus did not the prophets, nor Christ, nor the apostles. Nor do those ministers do this, who are successful in winning souls to Christ.

Finney is here even rebuking men that are preaching on sin. He just didn't think they directed it straight enough to get results. What about our modern methods that emphasize the love of God and the supposed emptiness that people have without Christ and yet never mentions the sinfulness of the sinner that nailed Jesus to the tree. Revival preaching must include as a common theme the sinfulness of those present. How will the Spirit "reprove the world of sin" if his spokespersons don't mention the subject?

### Preach on Hell as if Those Present Are Going to Go There

If you don't believe people really go to hell, then you won't likely have a revival in your church. Preaching on hell has filled the mouths of revivalists for centuries. You might say, "People don't like to hear about hell." Would you rather them go there?

John Wesley was emphatic that people, even Christians, be exhorted about Hell. In the following quotation, notice how he used the word "you":

Yea, fear him under this very notion, of having power to cast into hell: that is, in effect, fear, lest he should cast you into the place of torment. And this very fear, even in the children of God, is one excellent means of preserving them from it.

Charles Spurgeon also warned of the dangers of hell. The following is an excerpt from a sermon that he preached in an open air meeting on September 4, 1855:

Tonight, I shall, I hope, encourage you to seek the road to heaven. I shall also have to utter some very sharp things concerning the end of the lost in the pit of hell. Upon both these subjects I will try and speak, as God helps me. But I beseech you, as you love your souls, weigh right and wrong this night; see whether what I say be the truth of God. If it be not, reject it utterly, and cast it away; but if it is, at your peril disregard it; for as you shall answer before God, the great Judge of heaven and earth, it will go ill with you if the words of his servant and of his Scripture be despised.

Later in the same sermon he said,

But, in hell, there is no hope. They have not even the hope of dying—the hope of being annihilated. They are for ever—for ever—for ever—lost! On every chain in hell, there is written "for ever." In the fires, there, blaze out the words, "for ever." Up above their heads, they read, "for ever." Their eyes are galled, and their hearts are pained with the thought that it is "for ever." Oh! if I could tell you tonight that hell would one day be burned out, and that those who were lost might be saved, there would be a jubilee in hell at the very thought of it. But it cannot be—it is "for ever" they are "cast into outer darkness."

Why do you think the great revivalists preached on hell? Honestly, I can't remember the last time I heard a minister speak on this subject. I remember lots of sermons on things like the promises of God and the blessings of God, but what about hell. I even heard a message by a well known person negatively saying that if we preach on hell we will have "fear filled converts rather than tear filled converts." Maybe he is right, but oh what a wonderful thing a little fear of God would do for our churches. Do we believe that hell is real? Jesus did.

### Preach on the Cross and the Blood of Jesus

It may seem silly to even bring this as a reminder, but again the cross and the blood of Christ are absent themes from modern preaching. You might say, "Hey, we talk about the cross all the time." Sure we do. We mention the cross at least once every week or so in passing. I am not talking about a casual mention. I am talking about an impassioned appeal to the awakened sinful heart of the full demonstration of God's love. Talk about the stripes, the thorns, the spitting, the nails, the spear and all such expressions. Let me tell you something, people ought not to need to go to the movie theater to learn of the cross. We ought to be the bearers of the cross, and we need to bear it before the people. Learn to preach the cross and the shed blood of Jesus.

One significant observation that must be made here is that preaching the cross without preaching sin and hell is a gross misrepresentation of the Gospel. The cross is meaningless to persons that are not convicted of sin (1 Corinthians 1:18). Even the very order of the Gospel proves this point. Jesus came to earth preaching repentance and did so for several years then died on the cross, raised from the dead, and ascended. If He had wanted the preaching of the cross before the preaching of repentance, He probably would have died on the cross, rose from the dead and then did His earthly ministry in light of that. The book of Romans starts by calling out all kinds of sin and dealing with the wrath of God. Then it eventually gets to the cross, yet the cross and the blood of Christ must be preached.

There has been so much preaching on the cross in history that I will not give many examples here. Suffice it to say that the cross has been central in all of Christianity and not just in times of revival. The most obvious example to begin it all was the sermon on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached the cross (without needing the details of crucifixion because the audience had seen the crosses themselves), and the results are evident even today! He preached the cross holding the hearers personally responsible.

The blood of Christ played an active role in the mindset of the revivalists of the 1800s. This is where we get most of what we now call "Traditional Hymns." They weren't traditional then. They were cutting edge contemporary, and what were they singing about? "There is Power in the Blood." "Are you Washed in the Blood?" "What Can Wash Away My Sin? Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross." The list could go on and on. Just look through the hymnals of the church (both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal hymnals) and you will find the blood and the cross everywhere.

In 1901, Agnes Ozman testified of meditating on the blood of Christ when she received the experience of the Baptism in the Spirit in Topeka, Kansas. The blood of Christ was also a theme of preaching at the Azusa Street Mission.

### Preach on the Glory of the Lord

No other subject will instill the fear of God in men more than a full exposition of His Glory in light of their sins. Ministers that have attempted to communicate the immensity of this subject invariable lack words, but even still, the message is effective. One reason is simply that when God is magnified in His power, His power is often manifested. When I speak of His glory, I am speaking of testimonies of the power of God being displayed in Scripture and historical outpourings of God's power in the church age. Although many of the preachers may not have directly referred to "glory," the idea is basically the same even if the scale of manifestation is not. The idea is the manifest presence of God.

This is one area of preaching that needs more historical research, and thus as I proceed with this next statement I will do so with caution. It seems that the revival movement of Pentecostalism has differed slightly from revival movements prior in the emphasis on the Glory of the Lord. While many of the manifestations of the power of God have occurred in previous revivals, it seems that the manifest presence has been far more testified in the Pentecostal outpourings. Let me explain. While there have been many accounts of persons being thrown to the ground, fainting, losing strength, writhing in agony, etc., in movements prior to the twentieth century Pentecostal outpourings, it seems that these events were almost ignored as theologically significant in and of themselves. There is no secret that the church of times past discouraged any such "enthusiasm" that would result in such expressions. Finney, as a case in point, was often accused of promoting such outbursts and was careful to both clear the matter and ensure that there was no encouragement on his part when odd occurrences manifested.

Pentecostalism, however, has embraced such manifestations. Granted, there have been those that have manufactured fleshly expressions, and those that have promoted the expressions as if shaking, falling, laughing, etc. were somehow an end in and of themselves. Nevertheless, Pentecostalism in its embrace of manifestations has opened the door to a theology that includes a far greater understanding of God's intervention in the worship of man both individually and corporately. In the next chapter, I will deal with the subject of a higher level of experiential Christianity, but here I will limit my subject to preaching the glory of God.

Preaching on the glory of God and/or the manifest presence of God would be to preach as I have stated earlier on the theophany passages of both the Old and New Testaments. I don't like to simply preach about these experiential passages as if they are past, but as if they are present. This is what I mean. Do you believe that it is possible for a member of your congregation to have a personal experience with God such as a vision (like Isaiah or Peter), a prophetic dream (like Daniel or Paul), see an angel (like countless Old and New Testament saints), or even have a visit of revelation from Jesus Himself (as did Stephen, Paul, or John, etc.) I believe it is possible.

My grandfather saw an angel that spoke to him. It happened in May of 1896. One of two things is true, either he saw an angel, or this man of God was an outright liar. The experience changed his whole understanding of Christianity and was directly responsible for his receiving of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and his subsequent dismissal from his pastorate at the local Baptist church for preaching it.

Once when I preached on Isaiah 6, I made an altar call like this, "If you want to see God, come to the altar." I am not sure what I was expecting to happen, but there was a lady that came forward with many others. After the service, she was just radiant as she told everyone that would listen, "I saw God!" Now, I don't know what she saw that evening. After preaching a sermon like that and making a call to the altar like that, how can I say she didn't have a vision? Why would I even try to discourage her?

We all know that there are phonies and fakes. They are a dime a dozen, but in and of itself, phonies and fakes prove the real. There are no counterfeit three dollar bills because there are no real ones. Counterfeit is always a copy of the real. The devil loves to counterfeit the works of God. Even the magicians of Pharaoh attempted to repeat the miracles of God. They were even successful for a time, but they never even thought to produce an original miracle, oh I don't know, like a cure for the frog problem. All of their counterfeits were based on the original. Thus we should expect fakes and phones, but the phonies and fakes validate the real. We must be able to discern between spirits and also test them, but are we willing to throw out the real when the fake presents itself?

Beyond believing in a personal experience of God's presence that is intangible to the others present, do you believe that God can manifest his presence in tangible ways in your church? Tommy Tenney records in his book, The God Chasers, that he was eyewitness to an astounding tangible demonstration of God's power. After the pastor of the church had exhorted the people to seek the face of God, Tenney states,

In that instant, I heard what sounded like a thunder clap echo through the building, and the pastor was literally picked up and thrown backward about ten feet, effectively separating him from the pulpit. When he went backward, the pulpit fell forward. The beautiful flower arrangement positioned in front of it fell to the ground, but by the time the pulpit hit the ground, it was already in two pieces. It had split into two pieces almost as if lightning had hit it! At that instant the tangible terror of the presence of God filled the room.

I have heard many stories that tell of tangible manifestations like this one. There have been buildings that looked like they were on fire to the point that when the fire trucks arrived, the preacher had to explain to the fire fighters that the visible fire was spiritual rather than physical and that the building would not be harmed (I have heard of this in more than one occasion from more than one source speaking of more than one occurrence). There have been sounds like rushing winds that have drowned out the sounds of large congregations but somehow escaped the detection of modern recording equipment.

Some years ago I heard a missionary tell this story. There were four young boys that got saved in a Muslim country. They learned the story of Joshua and decided to march around the local mosque seven times expecting the walls to fall at their shout. They were very disappointed when the didn't see anything happen. Yet later they learned that at the moment of their shout there was a meeting of important men (a dozen or so if I remember the story correctly) taking place in the mosque. At the same time the boys shouted, Jesus appeared to the men inside revealing Himself to them personally. They were all saved as a result. The boys wanted literal walls to fall, but they got spiritual walls instead.

If I were to include historical reports, we could make a lengthy book of these occurrences. The ones that I have listed here are ones that are contemporary. Why do these things not happen in our churches? Charles Spurgeon was once approached by a young man that desired to be a preacher who was troubled over the fact that there were no conversions at his meetings. The elder Spurgeon asked, "Do you expect that there will be conversions at every one of your meetings?" The young man answer, "Well, I suppose not." Spurgeon answer, "That then is your problem." Could it be that this is our problem also?

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Chapter 17: A Higher Level of Christian Experience

In this chapter, I am going to share something that I find truly exciting. Dare to believe if you will. Let God stretch our faith to grab hold of Him and make this hymn by Johnson Oatman, Jr. our prayer.

I'm pressing on the upward way;

New heights I'm gaining ev'ry day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Tho' some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,

Tho' Satan's darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I'll pray till heav'n I've found,

"Lord, lead me on to higher ground."

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,

By faith on heaven's table land,

A higher plane than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

### One Night at Bible Study

I had been teaching a series on a higher level of experience, but it did not seem like the people present at the Bible study were buying in to the subject. They were not resistant. They just received the teaching in a polite melancholy manner. I realized that the fault was not with them but with me. What I was trying to communicate was not being communicated effectively. Then I had an idea.

The next study, I brought with me a picture that I had taken of a waterfall. I let them look at the picture and gave them a chance to tell what they thought before I said much about it. Their discussion was brief. I then asked them if anyone had ever seen this particular falls. None had.

I then told them that they had experienced this waterfall in a completely different way than I had. I had taken the picture. I knew that I had to hike a ways to get a good shot, and that the shot was taken from a bridge. The air was cold, as the picture was taken in December. I remember the thunder of the water as it crashed the rocks below. They had experienced the waterfall by looking at a silent, motionless, 4x6 image while sitting in a comfortable chair. I had seen, heard, and felt the real thing.

Here is the difference as it relates to our level of experience in the faith. Many of us are comfortable experiencing God vicariously. In other words, we experience God through the experiences of other people. We hear stories of missionaries, pastors, or even our parents, but this is not enough. We need to experience God personally. We need to move out of the role of the spectator and into the open arena of experience with the Almighty.

### Normal Christianity

I once had a very interesting conversation with a corrections officer that had served in the Florida State Prison. As he was talking, he said, "Once in a while we had to catch one of them."

This statement stood out to me because I thought they were already caught. I asked, "What do you mean?"

He said, "Well, every now and then, the sentence runs out on one of them and we have to go in the cell and catch them. They don't want to leave. They are afraid of being on the outside. When we go into the cell, they try to bite and stab us, so we have to catch them to let them go. We can't keep them any longer because their sentence is up."

After that conversation, it hit me. Long-term inmates have a life that is basically the same from day to day. They become accustomed to the routines of prison life to the point that for them it is normal. It is normal for them to be locked in a cell 23 hours a day. It is normal for them to be fed through a hole in the door. It is normal for them to pass day after day and hour after hour in virtual non-activity. It is normal for them to be told what to do and when to do it, but for me, this is absolutely not normal. I realized that there must be two completely different normals in the world. There is the normal for the long-term prison inmate and the normal for us outsiders.

It made me do some thinking that I will present to you in terms of a question. What if the Christianity that you know is a normal like the normal of the prison inmate? What if the Christianity that is normal to you, that you have known and experienced, is in reality far subnormal?

Just examine your own Christianity for a moment. Does it look like the book of Acts? Are people miraculously healed everywhere you go? Are people set free from devils at your words? Are people coming to the Lord all around you? Hopefully, you are beginning to see that our norm really isn't at all normal. It has become the norm for us, but there is clearly something more.

Some scholars would emphatically state that all of the miraculous activity in the Book of Acts was to establish the Church, and it is not available now. These men and women have redefined what normal Christianity is supposed to be. Their version of Christianity certainly does not compare favorable with the Early Church, but more than that, it does not compare favorable with many examples in our recent history.

### Modern Examples

In the last few centuries (not the Early Church) there have been numerous people who have challenged the "norms" of accepted Christian experience. They have been willing to press on and press in through simple faith in the One who has power over all. These individuals have left a lasting legacy for us to observe. I will briefly mention two.

George Müller has become famous for his establishment and management of a large orphanage. The uniqueness of his method is that he did it without ever asking for money. The only one he ever told about his financial needs was his Heavenly Father. Miracle after miracle of God's provision has been documented by various biographers and by Müller himself.

A notable example from Müller's life came when one morning there was no food and no money in the orphanage. He told the little girl that he was tending to watch what God would do. He then went into the dining hall where hundreds of children were waiting for breakfast. Then he prayed and thanked God for what He was going to give to eat. As soon as the prayer was over, a baker knocked on the door and said that the Lord sent him to bring bread. Almost immediately, a second knock brought in the milkman with fresh milk. You can read the entire story in Roger Steer's book, George Müller: Delighted in God. These kinds of happenings were "normal" for George Müller. How does his normal compare with ours?

Have you ever read of Smith Wigglesworth? Wigglesworth was one of the early Pentecostals of the 1900s. He had a simple, and yet profound faith in God to do the impossible. He once visited a boy that was grievously sick. Two doctors had examined the boy before Wigglesworth arrived and had come to the conclusion that the boy had a brain problem, but Wigglesworth boldly announced that the Lord had revealed that the problem was in the boy's stomach. The mother tried to argue in favor of the doctors, but relented. So, Wigglesworth prayed over the boy. He put his hands on the boy's stomach and prayed. The boy became very sick and vomited out a 13-inch worm. After that, he was totally well (see Smith Wigglesworth on Faith).

My goal here is not to make a long list of examples. My goal is to ask these questions: What if George Müller and Smith Wigglesworth were not extraordinary at all? What if they were simply normal? If so, then what does that say about our normal? Is our normal so far below the real normal that we are living a Christianity that is a gross misrepresentation of the real thing?

### Back to the Picture

Do you remember the picture of the falls that I spoke about earlier? I thoroughly enjoy reading biographies of exemplary Christians of the past. I enjoy reading about revivals and great moves of God. But, I will have to stop and be honest with you. I am tired of reading about it. I am tired of hearing the stories. I have experienced these things the way my Bible study participants experienced the falls. I don't want to experience God vicariously. I want to be there. I want to hear the wind and feel the fire. It isn't enough for me to hear about it from somewhere yonder! I want to experience God and His power in the here and now. I want the same for you also. I want God to so elevate your normal that when you look back on your spiritual life you will see nothing but a dungeon that you used to call home.

Daniel Webster Whittle in his famous hymn, There Shall Be Showers of Blessing, wrote,

Showers of blessing

Showers of blessing we need:

Mercy drops round us are falling,

But for the showers we plead.

We must not murmur about the present, but there isn't anything wrong with pleading with God for more of His presence and power. I think Whittle captures it well. We see that there are "mercy drops," but we must know that we need showers. We must be thirsty for showers. We cannot afford to live through spiritual drought and make a show of a drop here and there proclaiming that this is it. We must press on and press in.

A preacher once said something that stuck in my memory, and I'd like to pass it along to you. He said, "If not you, then who? If not now, then when?" God will find someone that is willing to believe. He will find someone who is willing to enter into His presence. He will find someone that is willing to step out by faith and believe for the impossible. "If not you, then who?"

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Chapter 18: How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Every believer should want to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. If you have not as yet received this mighty baptism or if you desire to minister the Baptism in the Spirit to others, this chapter may prove practical. Here we will not only discuss the simple process but also potential obstacles that may arise.

### Received by Faith

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit must be received by faith in exactly the same way that salvation is received. In order to be saved, a person must believe the Word of God and accept salvation by faith. Receiving the Baptism in the Spirit is the same. You must receive this gift by faith that is based on the Word of God.

It is important to remember that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not reserved for mature Christians that have a full understanding of what is going on. God has never needed people to have a full understanding. All He needs is a person with faith. It is for this reason that I strongly suggest that new believers be led to seek and receive the Spirit. Don't wait till they have time to mature.

In order to receive the Baptism in the Spirit, the seeker must simply ask God for the Baptism in the Spirit and believe that they have what they have asked. The Spirit is received by faith and not by feelings. Don't wait for a particular feeling or anything like that. Just take God at His word and believe that you have received.

### Biblical Methods and Setting

Concerning the method and setting of reception of the Spirit, the Bible does not give any noticeable pattern. We will briefly observe the five occurrences again to prove the point and take careful notice of the variation.

In Acts 2, the Apostles and others present received the Spirit without anyone laying hands on them or preaching a sermon. In Acts 8, the Samaritans received the Spirit when Peter and John laid hands on them. Both of these occurrences were in large group settings. Paul, however, received the Spirit in a private home with the laying on of hands. Cornelius and his household received the Spirit without the laying on of hands before being baptized, and the disciples at Ephesus received the Spirit in a small group after being baptized with the laying on of Paul's hands.

From these observations, we can see that there is no set approach. You can be in a group or alone in a house. You can have hands laid on you or not at all. You can receive after preaching or without preaching. You can receive before being baptized in water or after being baptized in water. This leaves the door wide open to permit any setting or circumstance.

I have known of people who have received the Spirit in their bedrooms, at a church altar, in a living room, at a baptism service, etc. My wife and I even had the opportunity to lead a lady into the Baptism in the Spirit in a public library conference room. I heard of an old man who locked himself inside his barn. He told his wife not to let him out till he received the Baptism in the Spirit. It wasn't long after the door shut that she heard him shouting in tongues from inside. God proved at the birth of Christ that a proper setting is not required for miraculous divine intervention to happen.

### Leading to Receive

My experience shows that most people who are seeking the Baptism in the Spirit will need some words of direction. The best advice to give is to lead them into worship. Without any question, a person will be more likely to receive the Spirit in an atmosphere of worship. Tell them to lift their hands and begin to praise Jesus. Remember that when the Lamb is exalted, the Dove will come. God inhabits praise. Give Him something to inhabit.

Encourage seekers to be bold in faith enough to speak out strange syllables that come into their minds. I remember when I was seeking the Baptism in the Spirit. I was in my teens at the time. It was a small country church, and the altar time was uninhibited. There was a young man that prayed with me for what seemed like forever. He said that he believed I was already filled with the Spirit, but I was not sure. I kept hearing syllables in my head, but I thought I was making them up. I was afraid to speak out those strange words. Finally, after much deliberation, I spoke out the words. For me, it took courage to do so.

### Common Obstacles

Often, when a person asks to receive the Spirit, nothing seems to happen. They pray for a time and then become discouraged. Some even interpret their personal struggle theologically and decide against believing in the Baptism in the Spirit entirely. This is sad, and it probably can be avoided with a little understanding.

When someone (or even yourself) seems to be having difficulty receiving the Spirit with tongues as evidence, it is time to stop and ask some questions. I knew a lady who desired to receive the Spirit, but never was able to do so. Finally, she confessed to me that she had never been baptized in water. She decided to get baptized. Immediately after getting out of the water, she knelt at the altar and received the Baptism in the Spirit.

The account of Cornelius makes it clear that water baptism is not necessary for the Spirit to be bestowed, so why did this lady struggle? Her problem was not lack of baptism. Her problem was lack of willingness to be baptized in water. Jesus clearly commanded water baptism. To resist this command is disobedience. She was living in disobedience because she had neglected to obey this simple command to go down into the water. As a result, the Spirit was not bestowed. No amount of praying will counter a disobedient heart.

As we continue here, we will provide a few questions that you may ask if there seems to be an obstacle to receiving the Spirit. In some cases, you may need to discontinue the altar service and schedule a counseling session. There is an answer, but you may have to sweep the house to find it.

### Is the Person Really Saved?

Years ago, when a person professed to be a Christian, that was good enough for me. Over the years, however, I have learned that this is not enough. As an example, I recently spoke to a man that said, "I am a Christian." He told me that he was a Methodist and that he had been baptized in a Charismatic church where a nationally known minister presided. His profanity, however, encouraged me to dig deeper. I proceeded to present the Gospel to him as I would to a person who knew nothing about God. When I got to Romans 10:9-10, I asked him if he believed that Jesus raised from the dead.

"No! I don't believe that!"

I was a little shocked to hear that answer from a baptized "Christian." You might be surprised to find out what the people in your church really believe. Learn to ask them. In so doing, you will help them fulfill 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves."

Needless to say, this man was not saved, yet I would not be completely surprised to see him at an altar hoping to speak in tongues. Someone needs to have the fortitude to confront the unsaved at the altar and demonstrate to them the fact of their lostness. This is a guaranteed obstacle to receiving the Spirit. The Holy Ghost will not enter a vessel that Christ has not cleansed.

### Is the Person a Backslider?

You simply do not know where people are spiritually until you ask them, and unfortunately, many will be either deceived or dishonest about the real condition of their heart. Ask them if they are involved in any sin currently. This will be an immediate indicator of their spiritual condition. Don't be afraid to stand on the Word of God and tell them as it really is.

My wife and I were visiting houses door to door when we knocked on a door where nobody was home. We put a tract in the door and went to the next house. A few days later we got a call from the lady that lived there, so we went to visit with her. She was a "Christian."

We let her talk long enough to realize that she was living with her boyfriend in fornication. We asked her the evangelism questions that we normally ask, and she had the correct answers. She said that she knew 100% that she would go to Heaven if she died. She told us that she believed in Jesus and His death and resurrection. This is when we say, "Hallelujah!" and go to the next door, right? No! This lady was not on her way to Heaven at all.

I read to her 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." She said that she did not understand, so I explained it clearly to her.

I told her directly that by living with her boyfriend in sexual relations, she was called a fornicator in the Bible. Fornicators do not "inherit the kingdom of God" (and I showed her the words in the Bible). I then told her that her life path was not leading to Heaven and called her to repent by leaving the relationship immediately. I also told her that there was no use praying until she was willing to leave. Prayer nor grace covers current sin (Romans 3:25).

Assuming that this lady had a genuine experience with God at some time in the past, she was clearly a backslider when we met her. You will find the same at the altar. If you don't expose the lies of the devil in the lives of the people around you, who do you think will?

### Is the Person Holding Unforgiveness?

Unforgiveness is a major spiritual problem. If it is not confronted and dealt with properly, it will be the end of a person's faith entirely. It will absolutely destroy any hopes of a miraculous healing and often cause serious diseases like arthritis. To put it briefly, unforgiveness will cut off all spiritual resources to the person holding it. If all else seems well, ask the seeker if they have anyone they have not forgiven.

### Does the Person Have Unconfessed Sin?

The Holy Spirit wants a holy vessel to enter. Even if the sin was in the distant past, it needs to be emptied out at the altar. It is for this reason that after a "sinners prayer," I sometimes tell a person, "If you have any specific sins you would like to confess, now is the time."

Please do not be afraid to allow God to make a person completely miserable. If they do not face their sins now, they will face them later. Matthew Henry, speaking on 1 Timothy 4:2, comments,

He [the minister] must tell people of their faults: "Reprove them, rebuke them." Convince wicked people of the evil and danger of their wicked courses. Endeavour, by dealing plainly with them, to bring them to repentance. Rebuke them with gravity and authority, in Christ's name, that they may take thy displeasure against them as an indication of God's displeasure.

### Does the Person Have Doubts?

I am not referring to doubts in general but rather specific doubts related to either the validity of speaking in tongues or the possibility of personal reception.

When a person has misgivings about tongues, they will probably not receive. They will have significant trouble receiving if they are still trying to logically reason out the question, "Is this real?" This may be a very real problem for some true believers because of their background and experiences. As an example, many people are taught against tongues. Their trusted ministers have proclaimed that tongues is not for today. Helping them overcome this may be a matter of patience and Bible study.

Others may not have doubts about the validity of tongues but simply doubt whether or not God will give this gift to them personally. Modern description would call this an inferiority complex, but in reality, it is an outright denial and an affront to God's Word. They "feel" like they are the one exception that is unworthy of the gifts of God. God's Word is clear. The gift of the Holy Spirit is for everyone. "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). They have placed their feelings above their faith in the Word of God. Lead them to repent for this before moving on.

### Does the Person Have Misunderstanding?

While it is not necessary for a person to have a complete understanding of what is going on, it is necessary to clear up confusion if any exists. "For God is not the author of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33). Find the confusion and eliminate it.

I have found that people can become confused about nearly anything. It is not a wonder. If God is not the author of confusion, then that only leaves two sources: men and the devil. Both of these sources will try to interfere with crucial moments at the altar.

Some people may think that they must fall down or shout really loudly. I am not against either of these manifestations, but falling down is not the Baptism in the Spirit and neither is shouting. Others may think that they will need to be passive so that God can forcedly move their tongues.

Others may try to "clear their minds" like the Eastern religions teach. This is not only confusion, but it is dangerous. If you think that this is happening, stop it immediately. You may not need to be forceful with the person, but there is a spirit behind it that you will need to confront. Lead them to repent immediately and renounce that practice and the spirit behind it.

There can be any number of inhibitions that must be overcome before the reception of the Baptism in the Spirit. This was not meant to be an exhaustive list but only a starting point for the wise minister or hungry seeker to use in an effort to clear the way for unspeakable blessing.

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Conclusion

It is my sincere hope that you have been both challenged and encouraged by this book. As I have already said, however, it is not enough to simply read these words and even agree. We must experience the power of the Holy Spirit personally. Oh, how desperately our world needs men and women who are filled with the power of God and hungry for the outpouring of His Spirit again.

If you are still seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, do not give up. If you are a minister, preach this glorious truth with unwavering determination to see everyone you teach filled with power and gifted for service.

May the Lord see fit in His infinite wisdom to grant unto us revival in these last days.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen;

Hallelujah! Thine thee glory, revive us again.

–William Patton Mackay

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Thank you for reading this book. I hope it has been helpful.

If you have enjoyed it, please write a review at your favorite retailer.

You may contact this author at bp@speaktometoday.com

Also visit the author's website at SpeakToMeToday.com
