Post 69-Pentecost—If Not, Why Not?

                                                                

            I’ve had this subject on my mind for many months. For long-time readers of the blog, some of you may have gotten the indication that I felt this was a subject that begged dealing with; however, I, at best, skirted it, never facing Pentecost head on. But not only is the entire Book of Acts devoted to this subject and the results—basically the start of evangelism of the then known world—but several chapters in John (Jn 14, 15, 16) and Luke (Lk 11:13) forecast its need and coming by none other than Jesus Himself. Pentecost.

            It started more than 115 years ago, back in 1905 with a one eyed, 34 year old son of freed slaves; although it really began almost 2000 years before that. But I’ll get to that in a bit. William J. Seymour was a student of a little known Pentecostal preacher, Charles Parham. The “It” was the Azusa Street Revival. While this turned out to be the well-known start of Pentecost in America (and in time the world) and several early Pentecostal denominations, read the strongly negative report of what one respected newspaper wrote of this Biblical event at the time,

Meetings are held in a tumble-down shack on Azusa Street, and the devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work themselves into a state of mad excitement in their peculiar zeal. African Americans and a sprinkling of whites compose the congregation, and night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers, who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve racking attitude of prayer and supplication. They claim to have the "gift of tongues" and be able to understand the babel.  Los Angeles Times

            However, prior to the above, Charles Parham, on New Year’s Day 1901, at the request of Agnes N. Ozman asked that hands might be laid upon her and prayer asked for her to receive the Holy Spirit. She did and she spoke in a language unknown to her, as the Spirit gave her utterance. Parham started Topeka Bible School (Kansas) in 1900. His student body was small and they lived by faith, having only the Bible as their text book.

http://www1.cbn.com/churchandministry/the-roots-of-azusa-pentecost-in-topeka  (I often wonder if some Bible colleges and schools should go back to this method today.)

            As Parham and his students searched the scriptures, when they came to Acts 2 they were stymied. What were they to do with the truth as God laid it out for them? (Apparently, they missed Jesus’ great commission in Mark 16:15-18 ,

¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” NKJV)

 

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³ And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴ 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 KJV

            I like how Gordon Robertson puts it for CBN in his piece entitled “The Roots of Azusa: Pentecost in Topeka”.

They all came back with the same answer - when the baptism in the Holy Spirit came to the early disciples, the indisputable proof on each occasion was that they spoke with other tongues.

            Now, fast forward to 1977 after my first marriage disintegrated, due to among other things, my drunkenness. My next door neighbor asked me to go to his church. At first I resisted. I knew he went to church at least three times a week and raised his hands in the services. I grew up in the staid Episcopal denomination, but I was never challenged to ask Christ into my heart and become born again; nor did I ever see anyone raise their hands in praise or thanksgiving to God.. But after about a month, I said yes and went with him on a sunny, fall, Sunday morning. (I have never stopped going to church since.). He also just happened to be the assistant pastor at the First Assembly of God Church in Alexandria, VA.

            During that first Sunday morning, at some point late in the service, I heard someone speaking in a language I didn’t understand. Afterward, I asked my neighbor if that was “speaking in tongues.”

            “Yes,” he said. I just accepted that and did not question him further. And unlike the Los Angeles Times reporter above, nor did it disturb me or cause me to think I had gone to some strange church. Somewhere in my life prior to that time (I was around 30 years old), I had heard of Pentecost but never experienced it.

            A couple of weeks after that, I went forward at the end of a service during an altar call and asked Jesus into my heart and was born again. (John 3:3) After that, I was like a dry sponge. Having attended church my entire young life, until 18 when I went into the U. S. Coast Guard and in time turned from church (not God because I didn’t know Him personally), spiritually I was a dry sponge. I was devoid of true Biblical teaching, so when I heard the Word preached and as I read my bible, it was like life giving water to me and I soaked it up like a dry sponge. (see John 4:6-29)

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13, 14 NKJV

            But I had not yet received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Since the Assemblies of God denomination is the premiere Pentecostal denomination in the world, items 7 and 8 of its Statements of Fundamental Truths are,

⁷ Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate and subsequent experience following conversion. Spirit baptism brings empowerment to live an overcoming Christian life and to be an effective witness.

⁸ Speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

            My church had a weekly prayer meeting,--on Friday evenings if I remember correctly. The number of people in attendance varied from a few to more than a couple of dozen. Prayers were offered for needs in the congregation, individual needs including healing, and for the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. For a number of weeks I sought the in-filling. And then one Friday evening, in late fall as fellow prayers laid hands on me and prayed for me, God baptized with His Holy Spirit and I began to speak with tongues; tongues unknown to me. Bells didn’t ring. Whistles didn’t blow. Angels didn’t sing. The earth didn’t shake. I didn’t fall over into a trance-like state (although there have been instances of these things with some people through the years). I just began to speak in a language I didn’t (and still don’t) know.

            And now I, even after 40 plus years, can say as Paul did when he wrote, “⁵ I wish that you all spoke in tongues.... (and) ¹⁸ I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all....” (1 Corinthians 14:5, 18 NASB)

            This baptism was Biblical, and if the disciples, the early Christians, and Paul received it, I wanted it. Why? Please either read or reread the Book of Acts, the entire book. Ask God to make this real to you. We read in this book how God used ordinary men, baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world.

¹² Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ¹³ Now when they (the religious leaders-my comment) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:12-12 KJV

            You know, I can relate to Peter and John. They were rough-around-the-edges men; men who made their living on/from the water; men with grossly evident human weaknesses; ignorant and unlearned men. But Peter and John, and me, like Paul in Acts 27, when he was on a ship in a terrible storm that would cause the ship to sink, said to the crew,

                ²⁵ Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Acts 27:25 KJV

            While I have been writing about an effect of Pentecost, we should not forget the why of Pentecost. Acts 1:4-8, especially 8, NKJV

⁴ Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ⁶ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; ⁸ but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem (bold is mine), and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

God gives us Pentecost so we will have power to witness to a lost and dying world. So pastors, preachers and teachers will have power to preach or teach His Word from the pulpit or in the classroom.  That the regular Joes and Janes of Christianity, the “nobodies” that the world disregards or thinks of in a lower status or demeaning state, can witness with power to those same people. Paul said it best when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NASB,

⁴ and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power (bold mine), ⁵ so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

            Let me close with this for the nay-sayers or the Cessationists –(Cessationism is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the apostolic age), or the whomevers who still do not believe in Pentecost or think it is not for today. Pentecost is really the Third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit. No doubt many of you are saved, have been saved for many years. No doubt many of you love God and want to serve Him and honor Him. No doubt many of you live godly lives in Christ Jesus. No doubt many of you believe that Jesus died on the cross for humanities’ sins and was resurrected three days later and now sits at the right hand of the Father. No doubt many of you are looking forward to that day when you die and He welcomes you into heaven. These are all Godly and Biblical. These things are all Scriptural. But if you have faith and believe in all these things and have taken part in some of them already, why do you discount the truth and need of Pentecost? There is no difference. It, too, is for you now.