Dr Paul Allen

When Timothy was thrust into a difficult task, Paul prayed and laid hands upon him with other elders, and God blessed Timothy for the work, a normal procedure. A similar situation is found in Acts 13:1–3.  The church at Antioch laid hands on Paul and Silas to “separate” them for the work to which God had already called them. No “gifting” was attempted, but the laying on of hands was more than a ritual—it identified a need for strength from God.  One can hardly suppose anybody would choose one “gift” of the nine for a young fellow left alone in a pagan world with a small company of believers, as if it were a going-away present. I cannot imagine which one Paul and the elders would choose for the big task that lay ahead of Timothy, but a general pastoral gifting—yes. Another scripture quoted for “gifting” is the passage in 2 Kings 2, where Elisha asked Elijah to give him a double portion of his spirit. Elijah said it was a hard thing but promised it would be so if Elisha saw Eli...

The gifts operate by faith in God, not faith in a specific theory. They are not channelled through any doctrine except that of redemption. The Holy Spirit only glorifies the crucified Christ. Testimonies that this or that formula has brought success are always to be found, but they do not prove what they are supposed to prove. God’s mercies are “broader than the measures of our mind.”1  There is only one secret—faith. “This is the victory … our faith” (1 John 5:4). New techniques and highly publicised methods may seem to bring results, but they do not. God separates the techniques from the faith and responds only to faith. In the New Testament, whenever healings and miracles are attributed to anything at all, it is invariably to faith. Otherwise it is the sovereign action of God. “Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace,” Jesus said to the woman with a hemorrhage (Luke 8:48, KJV).  Her “method” could not have been more simple and childlike. Those seeking healing can be he...

From the outset, the church looked doomed, stillborn. To bring His message to the nations, Jesus had only a few ordinary men from Galilee. None of them showed any brilliance or personal qualities that would make for success, and they displayed a generous share of human failings.  They were as unqualified as world conquerors as men ever could be. The Jewish leaders wrote them off as ignorant and unlearned. Their message should have appealed to nobody.  It had no element of intellectual wisdom, political promise, or immediate social benefit. Its worst disqualification for popular acceptance was that it was centred on a leader from a seedy Galilean backwater who had been executed as a common criminal. Mission impossible? Against all expectations, it became “mission accomplished.” How? These nobodies advanced with a new secret. God personally worked with them with signs and wonders.  More than that, He barbed their simple words with conviction and guided them to the hearts o...

People under the old covenant knew nothing of speaking with tongues, casting out demons, and healing by the laying on of hands (Mark 16:17–18). These signs were reserved for the age of the Spirit. A new kingdom, a new covenant, new features, and a new gospel for spirit and body describe the Christian age.  Jesus used a new word for the Holy Spirit, parakletos, used five times in John’s Gospel. It is translated “Comforter” (KJV) and “Helper.” It belongs to the Greek word parakaleo, which means to call for somebody, to enlist their sympathy. Think about the promise of “another Helper.” To understand, we need only emphasise the word another. Jesus had been the parakletos to His disciples and had said to them, “I will not leave you orphans” (John 14:18). Jesus regularly used only one word for God—Father. For those who are in Christ Jesus, that one word also describes their relationship to almighty God.  So when Jesus gave His last assurances to His disciples, He told them to “wai...

Now, if the power of the kingdom is the Holy Spirit, then kingdom power was given to the church on the Day of Pentecost. It is more than power and authority. In a saying of key importance, Christ announced to His followers, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Believers inherit the kingdom “lock, stock, and barrel.” The kingdom power, which rested on Christ Jesus, was there to work signs and wonders. The same Spirit is given to those within the kingdom of God for the same kingdom purposes.  As John the Baptist revealed, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptises with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). The Spirit, who endowed Jesus, now endows His people with the same power. There is a difference between Christ and His followers, and it is rather noticeable! The difference is first Himself—who He is. Those who say, “The words of Christ on our lips are the same as those on Christ’s lips,” must remember this:...

My assurance to all readers and learners is that miracles are normal for the kingdom. Christ sent His disciples out and said, “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you … heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:8–9). Until the time of Christ, miracles were rare, being special historic visitations of God, and were divinely initiated by His sovereign will. There were no gifts of healing for the blind, crippled, or deaf. Outstanding people such as David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Esther never once witnessed a physical wonder, and some never witnessed anything they could call supernatural.  Ezra never saw a vision or heard a call or a voice. He was not a prophet, nor did he feel the moving of the Spirit. He could only trust the Word alone.  Generally, the few signs and wonders that were seen were demonstrations to teach rulers, such as the despotic lords of Egypt, Babylon, and Israel. These wonders were designed to humble t...

God never anointed anybody twice. David was anointed of the Lord through Samuel; later Israel’s elders did anoint him a second time, but that was confirming their acceptance of his kingly authority. The anointing through Samuel was a divine anointing. Jesus was anointed by God. Afterwards, a woman poured ointment on Him, which He said was for His burial. Normally priests and kings had only one anointing, and that was at the beginning of their career. Some sing “Oh, for a new anointing” and pray for “another Pentecost,” but the whole concept of another and new anointing, as if the original anointing had faded away, is strange to New Testament thought of the eternal Spirit. The anointing is self-renewing—it renews us, not we it. He is the Spirit of newness.  First John 2:27 says, “The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you.” Exodus 40:15 says, “You shall anoint them … that they may minister to Me.” Second Samuel 1:21 speaks of the “shield of the mighty” being anoint...

  It is absolutely necessary to understand that the Holy Spirit is He, not “it.” The Spirit is not an impersonal force, a sort of spiritual electricity. The anointing of God is not just power or gifts but the Holy Spirit Himself. When people first stepped into modern history, speaking with tongues, they were called “the tongues people.” 2 In fact, the memory of those people is still among us, and they carried an impressive godliness whose motive was service, not sensation; the Giver, not the gifts.  They longed to know Jesus better and to be more Christlike, not simply to have power for its own sake. Their daily desire was to “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who … made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant … and became obedient” (Phil. 2:5–8). Many laid down their lives for God. When Jesus healed the sick, it was not just sheer voltage power He wielded, but it was also the power of His conquering love. He healed the sick by His str...

We should particularly remember that anointing is likened to perfume. Psalm 45:8 is often quoted to refer to Christ: “All your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia.” Cassia came from the distant Far East. Israel probably obtained it in the wilderness from passing traders. It provided a distinctive fragrance associated only with the dwelling place of God and its priests—it evoked thoughts of God. Scripture calls Jesus “the anointed One”: “Peter answered and said ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:16). Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One. He is as exclusively anointed as He was exclusively the Son of God. Christ is from the Greek word christos , which has the same meaning as the Hebrew word for Messiah . Everything denoted by the anointing of the tabernacle, priests, and kings is fulfilled in Jesus. Christ is our Priest-King. “Your robes are fragrant …” (Ps. 45:8, NIV ). He carried the purity and odour of heaven, that evocative and subtle beauty...

HOLY SPIRIT ANOINTING is fully scriptural. In the Old Testament, all who served God had to be anointed. This is replaced in the New Testament by the Holy Spirit for all believers. The first thing to learn is that “anointing” is just one of the synonyms of the baptism in the Spirit; there are others. For years we have sung Psalm 23, “My head Thou dost with oil anoint,” which actually refers to the practice of oiling the head of sheep for their protection; but the anointing of the Spirit, or the baptism with the Spirit, is more than merely a protective health measure.1 Let us see what we can learn in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36–50). Jesus is making a complaint using language similar to that of Psalm 23. He is saying to His host, “You did not anoint My head with oil.” He was comparing Simon and an unknown woman. She had poured perfumed oil upon His feet and had continued kissing them, but Simon had done nothing. It was the social welcome for guests to anoint them with frag...

Essentially, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a doorway leading from a natural realm into a supernatural realm of life and experience. The average Christian, although truly professing Christ, operates largely on his own power, making his own decisions, living by his own strength, and controlling his own life.  But through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Christian steps out of this natural realm into a realm where he can begin to experience the supernatural gifts and powers of God’s Holy Spirit. The initial evidence of entering this supernatural realm is the ability to speak in other tongues. (See Part II for a discussion of tongues.) But that is just the beginning. If all that happened to the 120 people at Pentecost had been that they began to speak in tongues, their experience would soon have been forgotten.  The same is true today. If all that happens to one receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit is that he speaks in tongues, then he is not forging ahead in faith into...