Dr Paul Allen

  WHAT IS THE PENTECOSTAL DISTINCTIVE? ACC REMIT 2025 A. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is a transformative experience, distinct from and subsequent to salvation.  It is available to all believers and accompanied by the   initial evidence of speaking in tongues .  It results in empowerment for effective witness to the world. B. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is a transformative experience, distinct from and subsequent to salvation.  It is available to all believers and accompanied by the sign of speaking in tongues as the  Spirit gives utterance.  It results in empowerment for effective witness to the world .   WHAT IS THE CHANGE? The change: from "initial evidence of speaking in tongues' to the "sign of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance." WHERE DOES 'AS THE SPIRIT GIVES UTTERANCE' APPEAR? On the day of Pentecost, the people were overwhelmed and dominated by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5)...

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is after conversion. Why must this be? The baptism in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues. How can this occur?  The doctrine of the conditions for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the sustained Pentecostal effort to answer both these questions: to explain why spiritual baptism cannot usually accompany initial faith,  detailing the conditions that believers usually fail to meet at that time, and to announce how spiritual baptism can be brought to the crisis event where tongues will occur, detailing the conditions that, when fulfilled, will lead to the experience.  The doctrine of conditions, then, is actually a corollary of the doctrine of subsequence and a premise for the doctrine of evidence, and as such, occupies a cornerstone position in the edifice of the distinctive Pentecostal doctrine. Under the doctrine of conditions, it is regularly suggested that certain fundamental steps must be taken for the believer to be a suit...

  Tongues: Denominational Perspectives and Current Practices Christian denominations and movements have varying beliefs regarding tongues as initial evidence vs. tongues as a spiritual gift . Below is a comparison of major traditions and their teachings. A. Classical Pentecostal Denominations (Believe in Tongues as Initial Evidence) These groups originated from the Azusa Street Revival (1906) and emphasize tongues as the initial evidence of Spirit baptism. 1. Assemblies of God (AG) Official Belief: Spirit baptism is a distinct, post-salvation experience. Tongues is the initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism. Tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 is a separate gift given selectively. Key Document: Assemblies of God Position Paper on Baptism in the Holy Spirit Supporting Scripture: Acts 2:4, 10:44-46, 19:6 Theological Authorities: Stanley M. Horton, William W. Menzies 2. Church of God (Cleveland, TN) Similar to AG, but with a stronger emphasis on holiness living ...