Dr Paul Allen

This comprehensive analysis provides citations and an extensive bibliography, covering biblical exegesis, historical perspectives, theological arguments, and scholarly sources on  speaking in tongues as initial evidence of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit vs. a spiritual gift . I. Biblical Exegesis: Acts vs. Paul’s Letters A. Tongues as Initial Evidence (Pentecostal View) Key Scriptures Acts 2:1-4 (Pentecost) “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Pentecostal Argument: The first time believers were baptized in the Spirit, they spoke in tongues. Acts 10:44-46 (Cornelius’s Household) “For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.” Pentecostal Argument: Tongues was the proof to Peter that Gentiles had received the Spirit. Acts 19:1-6 (Disciples in Ephesus) “When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues an...

Many contemporary Christians feel disconnected from the vibrant, Spirit-filled ministries of the prophets and apostles described in the Bible . In the Old Testament , God seemingly took the people of Israel through miraculous event after miraculous event. In the New Testament , those who watched the ministry of Jesus were seized with amazement at the miracles he performed ( Luke 5:25 ), and the apostles in the early church regularly performed signs and wonders among the people ( Acts 5:12 ).  Yet today, such miraculous events seem rare and, when we do hear reports of miracles, many Christians are skeptical. At the very least, we feel there's  something  different about the way God worked in the Old and New Testament periods and the way he works today. This raises a valid question: Why don’t we experience today the miracles we read about in the New Testament? To answer that question, we need to understand not only how God works through  providence and c...

Jesus, the angels, and Paul mention clouds in connection with Jesus’ return (Luke 21:27; Mark 14:62; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:17). As Jesus’ ascension to the Father was marked by clouds that hid him from the sight of the disciples, so his return could be accompanied by literal clouds as well. However, if the clouds are literal, Jesus’ return would be an event in a particular region: if Jesus’ return took place in the city of Jerusalem in Israel, accompanied by clouds, his return could be witnessed only in that city, nowhere else. The explanation that satellite technology makes a worldwide viewing of Jesus’ return is technically correct, but it is inadequate as an explanation for what Jesus, the angels, and Paul could have meant and what his readers could have understood. When Paul writes to the Thessalonian believers that “we who are still alive and are left” will meet Jesus “in the clouds” (1 Thess. 4:17 NIV), he does not seem to understand the “clouds” as a meeting point above a part...