Dr Paul Allen

Baptism with the Holy Spirit also called baptism in the Holy Spirit or infilling the Holy Spirit, is a significant concept in Christian theology, particularly in Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions. Here’s an overview of what it entails: Biblical Basis John the Baptist’s Prophecy : Matthew 3:11 (NIV) : "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33 : These gospels make similar statements, emphasizing that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ Promise : Acts 1:4-5 (NIV) : "On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 1:8 (NIV) : "But you will rec...

Icon of the Pentecost (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Charismatic Counterfeits: Do the Modern Gifts Meet the Biblical Standard?” That subtitle really defines our topic for this session. We want to consider the way in which the contemporary charismatic movement defines key spiritual gifts. And then we will compare the charismatic version with the Word of God to see how they match up. As a side note, I want to note that much of the material we will cover today parallels what you will find in the  Strange Fire  book. I mention that at the outset, so that if you are interested in doing further study on this critical topic, you can do so by reading what Dr. MacArthur has published in that important resource. Definition of Terms Now, before we begin, it is important that we define several terms. If you were in my seminar yesterday afternoon, this part of the seminar will sound familiar. But I promise this is a different seminar, it is just important that we begin by making s...