Dr Paul Allen

One of the saddest parts of the Easter story occurred the night Jesus was arrested. His disciple Peter was stressed to the breaking point and fearful of the crowd. When the high priest's servant girl accused him of being a disciple of Jesus, he denied it. When the girl repeated her accusation to some bystanders, he denied knowing Jesus again. When others questioned him, the Bible says Peter "began to invoke a curse on himself, and to swear, 'I do not know this Man of whom you speak" (Mark 14:71). The brave disciple who had promised Jesus he would follow Him anywhere turned into a pitiful wimp. He caved in under the pressure. Then the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' words: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times" (v. 72). This could have been the end for Peter. He wept bitterly and disappeared. He never says anything else in Matthew and Mark's Gospels . Luke says Peter went to Jesus' tomb and found it empty....

Pentecost was an abrupt heavenly invasion. It wasn't planned in a staff meeting; it came "suddenly," according to Acts 2:2. The noise of wind was not on the program; neither were flames of holy fire. No one in that prayer meeting in the upper room in Jerusalem expected to speak a supernatural language. Certainly Peter did not expect to give his unrehearsed sermon, and I'm sure he was surprised when 3,000 people were converted. The church was born in a moment of unearthly, unimagined strangeness. We will celebrate Pentecost this year on June 4. Would we have room for this miracle today if God wanted to do it again? Would we welcome the interruption? I fear we have enacted so many human controls that the Spirit is totally left out of our Sunday experience. If we don't give Him free rein, worship can become a man-made ritual that is stripped of God's power. The apostle Paul warned us not to "quench" the Spirit in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. "...

Icon of the Pentecost (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The first objection that often arises with regard to Pentecostal theology is the emphasis it places on the empowering work of the Spirit in the life of the believer subsequent to salvation. This emphasis is often wrongly characterized by opponents as “second blessing” theology, without any qualification.4  Those who raise this concern are defending the biblical teaching that the believer receives the Spirit at salvation, and they are rejecting what they perceive to be a misguided view of the efficacy of salvation.  Indeed, it is a common misunderstanding of Pentecostalism to charge that it denies the Spirit to non-Pentecostal believers. To my knowledge no classical Pentecostal holds the view that the Spirit is not received at salvation (which would clearly contradict Scripture). Those who believe in Christ also have the Spirit living within; if anyone does not have the Spirit, he or she is not of Christ at all. More...

Whether a person is searching for their calling or wholeheartedly pursuing their life's purpose, LIVE LOVE LEAD will help them navigate a faith path that is all their own and discover unique gifts tailored perfectly for their journey. How do people experience the best life that God intends for them? The answer lies in understanding that the Christian life is an adventure, and that they only have to follow the greatest Guide who ever walked the path of life--Jesus. In this straightforward book, Brian Houston shows readers the way to live fully, love completely, and lead boldly--the hallmarks of Jesus' time on earth. "This is a remarkable book by a remarkable man. You will love his transparency and passion!"―Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Church , author of bestseller The Purpose Driven Life "A book that will prove to be a gift to the world."―Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, creators and executive producers of The Bible and A.D.: The Bible Con...

The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Early Church took place in an atmosphere of confident expectation. Not only did they expect the daily blessing and the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit ; they did not forget that Pentecost was a feast where firstfruits were offered. Pentecost was part of the final harvest. Thus, they looked ahead to Christ ’s return. Out of their own vital Pentecostal experience came the watchword, Maranatha, “ Our Lord , Come!” Nor did the passage of time dim their hope. Paul, toward the end of his life came to realize he would not live to see that glorious day when the dead in Christ shall rise. But he was no less sure that Jesus would come (2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10, 13; 4:7, 8). This hope of seeing Jesus again made the early Christians more conscious than ever of the necessity of carrying on His work in the power of the Spirit. In this age the Holy Spirit is the only One who can minister the life, power, and person of Jesus to us. Whether He is calle...

Sola Scriptura and Therefore Charismatic Author: Cripplegate. Dr. Brown opens Chapter 6 by recounting his testimony as to why he believes healings and tongues are for today. He begins by telling about his coming to faith in Christ when he was 16 at a Pentecostal church . However, expectations of healing and supernatural happenings that never really materialized in his immediate circles caused him disillusionment. He left the Pentecostal church in 1977 and began pursuing Reformed, cessationist theology, [ AF,  164]. Becoming influenced by such books as B.B. Warfield’s  Counterfeit Miracles,  he swiftly separated himself from his early experience as a Pentecostal. When his sister-in-law was miraculously healed of an elbow injury, however, even having her injury called out from an audience of thousands by the speaker, Brown began to reevaluate his hard-heartedness toward miracles he had developed from his cessationist leaning ways. He then experienced his...

Andrei Rublev's Trinity, representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a similar manner. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Oneness Pentecostalism ” is a descriptive name for an anti-trinitarian religious movement that developed over the course of the twentieth century on the margins of evangelicalism. As a movement, it has existed in various denominational forms and organizations, with its largest current manifestation being the United Pentecostal Church International . In most of its major forms it has been distinguished by: A commitment to baptism in Jesus’ name rather than in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (including re-baptism for those baptized wrong the first time); An accompanying rejection of the traditional Trinitarian doctrine held by the historic Christian churches; A consequent rejection of the pre-existence of the Son of God. Sometimes (but not always) these churches are also characterized by: Legalism that manifests itself in making salvation de...