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)...

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...

Is speaking in Tongue evidence of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit or one of the Spiritual Gifts?  It depends on the theological framework you are coming from: Classical Pentecostalism (e.g., Assemblies of God, Church of God, Pentecostal Holiness) holds to Position 1, emphasizing that the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. This belief is based on passages such as Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-46, and Acts 19:6, where believers spoke in tongues immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit. Charismatic and Some Evangelical Traditions lean toward Position 2, which acknowledges tongues as a sign but does not necessarily insist on it as the only or universal evidence. Some argue that other spiritual gifts can also serve as evidence of being filled with the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Final Analysis: If you are coming from a Pentecostal viewpoint, Position 1 is more accurate because it aligns with the doctrine of initial evidence—a core belief in tradi...

Holy Spirit Gifts and Power by Paul Walker Without a doubt, the Pentecostal revival of the early 1900s and the Charismatic renewal, which began in the late 1950s, constitute one of the most innovative and impactive spiritual renovations in history. But when we invest ligate this phenomenon, we must ask: 1) Why has this happened? 2) What is this doing? and 3) How can spiritual integrity be maintained?  Why Has This Happened? The first reason has been an evident need for renewal of mission and purpose throughout the church and among its individual members. Second, given this need for renewal, there has been a definite movement on the part of sincere believers to recover the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit, which transformed and empowered the early Christians. Emerging from this movement has been an inbreaking of the Holy Spirit, accompanied by speaking in tongues, among believers in every significant denomination, demonstrating that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a denominati...

What is Pentecost in the Bible? Most people associate it with the day God poured out his Holy Spirit on the Jerusalem church in the Upper Room, enabling his disciples to perform incredible acts—like healings, speaking in tongues, prophesying, and inspired preaching1—as told in Acts 2:1–4: When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Jesus had promised his disciples a “baptism in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5, 8), that he would send them a “Helper” who would “teach [them] all things” (John 14:26), and that he would not leave the disciples “as orphans” (John 14:18). That day, as about 120 disciples huddled in a room in Jerusalem, those promises ...

On at least four occasions (arguably five) Luke describes, with a form of the verb pimplēmi, people who have already received the Holy Spirit as being “filled” with the Spirit . Each time this verb is employed to describe someone being “filled with the Spirit,” extraordinary things follow —an inspired proclamation of the Gospel (2:4; 4:8, 31), restoration of sight and subsequent proclamation (9:17), or authoritative denunciation (13:9–11).49 Whereas the phrase “full of the Spirit,” using plērēs/plēroō, is generally used to characterize a believer’s lifestyle , Luke’s use of the verb pimplēmi to describe a filling is reserved for temporary bursts of the Spirit’s power. Other instances of pimplēmi in Acts demonstrate the temporary nature of “fillings” described with this verb. In response to the healing of the lame man, all the people are “filled with wonder and amazement” (3:10). In response to the immense success and influence of the apostles (5:12–16), the high priest and S...