Dr Paul Allen

First of all, how much importance should we place on whether or not a religious practice is currently “normative”? Christianity is not the normative religion of the world today, but this does not keep Christians from proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Light of the world and believing that it is God’s will for all men to come to a saving knowledge of Him.  While the baptism in the Holy Spirit may not yet be normative in the church of our day, nevertheless, it is growing by leaps and bounds. It was much more normative in the early church than is generally understood. A study of Scripture shows that Christians in Caesarea, Samaria, Ephesus, Rome, Corinth, and Jerusalem received the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues, since either direct or indirect references point to the fact. We know that the 120 in the upper room at Pentecost spoke in tongues, as did the apostle Paul. From this group emerged almost the entire leadership of the early church.  O bviously, as they ministered in th...

SUMMARY: 1.  The  imperfect tense  in  ἐδίδου  ("was giving") shows that the Holy Spirit’s influence was  continuous , not delayed,  fulfilling Jesus' promise  of lasting spiritual  power  in Acts 1:8. Therefore,  Acts 2:4 reads  "As the Spirit was continuously giving, kept giving again and again for them to speak out."  (or as the NIV " as the Spirit gave them utterance.") 2.  Acts 2:4   illustrates the "ablative of source" concept: "they were filled from the Spirit as the source." From out of the source of the Holy Spirit came ongoing, continuous languages, again and again, with no hesitation. Fifteen untaught but known languages simultaneously declaring Christ at the same time by people who were overwhelmed, overflowing, submerged, and totally dominated by the Holy Spirit, who was continually giving. First Explanation of Edidou. "The continuing influence of the Holy Spirit is seen in the imperfect tense in 'ed...

Acts 2:4 ends with the phrase, "as the Spirit gave them utterance, or as the Spirit enabled them."  Meaning, in all of Christian life, nothing is accomplished apart from God.  The followers of Christ on the day of Pentecost spoke in the languages of at least fifteen different countries or ethnic groups. The description in the text states that people from various regions, like Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete, and Arabia, were able to understand the disciples speaking in their own languages. The context of the phrase "the Spirit gave them utterance" clearly acknowledges that the Holy Spirit immediately gave each disciple the ability to speak in a language they had not previously learned, enabling them to declare Christ. Yes, it was evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and also a very unique experience for the disciples. The word utterance is not found with the same event in Acts 11...

Does the Holy Spirit Choose Not to Baptize People, or Are People the Problem? From a Pentecostal perspective, including that of Donald Gee and other scholars, the issue is not that the Holy Spirit chooses not to baptize certain people but that individuals may encounter personal barriers to receiving. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a promise available to all believers, not a selective gift withheld by God. God’s Desire to Baptize All Believers Pentecostals believe Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift available to all who believe in Christ. Acts 2:39 states: "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." (NIV) This verse supports the view that Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not limited to a select few but is meant for all believers. Scholars such as Donald Gee emphasize that God does not withhold the Holy Spirit arbitrarily; rather, the responsibility often lies with the individual (Gee, Pentecost , 1932). Human B...

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 ...