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Chapter 16 The Purpose of Pentecost Getting it Right! Outsiders and new converts sometimes misunderstand PENTECOSTALISM. Unfortunately, some Bible lazy PENTECOSTALS have added to the confusion. Let's examine some areas of confusion that have sprung up around the Baptism in the Holy Ghost. Opponents may be greatly surprised. Who knows? When they understand what we truly believe they may also want to receive God's wonderful gift! "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2) 1. The Pentecostal experience imparts power to witness. Without continuos anointing the Church dwindles in her ability to fulfill Christ's great commission. Every generation needs an empowering Pentecost to reach the lost. Jesus said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) 2. The Pentecostal baptism does not wash away sin. Only the Blood of Jesus cleanses from sin -- Only Christ's atoning sacrifice provides justification and righteousness. Remember, the unleavened bread of Passover symbolized Christ's sinless offering. Conversely, leavened bread (a type of sin) was included in the feast of Pentecost. Leavened bread was seldom allowed in the service of God. 89 Knowing that the unleavened bread of Passover symbolized Christ, we take the leavened bread of Pentecost to typify common man. That Pentecostal bread depicted one man ministering to the other through the anointing of the Holy Ghost. ---------------------------------- 89 (Pentecost Lev 23:17 and Peace offering Lev. 7:13) ___________________________ 3. The Holy Ghost baptism helps us to manifest a sanctified life. To be sanctified one must first be made holy (cleansed) and then the individual moves forward to be consecrated (set apart) for the WORK and SERVICE of God. This is symbolized by the vessels of God's Temple. These historic vessels were certainly washed (made holy) but they were also dedicated (set apart) for God's EXCLUSIVE use. Likewise, both the washing and dedication are indispensable and inseparable parts of our sanctification. In modern language you might say, "This clean bowl belongs to God and therefore the devil is not to dirty it with his worldly filth. God takes no pleasure in eating after the devil!" Through sanctification the new man within gives righteous expression to our outward living. Old-time Holiness preachers once majored on outward sanctification while seeming to neglect the justifying (inner) work of the Cross. We know that conversion initially and fully imparts justification but that holy work must also be manifest in our daily living! The inner cleansing coupled with an outward manifestation equals true Sanctification. The baptism in the Holy Ghost certainly empowers us to live a separated life. Empty vessels can never know the victory of the sanctified walk in the Spirit. When people fail to live in holiness they are demonstrating a spiritual emptiness and malady. Just as when Christians are physically sick they need prayer, even so, carnal believers need to pray that their inner man will break through in changed living. How are we sanctified? By the Cross, Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 10:14, By the Holy Ghost, Romans 15:16 and 1 Corinthians 6:11 By Truth, John 17:19 By Faith, Acts 26:18 By putting aside sinful living, 2 Timothy 2:21 So, the Cross initiates cleansing while the other listed gifts lift us up into a sanctified walk. Sanctification is provided by God as a perfect work, yet, we have not arrived and need to press on unto perfection. (Philippians 3:14-15) A lively debate has sprung up around the truth of Sanctification. Extreme Reformed Christians assert that we are legally sanctified once and for all. Therefore, our past, present, and future sins are under the blood! Conversely, some extreme Holiness believers say that through experiential sanctification we rise above any possibility of sin! Both positions are unreasonable and quite wrong! The author does not assert that we are yet safe in heaven or have yet become manifested Sons of God! The truth lies somewhere in-between. We must ever pray, "Create in me a clean heart, (THE CROSS) O God; and renew a right spirit (PENTECOSTAL BAPTISM) within me." (Psalms 51:10) 4. The Pentecostal experience helps us to obey the Word of God. Power To Live Right Ezekiel 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Power to Accomplish the Great Commission Acts 10:38 "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." John 20:21-22 "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:" 5. The Pentecostal experience enhances the exercise of spiritual gifts. In Acts the disciples operated in spiritual gifts as a consequence of their Pentecostal Baptism. God's spiritual gifts promote the spread of the Gospel and the perfecting of the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) 6. The Pentecostal expense does not "glorify or transform" our fleshly bodies. When a believer receives the Pentecostal baptism he feels that he has left this earth and entered God's Heaven. Nevertheless, we will not be physically glorified until Jesus personally comes in the clouds. Pentecost is only an earnest (down payment) of the great hope of the believer! (Romans 8:23) Pentecostal Manifestations and Emotionalism Everything that we have belongs to God. Once, Satan controlled us but now Jesus holds the title. As God's children we must give our total beings to Him. As Christians we must submit all to God's Word. Our minds must bow to God's word and truth Our emotions must weep or exalt as Scripture directs Our bodies must live in holiness and worship in a Biblical fashion. Deuteronomy 6:5 "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Giving God only one part of our being is a wide spread error. Many give their heads to God but retain control of their hearts. (Modern Reformed believers might fit into this category.) I have seen "head" believer's sight emotional worship as heathenish, because, heathens worship with emotion. Conversely, I have also seen some emotional believers belittle "book learni'n." and exalt their "heart leadi'n." (Jer. 17:9) Caution! Without the Word our worship will indeed become heathenish. We must have both the SPIRIT and the TRUTH. We cannot choose one or the other but must submit all to God! Believers that lack one or the other of these treasures are profoundly retarded in their Christian life. There are many emotional manifestations that might transpire during Pentecostal worship. Satan sometimes counterfeits all of these. Alas, Satan also has a counterfeit Bible but the real cannot be mistaken or refused! Satan is a counterfeit god but we recognize the good shepherd's voice! Do we reject preaching because of false preachers? No! Although Satan's counterfeits drive off many people, God still works in the real. A short list of emotional and Biblically based manifestations might include: Weeping, Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." Laughing, Luke 6:21 "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." Rejoicing, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice evermore." Shouting or Rejoicing greatly, Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout! (also I Th. 4:6) Praying, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 "Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Praying in Other Tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:15 "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." Interpretation of tongues, 1 Corinthians 14:27 "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret." Prophecy, Romans 12:6 "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;" Bold Preaching, Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." House Shaking, Acts 16:26 "And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." Falling, Acts 9:4 "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Revelation 1:17 "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:" Visions, Acts 10:10 "And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance," A Repeat of the Original Pentecost, Acts 11:15 "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning." All gifts of the Spirit! 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Again, all of these manifestations have been counterfeited at one time or another. We must not refuse the real out of fear of the false. The fearful will never enter God's promised land! (Revelation 21:8)
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