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And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:4

There are so many errors, abuses, extravagances, and false claims in the Pentecostal/charismatic movement today that it makes one who is really serious about the truth of God’s Word as I believe I am, ashamed to be associated with it. The situation is so bad that many who have been filled with the Holy Spirit have come to question the validity of the experience. Flakiness, fanaticism, and error of all kinds are so pervasive that many non-Pentecostals associated the claimed Holy Spirit baptism with the falsehood and the attribute the wrong things in the movement to the experience itself. TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), the main media expression of the charismatic movement, and al the ministries connected with it, as well as Charisma magazine, the main voice in the print media for the movement, display a huge circus of clowns, barterers, hawkers, jugglers, rockers, and pitchers in which there is very little with which I can identify. The whole situation is quite disheartening. It is almost enough to make one drop the mention of the supernatural work of the Sp[irit of God altogether and just stick to the doctrinal themes or practical, holy, Christian living. But to do so would be to give up or at least severely limit one of the most precious and valuable, even indispensable, legacies of Jesus Christ to His church -- the person and work of the Holy Spirit. We must not allow this to happen. We must reaffirm our faith in the experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit despite such poor representation of it.

Otfen I have been asked since my renunciation of and exit from the “faith message” in 1987, “What about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues? Do you still believe in that?” It is true that the “faith” teaching for the most part has come to so totally dominate the charismatic movement that if one leaves that teaching, he is suspected of renouncing the baptism in the Holy Spirit and healing and miracles as well. But we must make a distinction between the true supernatural work of the Spirit and all the extravagances and errors that have now come to be associated with it. We must hang on to the former while separating from it and rejecting the latter.

Actually, in all the changes I have gone through, I never seriously doubted the experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues or divine healing. I have only doubted the validity of certain individuals’ experience or claims of these things, not the things themselves as the Bible describes them. In spite of all the abuses, in spite of all the false claims, in spite of all the frauds and shams, in spite of all the errors of the movement, in spite of all the moral failures, I still believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. I still believe God heals today and that we can ask Him to heal and expect Him to do it. It is a great mistake to entirely associate the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and divine healing with the Pentecostal charismatic movement as we know it; but it is a mistake that many, especially non-pentoecostals, commonly make. They reject the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit primarily on the grounds that the movement with which it is, unfortunately, associated is full of error. And in a way I cannot blame them for doing this. After all, if the vast majority of those claiming a particular experience are in error or imbalanced, wouldn’t you naturally conclude either that the experience led to it or in some way contributed to it? Wouldn’t you naturally conclude that if this experience were of God, it would produce results other than this? I must admit that if I had not experienced the infilling of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues many years before I had the opportunity to observe all the unscriptural and goofy things that have now come to be associated with it, I doubt if anyone cou7ld convince me I ought to be filled with the Spirit and speak in other tongues now. I would probably take the same position as other Christians who are serious about truth and error -- it must not be from God. To admit this is quite a grief to me, as I realize this may be the exact case with many.

I disclaim any association with the Pentecostal/charismatic movement as it is popularly known not because I seek to avoid being classified as a fanatic or heretic. I am quite willing to be labeled a heretic by “mainstream” Christianity if indeed it is for something I know to be true notwithstanding. I certainly don’t mind taking the minority position on an issue as long as I know I’m right. But I am not willing to be labeled a heretic for associating with what I know to be error.

I will live and die a “pentecostal.” Not only am I convinced the pentecostal experience itself is Scriptural, I cannot imagine living the Christian life or surviving in the ministry without the experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. It is not just a doctrinal issue with me; the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the daily practice of speaking in tongues is such a part of me, of my very heart and soul, and has been such a source of strength of life, direction and sustenance for me for over 27 years now that I cannot even imagine living without it. It is an integral and indispensable part of my relationship and walk with the Lord. Frankly, I could no more doubt that it is real and of God than I could doubt my own existence or that of the sun.

What do we mean by pentecostal? The term is taken from the word Pentecost, which was the Jewish feast that followed fifty days after Passover (the Greek word “Pentecost” means “fiftieth”). Everyone recognizes that the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost from heaven into the upper room in Jerusalem where one hundred and twenty followers of Jesus Christ had gathered according to His command and promise to them immediately before His ascension, in Acts chapter one we read:

¹In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ²until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴On 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. ⁵For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ⁶So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk[b] from the city. ¹³When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.(Acts 1:1-19, 12-14, 2:1-4, NIV)

A “pentecostal” is one who believes that this experience the 120 had in the upper room on the day of Pentecost of being filled with or baptized with the Holy Spirit (see 2:4 and 1:5) was not just a special one-time experience for those there that day alone but is for every believer to receive and experience just as they did. Non-pentecostals deny this. Some of them insist that this infilling or baptism in the Holy Spirit was for those in the upper room or for the apostolic generation only and is no longer necessary or possible today. Others (the majority) maintain that every believer receives the baptism or infilling of the Spirit at the moment of salvation and that speaking in tongues was a phenomenon in connection with it that pertained only to those at Pentecost or the apostolic generation. A few others, but not many, maintain that the infilling or baptism of the Spirit is indeed subsequent to, not concurrent with, the salvation or conversion experience, although, again it is not accompanied by tongues which was a phenomenon limited to apostolic times. Most Pentecostals (excepting the “Oneness” groups) believe this baptism or infilling of the Spirit is subsequent to the salvation or conversion experience, and all Pentecostals believe it is accompanied by speaking in other tongues as it was on the day of Pentecost.

This is what I mean when I say I am a pentecostal: I believe that the baptism in or infilling of the Holy Spirit as experienced by the 120 on the day of Pentecost is meant to be the normal experience for every believer no less than they, that it is subsequent to (or follows after) the salvation or new birth experience, and that it is accompanied by speaking in tongues.

Indeed, the infilling of the Holy Spirit for ten of the original twelve apostles on the day of Pentecost, (excluding Judas and Thomas) was subsequent to their salvation or new birth experience, as is shown in John 20:19-22:19).

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²²And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:19-22)

That this was the new birth experience may be seen from the fact that all the elements necessary for the New Testament experience of spiritual rebirth were present: the Risen Lord, faith, the Holy Spirit, and peace and joy at seeing the Lord. We might note also that this experience is called “receiving the Holy Spirit” but must be distinguished from the experience received a Pentecost.

Certainly the Samaritans in Acts 8 received the Holy Spirit subsequent to their conversion under the preaching of Philip:

⁵Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. ⁶When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. ⁷With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. ⁸So there was great joy in that city. ⁹Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.” ¹¹They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. ¹²But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. ¹⁴When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into[c] the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money ¹⁹and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:5-19NIV)

This narrative shows that at this early time in the church, all believers were expected to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It was the natural and normal course of things, along with repentance, faith, and baptism. Although tongues are not specifically mentioned in connection with the event, some supernatural phenomenon or manifestation almost certainly occurred, as is evident from the enthusiastic response of Simon the sorcerer on observing it. He had witnessed the miracles of Phillip all along, but when he “saw the Holy Spirit was given” – there was an obvious, visible demonstration. And it is reasonable to assume even though the exact demonstration is not specified, that it was speaking in tongues by the Spirit’s utterance as had alreadby been recoreded six chapters earlier at Pentecost. Coming under the influence of a spirit and having it speak through has always been the most prized phenomenon among sorcerers and mediums.

Saul of Tarsus, it seems, was filled with the Spirit in Damascus subsequent to his conversion experience which is generally conceded to have taken place on the road to that city three days before:

³As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” ⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. ¹⁰In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. ¹¹The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” ¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” ¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” ¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, (Acts 9:3-18 NIV)

Some who deny that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as described in Acts, is available today do so on the grounds that only the apostles could impart this supernatural inducement (as in Acts 8). When the apostles died, they say, there could be no more receiving of this supernatural gift since only the apostles could administer it. But Ananias here in Acts 9 was not even a preacher, let alone an apostle; he was simply “a disciple,” that is a common Christian. Nevertheless, he laid his hands on Saul (later Paul) to be filled with the Holy Spirit, showing that this experience was not restricted to being dispensed by apostles.

That Saul was converted on the road three days prior to his being filled with the Spirit seems evident by the facts that 1) Jesus was revealed to him from heaven, 2) Saul was humbled and broken and yielded to His will, 3) he spent the next three days in prayer and fasting in his new-found faith, 40 Ananias addressed him with the well-known and affectionate Christian title, “brother.” Only minutes before, when God had spoken to him in a vision, Ananias thought of Paul as a dreaded enemy of the Christian community, not a “brother.” And again although there is no express mention of speaking in tongues in connection with Saul’s being filled with Spirit, later he could write to the Corinthians, “I thank no God that I speak in tongues more then all of you.” (1 Corinthians 14:18, NIV)

The absence of mention of tongues in Acts 8 and 9 in conjunction with the infilling of the Spirit is quite natural and defined in Acts 2 at Pentecost, including tongues, was the common expectation and occurrence for all believers during this early stage of the church, as pentecostals affirm.

In Acts chapter 10 the Gentiles to whom Peter preached at Cornelius’ house received the Holy Spirit simultaneously with salvation or conversation rather than subsequent to it, at least without any discernible space of time intervening. On the other hand, lest we shold conclude that this confirms the non-pentecostal position that all believers are filled with the Spirit at conversion, we should notice that there is great stress laid on the spaking in tongues which accompanied the infilling:

⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” ⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God. 47Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” (Acts 10:43-47 NIV)

The language of these verses lends strong support to the pentecostal position that receiving or being filled with the Holy Spirit is accompanied by speaking in tongues—they “were astonished that the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues . . .” In chapter eleven as the narrative of this event continues, Peter refers to those Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit as being “baptized with the Holy Spirit,” calling it the same experience the apostles had received at Pentecost;

¹⁵“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. ¹⁶Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a]water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” (Acts 15-17, NIV)

In Acts 19 it seems clear that the disciples in Ephesus received the Holy Spirit subsequent to their salvation or conversion.

¹While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John's baptism,” they replied. ⁴Paul said, “John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:1-7, NIV)

  These were not mere disciples of John, as some assert. They were disciples of and believers in Jesus. The phrase "When you believed" must certainly refer to their conversion, and yet they had not received the Holy Spirit. If every believer is automatically baptized in the Spirit at conversion, as most non-Pentecostals insist, how could Paul have even asked the question, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" Then they received Christian baptism, an act reserved, as most evangelicals conceive it, for a time subsequent to the spiritual rebirth, that still they had not received the Holy Spirit. They received the Holy Spirit in a separate, distinct act subsequent to both faith and baptism by the imposition of Paul's hands. Once again we have it specifically recorded, "They spoke in tongues," and, in addition, "they prophesied.'

In the light of these five cases of people being filled with or baptized in the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts (2, 8, 9, 10, 19) which records the earliest practice of the church, it does not seem unreasonable at all but on the contrary quite reasonable to me that the Pentecostal position is correct: the experience of being filled with or baptized in the Holy Spirit is, generally, subsequent to and therefore not the same as salvation or conversion, and is accompanied by speaking in tongues. And that the experience of the 120 in the upper room was intended to be the common experience of all believers seems evident from what Peter said in his sermon immediately following:

 ⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem Godfearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? . . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." ¹⁴Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. ²²"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ³²God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. ³³Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand ³⁵until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." ' ³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:5-8, 11-17, 22, 32, 33, 37-39, NIV)

  Peter's remarks were in response to the crowd's questions, "How is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? . . . we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our won togues… what does this mean?" His answer = = it was the outpouring ot the Spirit prophesied by Joel and fulfilled through Christ's ascension to the Father. When they asked, "What shall we do?", Peter responded that they should repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, which, nearly everyone agrees, constitutes the salvation or conversion experience. But he did not stop there. He continued, "And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise, "that is, of the Holy Spirit, "is for you and your children and for all who are afar off - - for all whom the Lord our God will call." It is not just the salvation experience that is offered to all people, but the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which the 120 including the apostles had just received, as well. The crowd's astonishment and inquiry, as was Peter's answer as well, concerned the phenomenon of tongues in conjunction with the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is what Peter says is "the promise" that is given to all men. He delineates foru distinct classes of people in place and time for which the gift of the Holy Spirit is intended: 1.) "you {who are present}. And 2.) your children {the next generation after you} and for 3.) all who are afar {those not present at that time but wherever they many be}, but also for 4.) "all whom the Lord our God will call" {which includes all of those God would call at any time in the future}. Peter's statement, rather than limiting the receiving of the gift of the Spirit to the apostles or the 120 or the apostolic generation, clearly and plainly tells us it is for all believers in all ages everywhere. And speaking in tongues was not only for them in that day but for those at Caesarea years later in Acts 10 and even later at Ephesus in Acts 19.

As for the objection that at Pentecost the 120 spoke in languages recognized by the crowd and therefore were of a different nature than the "tongues" of Pentecostals today. Most or all of which, it is assumed, are not known languages, this poses no real problem for the Pentecostal position. Because neither were the tongues of Acts 10 or Acts 19 known or recognized by the hearers. Besides Paul states in 1 Corinthians concerning the nature of tongues, ""or anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. iNdeed, no one understand him: he utters mysteries with his spirit" (1 Corinthians 14: 2 NIV). Neither does the speaker understand what he himself is saying:

¹³For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. ¹⁶If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand[e] say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? ¹⁷You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. ¹⁸I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:13-19, NIV)

The fact that the tongues were understood by the crowd at Pentecost must be the exception, therefore, not the rule. Neither , according to what we just cited from Paul in 1 Corinthians 14, were tongues given to the apostles so they could preach to heathen in foreign lands as has often been asserted. "Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God."

Neither is the objection valid which is borrowed from 1 Corinthians 12 and misapplied to the infilling with or baptism in the Holy Spirit that "not all speak with tongues?", and the understood answer in this case is, "No" (12:30). Pentecostals claim that this question and the implied answer, "No, not all speak with tongues," applies not to the infilling fo the Holy Spirit, but to the public exercise of the gift of tongues in ministry to others. If it does apply to the experience of receiving the Spirit as non-pentecostals affirm, how is it that all did speak with tongues at Pentecost, that is all 120 "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues . . " (Acts 2:4 NIV), and all those at Cornelius' house spoke in tongues - "the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message . . For they heard them speaking in tongues . . " (Acts 10:44, 46), and all those at Ephesus spoke in tongues as well as prophesied - "The Holy Spirit came on those, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all." (Acts 19:6,7 NIV) If the non-Pentecostal objection that not everyone speaks in tongues when filled with the Spirit is true, but that we have differing Gifts, why does it not say that only some of the 120 spoke in tongues, others prophesied, others received the gifts of faith, ect., and the same at Caesarea and Ephesus? It seems to me that the Pentecostal position that all speak in tongues when filled with or baptized in the Spirit but not all will minister wither tongues and interpretation who have thus been filled, which is what 1 Corinthians 12:30 refers to, is a quite reasonable explanation.

A common question (or objection) raised by non-pentecostals is, "If neither the one speaking in the tongue not those who hear them understand what is being said, what good is it? In fact, doesn't' Paul say as much, that it does no good?" No, Paul does not say that it will be of no use to those who hear since they do not understand what is being spoken - - unless it is accompanied by they corresponding spiritual gift of interpretation, which also comes by the influence of the Holy Spirit, not through a bi- or mult-lingual translator (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 14:6-17, 27. 28). But even thought speaking in tongues does not benefit those who hear it, it will benefit the one who speaks even though he himself does not understand what he is saying. First , he speaks to God, uttering secret things with his spirit (14:2, 28); second , he edifies himself (the world "edify" never carries a negative or selfish connotation in the New Testament as some would allow - - it means to build up or improve); third, his spirit rather than his mind prays to God (14:14, 15) : and fourth, he magnifies and glorifies God in this language (Acts 2:11; 10:46) and gives Him thanks as well (14:17). All of these things have profound value for one's spiritual life.

Another common objection leveled against pentecostals by non-pentecostals is, "They're just going by their experience: they build everything on their experience, not the Word of God." But it seems to me that I have cited Scripture enough even in this brief article to establish that the pentecostal position is founded on the Word of God. My pentecostal view of the baptism to the Holy Spirit seems to be based enough on Scripture and not experience alone. However I will admit that a major reason why the pentecostal view of these things as I have briefly outlined them here seems quite reasonable and fitting to me is hat I have experienced and continue to experience almost daily the infilling of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. But is the case any different with those who reject the pentecostal view? Isn't a major reason why they hold a non-pentecostal view of the Scriptures on the subject is that they have not experienced and such thing as pentecostals describe and claim? Isn't the reason the non-pentecostals describe and claim? Isn't' the reason the non-pentecostals view of the Scriptures on the subject seem most reasonable and fitting to them equally a matter of experience (or lack of it)? Pentecostals should not be singled out for basing their belief on experience, for non-pentecostals' views are equally based on their own experience. Or I should say rather that each group holds a view of Scripture on the subject that is fitting and reasonable to each largely due to each group's experience. We should learn from our experience in God as well as Scripture, should we not? The things of God should be experienced and not just learned about. On the other hand, experience should always be subordinate to Scripture. But this is just as true for non-pentecostals as pentecostals. The fact that non-pentecostals have not experience what pentecostals claim should not lead them to deny or reject what may be the Scriptural teaching of it.

In John 7 we read,

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39).

Hence Jesus gives us the most graphic description we have available of experience of receiving the Holy Spirit. As the KJV reads, "Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.: The NASV has, "From his innermost being . . " This is what the 120 in the upper room experienced on the day of Pentecost after Jesus had indeed ascended and been glorified. Out of their bellies or innermost being flowed rivers of living water, and they spoke in tongues. (There is a natural anatomical tie between one's heart and one' mouth: "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34.) I can say without any doubt whatsoever that not only do I understand what Jesus said in John 7, but I also have experienced and continue to experience, albeit in greater measure at certain times then in others, the very thing that the graphically describes here. And may I ask, if you are a Christian, if you are a believer, have you experienced the flowing of rivers of living water fro within you? Is this how you would describe your won experience of God's Spirit within you? If not, you should know that this is the normal provision for you and all believers according to John 7:37-39, "If any man . . ." "The promise" of "the fit of the Holy Ghost," Peter said at Pentecost, "is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:38,39).

¹¹"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13, NIV)

We will have more to say on this important subject nest month. Until then, God bless you!

Leon Stump, Pastor of Victory Christian Center

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Background from Greenfield Graphics.