Tag: Holy Spirit

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If I’ve got the Spirit, Why Do I Need Training?

This is a common question among Pentecostals. In fact, many Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians will gladly acclaim an inspired and gifted preacher who falls short on knowledge of the Word. This may sound somewhat patronizing, but it may be that Pentecostals would prefer to feel the Word, rather than think about the Word. I’m not opposed to feeling the Word. The preached Word of God should provoke a range of emotional responses from lamentation to rejoicing. But, the authenticity of the emotional responses should correspond to the veracity of the preached word.

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Irenaeus, Boccaccio, and the Church

A few years ago I was engaged in a battle of heart and mind. I was struggling with the church – the body of Christ. You need to know that when I use the word “church,” it means the church catholic – all expressions of the church throughout the world. I was disappointed and cynical, and began to seriously doubt the present relevance and future significance of the church. This battle was fierce and prolonged. Even now skirmishes continue to erupt. One day, while driving and contemplating these issues, I prayed,

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A Violent Rushing Wind

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

We don’t usually associate the word violent with Holy Spirit’s activity. We prefer peace and serenity. But Luke presents the Pentecost event as a wind-storm, or to be more precise – a Spirit-storm. The Hebrew word ruach, and the Greek word pneuma, are translated throughout the Scriptures as wind, breath, or spirit. This reflects movement, life, power, and mystery. It may also be that ruach and pneuma suggest a relationship between the Holy Spirit, the breath of life, and the power of nature.

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Recovered Treasures

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’” (Luke 15:8-9).

Ironic as it may seem, renewal movements often look back for inspiration and guidance as they engage the future. This is especially true for those who seek reformation, or revival, within the Christian church. Renewal movements seek to recover something that has been lost. The Pentecostal Movement was birthed as sincere believers sought to recover the apostolic faith. The heart of Pentecostal spirituality is an encounter with the Holy Trinity.

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