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Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

ILM Five: Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

Alin Patularu Vanguard College

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity Manuscript (Slide 1)Introduction: Hello everyone, and thank you for coming out tonight to my presentation on Pentecostal history. I have provided paper and pens for you to write down your questions. I would ask everyone to please utilize these and save your questions until the end, as there will be a question and answer period. There will be eight parts to this study on Pentecostal history. We will discuss: (Slide2)Scriptural support for Pentecostalism, The Origins of Pentecostalism: The Azusa Street Revival, The Growth of Pentecostalism, The Theological Varieties of Pentecostalism, The Charismatic Movement, Pentecostals and Egalitarianism, Current Trends within Pentecostalism, and finally the Areas of Concern within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements (Slide 3) So let us start off by discussing maybe the most important part of this entire study: Is Pentecostalism scriptural? The reason I say this is the most important part of the study is because if Pentecostalism is not scriptural, then we should not regard it and throw it out the window with the rest of the heresies, it will profit us nothing. Is Pentecostalism scriptural? A lot of times I will get people who ask me, what is the difference between the Pentecostal denomination and the Baptist denomination? This is a legitimate question that I once asked myself. What really is the difference? We both preach the bible right? Well, I would suggest that the major difference between Pentecostals and non charismatic denominations is the doctrine of (slide 4) the baptism in the Holy Spirit with initial evidence of speaking in

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

tongues. The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada describes the doctrine of Spirit Baptism as such, The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience in which the believer yields control of himself to the Holy Spirit. Through this he comes to know Christ in a more intimate way and receives power to witness and grow spiritually. Believers should earnestly seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. The initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (paoc.org). Opposition to this teaching is called cessationism. (slide 5) By showing how cessationism is unbiblical we will discover that Pentecostalism is Scriptural. Cessationism teaches that the charismatic gifts have ceased and no longer exist. One argument for cessationism uses 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 to suggest the ceasing of charismatic gifts. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. The part cessationists and non cessationists both agree on is that tongues will indeed cease. Where we differ is on when they will cease. The argument teaches that the perfect represents the completed canon of Scripture. However, this interpretation has many problems. Paul continues to say in verse 12, Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. In this verse Paul is assuming that he will be there when the perfect comes and when it does he shall then know fully. But is he not penning the canon of scripture? If the perfect represents scripture, then why does he not know fully? He did author more books in the New Testament than anyone else. If anyone should know, it should be him. Tongues will cease indeed, when the perfect comes, which is the kingdom of God. When God reigns on earth with men and death shall be no more, we will see God face to face, and tongues will cease, and only love will remain, that is the

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

teaching of 1 Corinthians 13. For now, we are still in the Church age, and tongues and prophecy have not ceased, there is no biblical evidence (without twisting the scriptures to mean what they obviously dont) to suggest such a thing. We know therefore that speaking in tongues has not ceased. Tongues is still a reality in the church today. And in the Bible the only way people received the gift of tongues was through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There are 3 instances in the book of Acts where speaking in tongues directly accompanies the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the others allude to a physical manifestation of a gift that can be seen and heard. The question of the initial evidence of the reception of the gift of the Holy Spirit is one of paramount importance to all who hunger to be filled with the Spirit. It is logical that the supernatural experience of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit would be accompanied by some definite and unmistakable sign by which the seeker would be assured that he had received the Spirit (Foundations of Pentecostal Theology). The Origins of Pentecostalism: The Azusa Street Revival (Slide 6) So now that we understand that the main difference between Pentecostalism and other denominations is the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, and that, that doctrine is indeed biblical, we move on to the origins of Pentecostalism, the Azusa street revival. The Azusa street revival was the beginning point of the modern Pentecostal movement. Before it however was a man named Charles Fox Parham. He was the first person in modern days to teach that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence that someone had been baptized

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

with the Holy Spirit. And out of his Bible College in Texas came the man that would lead the powerful Azusa Street revival, William Joseph Seymour.

(Slide 7) William Joseph Seymour was a short stocky African American man who, after a near fatal bout with smallpox, was left blind in one eye and scarred on his face. For the rest of his life he wore a beard to hide the scars (River of Revival Ministries, 2007). Seymour had attended Parhams Houston Bible school for a short time. It was there that he learned about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. Seymour was sent off with Parhams blessing to Los Angeles to spread the message. Seymour moved to Los Angeles and accepted an invitation from Sister Hutchins to come and preach at the Santa Fe Holiness Mission. For his first Sunday morning sermon Seymour chose as the text Acts 2:4, and boldly preached that unless a person spoke in tongues they had not experienced the true baptism with the Holy Spirit (Synan, p. 47). The teaching that William Joseph Seymour preached upset Sister Hutchins so much that when Seymour had returned for the evening service, he was shocked to find the doors padlocked. This set the stage for the Azusa street revival. Seymour was locked out of his church with nearly no money, but he had a fire burning in his bones that was about to explode into a revival that would make history. Seymour began teaching those that followed him at the home of Owen Lee. When this home proved to be too small to hold the meetings, Seymour accepted an invitation from Richard and Ruth Asberry, to start holding prayer meetings in their home at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street. Seymour was preaching the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, but up until this time he had one problem, he had not experienced it himself, nor had he led anyone into the experience. On April 9th 1906, as Seymour was about to leave for the Asberry home, he stopped to pray with Mr. Lee. Owen Lee had said he had a vision the night before where the 12 Apostles

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

came to him and explained how to speak in tongues. So Seymour went ahead and prayed for Mr. Lee, and he started to speak in tongues. This was the first instance of anyone receiving the gift when Seymour prayed for them. He rushed over to the Asberry home and told them what had happened and all of a sudden, Seymour and seven others fell to the floor in religious ecstacy, speaking with other tongues (Synan, p. 49). People from the neighbourhood gathered outside the home to see what was going on. People from the prayer meeting then got on the porch and started preaching the message of Pentecost. The next night Seymour had built a pulpit out of two wooden boxes on the porch. The meetings grew so large that it became impossible to get close to the home, and the foundation broke sending the front porch crashing into the front yard, miraculously no one was hurt. This was the beginning of the Azusa Street revival and within one week it grew so big that they had to find a larger building to host the almost continuous prayer, praise, and worship service that had erupted on April 9th, 1906 (Synan, p. 50). This building was the Azusa Street mission. The Azusa street revival soon started to get publicity, however, most of it was negative. According to the Los Angeles Times, a bizarre new religious sect had started with people breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no sane mortal could understand. Furthermore, Devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories, and work themselves into a state of mad excitement (McGee). But despite the negative press the revival was receiving, racial strongholds were being broken down. Attendees of the revival were mixed. People of all typeseducated, uneducated, rich, poor, African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, whites, men, and women-prayed, sang, and came to the altar together. In the words of Frank Bartleman, (Slide 8) the color line was washed away in the blood (Synan, p. 54). This impacted secular society greatly. To see all these different races and nationalities worshiping together was truly a marvellous and controversial thing at the time.

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

And it was from this revival that Pentecostalism spread all throughout the earth. Which brings us to our next area of study, the growth of Pentecostalism.

The Growth of Pentecostalism (Slide 9) At the very core of the teachings of Pentecostalism we see that it is a missional denomination. The baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers us to go out into the world for Christian witness. And from the Azusa street revival Pentecostalism spread like wildfire all throughout the world. In North America the Azusa street revival led to the formation of the Assemblies of God, Church of God, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. These were organizational mission hubs and church leadership groups that helped to organize the new Pentecostal denomination in North America.

In Europe the Pentecostal message spread quickly. The Pentecostal revival in Oslo led by Barratt spread into Germany, Sweden and Finland. In Russia a man named Ivan Boronaev gave Pentecostalism a major push. Voronaev was a Baptist minister and during a pastorate in New York, Voronaev faced a crisis when his daughter received Spirit Baptism at Glad Tidings Tabernacle. He went to Glad Tidings to investigate and acquired the experience as well. He received a prophetic call to return back to Russia in which the Lord spoke through an interpretation of tongues that said, Voronaev, Voronaev, journey to Russia. During his trip back to Russia the ship stopped in Bulgaria, Voronaev used this opportunity to preach and plant churches and thus introduced Pentecostalism to that country (Synan, 2001, p. 78).

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

Pentecostalism also spread into Asia not long after the Azusa Street revival. Alfred G. And Lillian Garr were the first missionaries to leave the Azusa street revival. One week after Alfred Garr received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God called him to go to India (Martin L). He and his wife arrived in Calcutta in 1907. A revival followed Garr in which many present received the Pentecostal baptism. From Calcutta, the next phase of the movement advanced across the country into Sri Lanka. A notice in 1908 mentioned that more than a thousand people had spoken in tongues, including sixty Missionaries associated with fifteen mission societies (Synan, 2001, p. 85). Pentecostalism also spread into China, Africa and Australia. Over the past nine decades, the Pentecostal community has evolved from a small band of Christian believers to a world-wide movement with an estimated 463 million adherents (Hunter, Harold). The Holy Spirit has moved and empowered a countless amount of leaders to go and spread the message of Pentecostalism throughout the whole world and it has not stopped to this day. The Theological varieties of Pentecostalism (Slide 10) Although Pentecostalism was born out of a unifying event at Azusa Street, it has not stayed this way and there are a multitude of theological varieties within the movement. Some good and some negative. Historically Pentecostal leaders have been careful to handle the word of God rightly. But there have been those who have drifted into outright heresy. Orthodox Pentecostalism often gets confused with the oneness Pentecostalism (also known as Apostolics). Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and research ministry says this about oneness theology, oneness Pentecostal theology affirms that there exists only one God in all the

Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity

universe. It affirms the deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, Oneness theology denies the Trinity. The Trinity is the doctrine that there is one God who manifests Himself as three distinct, simultaneous persons. The Trinity does not assert that there are three gods, but only one. In addition, oneness theology also maintains that baptism is a necessary part of salvation; that is, in order to be saved, one must be baptized, by immersion. If you are not baptized you cannot be saved. However, not only must baptism be by immersion, it must also be administered with the formula In Jesus name rather than the formula In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit which is mentioned in Matthew 28:19. (Slick). It is a shame that the biblical Pentecostal movement has been tainted by this abominable heresy. The Assemblies of God believes, there is only One True Godrevealed in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity) (Assemblies of God, 2010). The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada also affirms this same truth. The question remains, can the oneness Pentecostals even be referred to as true Pentecostals? Or even true Christians? How is their denial of the trinity any different than the Jehovahs Witnesses? Those are all legitimate questions, but we must remember that in every denomination there will be differences, and these are just a few that there are within the Pentecostal denominations of the world. The Charismatic Movement (Slide 11) I am often asked what the charismatic movement is. The Charismatic Renewal Movement or Charismatic Movement, also known as Neo- Pentecostalism, is a loosely-structured predominantly lay movement dating from the 1960s. Many Denominations have been impacted by it such as, the Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, and Roman Catholic

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Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity churches (Cross, F. 2005. P. 324). The charismatic movement owes its existence to the Pentecostal movement and was born out of it, but there are many differences between the two. The origins of the two are different. The Pentecostal movement originated out of the powerful Azusa Street revival whereas the charismatic movement did not have a definitive starting point, but was born out of several different denominations where the baptism of the Holy Spirit was experienced. Denominations such as Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist and even Roman Catholic. Another difference between the two movements is the way each treats doctrine and theology. The Pentecostal church has a doctrinal statement and is committed to the proper handling of the Holy Scriptures. Whereas the charismatic movement is not occupied so much with that as they are with experiences and feelings. The issue of holy laughter is also a difference between the two. It is not rare to go into a charismatic church and see the whole congregation laughing hysterically together. This is known in charismatic circles as holy laughter. Here is a video of what this looks like if youve never seen it. (Slide 13) *Holy Laughter Video* However, real Holy Spirit laughter has been experienced in the Pentecostal churches for decades before the Charismatic churches existed. People bent at the altars of prayer under great burdens of sorrow, tears streaming down their face when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them with holy laughter. When the meeting was over their burden had lifted and their countenance was gloriously altered (Burkett). (Slide 14) There is also a difference between the foundational doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some charismatics believe that speaking in tongues is not the initial evidence of

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being baptized in the Holy Spirit. It is the charismatic movement that introduced the heretical health, wealth and prosperity gospel to the mainstream Christian world. A true orthodox Pentecostal church will not subscribe to the teachings of the health, wealth, and prosperity Gospel. Pentecostals and Egalitarianism (Slide 15) Egalitarianism is a loaded word, but it simply means, a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic rights and privileges (Webster. 2003). Pentecostalism at its very core must be egalitarian in nature. If Pentecostals are not egalitarian it will contradict one of the foundational implications of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals believe that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is available to everyone. Now if their approach was not egalitarian and they started to preach that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is only for white people, or only for blacks or Hispanics then that would be hypocritical and their whole theology of Spirit baptism would fall in on itself. Pentecostalism is known for being a denomination that accepts all people regardless of their race or nationality. As a matter of fact our home church, has this motto, a church for all generations and peoples. This is not just a nice little thing Parkwood has come up with, it is actually a testimony to the Pentecostal devotion to egalitarianism. As was evidenced in the Azusa Street revival, blacks, whites, Asians and Hispanics all worshipped together in the unity of the Holy Spirit. (Slide 16) Pentecostals were not only egalitarian in regards to the issue of races, but also in regards to womens rights in the ministry. Pentecostalism opened the door wide open for

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women to come pray and preach in public. The Pentecostal denomination is well known all throughout the world for their powerful female preachers. One of the first well known celebrity female preachers was a Pentecostal by the name of Aimee Semple Mcpherson. Mcpherson was 32 when she built one of the biggest churches of her time which, held 5,300 people and was filled to capacity three times each day, seven days a week (Aimee Semple Mcpherson biography). (Slide 17) She paved the way for women such as Joyce Meyer and Tammy Fay Bakker who are celebrities in the church world today. Current trends within Pentecostalism (Slide 18) Some current trends within Pentecostalism today are the growing emphasis on good doctrine, the, privatization of tongues and lessened dependency on God due to our prosperity just to name a few. One positive trend in Pentecostalism today is the scholarly work going into our Seminaries. Pentecostalism started off as a movement of the Holy Spirit among the poor and uneducated and has now turned into an intellectual denomination with scholars and teachers who are working to show the world that Pentecostalism is intellectual and not just a blind faith denomination. Many people in the Pentecostal church today, see the gift of tongues as a private spiritual practice and not a corporate gift meant to uplift the body of Christ. Although tongues can be used privately, we must affirm and use it in both ways. For far too many, the personal component of Spirit baptism is where it begins and ends (the pinnacle of Pentecostal spirituality). However, as Clark Pinnock wrote in his book Flame of Love, God did not pour the Spirit out for us to exult

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Pentecostal History Practical Application Activity in it as a private benefit. The purpose was (and is) to empower witnesses to Gods Kingdom (Clarke, 2011). All the gifts of the Spirit are meant to give us power for Christian witness to the world, it must not remain with us. Like the gospel, the gift of tongues is meant to be expressed and shared, keeping it to yourself will do you good, but sharing it will do the whole world good. One of the most saddening trends in our current North American Pentecostalism is our lessened dependency on God because of our prosperity. Our increased affluence has lessened our dependence on God and has negatively impacted our desire to see the fullness of Gods kingdom promise fulfilled. As a result, the second advent of Christ has become little more than a theological relic. After all, who needs Christ to return when we pretty much have everything we want now? (Clarke 2011). I believe this is likely do with the health, wealth and prosperity gospel. Some Pentecostal churches have taken God and turned him into a cosmic slot machine. If Jesus will give me all that I ever wanted materially, of course Ill take that Jesus, who wouldnt? Areas of Concern within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movements (Slide 19) The Pentecostal movement is moving forward as strong as ever today. But there are still some areas of concern within the movement. As in every church that is truly Christian, you will have heretics who try to come in and taint the true doctrine. And if I was to narrow down one area of main concern it would have be the health, wealth and prosperity message being preached on TV and from the pulpit of many Pentecostal churches. When the modern Pentecostal movement was born out of the Azusa street revival it was primarily poor and uneducated people. There was no talk of attracting lots of money and living a luxurious life. It was all Christ centered. It was about salvation and Holy Spirit renewal. The

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heart of Pentecostalism is God centered, not man centered. But over the years we have had a turn around, we have gone from being Holy Spirit centered to man centered. It is no longer about the power of God in salvation, it is about money and prosperity. This is a major area of concern, not so much within Pentecostalism (though it is there) but within the charismatic movement and the whole church at large. As Pentecostals we need to stand up against this abominable heresy and correct it before it germinates throughout the whole Pentecostal denomination. Conclusion (Slide 20)And so we have reached the end of our study on Pentecostalism, I am sure many of you have questions so we will open up the floor to those. *Question Period* End Report on Presentation I presented this study to a small group of adults. I used a TV to show my slides and the study had an atmosphere like a traditional small group. This made for some good discuss after I presented it. I think a major strength of this study was the atmosphere. In a small group most people are comfortable and ready to hear what is to be said. Instead of sitting in uncomfortable church chairs or pews, you are sitting on couches and recliners. I also supplied some snacks and drinks so that people would be comfortable. The material I thought was good. People seemed to be

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engaged in the study because of the visual aids I used in the slides. The video of the holy laughter also was a huge strength and it got people really engaged. The weakness of this presentation I felt was my delivery of it. I love to write and deliver sermons and I feel pretty confident in that. But when it comes to delivering a study on something like Pentecostal History I have a little bit more of a hard time doing that. This was good practice for me and it stretched me in many ways, which is a positive. Using the manuscript was hard, at times I got ahead of myself or tripped over my own words. The input of the congregation that met was very interesting. Everyone seemed very intrigued with this idea of holy laughter. A few people have heard of it before, but many did not. We talked about genuine and fake holy laughter. We even wrestled through whether it is ever appropriate. Questions were also asked pertaining to the prosperity gospel, what it is and how we can counter it with truth. We discussed the impact of Joel Osteen, specifically and whether or not his teachings line up with scripture. All in all it was a good time and I think everyone learned something and was blessed by the study! WC:330

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References Aimee Semple Mcpherson biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.foursquare.org/about/aimee_semple_mcpherson Assemblies of god fundamental truths. (2010, March 1). Retrieved from http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Statement_of_Fundamental_Truths/sft_short.cfm Burkett, B. (n.d.). Commentary and critique of the charismatic doctrine. Retrieved from http://www.actsion.com/NOTchar-I.htm Clarke, J. (2011, July 27). Current trends in pentecostalism seven reflections. Retrieved from http://jeffkclarke.com/2011/07/27/current-trends-in-pentecostalism-seven-reflections/ Cross, F. L., & Livingstone, E. A. (2005). The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd ed. rev.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. Martin, L. (n.d.). A. g. garr . Retrieved from http://www.azusastreet.org/AzusaStreetGarr.htm McGee, G. B. (Fall 1999). William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival. Retrieved from http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/199904/026_azusa.cfm Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.

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What we believe. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.paoc.org Duffield, G. P., & Van Cleave, N. M. (1983). Foundations of Pentecostal theology. Los Angeles, Calif.: L.I.F.E. Bible College. River of Revival Ministries. (2007). Bishop William J. Seymour Retrieved from http://www.azusastreet.org/WilliamJSeymour.htm Slick, M. (n.d.). What is oneness pentecostal theology?. Retrieved from http://carm.org/onenesspentecostal-theology

Synan, V. (2001). The Century of the Holy Spirit (p. 2). Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson.