My Theology of the Holy Spirit

 

I haven’t written in my blog for a while now.

However, seeing as the point of this stream is to talk about Spirit-led Living, I feel that there is something that I must address.

Growing up I would read the New Testament and I formed a theology based on what I read on its’ pages. I believed that it was true, and I also believed that those things were not only for then, but also for today.

Through the years as I was involved with several denominations, Wesleyan, Free Methodist, Assemblies of God, and Grace Brethren among others; I never felt that I could sign on the dotted line to become a member as agreeing with all their doctrinal positions. While I agreed with a large portion of what they believed, they all had doctrinal points that I felt were not Biblical. It wasn’t until I came upon the Vineyard that I felt that I found my tribe.

From the Evangelicals I took a deep reverence for the Gospel and the Word as the inspired, inerrant word of God and the litmus test for all that we believe.

From the Holiness people I took a deep desire to be set apart for Him and to walk in holiness. To live in such a way that we are a clear witness to the Gospel.

From the Pentecostals I took away knowing that the experiential, the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit are still active today and did not end with Apostles.

But it wasn’t until I joined the Vineyard that I discovered a theology that reflected my own.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit, initial infilling, initial empowering, second work of grace or whatever you want to call it, is from my reading of the New Testament, a distinct event from salvation. When we call upon the name of the Lord, the Spirit transforms our spirit, and we are born again. Our name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. However, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, or whatever language you use to describe it, is a distinct event where the Holy Spirit empowers us for service. He gives us boldness to proclaim the Gospel, to expand the Kingdom by sharing and modeling our faith in Him.

That empowering allows us, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, to prophecy. He empowers us to witness, not with our words and understanding, but with His empowering.

Now this might happen concurrent with our salvation, or it might be a subsequent event. It might be accompanied by tongues, or it might not. There might be outward demonstrations of this infilling, like shaking, crying, laughing, or falling down; or it might just be a quiet stillness where we just know that we know that His presence and His power are indwelling us.

There is enough variety of experiences in the New Testament accounts and historically in subsequent outpourings of His Spirit, that I think that it is fraught with peril when we string some verses together and try to establish a dogma that fits our Kingdom perspective.

I believe that there is one initial in-filling or Baptism, and subsequent in-fillings that enable and empower us for the tasks that God calls us to perform.

Acts 4:8 is an example of this. Peter had been filled with the Spirit at Pentecost and then was filled again when he stood before the rulers, elders, scribes and high priest in Jerusalem.

In Acts 13:9, Paul is again filled with Spirit when he confronted Bar-Jesus, a magician, and a false prophet.

Some have made the gift of tongues the litmus test for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. By tongues they mean the ecstatic language of heaven. Of course, we need to look no further than Pentecost, to see that the gift of tongues on exhibit was actually the supernatural ability to speak in a human foreign language. That is why Paul, in 1 Corinthians Ch 13 says, “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels” as they are two distinct manifestations of this gift.

In Acts 9:17-18 Paul receives his initial infilling of the Spirit, which occurs after his encounter with Christ, and the only supernatural occurrence there is that the scales fell from his eyes.

In Acts 8:14-17 the Apostles go to Samaria to talk to a group of people who have already accepted Christ. They lay hands on them, and they receive the Holy Spirit. This passage reveals a Baptism of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to salvation, and yet there is no mention of them speaking in tongues.

In Acts 19:2-5 we find another example of a subsequent Baptism of the Holy Spirit after salvation, although in this case they did speak in tongues and prophesied.

There are many other accounts where people were filled with Spirit and they did speak in tongues and prophesied. Why don’t they make prophesying the evidence of the Baptism.

What does the Bible say is evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? It is not any particular gifting, as God gives those out at His pleasure and for His purpose.

No, the evidence of His indwelling is the fruit that comes as a result of His indwelling as described in Galatians 5:22-23.

Wimber described people encountering the Holy Spirit in the same terms as a person who encounters electricity. There will be a reaction. That is why we tell people who are praying for others, to pray with their eyes open so that they can see when the Spirit is moving by the reactions of the person being prayed for. It varies with however that person is wired. It can be subtle and almost undetectable, or there can be a violent reaction. We can observe that something is happening, but we should NOT make anything that we observe to be normative for an encounter with the Holy Spirit.

During the 90’s I lived through several moves of the Spirit. I got to see God move, heal people and lives changed. I observed people being empowered by God and the release of His Gifts.

While many of these manifestations have been present in moves of God in the Bible and throughout history, the real hallmark of a move of God is measure in people coming to Christ and being transformed. The empowering leads people to share their faith with those around them, who in turn share their newfound faith, and a move of God begins.

Sadly, many are seeking the manifestations and not the life changing presence and power of God Himself. I’ve observed what I called “Holy Spirit junkies” who go from revival to revival looking to get slain in the Spirit, or to get goosebumps, to join in the laughter, or to get a prophetic word. What I don’t see in their lives is any real change. I don’t see them so on fire for God that they can’t help but share it with their neighbors, friends, co-workers or family members. No, they are content to just go from experience to experience.

Those who have truly experienced the Holy Spirit have a boldness to proclaim the Gospel regardless of the peril or the situation.

It starts with Peter at Pentecost and later in front of the spiritual leadership in Jerusalem, where filled with the Holy Spirit he speaks boldly the Word of God.

Acts 4:31 & 28:31 all talk about the boldness that was imparted to them through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

There is, perhaps, no greater example of this than Stephen before the Sanhedrin and the High Priest, who filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaimed the Gospel, even at the cost of his own life.

Now I come to my last point in this blog of my theology of the Holy Spirit. Growing up I was exposed to a dispensational view of the Bible. This view says that God has certain dispensations for certain eras and periods of time and groups of people. Dispensationalism looks at God’s covenants with the people of Israel and then at the distinctiveness of the Gospel as being separate and distinct eras. They also believe that the New Testament era of signs, wonders and the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit were for that era only. Once the New Testament was completed, the Word of God is now supreme and there is no need for all those things. Therefore, in their minds, signs, wonders, miracles, and the supernatural gifts of the Spirit ceased with the passing of the Apostles. (That is why they are called cessationists, because they believe all those things ceased.)

Again, I guess I am naïve, and I take the Bible at face value. If those things don’t apply to us in this post-Apostolic era, why then are they written in the Bible. Why did Paul spend so much time addressing them in Corinthians. Why are they found in other parts of the New Testament.

In fact, Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 12 that he does not want us to be uninformed about the existence, use, and administration of spiritual gifts.

In my estimation, cessationists use dispensationalism as an excuse to rationalize their own lack of experiential knowledge to go along with their theological knowledge. They’ve never experienced it so therefore it must not be for us in this time.

To their credit, they do place a premium of the Word of God, and I have no doubt that they are committed followers of Christ. Many of them are very zealous in the way they share their faith and lead others to Christ.

We are all part of the greater body of Christ, the Church, and we all follow Him the best way we know how. We just won’t always agree on our interpretation of the Scriptures.

I have been blessed and have grown by being exposed to all parts of the Body of Christ. He uses all of it.

I just have my way of looking at the Holy Spirit, which I will admit is based on my interpretation of the Bible and my experience with God.

I challenge you to read the Bible, ask God for revelation and illumination, and then come up with your own Theology of the Holy Spirit.