Nothing in all of Acts, Chapter 2, says believers asked for the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-4 teaches two distinctive truths. At Pentecost, Christian believers were baptized with the Holy Spirit into the body. Then the Holy Spirit filled those believers to give a miraculous testimony -- the ability to speak in other languages. Believers since that time have all been baptized with the Holy Spirit by the Lord Jesus Christ at conversion. How are we filled? When we yield to the Spirit who is already there, we have access to the Spirit's power and fullness. Paul told the Ephesians to be kept filled with the Spirit as a constant pattern for living (5:18).
Nowhere in Scripture is the Christian taught to tarry and wait for the baptism. Nowhere in Scripture are we taught to get with a group of people who can teach us to speak in tongues. Christians are admonished to keep being filled with the Spirit, but that is not the same thing as waiting to be baptized by the Spirit. There is one simple key to knowing the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit in your life: obeying the Lord. As you walk in obedience to the word of God, the Spirit of God fills you and energizes your life (see Gal. 5:25).
Not only have believers been placed into Someone (Christ), but they have had Someone placed into them (the Holy Spirit). As Christians we have the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). God Himself indwells our bodies (II Cor. 6:16). All the resources are there. The promise of the Holy Spirit has already been fulfilled for us. The Bible is absolutely clear on that point. There is nothing more to wait for. The Christian life consists of yielding to the control of the Spirit who is already in us. We do that through obedience to the Word (Col. 3:16).
Significantly, charismatic writers are not all agreed on how believers are to receive the baptism of the Spirit. Why all the confusion and contradiction? Why is it that charismatic writers do not quote the Bible plainly and let it go at that? The reason no charismatic writer can do that is the Bible never tells how to get the baptism of the Spirit; it only tells believers that they are already baptized with the Spirit.
One of the greatest realities the Christian will ever have is contained in two brief and fulfilling statements. One is by Paul, The other is by Peter:
"In Him, you have been made complete" (Col. 2:10).
"His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3).
There is no point in seeking what is already ours.
- John F. MacArthur
Pentecostals are wrong. Faith Movement are wrong.
Victory Churches are wrong.
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!
Satan is responsible for what is going on in these churches -- not God.
3 comments:
What a great blog that you have been writing all these years. We have been following you for some time and wanted to let you know that all your articles are greatly appreciated in educating us in what is going on in these cultic churches. Keep up the good work.
I agree with your recent posts as these Victory Churches and Faith Movement cults really do not understand what the Bible is saying about spiritual life. Their take on what is required to be born again is warped and people who attend these places are being so deceived by the leaders and other confused people who attend their services. It is most unfortunately that these places are springing up all over the place and most of them hijack their initial congregations from hurting people from other churches in the area. If they only knew that they were going to be so deceived.
Found your blog today. I'm unhappy to say my husband is seriously deceived or rather he's been brainwashed since childhood about gifts of the spirit in his Pentecostal upbringing as a Pg-K and seems fixated on everyone needing deliverance and says he thinks he spoke in tongues and sees demons and hears both them say they have his wife while God says not to worry she's ok with him. It's taking a toll on us trying to find a local church home ...brutal...but I'm about to settle with being unchurched at this point. I trust I'm already in God's universal church. I can only focus on the one and only true authority which is by reading God's word for myself.
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