"For we all baptized by one Spirit into one body...
and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."--I Corinthians 12:13

The Titles of the Holy Spirit

• Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost: In Hebrew the term 'Spirit" means breath, air, and wind.

• Spirit of Truth: To the world the function of the Holy Spirit is mainly to reveal the truth and to convict the world which did not accept Him (John 14:16; 16:8-15).

• Consoler/Helper: To Christians the function of the Holy Spirit is mainly to comfort us and to guide us (John 14:156,26;15:26;16:7).

• Other titles:
  • Spirit of God (Gen. 1 :2)
  • Spirit of the Lord (Is. 16:1)
  • Spirit of your Father (Matt. 10:20)
  • Spirit of Grace (Zech. 12: 10)
  • Spirit of Holiness (Rom. 1 :4)
  • Spirit of Life (Rom. 8:2)
  • Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9)

Symbols of the Holy Spirit

• Water/Dove: The symbol of water and Dove are associated with the action in Baptism--the sign of a new birth (I Cor. 12:13; Matt. 3:16)

• Anointing/Seal:Anointing is a sign of confirmation (I John 2:20:27; II Cor. 1:21; Eph. 1:13; 4:30)

• Fire/Cloud and Light: Fire symbolizes the power of transformation (Luke 1:17; 3:16; 21:27).

• Hand/Finger: Hand and finger signify the power of healing(Acts 5:12; 14:3; Luke 11:20). In the Letter of Hebrews (6:2) laying hand is listed among the elements of the fundamental teaching.

Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement

What is "Pentecost"?

• Pentecost means the fiftieth day. It was the 50th day after the Sabbath of Passover week. Pentecost is also called:
  • the Feast of Weeks (Dt 16: 10)
  • the Feast of Harvest (Ex 23: 16)
  • the day of first-fruits (Nu. 28:26)

• In the Hellenistic period, the feast was for renewal of the covenant God made with Noah (Gen. 9:8-17)

• Later after the Temple was destroyed by General Titus in A.D. 7O, the feast lost its agricultural association and became a celebration of the giving of the Laws of God on Mountain Sinai.

• In the day of Pentecost the New Testament church received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and therefore in the 20th century the revival concerning the Holy Spirit is called the Pentecostal movement.

What is "Charisma"?

In general charisma means attraction. In Christianity charisma denotes the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Pentecostal movement is also named the Charismatic movement. In the New Testament it mentions many types of gifts (I Cor. 12:2- 11; Eph. 4:11-12). Today three major gifts of the Holy Spirit are emphasized:

• Speaking in tongues
• prophecy
• faith healing

Speaking in tongues is considered the "lost elements" by Pentecostals.

A Brief History of the Pentecostal Movement

18th cent.	Many Pentecostals came from holiness meetings, which emphasized the work of the Holy Spirit.. The holiness movement was launched by John Wesley, the founder of Methodist. Although the holiness movement expected no evident charisma, sometimes the congregation was so emotional as to roll on the floor. Later Pentecostals were also called Holy Roller.
1900	Charles Parham in Kansas asserted that speaking in tongues was proof of Spirit experience. Later the movement was called the Tongues movement.
1906	A. J. Tomlinson formed the Church of God in Tennessee and North Carolina 1906 Azasa Street Revival is considered the quantum leap of the Pentecostal Movement.
1947	Oral Roberts started his Pentecostal ministry in Tulsa, OK. Later he used electronic media to a broadcast his faith healing and preaching. Today many Pentecostal preachers are TV evangelists as well as faith healers. Later he founded Oral Roberts University and the City of Faith Hospital and Research Center. When he was short of funds, he prophesied that God would take his life unless he received one million dollars.
1970s	The Pentecostal movement spread across the entire world, especially South America. It was estimated that in Chile there were more Pentecostals than Roman Catholics.
1980s	Pentecostals estimated that 50 million people throughout the world had received the Spirit baptism.
1994	In Airport Vineyard, Toronto there was a huge Pentecostal movement attracting people from all over the world. At the service, most church members fell on the floor laughing and rolling. Therefore those Pentecostals were also called Holy Laughter.

Comments to Pentecostals

• Total opposition against Pentecostals is not uncommon. For example, Greek Orthodox Church considers Pentecostals "non-Christians." As a matter of fact, most Pentecostals accept all the basic doctrines that are shared by many other churches. Emphases on certain aspects of faith do not constitute a cult.

• Wilson stated that the appeal of the movement is the emotional compensation for those poor, neglected, uneducated, and powerless.

• Psychologist John White, a Canadian Vineyard member observed one of the by-products of the movement is extreme pride in some at having had the experience (we-have-it-and-you-don't).

• In my experience some Christians who emphasize certain gifts and special revelation of God, as well as the emotional aspect of faith, tends to overlook practicality, and even being anti-intellectual. Nonetheless, they are not necessarily Pentecostals. Christians like you and me may also carry the potential crisis of imbalance.