By Ada Brownell
Jesus stood, his
robe swaying with the breeze, shouting to the apostles and about 500 men, plus
women and children[i]
gathered on Mount Olivet. The crowd had followed him for 40 days, listening to
the Messiah teach, amazed at the infallible proofs verifying His Resurrection
from the dead.
“Don’t depart from Jerusalem,” Jesus said, his voice echoing
among the rocky hills. “but wait for the Promise of the Father. For John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days from now.”
About 500 people gathered on the mountain, some leaning on
boulders as they listened to the Resurrected Savior. Some brows wrinkled as
they remembered the words of John the Baptist, “I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentence, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Jesus continued. “You
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of
the earth.”
Forty days later, 120 of them gathered in an upper room where
they’d been seeking God and the infilling, when suddenly there came a sound
like a strong wind. “And there appeared to them cloven tongues, as a fire, and
one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts
2:4).
Controversy about speaking “in tongues” began that day, and
continues until now.
Where the 120 people came out of the upper room and down
into the street, joyful, praising God in loud voices and still speaking in
tongues. The questions started.
“What meaneth this?”
“Aren’t those
who speak Galileans? How is it that we hear them speak in our language?” “Are
they drunk?”
Peter suddenly found his voice, despite denying he knew
Jesus after the Lord’s arrest. He’d mentally dropped out of the ministry. But
now Peter stood and shouted, “This is what was prophesied by the prophet Joel.
God said in the last days He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel
2:28).
Here are questions we hear today about the
Baptism in the Holy Ghost:
·
Is the Holy Spirit poured out in the same way
today?
·
How does it happen?
·
Why is speaking in tongues the initial evidence?
·
Is there other evidence?
·
Should we seek the Holy Spirit instead of
speaking to Jesus or God?
·
How do people know something supernatural
happens?
·
What advantages are there to being baptized in
the Holy Spirit?
·
Does it
make me a better person than those who aren’t filled?
Yes, the Holy Spirit
is poured out in the same way today, but often those who speak “in tongues”
are given a heavenly instead of earthly language, although my oldest sister
spoke in Swedish when she was filled. A Swedish couple was in the congregation
and heard her glorify God in their language.
It happens when we
ask God for it, and tarry in his presence. Some advise seekers to just
speak it out, but those I’ve seen who were filled with joy, overflowing love
and power to witness, not only asked to be filled, but worshiped and praised
the Lord until they ran out of their own vocabulary and the Spirit gave them
words to worship him they couldn’t utter, even with groaning.
God uses the tongue
because the tongue is difficult to tame and it’s a spiritual milestone to
completely yield ourselves to God, including the tongue.
Other evidence
surfaces such as joy, love for God and one another, and becoming a witness.
God opens doors and often miraculously gives the words to speak.
Jesus is the
baptizer, but the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and He is
the one who empowers. The Heavenly Father is involved because He promised
things in Old Testament days, such as Not by might, nor by power, but by my
Spirit.
We know we’ve been
touched by the supernatural power of God by our fruits. Acts 1:8 I’ve discovered sometimes we can be witnesses
by our lives and don’t have to say a word. But God also uses our mouths. When I
was a dried up 21-year-old discouraged Christian living in a little town in the
Utah desert, God refilled and anointed me one night with His power all over me
like warm oil. The next day I prayed for a helper so I could start a Sunday
school in that little place with four bars and no church. Within a week a wonderful
Baptist woman my age moved to town and we established a Sunday school in the
school house.
Being filled with the
Holy Ghost doesn’t make me better than someone who hasn’t been baptized in the
Spirit. But it makes me much better than I’d be without it.
CONFESSIONS
OF A PENTECOSTAL
By
Ada Brownell
Ada
tells what it was like to grow up in a Pentecostal home, miracles she witnessed,
and then of her own journey following the Lord. Her inspiring confessions of
faith will encourage and bless believers everywhere.
Originally
published by the Assemblies of God in 1978, the book was listed in 2011 and
many other years among 10 top recommendations on Pentecostalism by The Library
Thing. It was converted to an e-book in 2011.
Review: Confessions
Of a Pentecostal is
more than just a book or a story; it is an ultimate look inside another
person's faith. Truly remarkable, a book that I will reread time and time
again, I recommend this to anyone who ever wonders about who we are: who are
the Pentecostals.
https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell
https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell
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