The Take-Away - Pentacostalism

Pentacostalism sprang from the same roots as Methodism.  John Wesley sought assurance of salvation and began to focus on EXPERIENCE being placed in addition to Scripture, Tradition, and Reason of the Three-Legged Stool.  Wesley's followers (Methodists) were known for their spiritual passion and for religious experiences that were sometimes deemed to be excessive by more traditional Anglicans.  There came a split; members of the Holiness Movement tended to be more conservative theologically than Methodists with a greater emphasis on personal piety and personal fervor/experience.

Charles Parham sought an experience like that of Acts 2 at Bethel Bible College in 1901.  Many people at that gathering spoke in tongues as they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Pentacostals think of speaking in tongues as normative, which means as available today as it was in the first century.  Pentacostals would say their role in church history involves going back to to the Apostolic Church.

Four Major Emphases
1.  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit - a "second work of grace" in which recipients are completely immersed in the Holy Spirit.  The evidence of this baptism is speaking in tongues (as described in Acts 2).  Pentacostals believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit gives Christians power for living and allows them to be used of God in a special way.
2.  A Personal Relationship with Christ - Pentacostals emphasize the emotional dimensions of their relationship with Christ.
3.  The Second Coming of Christ - Pentacostals live in expectation of Christ's imminent return.  There is a sense among many that the second coming will be within most of our lifetimes.
4.  Modern-Day Miracles and Healing - There seems to be a greater sense of expectation that God is in the "miracle-working business."


What Pentacostals Teach Us
1.  Living daily in the power and direction of the Holy Spirit to experience the fullness of the Christian life.
2.  A willingness to identify and use our spiritual gifts.  "When we use our gifts - God's gifts given to us for his purposes - we find joy in our faith" (109).
3.  Reclaiming healing power.  We can be bold in praying and to expect that God can do wonderful things to heal our bodies.

Summary of chapter = Hamilton encourages us to invite the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives.  We can be more aware of the Spirit's guidance, power, and work.

Prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me anew.  Guide me.  Use me.  Empower me.  Lead me.  Grant me your gifts that I might be useful to you in serving others.  In Jesus' name.  Amen" (110).

And... for a little chuckle...

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Hamilton, Adam.  Christianity's Family Tree.   Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.