Riotous Suggesting

Today’s Thought Riotous Suggesting G. Ward

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

⁴⁵ All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” Acts 10:44-47

Amazingly, we’ve run amok with selfish innuendo (that can lead to heresy) concerning 2 sets of passages found in Acts chapters 10 & 19 that found some believers lacking full insight of Jesus’ sacrifice unto man. To place everything in a better perspective, we’ll need to remember the prefacing by the Apostles provoked a question; “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed” (Ac.19:2)? The potential converts replied, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Ac.19:2-5).Many theologians of today exacerbate a notion presented at a revival meeting held in 1906; (The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 14, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles, dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and inter-racial mingling. In 1905, William J. Seymour, the one-eyed 34 year old son of former slaves, was a student of well-known Pentecostal preacher Charles Parham and an interim pastor for a small holiness church in Houston, Texas. Neely Terry, an African American woman who attended a small holiness church pastored by Julia Hutchins in Los Angeles, made a trip to visit family in Houston late in 1905. While in Houston, she visited Seymour's church, where he preached the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, and though he had not experienced this personally, Terry was impressed with his character and message. Once home in California, Terry suggested that Seymour be invited to speak at the local church. Seymour received and accepted the invitation in February 1906, and he received financial help and a blessing from Parham for his planned one-month visit.
Seymour arrived in Los Angeles on February 22, 1906, and within two days was preaching at Julia Hutchins' church at the corner of Ninth Street and Santa Fe Avenue. During his first sermon, he preached that speaking in tongues was the first biblical evidence of the inevitable baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the following Sunday, March 4, he returned to the church and found that Hutchins had padlocked the door. Elders of the church rejected Seymour's teaching, primarily because he had not yet experienced the blessing about which he was preaching. Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopedia)
Jesus completed all the work necessary for us to have a loving relationship with the Father, why is anyone suggestive of Holy God awaiting the early part of the 20^th century to introduce this new theology, thus disenfranchising my great-great grand-parent’s opportunity in surrendering to this level of spiritual empowerment (sounds cultic!)? Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Acts 17:11
Are you noble-minded? Happy Thursday!