Tag: Charismatic

[1] Filled with the Spirit – transforming but nothing added

Nothing is added to our salvation when filled with the Spirit and yet it is a transforming event. It is easy to feel inferior when some Christians believe that they have been baptised with the Holy Spirit and others don’t. But it is important to remember that nothing can be added to our salvation…

[2] Holy Spirit experience: The filling is a blessing

Jesus gave His followers the instruction to wait until the Holy Spirit had come upon them. Holy Spirit experience: If this was an event which they were just to ‘reckon’ as having happened, there would have been confusion as to how long they should wait! But Jesus said ‘wait until’…

[3] Can we experience the gift of the Holy Spirit?

If the Lord has called you to be His child, then the promise of the Holy Spirit is for you.

But it does not take place automatically at conversion.
We know that to be a fact, because Paul:
“found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’”
How do we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?…

[4] Issues with the Holy Spirit – potentially

There can be potential issues with the Holy Spirit when we realise that God is all-powerful and anything is possible we can move into the area which has some potential pot holes and traps: Beware of getting over impressed by ‘phenomena’… The fear of showing unbelief… Are the spiritual gifts ‘on tap’? Do not ‘claim’ spiritual gifts…

[7] Receive the Holy Spirit

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and:
“He breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” John 20:22
How does this breathing of the Holy Spirit differ from the disciple’s filling of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost?…

Part 1 Toronto Blessing retrospective

Meetings would result in such things as people falling over, laughing uncontrollably, crying, shrieking, shaking, crawling or lying on the floor, animal noises, etc.
If anyone was not showing any signs of being ‘touched’ they were encouraged to ‘surrender, don’t resist’.
I was ‘up for it’ but I was really feeling confused as to why the Lord would want to make anyone bark like a dog, etc, and the meetings did not seem to have any direction…

Part 2 Criticizing the Holy Spirit

Have you ever seen bizarre Christian behaviour but are too scared to ask whether this is right or not, because you may be seen to be criticising the Holy Spirit?
But we are told to question things for our own spiritual safety.
In the verse below, we are encouraged in the things of the Spirit, but But we are also told to test everything:
‘Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything’…

Part 3 The Bible and the Holy Spirit

A Pastor said that the church wasn’t growing fast enough, then he heard of a revival and so he went to it. On returning he got up to preach but there was no preaching, for three months. Would the Holy Ghost who wrote the Book, who said that the Truth will set you free, would he cause the minister to laugh so much so that he couldn’t preach this Word?
When we look at the 18th Century Revival, the preaching from the Bible played a central role coupled with Spirit filled Preachers…

Part 4 God moving – what is the core focus?

If there’s one thing I have learnt, it is when people are saying that God is moving in a particular place then I look to see what the core focus is.
Jesus said: “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement.” Notice Jesus doesn’t say ‘don’t judge’ because we have all got to make decisions on whether things are right or wrong.
The following short video clip shows Benny Hinn falling over and blowing on people…

Part 5 Toronto Blessing beginnings

The Toronto Blessing is also referred to as the laughing revival.
Where, or how did it start?
It’s not a unique phenomenon.
Below is a potted history extracted from a manuscript by Margaret M. Poloma from the University of Akron [1]:
Pre 1987 Claudio Friedzon, an Assemblies of God pastor in Argentina, was in the centre of revival sweeping through parts of Latin America…

Part 6 1950’s Belgian Congo revival

Please observe some of the outcomes from the Holy Spirit meeting his people:
“It was seven o’clock on a Friday night. Jack Scholes, our field leader, had just come back from a trip in the south and he had seen revival down there.
He stood up to speak about the revival and started to read from scriptures.
Suddenly we heard a hurricane storm. It was frightening! ..
Then the building shook and the storm lanterns down the centre of the building moved around…