Rev. David Holwick X After Acts: Early Church series #6
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
July 4, 2004
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22
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I. Fire came down.
A. Azusa Street revival in 1901.
He was raised a Baptist.
He was black.
He had only one eye.
Born in 1870, the son of ex-slaves, William Seymour has been
called one of the most influential black men of the
twentieth century.
Seymour, however, was deeply influenced by the holiness
movement.
They taught that in addition to salvation, there was a second
work of grace -- sanctification.
Certain holiness groups insisted that there would be a great
outpouring of the Holy Spirit before the Rapture.
One of those who was convinced that the Spirit was about to
be poured out was Charles F. Parham.
He founded a Bible school in Topeka where on the first day of
the twentieth century, January 1st, 1901, Agnes Ozman
spoke in an unknown tongue (some said it was Chinese).
Parham taught that in every instance of Holy Spirit filling,
God would give the believer the ability to speak in a
foreign languages for the purpose of evangelism.
Seymour attended his school.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, members of the Second Baptist
Church prayed earnestly for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit.
They invited Seymour to speak at their church.
He came, described tongues as the evidence of filling with the
Holy Spirit -- and found himself locked out of the church.
The Holiness Church Association of Southern California
condemned his message.
Kicked out of church, Seymour preached from the home of a
sympathetic church member.
On April 9, 1906, Seymour and some of his listeners spoke in
tongues.
Such crowds gathered after that that the porch of the house
collapsed.
Was it the Holy Spirit? Or was it emotions run wild?
Eventually, Seymour and his followers found an unused
sanctuary on Azusa Street.
For pews they used planks atop barrels.
Crowds gathered. The press jeered.
But Seymour held three services a day, seven days a week for
three years.
White and black alike, men and women of many doctrinal
backgrounds, confessed their sins, testified of God's
power and spoke in tongues.
Some who listened marveled to hear uneducated blacks speak
major world languages.
Others reported babble.
But the Azusa Street Revival, as it came to be called, had
an impact that is felt to this day.
#27904
B. Ancient precedent - Montanism.
1) The Phrygian prophet.
In A.D. 172 an enthusiastic young Christian named Montanus
gained a reputation as a prophet.
He lived in Phrygia (what is now Turkey) and before he was
converted he had been a pagan priest.
The pagans in that area were famous for their prophecies
and ecstasy, or out-of-body spiritual experience.
As a Christian, he brought this interest with him.
Two prophetesses, Prisca and Maximilla, left their husbands
and joined him.
They claimed to be mouthpieces of the Paraclete, the
Apostle John's term for the Holy Spirit.
God spoke through them in the first person, just like
some prophets in the Old Testament.
They didn't announce, "God says to you,..", they said,
"I say to you...."
Montanus and his friends formed Spirit-led communities.
Their prophecies told Christians to relish martyrdom.
The group was also very ascetic - they abandoned marriage
in favor of celibacy.
They emphasized fasting and ate their food dry.
And they spoke in tongues.
Maximilla predicted: "After me there will be no prophecy,
but the End."
The first known synod of bishops excommunicated them.
But they were fanatics rather than heretics.
Their visions, speaking in tongues and intense religious
excitement attracted suspicion.
Their prophecies seemed to question the emerging canon.
Maximilla's predictions were not fulfilled.
After a few centuries the movement died out.
#27914
2) Movements that emphasize the Holy Spirit have always been
controversial.
a) It generates excitement - God really seems to be
working.
1> It can also generate a lot of weirdness.
b) What does the Bible say about it?
II. It began in the book of Acts.
A. Spirit falls on disciples on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:38
1) Jesus had recently ascended to heaven.
2) He promised them the Spirit would come upon them.
a) It would comfort and guide them.
b) It would give them spiritual power - not just the
leaders, but everyone, women included.
c) It also gave them spiritual gifts, like tongues.
B. On each new group brought into the church, the Spirit fell.
1) Acts 8:12-17 Samaritan believers.
a) They believe, they are baptized, but no Spirit.
1> Why? Perhaps water baptism was not enough.
2> More likely, their faith was inadequate.
It says they believed Philip, rather than
believed in Jesus.
b) Apostles lay hands on them and they receive the Spirit.
1> (Presumably, they speak in tongues)
2) Acts 10:44-48 Gentiles - Cornelius
a) They hear gospel, believe, and receive Spirit.
1> Tongues and praise to God.
2> Totally unexpected - they were Gentiles.
3> God was showing he accepted Gentiles. Acts 15:8
b) Water baptism followed.
3) Acts 19:1-6 John the Baptist disciples.
a) They believe, but something was missing - Jesus.
b) They are baptized (again), hands laid, receive Spirit.
1> They speak in tongues and prophesy. (=praise god?)
C. Key points in Acts:
1) A person must possess the Holy Spirit to be a Christian.
2) It appears that tongues was considered the evidence they
had the Spirit.
3) Sometimes the Spirit came before baptism, sometimes after.
III. A different angle in 1 Corinthians.
A. Apart from Acts, this is only New Testament book that
gives much detail about the gifts of the Spirit.
1) Here, tongues seems to be ecstatic or gibberish rather
than known languages. (Paul implies it is angelic.)
2) Not every Christian will speak in tongues. 1 Cor 12:30
3) However, every Christian has a supernatural gift.
a) The goal is to build up the whole church.
B. Paul encourages the Spirit but also limits it.
1) Worship services should not get weird.
a) Understanding rather than emotional experience is
emphasized.
b) The way the Spirit is expressed is always under our
control. 1 Cor 14:32
2) In effect Paul says, get excited in your own room,
but be calm and rational in church.
a) Otherwise, outsiders will think you are nuts!
IV. Seek the Spirit.
A. Our faith is a supernatural faith.
1) Paul warns us not to throw cold water on the Spirit.
2) The Christian religion is not just something you follow,
but something you experience.
3) Seek a deeper commitment to God. Be open to whatever he
reveals to you.
B. The Spirit is for today.
1) Some believe the supernatural gifts are limited to the NT.
a) It would have died out with the apostles.
b) But the gifts will only stop when Jesus comes in glory.
2) The closer we come to the Second Coming, the more intense
the Spirit will become.
V. Discernment is necessary - test everything.
A. The Spirit will not overturn God's Word.
1) Opposite of Marcion: he wanted to cut from the Bible,
Montanists wanted to add to the Bible.
2) In effect, their prophecies were God's Word, on same
level as Bible.
B. Beware of emotionalism, excitement for excitement's sake.
1) Paul downplays the dramatic gifts.
a) Understanding and edification are more important.
b) He explicitly says not every Christian has a dramatic
gift.
c) Helpfulness and teaching are right up there with
miracle-working.
2) Not everything that claims to be of the Spirit, really is.
a) Some churches have training sessions to get the Spirit.
b) If you believe, you have the Spirit - let him have more
of you.
VI. There is only one salvation.
A. Salvation is not a two-stage event.
1) Misunderstanding from book of Acts:
first you believe and have water baptism,
then you get the Spirit and are Spirit-baptized.
2) Spirit-baptism is the divine side of physical baptism.
a) They may seem separated in time, but they occur
together.
b) Evidence of the Spirit may take time to show.
3) Romans 8:9 stresses that every Christian has the Spirit.
No Spirit, no salvation.
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but
by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does
not belong to Christ."
B. Keep the focus on Jesus.
1) The purpose of the Spirit is to guide us into Jesus' truth.
2) William Seymour told his audiences, "Don't go out of here
talking about tongues; talk about Jesus."
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
#27904 "The Azusa Street Revival," Christian History Institute;
http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/dailyf/2002/04/daily-04-09-2002.shtml
#27914 "The Rise Of Montanism," by David F. Wright, adapted by Rev. David
Holwick, Eerdmans' Handbook To The History Of Christianity,
1977, page 74.
These and 25,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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