We humans are extremists. One example is people’s attitudes toward the Holy Spirit. Some ignore Him, even though He is the member of the trinity who indwells our bodies as believers. Others overemphasize Him, seeking His miraculous power and claiming one is not a true Christian without such experiences.
Recently, false teachers from a group called “The Last Reformation” have been active in our area. They claim that they are following the Book of Acts and doing what the early Christians did. But, they make a serious mistake of Bible interpretation and lead many astray. Acts is a Book of the history of God’s work after Jesus ascended and sent the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. But, Biblical history is not “prescriptive” of how God always works. For that kind of instruction about the daily Christian life, we study, for example, the Epistles written to believers and the churches.
God did in history provide the “signs of an Apostle” (2 Cor. 12:12) to the eleven plus Paul and God did give the gift of tongues (real languages) on three occasions in Acts and in Corinth. But, that does not mean these signs were for every Christian then and certainly not now, after the work of the Apostles has been completed, the Church established, and the Scriptures finished by the end of the first century.
Groups like “The Last Reformation” also misunderstand Acts 2:38 and say that water baptism is how we get saved and receive the Holy Spirit. But, salvation is by faith in Christ, not by works or experiences. They promote gifts more than the Giver, offer a selfish prosperity gospel, and confuse entire families (Titus 1:11, 2 Timothy 3:5-7).
We need to know “the Bible as it is for people as they are” regarding the Holy Spirit. This past Sunday, churches around the world, including IBC remembered “Pentecost Sunday” and sang and talked about the Spirit.
How well do you understand WHO the blessed Holy Spirit is and HOW He does and doesn’t work? For six Bible teaching messages on “The Holy Spirit and You,” check out this series on our IBC website. The last message in particular, “Gifts of the Spirit—Temporary and Permanent: explains the issue of miraculous sign gifts like speaking in tongues.
May we walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). May the fruit of the Sprit characterize our lives: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (5:22-23). That is the Christ-likeness the Holy Spirit provides.