Is Pentecostalism biblical? I need proof…
Discussion
51 comments
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What is the Pentecostal Church and what do Pentecostals believe?
Pentecostalism is a fairly modern movement within Christianity that can be traced back to the Holiness movement in the Methodist Church. A major focus of Pentecostal churches is Holy Spirit baptism as evidenced by speaking in tongues. There are approximately 170 different denominations that identify themselves as Pentecostal.Toward the end of the 19th century, there was a dramatic rise in religious fervor as various groups anticipated the end of history and the return of Christ in 1900. Much of this fervor was driven by the revival meetings held by those in the Holiness movement, and there were occasional reports of people speaking in tongues. The first widespread use of tongues was at a revival in Topeka, Kansas, in January 1900, led by Charles Parham. Agnes Ozman, a Methodist, began to speak in tongues, and others in the meeting eventually followed suit. In 1906, a series of revival meetings on Azusa Street in Los Angeles led to a widespread experience of tongues-speaking, which spread to many parts of the country. The meetings were led by William Seymour, one of Charles Parham’s students. Parham and Seymour eventually parted ways, because Parham believed many of the manifestations of Azusa Street were of the flesh, or perhaps even demonic. By 1909, Seymour had excluded all but African-Americans from holding office in the mission, and the ministry eventually faded into history.
Though the Azusa Street mission had a brief life, its impact on the Pentecostal movement has been a lasting one. Many new churches and missions were founded across America which carried the new emphasis on seeking the baptism of the Spirit as evidenced by speaking in tongues. Today, there are over 200,000,000 denominational Pentecostals and another 200,000,000 who identify themselves as Pentecostal or charismatic in mainline churches.
There are three main divisions within the Pentecostal movement. The original group which came out of the Holiness churches (Methodist and Nazarene), sees three progressive steps in the life of a believer which indicate growth and blessing. The first step is justification, which is the forgiveness of sins that comes from putting faith in Jesus Christ. The second step is sanctification, or the second blessing, which was first taught by John Wesley in his “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection” (1766). The essence of this doctrine is an inner purity of heart and an infusion of power, whereby the believer no longer practices sin. This is sometimes followed by the third step, the “baptism of the Spirit,” as evidenced by speaking in tongues or other signs. The Church of God in Christ and the Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, are two major denominations in this group.
The second division is comprised of those who came out of a Baptist background, but were heavily influenced by the Holiness revivals of the late 1800s. The Assemblies of God was founded in 1914 under the leadership of Eudorus N. Bell, who had been a Southern Baptist pastor. The key difference in doctrine for this group is that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available for anyone, regardless of attaining sanctification.
The third division is the Oneness Pentecostals. At the meeting which formed the Church of God in Christ (1914), there was intense debate over Trinitarian doctrine. While the majority of Holiness believers held to the traditional belief in the Trinity, there was a growing group which held to a modalist belief and affirmed that baptism should be done in Jesus’ name only. Another tenet of this group is the necessity of speaking in tongues as evidence of salvation. This group was to form the United Pentecostal Church and the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, among others.
What are we to make of this movement? The early Holiness believers recognized that Christianity ought to result in visible changes in a person’s life. The focus of many early prayer meetings was to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). These earnest believers wanted to run their race faithfully and were seeking God’s help to do so. As that earnestness gave way to emotional religious fervor, doctrines were developed to explain and support the emotions and experiences. For many today, the emphasis is on the excitement, the experience, or the new word of prophecy. Some of the questionable foundations laid by John Wesley (e.g., a second blessing of perfection) paved the way for later Pentecostal doctrines of new works of the Spirit. Some Pentecostals allow experience to trump scriptural teaching and attempt to conform Scripture to what they “know by experience.” But fervent experience, even when it involves miracles, is not the test of true faith (see Matthew 7:22–23). Peter affirmed the value of Scripture over experience when he said, “We also have a more sure Word of prophecy, to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19).
#Source: Qotquestions
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One thing I know… scripture clearly teaches that if one speaks in tongues in public, and there is no interpreter, then that person should stay silent and pray to God in tongues. For tongues is either a gift for the worshipper you God, privately, or, if corporate, requires an interpreter (or like in the day in Pentecost, one speaks, and each hears in their own language)
Tongues without interpretation in public sews confusion, discord, disorder. The very antithesis of our Creator.
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Almost anything ending in “ism” isn’t Biblical. While starting with good intentions, it deviates from Biblical teachings and starts applying its own teachings and definitions into the Bible.
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Yes, read the book of Acts. Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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Pentecostalism is a Christian cult of legalism that turns people away from the simplicity of grace through faith in Jesus Christ while teaching the pagan ritual of speaking in an ecstatic utterance that finds its origin in the Temple at Delphi and the rituals of a pagan priestess’ intoxicated oracles of incoherent nonsense.
Pentecostalism teaches the heresy that one must speak in a tongue in order to substantiate their salvation as per the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This paganism puts burdens upon the sincerely seeking man, woman, child, that Jesus Christ NEVER intended for them to bear. Pentecostalism is compromise with paganism, demonism, deception and hopelessness…it is legalism and it is wrong!
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No. Pentecostalism is emotional based and not biblical based. Pentecostalism has bizarre roots
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Some pentecostals believe in the serpent seed doctrine too smh weird
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NO! The proof is …..that it’s not in the Bible!!
Barking like dogs! Rolling on the floor purposely laughing, falling over, shaking, jumping up and down, convulsing uncontrollably, blabbering, babbling incoherent sounds, girating out of control, running all over the church isle ways???????
All representative of Demonic Activity describes in Mark 9:17-26 READ IT! -
I’ll respond later, preparing for a virtual bible study at noon. Responses are very interesting but I’m wondering if “isms” are dangerous or even deceptive. Does genuine faith rely upon these isms???
https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/religion101/2012/07/ten-essential-isms-part-one.html -
The Holy spirit is not a spirit of confusion and not having self control like these Pentecostal churches. They are under the kundalini spirit.
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Pentecostalism is heresy that only dates to the faux revival on Asuza Street in 1906.
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Depending on the Pentecostal church. Those who have “slain in the spirit” or “barking in the spirit” or other such nonsense are not biblical. However, gifts of the Holy Spirit are biblical.
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I do believe in the Pentecost and what transpired during that time. What I don’t agree are the notion that in order for you to have a proof of your being saved is that there should a physical manifestation of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by uttering strange language incomprehensible for the hearers.
I believe what the Word says and I know though the faith God has given me that I am saved. And that is my proof. -
Shevo’ut is the Hebrew language for Pentecost, Means (weeks) Pentecost is a Greek words, pente-
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Having a Pentecostal background, I can testify that everything they do isn’t of GOD despite what they say
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Typically, no.
They usually have really poor exegesis unfortunately. Confusing sign gifts and the like.
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Nope.
And I’m a former Pentecostal turned Reformed -
No…. it’s very very opposite. I was raised in multiple Pentecostal churches for 23 some years. And apart from believing Jesus died on the cross and resurrected for our sins (and on that note they add prosperity and healing) pretty much everything else is old covenant beliefs and superstition. Unfortunately I am working on getting all my family and friends out of this movement/cult. I say cult more because they are suuuper emotional about things, and don’t read nearly enough scripture. And they get bent out of shape thinking you’re going to hell if you don’t believe what they do. It’s really not biblical.
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They don’t understand that speaking in tongues is speaking a real earthly language. It’s NOT BABBLING INCOHERENTLY
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There is no denomination that’s biblical that I can prove. As Christians there are no debating on proper beliefs than speaking about Jesus and what we can do. Roy A. Sims not talking about you bro just speaking in general and where i am from. It’s sad we have like 15 churches on a block ??♂️
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If you study the history of Pentecostalism you will be shocked. It started on Azusa Street in Los Angeles and many witches, warlocks, hypnotists and people of the occult attended those services. According to the news reports, the church services were out of control with people running around, falling on the floor and men and women on the floor on top of each other. I grew up in a Pentecostal church and its high on emotion, speaking in gibberish, falling on the floor and doing the funky chicken which according to them is the Holy Spirit. Their doctrine is wishy washy and they believe Revelation is to be taken literally. My relatives are still in this mess including my elderly mother that professes that God heals her of every ailment she has instantly because she has faith.
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JESUS SAID WE SHALL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS IAM PENTECOSTAL REV AND BISHOP MY ENPERIENCE AND MY RESERBH WE HAVE MANY VIRGIN GIRLS IN PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES THAN CATHOLIB CHURCHES FRIFNDS LET US NOT JVGE
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Lol what do you need proof for?
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I’ve been to a couple Pentecostal churches and one tongues speaking church. Let me tell you they throw great sermons. But I always get uneasy when they start using tongues because it’s not how I was raised. From my understanding of the bible when the people at Pentecost starting speaking in tongues wasn’t it the languages of the people around them that were foreign to them. Greeks speaking Latin. Aramaic jews speaking to Celtic people, stuff like that?
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It is biblical, and the issue of tongues is biblical as well.
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Biblically Speaking … We should all be in the same “Church”.
Romans 15:4-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. -
If you accept our doctrines yes….thats all we base our belief on…..Oneness Of God…repentance., baptism in Jesus name, infilling of the Holy Ghost, livinv holy.or godly
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Scriptures over feeling
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Not the modern-day version of it, in my opinion/.
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No isms are biblical.
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It’s biblical. Read 1 Corinthians 12 & 14; Eph 4:11-13, and the entire book of Acts.
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Pentecostal tongues are more like the emotional trance-like experiences of Kundalini Yoga or among other non-Christian religions, than biblical. Some historians claim they were imported from Kunda, which is quite possible considering the similarity. Genuine tongues still exist, but they are the gift of human tongues sometimes found in missionary efforts, not misused for spiritual exhibitionism or unproven claims to speak the language of angels.
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Oneness Pentecostalism is heresy and not biblical
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Pentecostalism is Biblical, it is not the belief of man, or even the denomination or sector.
It is the act and nature of the Holy Spirit, it is called also the dispensation of Grace, it was began when Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. Although in the Bible did not mention the specific word “Pentecostalism” but “Pentecost!”
Biblical references: Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Acts chapters 1,2,3 and many more in the Bible,
It does exist and move until now and before our Lord Jesus Christ will return. -
The Holy Spirit is, but much of the doctrine and jargon that has been used is not Biblical.
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Well, Pentecostalism literally is based on this: everything that the Holy Spirit did in the Bible can still happen today. So the real question is, where is the proof in the Bible that God wanted to stop using the Holy Spirit in the same way? So really, the Bible testifies to Pentecostalism, not the other way around.
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Pentecost is biblical but ism is not
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Truly God can work in whatever way He wants – it will not contradict Scripture. The Lord is not hindered by what we say or think, for His ways are greater. To make Pentecostalism a practice may be crossing the line if it is us doing and practicing it. What happened at Pentecost came by the will of God and not of man. Men were just vessels God used for His purpose and glory.
I have been to a Pentecostal church before and some of the things I experienced seemed to be far-fetched. Much seemed showy to glorify men and how spiritual they were. Their doctrine says to speak in tongues is to have the gift of the Holy Spirit. They place much emphasis on this. But Paul says that he himself had rather speak 5 words that all men could understand rather than 1000 words no one could understand (1 Corinthians 14 i believe). There was only one Pentecost and its purpose was to unite the nations in understanding the Gospel; notice its contrast to the time of the tower of Babel and dividing the nations there in the Genesis account.
God works to make His name and His Gospel through Christ Jesus great! He does not require our help but calls us to faith and obedience in Him. God will accomplish His purposes and He can do that even through means He used there on Pentecost. The final question we must ask is does it coincide with His scripture and does it glorify the Lord? -
Pentecost in essence is Judaism. It is biblical a term in the sense that it is an accepted and recorded event in scripture.
As a movement, Pentecostalism is neither here nor there. It ends were anyone who believes that the Holy Spirit was poured on saints on that day.
Anything else is gymnastics
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The actual word not the event. The event is call the day of
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No it’s not!!
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Its no such word thats found in the Bible. This is how people form false doctrines and fAlse religion
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Pentecostalism is the work of the Holy Spirit. In addition, Baptism with the Holy Spirit is also believed to be accompanied by a sign, the gift of tongues. This “speaking in tongues” occurs as glossolalia.
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Denominations is nothing to God, it is a minor aspect of being a Christian, proof of Christianity is the manner we conduct ourselves, there is no question of sect or denomination in heaven. By grace to faith.
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Yes, read the book of Acts.
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The suffix “Ism” has always fostered confusion for me because it refers to a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice.
The Day of Pentecost was not a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice, but an event. A very significant event in the bible. Why was it so significant? Why did it fall on a significant Jewish feast day?
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This is a church spiritual movement where the Holy Spirit brought the church into a new season of revelations and divine experiences. It is consistent with scripture particularly for it happens in the New Testament and in the church age. It’s biblical in that respect .
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I would say yes. There are issues regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit, particularly speaking in tongues. Pentecostal’s hold to the non-negotiables.
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