We are his witnesses of these things;
and so is also the Holy Ghost,
whom God hath given to them that obey him.
–Acts 5:32 (KJV)–
While Peter yet spake these words,
the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
–Acts 10:44 (KJV)–
They should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
–Acts 17:27-28 (KJV)–
When Paul had laid his hands upon them,
the Holy Ghost came on them;
and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
–Acts 19:6 (KJV)–
The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
–John 3:8 (KJV)–
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God.
–Romans 8:16 (KJV)–
Draw near to God,
and he will draw near to you.
–James 4:8 (ESV)–
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts,
but rather that ye may prophesy.
–1 Corinthians 14:1 (KJV)–
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles.
–Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)–
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel;
I will help thee, saith the Lord,
and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
–Isaiah 41:14 (KJV)–
Because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
–2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NIV)–
Did not our heart burn within us,
while he talked with us by the way,
and while he opened to us the Scriptures?
–Luke 24:32 (KJV)–
Now bring me a minstrel.
And it came to pass, when the minstrel played,
that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
–2 Kings 3:15 (KJV)–
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If you’re thinking about denominations, which ones might be the most receptive to the books below about the prayer life and experiencing the Holy Spirit, the most likely are Church of God (Cleveland), Assemblies of God, Church of the Nazarene, the Wesleyan Church, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Foursquare Church, the Free Methodist Church, the Salvation Army, and the Vineyard. The Wesleyan-holiness and Pentecostal traditions vigorously reject the Southern Baptist Church’s and the Presbyterian Church in America’s criticisms of contemplative spirituality, countering that the SBC’s and PCA’s approach reduces the Christian faith to a rigid dead intellectualism that strips the Gospel of its supernatural power. These traditions argue that the Bible demands not just correct doctrinal belief, but also a vibrant, transformative relationship with God that engages the heart and emotions. Drawing from John Wesley’s doctrine of the Witness of the Spirit, they assert that the inner assurance of salvation is inherently experiential and represents the Holy Spirit actively confirming Scriptural truths to the believer’s heart, rather than introducing unbiblical revelations.
The reason why charismatics tend to talk about the Holy Spirit as a singular and isolated person, is not because they don’t believe in the Trinity. Its because the Holy Spirit has been poured into the world, but the Father and the Son are in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is the nearest part of God (John 14:26). But the intellectual and doctrinally oriented SBC and PCA pastors will say its a “demon” unless Christians are literally constantly talking about God in triune terminology always, like saying, “Thrice holy God,” just to keep themselves orthodox. Charismatics think this is just another ridiculous excuse for not pursuing the presence of God in a self-denying prayer life and actually having a real life ongoing experiential relationship with the Holy Spirit. Yes, a disciplined prayer life–which the SBC and PCA pastors will again critique as nothing but the prideful worship of self-effort, the exaltation of man’s religious efforts, instead of ascribing all glory to God’s grace, in salvation. “Let’s not develop a prayer life,” they say, “but let’s go to the zoo, or see a movie, or watch a baseball game with the youth group. This is loving God and loving people: the only two rules that Jesus gave us to follow.” Charismatics will sigh again, at yet another Calvinist excuse for not pursuing the presence of God in a disciplined prayer life. And the Calvinists wonder why divine healing seems so unreal and distant: why it is that the power of God won’t heal their tumors today. Charismatics: “Really? That’s lame.”
Wesleyan-holiness and Pentecostal theologians flatly reject cessationism, viewing the ongoing experience of miraculous gifts, prophecy, and divine encounters as part of the normal Christian life commanded in the New Testament and modeled in the book of Acts. They defend historical Christian mysticism and contemplative spiritual disciplines by drawing a sharp line between Eastern syncretism and Biblical meditation. While Eastern practices seek to empty the mind, Christian contemplation focuses on filling the mind with Jesus Christ. They maintain that practices like silence, solitude, and listening for God’s voice are deeply rooted in the lifestyle of Jesus and the Psalms, serving as essential tools to quiet worldly noise and experience God’s active presence.
Augustin Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer (Kegan Paul, 1910), pp. xiii-xvii.
Adam Clarke, Christian Theology (Schmul, 1967), p. 149.
French Arrington, Christian Doctrine (Pathway Press, 1994), vol. 3, p. 87.
Robert Tuttle, Mysticism In the Wesleyan Tradition (Zondervan, 1989).
A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Wingspread, 1998).
Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (HarperOne, 1992).
—. Celebration of Discipline (HarperOne, 2018).
—. Streams of Living Water (HarperOne, 1998).
Renovaré, Prayer and Worship (HarperOne, 2009).
Vineyard Digital, John Wimber on Worship, Parts 1-5.
James G. Lawson, Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians (Whitaker House, 1998).
Henry and Richard Blackaby, Hearing God’s Voice (B&H Books, 2002).
Dr. Archibald Alexander, Thoughts on Religious Experience (Banner of Truth, 1996).
WesleyGospel Ministries 