WesleyGospel Ministries

“We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:12

It is either a devil, or the disposition of the soul when it is lost, and without any sense of the Holy Spirit–this is what I will call “the spirit of the world.” I remember my experience of this spirit from about the ages of seven to fourteen before I was saved and regenerated, and gave my heart to Jesus. The spirit of the world is only really experienced in the age of accountability. Little children can’t come under its influence, as far as I can see.

What are its characteristics? I will name a few, based on my own experience of it in childhood, and my current observation of it in non-Christians today.

1. As a general rule, there is no thought of God, the Bible, or how to live as a Christian in either the mind or the interests of the heart.

2. Greed, money, and pleasure-seeking take priority over the thoughts and feelings. TV for the eyes; music for the ears; fornication for the hands and heart; entertainment for the mind and will; treats and fine foods for the tongue and stomach; and friends to share these pleasures with–this increases happiness in the feelings, particularly in the area of telling jokes (which is again, a form of entertainment). Not that good entertainment is bad for a Christian–but when under the spirit of the world, it is a dominant force.

3. Idols, or interests that consume the places in the mind and heart, where only God’s Spirit should take occupation–is basically the essence of this spirit. Worldly philosophies of happiness, political interests (economy, business, education, energy, foreign policy, government, taxation, health care), scientific inventions, toys (houses, cars, boats, TVs, stereos, vacations, etc), and the like. For this reason, you might also call it a spirit of idolatry or perhaps a spirit of pleasure-seeking.

4. Consciousness of all things worldly, hence the phrase “spirit of the world”–an all-consuming obsession with THINGS which are particular to the individual person–but most definitely not a consciousness of God or the things of sanctification, or of any angel, saint, Heaven, Hell, the spirit world, or the Christian life. And whenever a person with this spirit is presented with these thoughts, he feels a kind of resistance within himself to them–and perhaps a desire to even mock them as “religious”.

UPDATE: 9/13/12 – I didn’t know it at the time I wrote the above article; but that spirit which I was trying to describe was PRACTICAL ATHEISM–that is, living your life as if there is no God. This may very well be found with people who “go to church” on Sunday morning because of tradition. But in real life, they live as atheists: “without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). The Latin word for “world” is saeculum, from where we get the modern word “secular”. So, in essence, atheism with all of its variants, such as skepticism, rationalism, scientism, naturalism, Darwinism, “deism” (weak faith in God’s existence), materialism, physicalism, agnosticism, etc.–is WORLDLY, of this world, of secular interest. Not spiritual, unspiritual, natural. This all eventually becomes encapsulated in SECULAR HUMANISM–which is “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” without God, without the Bible’s ethics ruling your life, and instead, creating your own system of ethics. This is the “spirit of the world” (1 Cor. 2:12).

[Note: this was written by the wife–not by the husband!] –J. B.

Today I want to talk about a major reoccurring problem in the churches of America and Christianity in general. This is the problem of feminism and the Jezebel spirit. Have you ever wondered how church boards make the decisions they do and why many men have seemingly lost their voice in the church as opposed to women? These days if you have a patriarchal family configuration in your home – you must certainly be in the minority. This is what I wish to discuss. In approaching this issue, I feel that very strongly God wants his people to reveal the abomination of bad feminism in the church and in the American household.

First off I feel as though I need to define feminism and then focus on the Jezebel spirit. Feminism is basically (according to Wikipedia) a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Now I don’t want to give off the idea that I think all femininity is bad, but only to disclose why the feministic spirit that is rampant in the church today is emasculating pastors. Also, “bad feminism” is a direct contradiction of several Scriptures including Ephesians 5:22 and 24. Primarily, let’s talk about Ephesians 5:22: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” Here Paul is instructing wives to submit or serve their husbands in everything they do. This is a major commandment that demands our attention. So many women today subvert their husband’s authority, and instead of doing as their husband dictates on a matter, they will argue and fuss until their husbands give in, just so the husband won’t have to hear any more nagging. I have seen this time and time again just as the saying goes, “If Momma ain’t happy – ain’t nobody happy.” Unfortunately, that saying paints the correct picture. The Bible even speaks about being a nagging or ill-tempered wife. Proverbs 21:9 to be exact. Now, you may be thinking, What does this have to do with feminism? Well, I’m glad you asked, because frankly when you see the trend of this kind of situation, you see the woman “wearing the pants in the family.”  It’s remarkable how dull the American church is to this occurrence. (I know of many a pastor and leader in the church being de-maned – or shanked of his authority and rule! Some have been fired or kicked out of church because they didn’t meet expectations. But wait, I’ve jumped ahead a bit.) Let’s look back at Ephesians 5:24: “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Interestingly enough, Paul remarks about first off how the church is to submit to Christ. Let’s talk about the Jezebel spirit. Jezebel was a queen who subverted the authority of her husband and ultimately was the power behind his throne. Her husband Ahab was stripped of his power over his own household and his kingdom. Sacrifices and offerings were made to the god Baal and this displeased the Lord terribly (1 Kings 16:31). Not unlike the women in today’s churches, who totally neglect what Peter says to the church, how women are supposed to be known for their “gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Pet. 3:4). This verse just seems to be disregarded with many of today’s women in the church. Think of some of the names you hear: Joyce Meyer, Paula White, Juanita Bynum, etc. When you see these women what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you see them submitting to their husbands or being covered with a gentle and quiet spirit? Do you see them dressed in inexpensive clothes and loving their husbands? OR do you imagine Abraham’s wife wearing earrings and make up and selling books on buying shoes, or making a pretty penny off of selling Christian literature?! NO!!!!!!!!!! You don’t see any of that! Now, I don’t wish to totally undermine these ladies’ ministries – but just to have readers honestly evaluate what a born-again woman is supposed to look like in her household and in the church.

In the New Testament, Paul introduces or writes about a problem occurring, where women were in a church meeting and were obviously disrupting the meeting in a way that was improper. Paul remarks, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent” (1 Tim. 2:12).

How many women in the church today are “being silent”? I say very few – VERY FEW!!! I don’t know who to blame first: the women who disregard their husbands’ advice and rarely keep their mouth shut till they get home from a church meeting; or the weak-spined husbands who let their wives walk all over their church services.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that women can preach and prophesy, but that men are supposed to be the ones that lead the church. What would happen, ladies and gentlemen, if all of a sudden women were to start submitting to their husbands, and stopped usurping the authority of the pastor? I TELL YOU WHAT WOULD HAPPEN – REVIVAL!!!! But again, I want to talk about what the “Jezebel” spirit is like. Well, let’s look at the woman “Jezebel.” She tried to kill the prophets, sacrifice to false gods, and take total control away from God. Be careful because this kind of spirit loves to seize all power over a situation with their words, fits of rage, false emotions or emotional tirades, accusatory statements, demeaning facial expressions and tones of voice, smooth sounding words and speech, overall manipulative behavior, etc. The list is endless, friends. Unless someone confronts these women with the truth and stands firm in Christ’s patience, these women will run all over you and make sure that “their will be done” instead of God’s will be done. They pray prayers of their own selfish will and these one-sided prayers carry demonic power. Also, these controlling Jezebel women will talk in circles, almost non-stop about anything and everything. Have you ever been in a conversation with these type of women? Undoubtedly, you’ll have to have wondered whether or not they tire of talking or run out of things to talk about. Silence makes them very uncomfortable and they feel they must control the conversation. The overall Jezebel spirit promotes mainly the spirit of rebellion. The Bible makes it clear that “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (1 Sam. 15:23). The woman in this Hell-bound position will even get words of knowledge or revelations from familiar spirits. It goes without saying, this is an UGLY spirit that will talk sweetly to you one minute, and stab you in the back the next. Unfortunately, women (and sometimes rarely men) subject to this spirit, really believe – through demonic deception – that they are doing the will of God. Additionally, it may seem almost funny at times to watch these people turn on the waterworks – cry and cry tears until they get their way. Self-pity plays a big role here. She will try to draw sympathy from you for her cause…always. Watch out for these witches in disguise.

So after saying all this, what can one do to be protected from Jezebel spirits and spirits of bad feminism? First off, PRAY. Whenever you find yourself having to confront a Jezebel spirit, make sure you’re prayed up and on your guard against being easily manipulated. If you find yourself being prayed for by her (especially aloud), ask the Lord to rebuke her self-willed prayers. Secondly, don’t fall prey to her roller coaster emotions and comments where she’s trying to draw sympathy for herself. Thirdly, don’t let her use guilt to prod you into some action that she desires. Fourthly, always speak the truth and be bold against lies. These women will go to great lengths to control you and eventually kill your spirit.

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For those who want to dig deeper, see this article here. We are “complementarians.”

There are as many definitions of the word “heretic” as there are sects, cults, and denominations. Every Christian group eventually ends up believing that their religion is the only true form of Christianity, and every other denomination is false (or heretical). Myself, for example, would be considered a heretic by every denomination, because I don’t believe in denominationalism. But I still believe that my faith is “orthodox.” I believe in a general orthodoxy–in the essential beliefs of Evangelicalism, Pentecostalism, and Charismatic Christianity. Personally, I would consider any beliefs outside of this mold to be “straying from the path” or to a certain extent heretical. See our “We Believe” section where our statement of faith is located.

To be specific, we would say that anyone who does not believe in Evangelical theology is definitely a heretic. This most likely includes:

1. Marian Catholics (but not all individuals)
2. Marian Orthodox (but not all individuals)
3. Mainline Protestants (but not all individuals) – American Baptists, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), United Methodists, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
4. Independent Churches with Liberal Theology (but not all individuals) – Unitarian Universalists, Metropolitan Community Church, etc.
5. Cultists and Occultists – Hare Krishna, Scientology, Unification Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Transcendental Meditation, Swedenborgianism, Seventh-Day Adventists, Worldwide Church of God, Theosophy, The Way International, Christian Science, Unity, Edgar Cayce (A.R.E.), Rosicrucians, Freemasons, Psychics (Spiritism), New Age, Kabbalah, Eastern Mysticism, Eastern Religions, Horoscopes, UFOs, Satanism, Witchcraft, Wicca, Native American Religions, Tribal Religions (shamanism)
6. Secular Philosophies – Agnostics, Atheists, Skeptics, Rationalists, Existentialists, Secular Humanists
7. World Religions – Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Bahai

What is “General Orthodoxy”?

I’ll let Jesus, the apostles, and the first century Christians, define what a “heretic” is. It was anyone who either broke away from the early church and formed a new religion (such as the Gnostics)–or it was anyone who resisted the Evangelical/Pentecostal/Charismatic theology of the apostles (such as the Jews, the Greek religions, Stoics, Epicureans, etc). I can’t say that non-Charismatic Evangelicals are heretics (Presbyterians [PCA], Southern Baptists), but they are in the same danger of the scribes and Pharisees of always resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51). If I were to point at the theology of what I consider to be the most orthodox denominations, I would choose Assemblies of God and the Vineyard. But still, they are denominations (and I don’t believe in denominations). At the very heart, all true Evangelicals are orthodox–and all non-Evangelicals are heretics. Evangelicalism = Orthodoxy. But I do believe there are “Evangelicals” in the Catholic Church, etc.–that may not really believe in the Catechism of the Catholic Church fully. They just “go-to-church” at Catholic churches. If you are a Christian, no matter where you “go-to-church,” I say you are not a heretic if you believe in these fundamental truths, as outlined by the National Association of Evangelicals:

• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• We believe in the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Generally Orthodox Denominations

And, although we don’t believe in the ecclesiology or way of “doing church” of these denominational organizations–I would consider these denominational members of the National Association of Evangelicals to have generally orthodox belief systems: Advent Christian General Conference, Anglican Mission in America, Assemblies of God, Brethren in Christ Church, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Christian Union, Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.), Church of the Nazarene, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, Converge Worldwide, Elim Fellowship, Evangelical Assembly of Presbyterian Churches, Evangelical Congregational Church, Evangelical Free Church of America, Evangelical Friends Church International, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Every Nation Churches, Fellowship of Evangelical Churches, Free Methodist Church of North America, General Association of General Baptist, Grace Communion International, Great Commission Churches, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, International Pentecostal Church of Christ, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Missionary Church, Inc., North American Baptist Conference, Open Bible Churches, Presbyterian Church in America, Primitive Methodist Church USA, The Brethren Church, The Christian & Missionary Alliance, The Evangelical Church, The Salvation Army, The Vineyard, USA, The Wesleyan Church Corporation, Transformation Ministries, United Brethren in Christ, US Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches

I just woke up from a terrifying dream about greed and materialism. It was really a word of warning for me. Nevertheless, I think the basic advice of Jesus can be helpful for anyone on this matter (especially in times of job seeking):

Matt. 10:39: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Luke 8:14: “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”

Luke 12:15: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Matt. 19:21: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

Luke 6:20: “Looking at His disciples, He said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.'”

Matt. 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Q: If the Lord is such a God of love, then why does He allow pain and suffering to exist?

A: God is a loving Father; but He allows pain and suffering to exist for two reasons: (1) Man has a fallen and sinful nature (Rom. 7); and God uses trials and tribulations to come into people’s lives in order to discipline, purge, and purify their hearts from pride, impatience, apathy, and other natural vices (Heb. 12:4-11; Rom. 5:3-4). (2) Free will, the decision-making faculty that Adam and Eve used to bring about the fall of mankind. Free will (in its current and corrupt state) is to blame for all crimes, social ills, and evil (Gen. 3:6-7).

The following is an edited letter that I sent to a modern-day Job, who is in solitary confinement.

Sir,

I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to you.

You remind me of Job, the Man of God. He was certainly a prophet, a seer, and a holy man. But the devil was permitted by God to afflict Job with “painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head” (Job 2:7). There are many Pentecostal/Charismatics today who teach that no faithful Christian is supposed to endure such torment. They say “Job’s case was special; it was only for the Old Testament days.” Some even say that Job sinned, although that notion contradicts God’s Word (Job 1:1). People who follow the teaching of Kenneth Hagin, and a lot of the corrupt televangelists on TBN, who live in the lap of luxury–they are the teachers that teach such things. But I say they are misguided and are misguiding others.

Brother, although I have never experienced your suffering, I can honestly say that I sympathize with your suffering (with the capacity that I am able). My godly wife has gone through incredible sickness about 2 or 3 times. And, as you can imagine, I have been faced with the ethical and theological issue of interpreting suffering in the lives of devout Christians. Job’s experience is possible for New Testament Christians, as Paul wrote: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of satan, to torment me” (2 Cor. 12:7).

Sir, do you have powerful dreams and visions? If so, then your myelopathy, neuropathy, and spinal stenosis could be from devils (through God) in order to keep you humble on account of the visions. I have bowel problems, rosacea (a very humbling skin condition on the face), and a very low income. These are my thorns in the flesh–but I realize that they are also prophetic in their purpose. Because they do keep me humble. Yet, I still do pray for them from time to time. My wife continues to suffer from her sickness, but for now it is manageable with her medicine. She has powerfully accurate dreams and visions. But she is also humbled by her sickness and all the baggage that comes with it. Thorns in the flesh are kind of like prophetic “marks”. They mean 2 things: (1) God loves you enough to give you surpassingly great revelations through dreams, visions, and God’s voice. (2) You have a pride issue, and God allows the devil to afflict you with all of his might, so that he can break your pride, and keep you humble–and humility is the root of all virtues according to many Catholic saints and holy men.

But suppose you don’t receive dreams, visions, and revelations. Then know that the devil is still being allowed to afflict you in order for God to make you humble. When this has been accomplished, the divine punishment will lift from off of you, and will be preceded by a dream or vision of the very devils who are causing your myelopathy, neuropathy, and spinal stenosis. This gift of discerning of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10) was demonstrated time and again in the suffering of that great Catholic prophetess, Hildegard of Bingen. In fact, I would suggest you read her life for your encouragement: Gottfried and Theoderic’s The Life of the Holy Hildegard.

Also, try not to feel discouraged about your solitude. Christians can experience mighty revelations while in solitude. There is more time to devote to contemplative prayer. Look what happened to the apostle John when he was locked up in his prison cell on the island of Patmos: a panaromic vision of the end of the world! “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” (Rev. 1:9-10).

But who am I to be saying all of these things? I have never suffered what you are suffering. I don’t understand the pains and stigmas that you have received. But I have experienced some level of suffering, and received a revelation into its mysteries. I pray that with the same faith you had to write me in this prayer request, you would–in faith–receive the “suffering revelation” I have written you in this letter.

Finally, and I know that this method works better than any other at combating the devil:

(1) IF you feel, sense, hear a voice, or see a vision of a devil causing a symptom of sickness in you—and you (in a flash) know that you know it is surely the devil…

(2) THEN, with all good faith, command that devil with a short and forceful phrase (whether mentally or verbally)–something along the lines of…

(3) “GET OUT IN JESUS’ NAME!” (In a firm and very angry tone).

(4) REPEAT until the symptom stops–you should only have to do this once or twice.

I hope that this helps, or that at least some of it helps. In Jesus’ Name, I pray for your full development in humility, and for your speedy healing and deliverance. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7).

In Christ,
John

“Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church” (1 Cor. 14:12).

“I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6).

From my point of view, most Pentecostals and Charismatics do not pay very much attention to the area of spiritual gifts, or especially the development of them. Speaking in ecstatic tongues while caught up in the worship of God’s presence–this seems to be as far as most are willing to go with the Holy Spirit. In rare cases, you have those who receive words of knowledge and pray for healing–but they are always put up on a pedestal like Smith Wigglesworth (and by the way, he’s usually the only person ever referred to).

But I say IT’S TIME THAT WE CHARISMATICS START TO DEVELOP OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS! Many of us already have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, feel God’s presence, and speak in tongues. Occasionally, we may experience a dream that comes to pass in a mysterious way, or we pray for healing and get a small result like removing pain temporarily, or have a “Bible coincidence” where we feel like God speaks to us through circumstances, only shortly confirmed later in the Scripture (or vice versa). But these are infantile spiritual gifts. God indicates in the Bible that WE CAN EXCEL IN THE GIFTS; and that there is such a thing as “FANNING INTO FLAME” THE GIFT OF GOD. Both of these words “excelling” and “fanning” might also come under the names of “development” or “growth” or even “perfection”.

The gifts I am referring to is not the moral or ethical fruit of Galatians 5:22-23. There has been plenty of attention given to that area of Christian spirituality throughout the ages, and especially in the Evangelical and Holiness revivals. I am referring to the charismatic or prophetic or miraculous gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, NKJV:

To one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

This is a list of prophetic and miraculous gifts. They are supernatural. No rationalist can explain these away in natural terms and be intellectually honest with himself. The apostle Paul is definitely referring to supernatural knowledge and powers in this passage of Scripture. Very few Pentecostal/Charismatics have had any deep knowledge or experience of what this passage means. At best, most theologians have either shied away from commenting on the passage too thoroughly, or have rationalized it into a not-so-supernatural interpretation. Some Reformed theologians go so far to say that “the gift of prophecy” is not a supernatural gift at all–but simply the gift of preaching an expository sermon on a Bible chapter! But no–I would maintain, that what we are looking at in the above passage, is a list of Paul’s understanding of the prophetic revelations and powers, that were at work in the Old Testament prophets, Christ, the apostles, and the early church. And these gifts are nowhere said to have ceased for Christians today, although Reformed theologians will often do “Bible gymnastics,” and try to tweak arguments out of the Scriptures to prove that miracles were only for Bible times. Cessationists, Reformed, Presbyterian, Baptist, and all non-Charismatic Christians believe that the spiritual gifts had ceased after the Bible was done being written. They believe that all of the miracles of the Catholic saints throughout history were false and that all Pentecostal/Charismatic miracles are false! But as a Charismatic Christian, I believe that God has been giving visions, revelations, and miraculous gifts to Christians all throughout history, and that He is still doing so today!

Satan wants to keep us Charismatics distracted from developing our spiritual gifts. That is last thing that he wants. If he can keep Charismatics arguing with Cessationists or staying at the low level of speaking in tongues–he will try to do that. But look: “If the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!'” (1 Cor. 14:23-25). It is for this reason that Paul writes, “He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues” (1 Cor. 14:5).

KNOWING ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS vs. DEVELOPING SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Knowing about spiritual gifts is not the same as developing spiritual gifts. Many Pentecostal/Charismatics know about spiritual gifts. Its part of their vocabulary: “words of knowledge” are commonly known as direct words from God, but most think of this as only coming in the form of a mental voice. In fact they can also come through dreams, visions, and direct impressions. Much less is known about words of wisdom, the gift of faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of spirits, and the interpretation of tongues. Even the gift of tongues, and its many mysteries, is largely unknown. But on the other hand, I might go so far to say that most Charismatics DON’T EVEN KNOW ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS. And this is truly a sad thing, because we are the only members of the Body of Christ that are supposed to know! For more study on simply knowing about the spiritual gifts, see the following Charismatic books: Donald Gee’s Concerning Spiritual Gifts (1928), Harold Horton’s The Gifts of the Spirit (1934), Howard Carter’s Spiritual Gifts and Their Operation (1968), Dennis and Rita Bennett’s The Holy Spirit and You (1971), Smith Wigglesworth’s Smith Wigglesworth on Spiritual Gifts (1998), Rodney Howard-Browne’s Flowing in the Holy Spirit (2000), Sam Storms’ The Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts (2002), and Derek Prince’s The Gifts of the Spirit (2007). These books should offer just a BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF 1 CORINTHIANS 12:8-10.

But after you know what the spiritual gifts are, intellectually and somewhat experientially, then it becomes urgent that you DEVELOP THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS TO BECOME MORE POWERFUL IN YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES. I mean, that we follow Paul’s command to excel in the gifts of prophecy, healing, and miracles–that we FAN into a FLAME the POWERFUL GIFTS OF GOD WITHIN US by the power of the Holy Spirit. And to be honest, I don’t really know how to do this yet. But I realize that the need is there, at least in my life–and I’m going to assume that this is also true in the lives of thousands of other Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians. There are levels of anointing, faith, and power that we can climb in the spiritual gifts.

Personally, I want to get to the point where I am 100% accurate in my prophetic predictions. If I have a vision, I want perfect discernment. If I have to cast out a demon, I want to do it instantly like Jesus and the apostles, and not have to wrestle in prayer for days. If I am called upon to pray for a blind man, I want the level of faith and power to be able to heal that man instantly. If I am challenged to read the secrets of a man’s heart, for the purpose of power evangelism, I want to be able to do so at will. If I am challenged by a witch to a miracle contest, I want to be able to slay her in the Spirit, or call fire down from Heaven whenever I want in Jesus’ Name; or part water like Moses, Elijah, and Elisha. I’m thankful, but also sick and tired of occasional inaccurate words of knowledge. I’m dissatisfied with my level of faith and power. I don’t want a weak anointing–I want to be POWERFUL IN GOD’S GIFTS. I don’t merely want to know about spiritual gifts in my mind–I already know what they are somewhat; I want to DEVELOP THEM and make them EXPLODE LIKE DYNAMITE. I want more dreams, and more visions. I want visitations from Jesus and angels that I can see while I am awake with my eyes open. I want to feel the anointing of the power of God in my body, and my hands like fire and electrical vibration. I want out of body experiences from Jesus. I want it all–I want to go all the way with the Holy Spirit. I want to prophesy with perfect accuracy, read minds, and instantly heal and cast out demons by the power of God in Jesus’ Name. I’m not content until I reach the Bible standard of prophesying and performing miracles.

SOURCES OF DIRECTION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS

God, of course, is the primary source of direction for how to develop spiritual gifts. But if we are to consult the knowledge and experience of Christian prophets, healers, and miracle workers–there are at least two places that I know where we can look and learn:

1. Mystical Theology. Traditionally, this is the name of Charismatic theology that was used by Catholic theologians all throughout the medieval times. The knowledge and experience of prophetic saints will be contained and explained not only in the biographies and lives of the saints, but also in the theological works that examined their miraculous gifts in relation to the practice of contemplative prayer–and other ascetic disciplines. While Quaker and modern Pentecostal/Charismatic theology may also be called “mystical theology,” it is often removed from the concept of contemplative prayer and the experiences of the Catholic saints. Nevertheless, all Charismatic theology–whether Catholic or Protestant–is essentially prophetic and miraculous in orientation, and may be of assistance in the development of spiritual gifts. The same goes for the mystical theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church. But then again, mystical or Charismatic theology in general is not really the answer. In order to DEVELOP SPIRITUAL GIFTS, there needs to be a specific aim for developing spiritual gifts in the book or CD or teaching. This kind of teaching is very hard to find. In my experience, most Charismatic theology merely examines what the spiritual gifts ARE, rather than give the reader or the student PRACTICAL ADVICE on how to develop and experience these spiritual gifts personally. I will also say, that in my personal experience with Christian prophets, it appears that BLACK PENTECOSTAL PROPHETS have more power and prophetic accuracy than white ones. I don’t know why this is, but this has just been my experience. I’m not biased too much against white Pentecostal theologians like Smith Wigglesworth. But I will say, that because my experience with black prophets has been so impressive, I am almost automatically inclined to read their books on developing spiritual gifts more than I would a book by any white man. And for this reason, I want to point you to a few books on prophetic development by black Pentecostal prophets: John Tetsola’s Developing Prophetic Accuracy (1999) and Prophetic Development (1999) and Ricardo Vincent’s Developing Your Prophetic Gifts & Ministry (2010). I also recommend anything from Paula Price (The Prophet’s Handbook) and John Eckhardt (God Still Speaks).

2. Prophetic Science. This is my own phrase I just made up. It would be the Pentecostal/Charismatic counterpart to parapsychology. For those of you who don’t know what parapsychology is–it is the scientific study of mediums and the psychic phenomena of spiritism; and is completely forbidden by Scripture (Deut. 18:10-11; Isa. 8:19-20). Although there have been “Christians” who have dabbled in parapsychology, and thought it was of God, it is most certainly of the devil, and not of God. It is the scientific study of necromancy or contact with the “dead.” It began with J. B. Rhine at Duke University in the 1930s. Rhine was fascinated with the occult powers of mediums. He studied them scientifically with “Zener cards,” photography, and other mechanical instrumentation. He welcomed mediums into his laboratory and also attended seances to document their demonic powers. Rhine gave mediums an air of scientific respectability for a while, and was largely responsible for the success of the New Age movement, and the establishment of fortune telling and psychic businesses all over England and America. Because of Rhine and his work, and the success of psychics and the New Age movement–it is a sad lament that most mediums today are far more advanced in their “psychic development” than Charismatic Christians are in their prophetic development. It’s time that we catch up with the pagans and show them that JESUS IS MORE POWERFUL THAN SATAN! I propose that interested Charismatic theologians and ministers begin to study Christian prophets in a similar way that J. B. Rhine studied mediums. Of course, this would not at all involve contacting the “dead,” because that is a sin! Rather, PROPHETIC SCIENCE would more likely be the study of certain prophets’ accuracy in predicting the future (Bob Jones, for example), reading secrets of hearts, words of knowledge, healing, miracles, etc. There is a chapter called “Science of Divine Healing” in John G. Lake: The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings, that suggests some parapsychologists once studied John G. Lake with a machine, and were able to document the healing anointing in his body! Consider the understanding and development of spiritual gifts that such things would contribute to the Body of Christ! DOWN WITH “PSYCHIC/DEMONIC ABILITIES”–AND UP WITH SPIRITUAL GIFTS FROM JESUS!

2,000 years ago in Palestine a Man named Jesus of Nazareth walked the earth. He was a Prophet, Miracle Worker, Spiritual Teacher, Healer, and a Deliverance Minister. Today we know of Him only as “the Son of God,” and it is true that He is. But do you realize what kind of a life He lived? He was a Charismatic Jew, filled with the Spirit of God, and endowed with the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Christians are called to live as He lived, and love as He loved, but also to work greater miracles than He did because He has gone to the Father (John 14:12). Our Lord was prophetic, and so were his apostles and disciples–and all who followed their teachings closely in the early days of the church. The scribes and Pharisees, who were probably more influenced by the Hellenism and rationalism of Greek philosophers like Philo who were mixing Judaism with Greek philosophy–they actually condemned Jesus as a magician, as well as His apostles (Matt. 10:25). But why the quick accusation of occultism and magic? Although Jesus was misunderstood, and His apostles misunderstood–why is it that their spiritual gifts and miraculous powers were construed as sorcery and magic by the Pharisees? Why?

I will tell you why. Because they didn’t believe in Jesus. YES, OF COURSE. But there’s more to it than that! If the Pharisees simply “didn’t believe in Jesus”, then they could have just said that He was a fraud working magic tricks and fake miracles. But this they did not do. Rather, because they could not deny that Jesus and the apostles had supernatural powers–they could only resort to one other explanation: MAGIC! There were three powerful forces in the time of Jesus: (1) Greek rationalism, which came from the philosophers in Athens, Greece, and had spread throughout the whole Roman Empire. (2) Occultism, which has always existed since time immemorial, as the supernatural powers of witchcraft have come forth from idolatry and the worship of false gods. (3) Jewish prophecy, which since the time of Malachi (430 B.C.), was thought by most of the Jews to have become extinct. The Jewish rabbis were the expositors of the Scriptures, much like Southern Baptist pastors today, and taught that the spiritual gifts had ceased with Malachi. So, when Jesus and the apostles come on the scene prophesying and performing miracles, the Jewish rabbis had one of three worldviews to interpret Jesus: (1) From the rationalist’s point of view, Jesus was insane and was pretending to do miracles. (2) From the occultist’s point of view, Jesus was a powerful Jewish magician that worshiped Beelzebub, the god of the Philistines. (3) From the Jewish prophetic point of view, Jesus was the Messiah prophesied by the Old Testament prophets–and He was sent to pass on His spiritual power to Christians. This third group eventually became the early Christian view.

The Jewish rabbis didn’t believe in Jesus, except for Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. So, because they didn’t believe, and they realized He was working real miracles–they branded Him as demonic, because He didn’t agree with their theology. So, JESUS WAS BRANDED AS A MAGICIAN. But why in the world? Jesus did not cast any spells, or fly on a broom, used no magic charms or potions, and was never caught worshiping Beelzebub (the devil). But this was the Pharisaic interpretation…Because Jesus cast out demons, but did not agree with the theology of the Pharisees, they ASSUMED that He worshiped Beelzebub, and was using magic power to cast out demons: “When the Pharisees heard this, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons'” (Matt. 12:24). John Gill comments:

“They could not deny the miracle, or that it was one; but to deprive Him of the glory of it, and even reproach Him for it, and to bring Him into contempt with the people, they not only speak of Him in a scornful manner, “this” sorry man, “this” vile fellow; but ascribe the miracle He wrought to familiarity with the devil, to diabolical influence and skill in magic art: they pretended he was in confederacy with Satan, and was carrying on His interest: and therefore, that He might gain credit and reputation, the prince of devils suffered the inferior ones to remove at His word: and of these their ancestors, the Jews have learnt to fix this vile imputation, and blasphemous piece of slander upon Christ; who, they say, brought enchantments, or witchcrafts, out of Egypt, in the cuttings of His flesh, whereby He performed the things he did. Concerning Beelzebub, here called “the prince of devils”; it being a prevailing notion among the Jews, that there is one devil who is the head of all the rest, and who is by them sometimes called Asmodeus: they say, when Solomon sinned against the Lord, he sent to him, “Asmodeus the king of the devils”, and drove him from his throne, and so elsewhere: and sometimes Samael, who is styled Samael the prince, “the king of devils”; and the angel Samael, the wicked, “the head of all the Satans”, or devils: and we often read of, “the prince of Hell”; by whom the same is meant, as here, by Beelzebub; for if anyone devil is more wicked, odious, and execrable than the rest, the chief of them may be thought to be so; for which reason he is here mentioned.”

There are Christians today who are just like the Pharisees. Todd Bentley worked miracles, he wasn’t morally perfect, but he worked real miracles. Yet, how many “Bible-believers” called him demonic? Or worse, occultic? This happens all the time. You have these Pharisee-like Baptists and Presbyterian Christians who claim to believe the Bible more than anyone, but whenever a Christian heals somebody, casts out a demon, or works a miracle–then he is either an insane fanatic or a demon-possessed sorcerer? WHAT THE HECK! Where is their FAITH!!!!? They don’t believe in the Bible at all! If they did, then they would believe in the power of God. But Jesus once spoke to men like this: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Personally, I feel like most Protestants, and non-Charismatic Christians, are more influenced by GREEK RATIONALISM and the ENLIGHTENMENT than they are by the FAITH of the APOSTLES. Take a Presbyterian, Reformed, or Baptist preacher for example. Examine him very very closely. Listen to how he talks, the choice of words, and the way he carries himself. HE IS A FLAMING RATIONALIST! He has more in common with the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle than he does with the prophets Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist! MY LORD AND GOD! WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO WAKE UP TO THIS!? Baptist churches are nothing more than philosophy groups that try to make sense out of the Bible with their American culture and their college educated REASON. Miracles, faith, and the POWER OF GOD have nothing to do with their lives. And they are dead for it. Too bad they scorn every Christian prophet and miracle worker as a danged MAGICIAN–just like the deceived Pharisees did, and ended up crucifying Jesus over it!

But why all this talk about Christians being mistaken as MAGICIANS? It sounds like the most absurd thing in the world. What does a Pentecostal healer like Oral Roberts have to do with a pagan wizard like Harry Potter? NOTHING! But church people that don’t really have a supernatural worldview are unable to discern divine power from demonic power, and so–out of a suspicious attitude–they just lump it all together, and miss out on experiencing the miraculous power of God in their lives. Resorting back to a HUMANISTIC MORAL PHILOSOPHY OF CHRISTIANITY, devoid of miracles, and only accepting of the “fruit of the Spirit” (after all, they say, it is superior to miracles). But this is a cop-out for their uncertainty and confusion about the role of prophecy and miracles in the Christian life. Worse still, they continue to condemn Charismatics as MAGICIANS? WHY!!! They are deceived. But they think WE’RE the deceived ones!

I SPIT ON THIS HUMANISTIC CHRISTIANITY. It is the deadest, most lifeless thing in the world. It is scientific, rationalistic, intellectual, theological, Bible scholarly, “I have lots of Bible knowledge” prideful, and full of judgmental and legalistic behavior. And, worst of all, it RESISTS THE MIRACULOUS POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

IS THERE A REMEDY? Yes, I believe there is. It is called SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. And it comes from (1) Bible knowledge, but also a knowledge of two other things: (2) True Charismatic Christianity that sees visions and works miracles, and (3) Occultism, New Age, and witchcraft of all kinds. I guarantee you, that if you know about these three things, then you will be able to discern the power of God from the power of the devil. And you will not fall into the rationalistic trap of condemning all Charismatic Christians as demonic magicians! So, where do you start? Well, any Christian needs to study the topic of the occult with great caution. Sometimes you might hear the devil speaking to you when you study about it. But simply, in Jesus’ Name, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). I recommend that you only read Christian books about the occult, because demons can use pro-occult books against you in a legalistic way, and make you sick. Recently, I have been reading Clifford Wilson and John Weldon’s Occult Shock & Psychic Forces: A Biblical View (1980). It is an Evangelical Christian book about witchcraft and the occult, which totals up to 482 pages. It’s like a small encyclopedia about occult topics. On the other hand, if you don’t know anything about true Charismatic Christianity (i.e., dreams, visions, prophecies, and healings)–then I will recommend that you read Jack Deere’s Surprised by the Voice of God (1996) and John Wimber’s Power Healing (1987).

If you read these three books, then you will realize that Charismatic Christianity and New Age occultism and witchcraft are completely different religions with completely different gods. But I will admit this: I WOULD DARE SAY THAT CHARISMATIC CHRISTIANITY HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH THE OCCULT THAN IT DOES WITH GREEK RATIONALISM AND PHILOSOPHY. And by that, I only mean to say that occultists and Charismatics both have a SUPERNATURAL WORLDVIEW. But they have differences in their approach to the supernatural. However, the Baptist, who is more influenced by theologians like Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, who in turn, were influenced by church fathers like Augustine, and Greek philosophers–are essentially RATIONALISTS who rely on REASON and dry common sense. In their hearts, they laugh at the supernatural. And if they leave the church, they are likely to become agnostics, skeptics, evolutionists, or atheists–so close are they to pure rationalism. IGNORANCE AND DARKNESS!

As I was reading Chapter 15 of Wilson and Weldon’s Occult Shock, I realized that there are COMPARATIVE DIFFERENCES between Charismatic Christianity and occultism in general. Hopefully, this can help everyone to discern a little bit better:

Evangelical mysticism is a movement within Christian mysticism. Differences between Christian mysticism and Evangelical mysticism can be identified that are fundamental and significant. Unlike the generic “Christian mysticism,” which supports liberal Christianity‘s mixture of Catholic mystical theology with Hindu and Buddhist mysticism–“Evangelical mysticism” is a phrase that narrows down the definition to only those denominations or Christian groups with conservative Evangelical beliefs who also practice contemplative prayer.^[1] The National Association of Evangelicals’ statement of faith is more or less held to,^[2] but so also is the practice of soaking prayer or contemplative prayer.

Liberal Christianity and the New Age Movement

From the 1960s to 1980s, the New Age movement popularized the Eastern practices of Transcendental Meditation (TM),^[3] Yoga, and Zen.^[4] Liberal Catholics and Protestants^[5] began to follow the lead of these New Age meditation practices by incorporating them into Christian meditation. In reaction to this, the Roman Catholic Church issued an official rebuke of New Age meditation practices: Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation (1989).^[6]

The Centering Prayer Movement

Thomas Merton, a liberal Trappist monk, was one of the first to borrow from Eastern meditation practices, such as Zen, mixing them with Christian meditation and contemplation.^[7] Later, M. Basil Pennington,^[8] Thomas Keating, and William Meninger^[9] would follow Merton’s lead, and become the founders of the centering prayer movement.

Evangelicals, Charismatics, and Contemplative Prayer

In reaction to these liberal Christians borrowing from New Age meditation, there has progressively been a move among Evangelicals—especially Third Wave Charismatics (or Neocharismatics)—to return to the ancient practice of contemplative prayer.^[10] And that without any mixture of New Age practices or beliefs, which essentially originate in India from the Hindu gurus. The Evangelical mystics turn to the founders of Christian monasticism for guidance concerning contemplation: the Desert Fathers. Also, other Catholic contemplative writers are referred to, such as Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Michael Molinos, Madame Guyon, and François Fénelon.^[11] (But these last three teachers became accused of the heresy of Quietism, which results in a hyper-prophetic asceticism, or the belief that every single step you take in life needs to come from a rhema word from God; also that you are not allowed to enjoy pleasures or express emotions.) These are the classic teachers of Christian contemplative prayer, and have no association whatsoever with the Hindu gurus of India. Christian contemplation means “being still and knowing that God is God” (Psalm 46:10). It is quieting oneself, closing the eyes, and concentrating on Christ for a prolonged period of time, with the goal of experiencing direct revelations through hearing the voice of God, seeing visions, interpreting dreams with Biblical symbolism, and feeling God’s presence. This is also called listening prayer.^[12]

John Fletcher and John Wesley:
The Founders of Evangelical Mysticism

The usage of the phrase “Evangelical mysticism” or “Evangelical mystic” goes as far back as the 18th century and the early Methodists. John Fletcher appears to be the first to use the phrase.^[13] Charles Hodge used the phrase in volume 1 of his Systematic Theology to refer to Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugo and Richard of St. Victor, Jean Gerson, and Thomas a Kempis. Evangelicalism started as a missionary movement that came out of the Great Awakenings with Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist Episcopal Church).^[14] John Wesley, an avid reader with a mystical appetite, was not only one of the founders of Evangelicalism, but was also deeply impressed by Catholic mystical writers such as Thomas à Kempis, Francis de Sales,^[15] and Madame Guyon.^[16] In Wesley’s shadow, other teachers that were influenced by the Holiness movement, or the Higher Life movement, were familiarized with Madame Guyon’s writings. T. C. Upham, a prominent Holiness leader, translated The Life of Madame Guyon.^[17]

The Early Pentecostals and Contemplative Prayer

William J. Seymour, a Holiness preacher and major leader of the Pentecostal movement, practiced contemplation during his meetings at the Azusa Street Revival. These early Pentecostals had group “tarrying” meetings, or contemplation meetings, for receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. “Through tarrying, a form of contemplative prayer, black Pentecostals experienced conversion, sanctification, and Spirit baptism by the sovereignty of God.”^[18] John G. Lake, a prominent early Pentecostal healer, was influenced by Francis of Assisi, John of the Cross, Madame Guyon,^[19] the Quakers, and practiced contemplation.^[20]

Evangelical Mystics and the Charismatic Movement

A. W. Tozer, a major leader in the Christian & Missionary Alliance, is in a sense a father of “Evangelical mysticism,” and wrote The Pursuit of God (1948), which deals with contemplative topics. In 1975, Gene Edwards translated Madame Guyon’s A Short and Easy Method of Prayer into a popular modern version under the new title of Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ. This book became popular in the Charismatic movement. In 1978, Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline came out, and had a profound impact on Evangelicalism. Foster is an Evangelical Friend (conservative Quaker). Through his book he re-introduced Christian meditation and contemplation to Evangelicals, as it became a bestseller. It also had a profound influence on John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard churches.^[21] Out of these Vineyard churches, came the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOP-KC),^[22] and Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (Catch the Fire Toronto).^[23] These last two churches are very influential in the current Third Wave movement; and are open proponents of what they call soaking prayer or contemplative prayer.^[24] The International House of Prayer has rediscovered the works of Teresa of Avila^[25] and John of the Cross. And there are two influential Third Wave books that have come out in recent years on Christian contemplative prayer that consciously reject New Age meditation: Mark and Patti Virkler’s Communion with God (1983) and James Goll’s Wasted on Jesus (2000).

References

External Links

• Catch the Fire Ministries
• International House of Prayer
• Communion with God Ministries
• Encounters Network
• WESLEYGOSPEL.COM

I’ve been doing some studies recently on how to increase the POWER OF GOD in a Christian’s life. FASTING AND PRAYER plays a huge role, as Franklin Hall’s Atomic Power with God clearly shows. But on the other hand, so does the practice of PRAYING IN TONGUES. I don’t fully understand the mystery of praying in tongues quite yet–or why there would be a direct link between praying in tongues and increasing the power of God. But if this is so, then I want to learn it all the more. Here is a bibliography of Charismatic books on the power of praying in tongues. I advise against reading Morton Kelsey’s Tongue Speaking (1968), which has a “psychic” New Age spin on it. The following books are only orthodox Charismatic books.

After researching a bit on this bibliography, I want to point special attention to Larry Christenson, who also in 1968, released his book called Speaking in Tongues (renamed below). It had a profound impact on the Charismatic Renewal in the Lutheran church as well as in other circles.

“Speaking in tongues” can come in different forms. (1) It can come as an ecstatic prophetic utterance that needs to be interpreted. (2) It can come as a foreign earthly language unknown to the speaker. (3) It can come as a form of ecstatic prayer–used for building up the spirit man, and increases the supernatural, prophetic, and miraculous power in the life of the believer. It is this third use of tongues that I am interested in learning more about. Healers and prophets are more qualified to teach on such topics. All of these people have moved in either the prophetic or healing ministries. But because healing is usually of a higher order than the prophetic, because it depends on the prophetic for its functioning, I’m inclined to believe that healers should have even greater insight into the mystery of praying in tongues. 

So, if I were to recommend two main books to start with on the topic of tongues, I would have to point you to…

FURTHER READING ON SPEAKING IN TONGUES.

Basham, Don. Tongues, Interpretation, & Prophecy, 1971.

Bennett, Dennis. How to Pray for the Release of the Holy Spirit, 1985.

Christenson, Larry. Speaking in Tongues, 1968.

Hays, Norvel. Why You Should Speak in Tongues, 2002.

Schep, J. A. Spirit Baptism and Tongue Speaking, 1970.

Sherrill, John. They Speak with Other Tongues, 1964.

Bennett, Dennis and Rita. The Holy Spirit and You, 1971.

Ervin, H. M. These Are Not Drunken, As Ye Suppose, 1976.

Hamilton, M. P., ed. The Charismatic Movement, 1975.

Horton, Stanley. What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit, 1976.

McDonnell, Kilian. The Holy Spirit and Power, 1975.

Riggs, R. M. The Spirit Himself, 1949.

Williams, J. Rodman. The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today, 1980.

FROM “GLOSSOLALIA” ARTICLE IN NEW INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF PENTECOSTAL AND CHARISMATIC MOVEMENTS

Horton, Wade, ed. The Glossolalia Phenomenon, 1966.

Hunter, H. D. Spirit-Baptism, 1983.

MacDonald, William. Glossolalia in the New Testament, n.d.

Martin, I. J. Glossolalia in the Apostolic Church, 1960.

McDonnell, Kilian. Charismatic Renewal and the Churches, 1976.

Mills, W. E. Glossolalia: A Bibliography, 1985.

——-. Speaking in Tongues: A Guide to Research on Glossolalia, 1986.

Sherrill, John. They Speak with Other Tongues, 1964.

Williams, C. G. Tongues of the Spirit, 1981.

CLASSIC PENTECOSTAL VIEW OF “BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT” TAKEN FROM NOTES OF STANLEY HORTON’S VIEW IN PERSPECTIVES ON SPIRIT BAPTISM: FIVE VIEWS

Basham, Don. A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism, 1972. [Charismatic].

Brumback, Carl. What Meaneth This?, 1947.

Chavda, Mahesh. The Hidden Power of Praying in Tongues, 2003. [Charismatic].

Dalton, Robert. Tongues Like as of Fire, 1945.

Frodsham, Stanley. With Signs Following, 1941.

MacDonald, William. Glossolalia in the New Testament, n.d.

Ervin, Howard. These Are Not Drunken, As Ye Suppose, 1976.  [Charismatic].

Wallis, Arthur. Pray in the Spirit, 1977. [Charismatic].

Horton, Harold. The Gifts of the Spirit, 1934.

Frodsham, Stanley. With Signs Following, 1941.