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1.5 Azusa Street & ACOP Legacy
Compare both these quotes that Wes read, one by Andrew Argue, and one by Frank Bartleman.
“Being hungry for God’s best, I went to Chicago to witness what was taking place. Here I saw number being filled with the Spirit which continued to deepen my hunger. I waited on God for 21 days. During this time I had a wonderful vision of Jesus. His countenance was so radiant that as I lifted my hands before Him they became transparent. At the end of 21 days I was filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues at the Spirit gave utterance.” - Andrew Argue.
“Jesus should not be slighted… by the exaltation of the Holy Spirit and of the gifts of the Spirit. There seemed to be a great danger of losing sight of the fact that Jesus was all in all. I endeavored to keep him as the central theme, the figure before the people. Jesus will always be the center of our preaching. All comes through him and in him. The Holy Spirit is given to show us the things of Christ. The work of Calvary, the atonement, must be the center of our consideration. The Holy Spirit never draws our attention from Christ to himself, but rather reveals Christ in a fuller way. We are in the same danger today. There is nothing deeper, or higher than to know Christ, everything is given by God to that end. The One Spirit is given to that end. Christ is our salvation and our all…” – Frank Bartleman.
What do these quotes have in common? What important piece of pneumatology (theology about the Holy Spirit) do they call us to keep in mind? Reflect in a paragraph.
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24 Replies
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The main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to TEACH us more about Jesus, to MAKE us more like Jesus and to EMPOWER us to call people and point them to Jesus. One of the dangers for the Church is forgetting that the Holy Spirit’s desire is to bring us into a deeper walk with Jesus and so we gradually lose sight of who God is as Jesus became flesh to reveal who God really is. When Jesus is not front and centre we lose the full picture of who God (and the Holy Spirit) is.
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What a great reminder to seek Jesus, not the the gifts of the Spirit. If we go after God’s best, we will always find the Holy Spirit showing us more of Christ. We need to stay focused on Jesus, not proof of Him or evidence of the Spirit.
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In both quotes the central role of Jesus in regards to our salvation is emphasized. We fix our eyes on Him as the author and finisher of our faith.
Both quotes also reveal that Holy Spirit has a role in our faith journey too. He delights in revealing Christ, teaching us and pointing us to Him. He empowers us with gifts and boldness for the purpose of following and sharing Jesus.
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It has got to be about Jesus. If we want God’s best it is going to be Jesus. If we believe in the trinity then Jesus can’t be slighted by an encounter with the Holy Spirit. An encounter with him should always point us closer to God, if we are not drawing closer then something is very wrong
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@Shakeys thanks for this answer. I like how you say that an encounter with the HS can’t slight Jesus. The trinity is always seeking to promote a love for the fullness of the godhead in the believer’s heart. Your comment reminds me of this quote from Gregory of Nazianzus:
No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of That One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the Rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the Undivided Light.
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