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1.4 Factors That Gave Rise to the Modern Pentecostal Movement
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I definitely agree with William Seymour in encouraging others to seek Jesus first – He is the life giver with or without the gifts/miracles. Seeking Him first – all these things will be added unto us.
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I think William Seymour said this because sometimes people get caught up looking for the sign instead of the one who gives them. I agree with him because it is important that people seek Jesus and allow God to reveal Himself to the person in His timing. Jesus should always be our focus. Once someone has experienced salvation and established their relationship with Jesus, we can share about how to deepen that relationship through Baptism of Water and the Baptism of the Spirit.
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When William Seymour said, "Don't tell people about tongues, tell them about Jesus.", I believe that he was emphasizing the fact that Jesus must be our focus. I agree with this and while tongues are certainly evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit and an important part of our walk with the Lord, they are not what is to be worshiped. If our focus is on signs and wonders and not actually on Jesus, then we are off track. There is certainly a time to tell people about tongues and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but we must be careful not to replace Jesus as out focus.
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1. Jesus has to be the center of everything we do. It is so easy for us as Christians to get distracted by gifting, task, or information and miss the person that these things should lead us to in the first place. When we focus only on the gifts of the spirit without tying it back to the person of Jesus, we make it about us and what God can do through us. I think that there is absolutely a time and place to talk about speaking in tongues and to teach on the gifts of the spirit, but only in the context of it pointing people back to Jesus, not the gifting itself.
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