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1.5 Azusa Street & ACOP Legacy
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These quotes have in common the centrality or pre-eminence of Jesus Christ. Andrew Argue spoke of a “wonderful vision of Jesus” and Bartleman spoke of the fact that Jesus is “all in all.” These quotes and their shared commitment to the pre-eminence of Jesus call us to ground our pneumatology in our Christology. Although distinct persons in the Trinitarian God-head, the Holy Spirit in his Person, nature, and work testifies to Jesus and empowers us to be His witnesses. To embrace any other endeavour in his name, claiming his help, and seeking his enablement to perform, would be quite contrary to what the Holy Spirit is actually all about.
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Argue talks about how a deep hunger for Christ brought him to a supernatural encounter which led him to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Bartleman speaks of the centrality of Christ; all the works of the Holy Spirit point to Christ, revealing Him in a fuller way. Therefore as we seek for more of Jesus, we will eventually be met with the power of the Holy Spirit and led into a deeper relationship with Jesus. Both men maintain that it is through Christ that we meet the Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit, we can come to know Jesus better. The work of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to Christ.
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Jesus Christ is the centre of it all and the Holy Spirit guides us towards him. The Holy Spirit is the tangible evidence that Christ’s presence is here now and forever.
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These quotes ultimately remind us that encounters with the Holy Spirit are meant to draw us to Jesus as the center and conclusion of it all. He is the reason we have the encounters and He is the reason for these encounters, therefore we must not get caught up in simply seeking this “feeling” but enjoy it as something that draws us closer to the Savior. We should still love Him and pursue Him the same, even if we do not have these rich encounters with the Holy Spirit.
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