3.2 ACOP’s Response to the Schisms

[Aidan]

I think one of the main reasons many early Pentecostals developed a Oneness position of the Godhead was their focus on Jesus as the center of their worship. Jesus became the emphasis of their worship, their preaching, and their mode of baptism. Since one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to exalt the Son and convict the world of their need for Him. Unfortunately these early experiences of the Pentecostal movement led to an overemphasis of Jesus to the exclusion of the Father and Holy Spirit as part of the Godhead. These was made even more problematic by the lack of understanding of church history and the groundwork that had been laid by the forefathers of the faith. In the end, personal experience divorced from a theological and historical framework led to the “Jesus only” movement that still impacts many charismatic and Pentecostal circles today. It is more subtle, but the focus on Jesus as the center of our worship can still be observed in contemporary worship.

[Melissa Smyth]

For other gifts of the Spirit, I think healing and prophecy have been very significant in the Pentecostal movement. Praying for healing and expecting God to move in powerful ways to bless and restore people has transformed so many lives! Prophesying truth and life over people and speaking God for His heart to be shared has spoken to so many situations and hearts and shown that God loves and sees them! I often forget how much of a blessing it is to be a part of a fellowship and Church that operates in these giftings and celebrates them!

[Celestine]

Signs of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

According to Mark 16 and Acts 1, Jesus mentioned signs accompanying the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, including:

1. Speaking in new tongues (Mark 16:17)

2. Casting out demons (Mark 16:17)

3. Speaking with authority (implied in Acts 1:8)

These signs are important to the Pentecostal Movement because they demonstrate the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, enabling believers to witness boldly and perform supernatural acts. They signify the Spirit’s role in equipping believers for ministry and mission. While the ACOP Statement of Faith emphasizes speaking in tongues as initial evidence, these additional signs highlight the Spirit’s broader impact on believers’ lives and ministries.

[Zach]

Jesus spoke of other signs of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not just that which we consider the initial evidence (speaking in tongues). These would include empowered witness, casting out demons, picking up serpents, healing of the sick, protection from poisoning. These are important as the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not given just to be a gimmicky experience whereby we identify ourselves, but on ongoing experience of empowerment to do the works he did and thus be His witness. These evidences are thus ongoing signs or perpetual evidence that the Spirit is in fact present and at work in an ongoing way through the believer who has received this baptism.