Quizzes
Pentecost After the Apostolic Era
Holy Spirit at Work
God's Spirit is still at work in our world
There has been evidence of the Holy Spirit poured out in all ages and times, at least somewhere in the body of Christ, since the time of the Apostles!
Healings, exorcisms, and validating signs and wonders continue to be experienced in the church. Just as miracles and wonders added to the credibility of the first-century apostles, so they continue to draw unbelievers into the Christian fold
After the Apostolic era, does it seem other Christians witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
Even Augustine, who died a full 400 years after Christ and even today remains the most highly regarded Christian theologian of the early church, talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the reality of the spiritual gifts. Through the middle ages, many well-respected Christian monks and mystics lived their Christian lives with this assumption as well. Even in the more recent centuries, just before the rise of “Pentecostalism” in the 20th century, history records many revivals that were a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and included the use of spiritual gifts and speaking in tongues.
Test Yourself
Answer
Talk it Through
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1.3 Pentecost After the Apostolic Era
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A- Despite our twisted theological views and ensuing self limitations, God has continued patiently and faithfully to work by pouring out his Spirit and empower people to work as commissioned. Gods mission is unrelentingly proceeding, and he is using us in that plan despite our sometimes-best efforts to thwart the plan! Looking to the future, we can see from the past that he will continue with us.
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What stood out to me as I was listening to the lecture (given my background) was the mindset of the “cessationists” that put God in a box saying that when the apostles died, the outpouring and manifestations of the Holy Spirit and other apostolic “stuff” died with them as well (like the idea of centralized efforts of the church). Some of them (which recently I encountered) are “selective cessationists” — they only recognize the Spirit’s freedom to do anything and perform anything when it is beneficial for them (blessings, miraculous healing, etc.)
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Inspirational history. These accounts in church history point to a sharing of similar experiences with our brothers and sisters of old. Pentecostals have strong legacy to fortify us today in our witness to the world.
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For me I know it builds faith. It is encouraging to see that we are still experiencing the same fruit from hundreds of years ago and the same fruit from thousands of years ago. God remains faithful.
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