Category: Pentecostal History

  • Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?

    Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?

    I recently had a person ask me, “Are the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost two different beings? You get the Holy Spirit when you are saved, but you get the Holy Ghost when you speak in tongues, right?”

    This question highlights how much confusion there is about the ministry of the Spirit in general and, within that confusion, the significant amount of it that is caused by misunderstood or poor terminology.

    Though the questioner raised several points needing clarification, I want to speak to the terms “Holy Ghost” and “Holy Spirit.”  A word of warning; this may rattle some deified tradition, but to me, accuracy is always more important than maintaining the status quo.

    You have probably noticed that modern English Bible translations do not use the term “Holy Ghost;” and that for good reason. The King James Version (KJV) was translated originally in the year 1611; this version used the terms Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost interchangeably in the New Testament and used the term Holy Spirit soley in the Old Testament. 

    In the Old Testament–which was written in Hebrew, the term ruach (meaning spirit/Spirit, breath or wind) is translated as “Spirit/spirit.”  The only time you’ll find the word “ghost” in the KJV Old Testament is the phrase “give/gave up the ghost”, speaking of someone dying.  This phrase is a 1611-era figure of speech that is substituted by the translators for the actual Hebrew verb, gava, which means to die or breath your last breath.  There is absolutely no usage of the word “ghost” in the Hebrew Old Testament.

    In the New Testament–which was written in Greek, the term pneuma (also literally meaning spirit/Spirit, breath or wind) is used exclusively to speak of God’s invisible Spirit, the third Person of the trinity.  

    The Greek word for “ghost” is phantasma, meaning “ghostly apparition.”  Phantasma is used twice in the Greek New Testament–both times speaking of being frightened by what the Disciples thought was at first sight a “ghostly apparition”,  namely Jesus walking towards them on the water (see Matt 14:26 and Mark 6:49).  They were literally afraid of what they thought was an unholy ghost!

    Though the KJV inconsistently renders pneuma as both Ghost and Spirit, the original is clearly, consistently intended to read as “Holy Spirit”.  No place is this more evident than in Acts 2:4, where the KJV translates the one word, pneuma, as both Ghost and Spirit within the same verse! This perhaps demonstrates the superstition of the era in which this version was translated, but also our need for modern, reliable Bible translations and scholarship.

    I am not intending to blast the KJV as being full of errors or hurt those who have been strengthened by reading God’s Word in this translation.  I am trying to clear up a 400 year old misunderstanding that has potentially caused many to fear the ministry of the Paraclete who desires to help us, not scare us.

    There is definitively no usage of “Holy Ghost” in the original Hebrew or Greek Bibles.  Simply put, biblically, there is no such being as the Holy Ghost.  Both the Hebrew term ruach and Greek term pneuma are rightly translated as Spirit, not Ghost in modern English translations.

    Both the biblical terms for spirit center around life and action, not death and fear–as phantasma, or ghost, implies. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life, not the spirit of death, a phantasm or phantom.

    I pray that our practice of sometimes holding tradition over truth will be challenged–because in this case, the mistranslation of Ghost has likely encouraged many to have additional superstitious fears about a ghostly apparition instead of desiring the Holy Spirit’s practical, desperately needed ministry.

    So how about letting the term “Holy Ghost” give up the ghost?

  • Rare Pentecostal/ Healing Books Available Again!


    Many dismiss the ministry, experience and contributions of A. A. Allen because of his latter years–which were filled with increasingly suspicious behavior. But, whatever your opinion may be, few doubt the effectiveness of his early ministry.

    Since his death, the two books that told the story of Allen’s personal quest to demonstrate God’s power have been out of print and VERY difficult to find. These two inspirational resources are now available from John Carver Ministries. The Life of A. A. Allen: As Told by A. A. and Lexie Allen contains Allen’s autobiography, “My Cross” (which details his personal quest for supernatural ministry) along with his wife’s biography, “God’s Man of Faith and Power”; these are reprinted with bonus material including rare photos and a recently discovered epilogue written by Allen just two years before his death.

    This book will find a welcome place in the hands of anyone who longs for God’s power in their ministry. It will also fill a void in many historical libraries.

    Foreword is by noted Pentecostal/Healing scholar Dr. David Edwin Harrell.

    You can purchase the book here:
    http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/life-of-a-a-allen/8218399

    Check out John Carver’s website here:

    http://www.johncarverministries.org

  • Revolutionaries

    One of the most encouraging and empowering books I’ve read in a long time is Matt Brown’s Revolutionaries:Men and Women in Every Century Who Advanced Christianity.

    Revolutionaries surveys over 40 men and women–from the first century until modern times–who laid down everything to spread the fame of Jesus. Designed to stir passion as well as to make history come alive, Brown does a remarkable job at framing how eternal significance is measured: through sacrifice and obedience. Each chapter is concluded with a strong, practical point of action that will challenge the reader to surrender more to the Lord.
    Of particular interest to this blog’s readers will be his inspiring chapters on two notable 20th century Pentecostals–Aimee Semple McPherson and Smith Wigglesworth.
    Pastors could very easily use this book for small groups and youth/young adults will find it fast moving and interesting. Quantity discounts are available.

  • The Forgotten Legacy of Oral Roberts


    Today I watched the Oral Roberts memorial service live on TV.

    Rightly hailed as a central figure in Christianity in general and Pentecostalism in specific, Roberts’ legacy lives on through countless protégé’s, a major Christian university, and many, many other obvious contributions.

    However, I have not yet heard others comment on what I perceive to be a major component of his legacy: the broad acceptance of professional medical treatment by people who believe in divine healing. Like it or not, Pentecostalism (in general) has a history of rejecting medical treatment in favor of divine healing alone. In fact, some of the pre-Pentecostals influencers such as John Alexander Dowie classified doctors in the same category as demons and devils! Many of Dowie’s followers would become early leaders in the modern Pentecostal movement and promote divine healing–such as John G. Lake, F. F. Bosworth, Eli Richey (and his son Raymond T. Richey) among others.

    Though I have not yet found it specifically stated in any Pentecostal denomination’s creed, there was a generally negative opinion of the medical profession in early Pentecostalism–from simple suspicion to blatant opposition. Many taught that pursuing medical treatment was a sinful act demonstrating a lack of faith! As recent as 1955, British Assemblies of God leader J. Nelson Parr’s anti-medicine teaching was published by GPH. His opinion was not unique; many Pentecostal leaders shared his view and taught it to those they influenced, making it a common (but not universal or codified) belief.

    Enter Oral Roberts–arguably the icon of divine healing for the 20th century. Under his massive tent and through the media, countless people outside of traditional Pentecostalism were exposed to the supernatural healing ministry for the first time and all of Pentecostalism sat up to take notice. The name Oral Roberts is still synonymous with divine healing.

    In 1977, this spokesman for the supernatural announced his dream of building…a hospital! He further went on to explain that there was no conflict between medical treatment and the belief in (and practice of) divine healing! This sent murmurous ripples across the church world. However, this announcement did not reflect a personal change in Roberts’ doctrine; he had a rather developed doctrine of God’s sovereignty relating to divine healing from his early days of ministry. His logic was that not everyone receives divine healing, so therefore, the Pentecostal/Charismatic world should have their own world-class hospital.

    I’m sure you know the rest of the story; the City of Faith Medical Center only operated from 1981-1987 before financial problems forced its closure. End of story? Not in my opinion. Still today the Pentecostal/Charismatic world is indebted to Roberts for what the near-sighted perceive to be his greatest failure. This American icon of divine healing built a hospital and sidelined the common, long-standing anti-medicine teaching–hopefully once and for all. Today, only a few fringe sects of Pentecostalism teach against medical treatment.

    Though the three towers of the once-hospital (now an office complex) still cast a shadow over South Tulsa, they remind us today that Pentecostals are compassionate and humanitarian alongside our belief in supernatural healing.

    Thank you Oral Roberts; whether or not you realized it, your prophetic action of hospital building brought balance to an often narrow understanding–yet you still encouraged us to believe in God for our healing, demonstrating the reality of both through your own ministry.

  • Pentecostalism is NOT the same thing as the Word of Faith Movement

    I am generally opposed to negative posts, but a constantly arising issue needs to be addressed: what Pentecostalism is NOT.

    Pentecostals are having a bit of an identity crisis because of decades of Christian media influence and a general lack of discernment on our part. I can understand when a poorly-researched secular writer lumps us in with other groups who share a doctrine or two with us, but unfortunately, many of our own can no longer detect the difference.

    I am not saying that those in the Word of Faith (WOF) are not true Christians or that they are insincere or not effective in ministry. I simply want to point out that they are a different stream than classical Pentecostalism.

    Though our Word of Faith friends share many of our doctrines, they also have many critical differences from Pentecostalism:

    —Classical Pentecostalism does not embrace the “Prosperity Gospel” and its potentially materialistic ways; in fact–while we are thankful for God’s blessing–Pentecostalism has a rather developed experience and doctrine of suffering.

    —We do not embrace the metaphysical definitions and formulas of faith expressed in the WOF’s “positive confession” doctrines. For example, the Assemblies of God actually has an official doctrinal position paper against such teaching.

    —We do not embraced the tangled Christology of the WOF’s “Born-Again Jesus” doctrine (that Jesus had to be Born Again in Hell prior to his resurrection).

    —We reject the idea that God operates by His own personal faith, i.e. “God has to have faith that what He says will actually happen.” God has no higher object upon whom to place His faith; he doesn’t have faith in that sense–He has omnipotent power!

    —Pentecostals do not embrace many of the WOF’s healing doctrines and practices. We believe that God can and does supernaturally heal but we also keep His sovereignty intact, allowing Him divine prerogative to delay or deny such a request. We do not believe or practice that God must act upon our behalf because He is “legally bound to do so.” Nor do we believe that the sick person has defective faith if healing doesn’t come; this assumptive practice only leads already hurting people into condemnation–something that was never a fruit of the ministry of Jesus.

    You may notice a subtle theme in these differences; many WOF teachings tend to empower and deify man while robbing God of His sovereignty and volition.

    What do you think?

  • Consecration and Anointing: an Old Testament Case Study

    This is an excerpt from our current series of articles in The Enrichment Journal; the series runs for one year, starting with this quarter’s issue. For the full article, you can click here: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200904/200904_120_OTPneumatology.cfm
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    Zooming in on charismatically endowed individuals can be inspiring — but it can also get ugly. From Moses to Samson to David, bittersweet moments of personal victory and failure demonstrate this simple truth: Personal consecration can affect the duration of such an endowment.

    Moses’ tantrum at Meribah-Kadesh reveals that the residue of his previous murderous anger and tablet-smashing outbursts still lingered. Striking the rock brought a premature and geographically limiting end to his leadership. Disobedience can be costly, decreasing the time span of Spirit-empowered effectiveness.

    The Gideon narrative is an example of a Spirit-empowered leader missing God, therefore missing God’s best. This incident immediately followed a great victory. His penchant for Ishmaelite earrings snared him and all Israel into idolatrous worship (Judges 8:23–27). Gideon’s story had a great first half, but holiness issues changed his biography to have a flavorless — even sour — conclusion.

    And then there’s Samson — half-Spirit empowered leader, half-unconsecrated pleasure addict. His story reminds us of God’s grace despite human weakness. Samson’s contradictory end of both victory and defeat leaves the reader wondering what could have been if only he had a deeper level of consecration.

    God selected Saul as king at the insistence of Israel — even though a monarchy was apparently not yet the divine plan. Saul’s commissioning includes both astoundingly precise prophetic interaction with Samuel and unique personal interaction with the Spirit of prophecy. Shortly after his coronation, he blatantly disobeyed God by sparing the Amalekite king, Agag. This began a cycle of God mercifully reaching out to a disobedient Saul, who seems to become more and more bent on his own destruction. Once again, a lack of consecration lowers the ceiling of what could have been.

    King David is the clearest Old Testament prototype for the Messiah — a soft heart — but a vulnerable Achilles tendon. Note his fear of the Holy Spirit’s possible departing following his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba: “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11, NASB). This man after God’s own heart knew there were consequences to sinful decisions.

    At this point you may wonder, How can any of us make it? Certainly if Moses, who received both the original and duplicate copies of the Law — hand delivered on granite stationery — cannot finish the course, how can we? The new covenant demonstrates that Spirit-enabled moral change is more than possible; it is expected. Paul tells us, “If by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you will live” (Romans 8:13, NASB).

    The new covenant provisions of the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration and sanctification make what was once impossible now possible — even for leaders. Comingle that with an unfolding level of New Testament grace and mercy, and suddenly we have an opportunity to break the cycle and experience the fullest duration of our individual anointing.

  • What’s in the Original Pentecostal Secret Sauce and how did we lose the recipe?

    Disclaimer: Please excuse the following rant.

    ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A CHRISTIAN WORSHIP SERVICE IN ACTS
    So we’ve discussed some missing elements in previous “Secret Sauce” posts but what are the key elements of true corporate worship gatherings in Acts? The following is only a quick list and I need your input to make it more complete:

    1. Corporate Prayer
    2. Reading of the Scriptures
    3. Teaching
    4. Time for supernatural interaction
    5. Worship (this is only mentioned twice that I have noticed: in the Phillippian jail and in in Antioch (and this is probably not 30 minutes of songs)

    What am I missing?

    HOW DID WE LOSE OUR SECRET SAUCE RECIPE–OR DID WE JUST LAY IT ASIDE?
    Now, how did our worship services end up looking they way they do now?

    Is anyone else getting tired of Broadway production church services or am I just getting old and grumpy? It seems like we are more concerned with “pulling off a successful show” than we are with having a biblically accurate expression of worship–no matter what public opinion says.

    What ever happened to the audience of our services sitting on a throne instead of trendy matching chairs? Shouldn’t Jesus and His Word determine what our corporate worship services look like? Shouldn’t everything we do be directed towards pleasing Him?

    What do you think? Is there any virtue to my questions or do I need a Prozac?

  • Heritage Magazine Article on Dr. Price


    Don’t miss the new annual edition of Heritage magazine.

    It was a distinct honor to be asked to write a biographical article about one of my personal “Heroes of the Faith,” the late Dr. Charles S. Price. Thanks to Darrin Rodgers, director of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, for the opportunity to contribute to this excellent publication.

    Dr. Price’s story is inspirational and challenging–and I hope it will stir you to believe God for greater demonstrations of His Spirit’s power in your life.

    If you are not a subscriber, you can order the issue here for $8.

    You can also read the article HERE.

  • Another New Book…


    It is no secret that the late Dr. Charles S. Price has significantly influenced my life. He had one of the most renowned Pentecostal healing ministries of his day, and yet possessed a rock solid understanding of God’s Word and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

    His clear teaching on the subject of faith has opened new worlds to me. He gracefully and kindly taught against the faith formula of the Word of Faith Movement (such as “positive confession”), yet his message was anything but negative; in fact, his writing is some of the most faith inspiring material you will ever read.

    Several years ago, my dear friend John Carver Jr. and I released two of Dr. Price’s books in one volume, The Meaning of Faith & The Sick are Healed. Destiny Image published this collection for us and it is still available on our website or at your local Christian bookstore.

    Now our ministry is re-releasing what I believe to be Dr. Price’s greatest book, The Real Faith along with a mini-biography on his life (by yours truly). I honestly believe that this is the greatest book ever penned on the subject of faith and I know it will deeply affect your life.

    Click here to find out more information or to order your copy.