Why am I a Baptecostal? Part II Seek Transformation, Not Manifestation!

Why am I a Baptecostal? Part II

Seek Transformation, Not Manifestation!

The emphasize of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have usually been spiritual manifestations. They focus more on revival sessions. Revival sessions aren’t bad itself but the motive makes it unusually bad. Spiritual revival is needy but outcome is not sought. Peoples undergo through unusual manifestations such as jerking, shivering, crying, falling and speaking in ecstatic languages.[1] Not all have these manifestations but those who have these manifestations, they focus only on these.

I am not against these as I myself have gone through those, which is unexplainable and could be merely our mental or psychological aspect when divine empowerment meets our weakness.[2] Whatsoever be the case, our focus must be transformation. Perhaps, Paul himself had undergone through spiritual expressions and he knew they were not harmful. Meanwhile, he constantly preached the genuine transformation and edification that we receive in Christ by grace. He focused on Christian character i.e. Love, heading on being in Christ’s image. This is why he said he wants everyone to have the gift of Tongues, but more than that the gift of prophecy which indeed edifies the whole church!

Unusual manifestations have been noticed throughout the church history in revivals. Those were spiritual expressions when God’s spirit was actively working in dormant states of believers. Obviously, not manifestations, but the inner spiritual state led them to have feel of change in their life. Later, after 1906 Cambrian explosion of Pentecostal movement, the paradigm shift was imputed to Speaking in tongues. However, the movement obviously caused a lot of chaos later despite its great contribution of missionary works and church planting.[3]

The Charismatic expressions aren’t negative in themselves. Holy Spirit is obviously gentle and he is indeed God, he is a person. Many arguments hence come forth that jerking, falling, shouting, speaking ecstatic gibberish aren’t His works because He is gentle spirit unlike demons. However, humans are emotionally prone to manifesting certain outward expressions. Perhaps, the powerful touch of Holy Spirit might lead some people to express their broken heart resulting to shouting, jerking, speaking in ecstatic languages and so on.[4] Whatever the case be, we have almost no convincing reasons to explain these expressions.[5]

God’s powerful entrance and expressions are obviously evident in the Old Testament (E.g. Exodus 19:18). People fearing those terrifying moments might help us to understand modern phenomena. Regarding the speaking in tongues, this might be a kind of language of thanksgiving, prayer or worshipping heart expressed to God.[6]^,[7] The gibberish nature of this expression has been objected due to Acts 2 event. Such gibberish (it means unintelligible) speaking are also found in pagan cultures akin to healing, visions, prophecy and deliverance. This is because there is reality of spiritual realm. Whatever be the reality of speaking in tongues, Paul ends his letter instructing not to forbid it.

These manifestations are perhaps outcome of mixed result from spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and psychological areas. Some careful balanced Bible teachers such as Ps. Bhojraj Bhatt has to say “I think this is a mix of psychological, physical and spiritual elements. But most of it has to do with state of our psychological and emotional state. You see, this phenomenon specially takes place in a cult. Now, what is a cult you may say. A cult has an authority figure, a leader who is respected and accepted by the followers. Whatever the cult leaders says is considered authoritative. Then, it has a culture such as songs, dances, speeches, prayer, and so on. It also has a level of privacy in which people can be free from fear and every other inhibition. And a few more things. Once you have all these elements in place and people who have issues in their lives are there, you will most likely see such phenomena taking place. It does take place in the church, it takes place in yogas and even in some Shamanistic settings. Because we believe in the reality of the spiritual world, when vulnerable people are opened up to such realities, they can either be filled with the Holy Spirit or they can also be possessed or overtaken by demonic spirits. Or at times, it could be simply their psychic experience in which body reacts violently. So, yes, the Holy Spirit is real. Yes, the demonic world is real. And, yes, even purely on human level, man is capable of manifesting such psychic activities.” (Source: facebook comment section on a post being shared of Dr. Yogi Vikashanand performing similar actions where ladies were trembling, jerking and falling on the floor)

Holy Spirit is not something an easy spirit. He is God. In Triune God YHWH, all three persons are God sharing same nature and attributes. He is the same God who empowered Jesus in his earthly life. He is the same God whose entrance in the day of Pentecost was extremely powerful (Read Acts 2). Perhaps, his presence, his touch, his interaction with vulnerable hearts lead to such manifestations. Meanwhile, his work is solely of transforming our hearts rather than performing circus at church.

The manifestations are not be sought and otherwise protested but the outcome in life needs to be detected.[8] Once we fail to realize this simple truth and just go on popularizing the manifestations and start building doctrines on them, we are obviously running a circus show instead the holy body of Christ!

To be continued…

(This article can be subjected to updates depending on further evaluations of the topic)

Bibliography:

Crosswalk.com. “6 Things You May Not Know about the Ark of the Covenant.” Accessed April 19, 2024. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-you-may-not-know-about-the-ark-of-the-covenant.html.

Kinnaman, Gary D. AND SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW. Translated and published in Nepali language by Good News publisher, 2017.

“The Fire That Could Not Die : The Story of the Azusa Street Revival by Rick Joyner - PDF Drive.” Accessed April 16, 2024. http://www.pdfdrive.com/the-fire-that-could-not-die-the-story-of-the-azusa-street-revival-e156698508.html.

“The Shepherd’s Staff by Ralph Mahoney - PDF Drive.” Accessed April 19, 2024. http://www.pdfdrive.com/the-shepherds-staff-e186497746.html.

Towns, Elmer L., and Douglas Porter. The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever: From Pentecost to the Present. Ann Arbor, Mich: Vine Books, 2000.

Z-Library Project. “Speaking in Tongues: A Biblical Perspective | Z-Library.” Accessed April 19, 2024. https://z-lib.io/book/13633193.

[1] Elmer L. Towns and Douglas Porter, The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever: From Pentecost to the Present (Ann Arbor, Mich: Vine Books, 2000), 11.

[2] Towns and Porter, 11.

[3] “The Fire That Could Not Die : The Story of the Azusa Street Revival by Rick Joyner - PDF Drive,” 5, accessed April 16, 2024, http://www.pdfdrive.com/the-fire-that-could-not-die-the-story-of-the-azusa-street-revival-e156698508.html.

[4] “6 Things You May Not Know about the Ark of the Covenant,” Crosswalk.com, accessed April 19, 2024, https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/things-you-may-not-know-about-the-ark-of-the-covenant.html.

[5] Gary D. Kinnaman, AND SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW (Translated and published in Nepali language by Good News publisher, 2017), 9.

[6] “Speaking in Tongues: A Biblical Perspective | Z-Library,” Z-Library Project, 84–95, accessed April 19, 2024, https://z-lib.io/book/13633193.

[7] “The Shepherd’s Staff by Ralph Mahoney - PDF Drive,” 627–30, accessed April 19, 2024, http://www.pdfdrive.com/the-shepherds-staff-e186497746.html.

[8] Towns and Porter, The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever, 11.