BY DR. JOHN SULLIVAN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-TREASURER
FLORIDA BAPTIST CONVENTION

The revelation of the Holy Spirit

During the past two weeks, the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit has been introduced and defined. This week, we will consider the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

The revelation of the Holy Spirit can best be summed by the verse in John 14:26, “He will teach you all things.” The Holy Spirit will teach truth and open avenues of revelation. He will illuminate those things that Jesus has done. John 16:12-14 adds, “He will not speak on His own authority, He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God reveals the closeness of the Spirit and revelation.

Understanding the place of the Holy Spirit in Christian experience begins at the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes in fullness on those who believe. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict, convince and empower. I Corinthians 12:3 says “No man can say Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit.” There was a time in the New Testament era that might be called the “coming” of Holy Spirit in a transitional way. Then there came a more normative pattern, which gives the Holy Spirit at conversion.

Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches that the believer is sealed by the Spirit at conversion. There are some other proclaimed manifestations of Christian experiences that demand examination. This week, we will explore three proclaimed manifestations: tongues, slain in the spirit and power evangelism.

Tongues This seems to be an ancient version of our modern idea, “If it feels good, it must be of God.” First Corinthians 14:21-22 teaches that tongues were a “sign gift” for unbelieving Jews. The spiritual gift of tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 is tied to interpretation. A foreign language is being talked about here. Tongues were contemporary “sign gifts” to authenticate the message of the apostles before the New Testament scripture was completed.

Once the canon of the New Testament was completed, the “sign gifts” were no longer necessary. First Corinthians 13:8 tells us that tongues would cease. For the church to emphasize any kind of tongues is to emphasize something Jesus did not. It is a self-centered activity which takes the focus off the centrality of Jesus and places it on a minor area of Bible teaching. To establish a gift of tongues as a basis for breaking down all denominational distinctives creates some real problems. Perhaps a great deal of the current emphasis on tongues is a reaction to the deadness of many churches and the great hunger for genuine spiritual reality.

Slain in the Spirit If a person falls backward, he or she is considered a follower. If one falls forward, he or she is a leader. We must remember that truthfulness is never determined by mass appeal.

Acts 10:9-10 is often used to teach a “slain in the Spirit” experience. Simon Peter was alone on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner in Joppa at prayer time. He was hungry. Verse 10 says, “He fell into a trance” and received a significant vision from Heaven. Actually, after reading the Greek text, one realizes it does not say that Peter fell. Moffatt translates the statement, “A trance came over him.” The Greek text says, “An ecstasy fell upon him.” The Greek word ekstatis indicates a state in which a person stands outside himself. By some sudden emotion he is transported out of his usual realm. This carries the idea of being amazed, astonished or being thrown into a state of wonder. It often indicates the reaction of people to a manifestation of God’s presence.

The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, written by and for Pentecostal and charismatic scholars, explains the “slain” phenomena: “An entire battalion of Scripture proof texts is enlisted to support the legitimacy of the phenomenon, although scripture plainly offers no support for the phenomenon as something to be expected in the normal Christian’s life.”

Studying the Bible as it relates to the “slain in the Spirit” phenomenon leads me to believe that what we have today has no counterpart in the Bible. Our emotions are the shallowest part of our lives. We need to recapture a sense of reverence and humility in the awesome presence of God. My view is that when the Holy Spirit works in our lives, we will not be “slain” but we will “come alive” in the Spirit. Our hunger for God should not cause us to seek the sensational. Instead, seek the substantial power of God and pray for genuine Spirit-led revival.

Power Evangelism This idea, found in the charismatic movement, is that the power of the gospel lies not only in the message itself, but also in supernatural demonstrations of Holy Spirit power. John Wimber, one of the originators of the power evangelism concept, defines it as a “spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, empowered presentation of the Gospel…preceded and undergirded by supernatural demonstrations of God’s presence.”

America was once dominated philosophically by three “isms.” First, secularism left no room for divine intervention. Second, materialism taught that matter is all there is and that there is no supernatural reality in existence. Third, mechanism taught that the universe is simply made up of physical causes and effects. Power encounters utilizing signs and wonders overcome resistance to the gospel.

Advocates say gospel preaching and teaching alone will never reach the masses for Christ. Signs and wonders must be a part of our evangelism, they say, to produce strong evidences of the truth and power of the gospel. Otherwise, today’s culture will not be reached.

In examining signs and wonders, three specific words are used. The word miracle describes the power of God miraculously manifested to people and is often translated “power.” The word emphasizes the inherent power of God that produces the miracle. A miracle is a supernatural intervention of God into the natural course of things. The second word, wonder, refers to the reaction which the miracle causes. The third word, sign, means that which indicates authenticity. In other words, the miracle causes wonder among the people and points people to something else in order to authenticate it. Jesus knows about our tendency to feel on the sensational, our tabloid mentality. When the purpose for the sign is removed, a need for the sign no longer exists.

Next week, we will explain two additional proclaimed manifestations: spiritual warfare and dancing in the spirit.

You may contact Dr. John Sullivan at
1-800-226-8584, ext. 3015, or by email.