Has anyone ever asked you, “Are you one of them tongue-talkers?” After you get your eyes to stop rolling, you have to decide whether or not to do a witty comeback (no, this is not the kind of response I usually choose, but it appeals to my flesh to think about it) “Well, yes, aren’t you? I know if the early church needed it, I sure do.” Or, you may decide to calmly and lovingly offer a defense for what you believe about praying in the Spirit and tongues with interpretation. But what about the out-of-the-blue statement, “All you [insert your “label” here] ever talk about is tongues”? Your mouth drops and you say, “Wait, didn’t you just bring it up?”
If the early church needed it, I sure do.
Any regular reader of this journal knows we talk about a great deal more than just glossolalia. I am glad that Pentecostals, charismatics, and those that are open but cautious regarding the gifts of the Spirit can agree on so many things. In our unity on essentials, we have diverse beliefs about many other subjects. May you find something in this issue that challenges and instructs you and which God may use to deepen you.
Raul L. Mock is one of the founders and directors of the Pneuma Foundation and editor of The Pneuma Review. Raul has been part of an Evangelical publishing ministry since 1996, working with Information Services and Supply Chain Management for more than two decades. He and his wife, Erin, live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. LinkedIn
Anthony C. Thiselton, A Shorter Guide to the Holy Spirit: Bible, Doctrine, Experience (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016). Anthony Thiselton’s Shorter Guide is a “shorter guide” in that it was written at the request of his publisher to provide a shorter treatment (228 pages) of his more substantial 2013 work, The Holy…
The Kingdom and the Power. The Pneuma Review has received permission to reprint chapters from this important work that asks: “Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today?” The Summer 2007 issue will continue this series with “Following Christ’s Example: A Biblical View of…
Craig S. Keener talks about the origin and meaning of Pentecost in the book of Acts by highlighting these seven points: the Promise of Pentecost, the Preparation for Pentecost, the Proofs of Pentecost, the Peoples of Pentecost, the Prophecy of Pentecost, the Preaching of Pentecost, and the Power of Pentecost. Part of the Seedbed…
Graham Cooke, Prophecy & Responsibility: A Journey into Receiving Revelation and the Process of Godly Communication (Brilliant Book House, 2007), 230 pages. Prophecy & Responsibility is the second book in Graham Cooke’s six book Prophetic Equipping Series. The first volume is titled Approaching The Heart Of Prophecy: A Journey Into Encouragement, Blessing And Prophetic…
Relating to the Holy Spirit If we grieve the Holy Spirit He may become silent, imperceptible to us, and we will find ourselves seemingly abandoned to a frustrated and unspiritual state. It was in the apparent fear of this condition that David cried out, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me!” The scores of apathetic…
This guest article by chaplain, editor, author, and speaker James Linzey presents biblical answers about why followers of Jesus should pray in tongues. See the note from the Editor below for more about the perspective of this article. Why speak with tongues? There are many reasons for speaking in a spiritual language. Primarily, though,…
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