My mother, Assemblies of God Evangelist Verna M. Linzey, enjoyed taking time out of her busy schedule to fellowship with fellow Navy Officers’ Wives as part of her “Ministry of Presence” on the base. My father, first-ever Assemblies of God Active Duty Navy Chaplain Stanford E. Linzey, Jr., was stationed on the USS Holland, which was homeported at Charleston. Mother was on the Navy Wives Bowling League and had won a trophy for being an outstanding bowler.

I was looking forward to my donut on that mild, sunny day in October 1963. Then a short while after crossing the Wappoo Creek Bridge, we came to the railroad tracks before an intersection, and the light turned red. The cars ahead of us did not cross the intersection and we had to come to an abrupt stop on the railroad tracks.

It seemed like an eternity that we waited for the green signal so that we could get off the tracks, but finally the light turned green. Then, just as the car in front of us accelerated, the railroad lights started blinking and the bells began ringing. Mother pressed on the gas pedal, but the front tires were stuck on the railroad tracks. The car would not accelerate. The train was quite a distance away, but it was coming quickly. Mother kept pressing the accelerator pedal while praying, but the car would not budge. We were stranded on the tracks.

I was in the far back of the station wagon, which was off the tracks, and Mother knew there was no time to get me out of the back of the car. She figured that I would survive if the train hit the car. So, praying all the while, she threw open the door and jumped out of the car so that she, too, could survive.

Suddenly, a man appeared and told her to get back in the car and floor the gas pedal, and “don’t let off.” She risked her life for me, rushed back inside the car, and floored the gas pedal, with her heart pounding and the palms of her hands and forehead perspiring. Then the tires screeched and the car abruptly “jumped” off the railroad tracks to safety just before the train crossed the street. After the train cleared the street, the stranger was nowhere to be found. We had never seen him before, nor did we ever see him again. But I’ll never forget the day when my life was saved by an angel.

Image: Jad Limcaco

Not only did the angel come to us in our time of need, but also my mother’s unhesitating obedience to what the angel told her to do saved both of our lives.

Looking back, I think about what would have happened had I been killed. How deeply would this have impacted the lives of people to whom I would not have ministered as a military chaplain and as a civilian minister? And what about the lives of those who would never have been spiritually impacted by the Modern English Version Bible, which I edited?

God had plans for my life. He gave me a mother who risked her life for me and He sent an angel to intervene that day so that His purpose for me would be fulfilled.

Our Father, in whom is the fullness of light

Instill within us the passion for liberty;

Make us willing to learn to fight

For the passion to lead your people to victory.

Inspire us to seek deeper levels of understanding,

Enlightened by Your Spirit of grace,

Obedience to Your Will and Law notwithstanding,

Until we reach the end of our race.

Be with us in remembrance of 911;

Guide the survivors to know your ways;

Grant next of kin hearts filled with love,

As their guiding principle all of their days.

Show us what is best for those whom we lead.

With a sense of duty to You and our country;

And as Your Word instructs which we do read,

We give You thanks for keeping us free! Amen.

It was like a ghost town. The ancient parade fields were still there just as they looked in 1878, lined with the original antiquated officers housing. They were mansions, mostly empty, but well maintained.

Fort Meade, South Dakota, as it appeared in 1888. Bear Butte is in background.

Now called Fort Meade, it is used occasionally by the South Dakota National Guard as a training site. I was the chaplain, with the rank of Captain, for the Officers’ Candidate School there that summer for the western region of the United States Army National Guard. The officer candidates were Second Lieutenant university students, preparing to be Army officers. All strangers, we converged for a mission to make officers out of them. They numbered at about 100.

When the Fourth of July came, they displayed their mettle. They could have gone to Mount Rushmore or even to Rapid City to go drinking without getting caught. Interestingly, they all re-enacted a deadly Civil War battle on the parade field to get a feel for what war was like during the Civil War (1861-1865). It was sobering. I facilitated with my role as a Civil War chaplain. They knelt on the ground, bayonets in hand, as I conducted a worship service on the field before the battle ensued.

In those days, when soldiers came to your house to conscript you for battle, it was a death warrant. You did not return. There were rare exceptions. For the most part, it was a departure forever from your family. If you refused, they killed you on the spot. National security was at stake for the North and the South.

Because rifles were not accurate in the 1800s, soldiers were not to shoot until they saw the whites of the eyes of those they shot. Or else, they wasted bullets, and while it could take a minute to reload, they could be shot while the other side encroached upon them. Timing was everything. They looked into the eyes of those they killed. Sometimes it was one’s friend, brother, uncle, or worse, one’s father, or grandfather.

When each battle was over, hundreds or thousands would cover the fields, wounded, moaning for days until they died. Doctors were scarce, but saved who they could. It did not take much to die in battle during the Civil War. A mere gunshot wound in the leg is all it took in many cases. If you could not walk off the battlefield at the end of the battle, you died. You were left lying on the ground, suffering for days perhaps, until you died, if no soldiers were available to assist you.

Officers and chaplains walked the fields speaking to the wounded and praying with them as they died in unbearable pain. Listening to the choruses of deep groans of hundreds of soldiers lying across vast fields was horrifying. Officers and chaplains relayed soldiers’ messages to their mothers, wives, and next of kin if they could.

Today, we kill people whom we never see, who could be miles away. Then we get in our vehicles and drive away or fly away. For me, the re-enactment was a spiritual experience. I was honored to minister to the candidates on the field when we taught them that the price of freedom is usually separation, pain, and death.

If the first DVD sold well, Verna Linzey was going to be included in the second DVD of a second group of Charismatic/Pentecostal leaders. She was selected to be interviewed in part due to the success of her book, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit which has been used, and still is from what I’ve been recently told, as a textbook in 100 Bible schools/colleges mainly in the Far East.

The Hollenweger Center had a scholar write a scholarly review of the book and they published the review. That greatly helped in the promotion of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y26dXu2pYtk

Verna Linzey’s PneumaReview.com Author page

Many negatives can distract leaders daily. Consequently, they may fall prey to these external influences, lose their vision and become spiritually powerless. But leaders can regain power over their lives by focusing on their main goals and ordering everything else around those goals. Then they can succeed in their ministries or personal lives. But that is only the beginning. To truly be influential, leaders should duplicate their successes in church members’ lives by improving their “serve.” Serving may cause leaders to feel like slaves, not realizing how church members perceive them. But, often, church members perceive such leaders as heroes. It is the art of serving that makes leaders out of ordinary people. Spiritual leadership teaches the art of serving, which is really the art of helping others succeed and fulfill their dreams.

Servanthood begins with identifying customers and then attending to them. Leaders should see, not only church members, but also everyone within their spheres of influence as their customers. A customer is anyone with whom a leader comes into contact. This outlook facilitates these three things: expanding one’s sphere of influence for Christ, being charismatic, and developing a spiritual edge. These things attract new church members and opportunities to serve. The best customers are repeat customers. And the best church services are those that attract repeat customers. Spiritual leadership empowers church members to develop their own customer base through offering outstanding services to those within their own sphere of influence and expanding their sphere of influence in the body of Christ.

When I attended Southern California College from 1975-1979, Mario Murillo was our guest chapel speaker one morning. Afterward, as he greeted students outside the chapel doors, I asked him, “What is the greatest way one can glorify God—through witnessing, or other ways?” Mario replies, “The greatest way to glorify God is in your heart.” I took this to heart. I believed and received it, and have been acting on it to this day. That truth impacted my life and made a difference in me, my ministries, and all I do.

So, I would like to challenge spiritual leaders to deepen their walk with the Holy Spirit, and see what Christ will do for you and those you impact.

Jim Linzey, currently serving as a pastor in Coffeyville, Kansas, shares a story about a miracle that happened in his community.

Recently, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and God TV reported that a woman in Coffeyville, Kansas rose from the dead. Landon D. Vinson, M.D., who was the attending physician, along with the local Assembly of God pastor, Randy DePriest who was called upon to console the next of kin upon the death of the woman, two nurses, and other staff members witnessed the miracle. Mr. Steve Warren, who is the senior multimedia producer of CBN News, and I communicated directly with Dr. Vinson. Here is CBN’s report.

“She Was Dead Before the Prayer and Alive After the Prayer”
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2023/march/she-was-dead-before-the-prayer-and-alive-after-er-doctor-reports-clinically-dead-woman-revived-in-true-miracle

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, the Scriptures require it. The apostle Paul commanded us, saying, “Pray in the Spirit always” (Eph. 6:18). Jude commanded it in verse 20, saying, “Pray in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus said it was one of the signs which were to follow the ministry of Christians: “And these signs will accompany those who believe … they will speak with new tongues …” (Mark 16:17). If Scripture commanded it only once, then it is a command, to be obeyed.

Paul commanded: “Earnestly desire spiritual gifts … I want you all to speak in tongues … I thank God that I speak in tongues …” (I Cor. 14:1, 5, 18). Speaking in tongues is one of God’s gifts, and Christians need all the gifts God offers.

The supernatural language is a miraculous manifestation of God’s power, but it combines both human and divine elements and requires both human and divine initiative. Don Basham, in A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism, claims that tongue-speaking is “truly a co-operation between the Christian and the Holy Spirit” (page 86). Also, to pray in tongues is a matter of one’s will according to 1 Cor. 14:14-15. Here Paul says that when he prays in a tongue, his spirit prays, not simply his mind. He indicates that he wills to pray and sing with his spirit— it is a decision he makes, not something forced on him. Speaking in tongues is a matter of the will as is any other action.

Acts 2:4 states, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to speak” (MEV), or “…as the Spirit gave them utterance.” As they spoke, the Spirit filled their mouths. The Holy Spirit did not tell them what to say, nor did He speak through them. He simply gave them the ability to speak. Albert Hoy says that the disciples “used no conceptual forethought of their own in the vocalization” (“Public and Private Uses of the Gift of Tongues,” Paraclete 2, Volume #4, page 11).

In the same manner, the Christian who speaks with tongues will realize that he does not know beforehand what syllables he will utter, but he will speak “not as he receives a mental impression, but as the Spirit gives him the utterance” (Hoy, page 12). Tongues is “the sign of the baptism of the Spirit…. All gifts which the Spirit brings and gives had already been given individually before Pentecost, except for speaking in other tongues with interpretation! Thus, this was the new sign by which the baptism of the Spirit was known” (says F. Kramaric, cited in The Pentecostals by Walter J. Hollenweger, page 342).

Harold L. C. Horton says in Baptism in the Holy Spirit: A Challenge to the Whole-hearted Seekers After God, page 13, that “The evidence of water baptism at Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Ephesus, was not faith nor love, but wetness! It is the same today. The evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit at Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Ephesus was neither faith nor love, but tongues. So, it is today. To be baptized merely ‘by faith’ or tradition without evidence, is not to be baptized at all—either in water or the Holy Ghost.”

Image: Jon Tyson

To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the Holy Spirit or to be completely given over to Him. Two faculties hardest for humans to surrender are the mind and the tongue. Paul says in I Cor 14:14, “If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.” Jesus compares baptism with the Holy Spirit to baptism in water. In water baptism the candidate yields to the baptizer until the candidate is completely immersed in water. In the baptism with the Holy Spirit, one is given over entirely to the Holy Spirit. The seeker yields to Christ until completely immersed in the Holy Spirit.

Many ask whether speaking in tongues is truly the primary confirmation or sign of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is easy to make compromises, but only biblical evidence can be considered proof of the answer. It would seem illogical to use the Old Testament or the Gospels as proof that speaking in tongues is a sign of the baptism with the Holy Spirit because they were written before the outpouring on the Day of Pentecost. It would also seem ill-advised to use the Epistles of Paul as the proof because they are pastoral letters dealing with problems and perplexities of established churches where speaking in tongues was considered normal.

Contemporary experiences are valuable but cannot be considered as proof of tongues being the initial evidence because they would be interpreting after the fact. Consequently, the proof must come from the book of Acts, which records the only known examples of the experience of the baptism with the Holy Spirit among the early Christians.

PR

Note from the Editor

In this guest article, James Linzey is speaking about praying in the Spirit, also known as praying in tongues. Most Pentecostal/charismatics believe that every follower of Jesus may and should pray in the Spirit, and they see praying in tongues as distinct from the gift of tongues with interpretation that operates in a gathering of a community of believers. Linzey is approaching this subject from a classical Pentecostal perspective. Other renewalists (Pentecostals and charismatics) have a different approach about how to interpret what the Bible says about tongues in relation to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you want to learn more, there are many articles available at PneumaReview.com that discuss tongues and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Consider starting here.

This series of broadcasts on the CharismaPodcastNetwork.com began airing on May 17, 2022, the birthday of my mother, the late Dr. Verna Hall Linzey.

The ministry included providing food and shelter and transportation to the San Diego International Airport. This group of Ukrainians was comprised of relatives who were leaving by plane for Atlanta, Georgia to be with other relatives, with the exception of one who was preparing to fly later in the day to Seattle, Washington to be with his sister. This refugee was the sole individual among them who spoke English.

I was delighted with the opportunity to pray with the group and share a message of faith and hope and gratitude for God’s intervention in bringing these Ukrainians to America. I also shared in bearing the costs of the humanitarian support with the church. David Okhotin, pastor of the Russian Baptist Church of San Diego, phoned in to assist in translating for Rev. Biadog and me as we ministered to the refugees.

Various refugees shared, through the English-speaking Ukrainian translating, the atrocities they experienced in Kiev, Ukraine. They fled for their lives amidst the bombing, the ruble. Others went without water and food for long periods of time. Some experienced great fear and inner turmoil to leave their homes and country and nearly all of their personal possessions. They were heartbroken, but so grateful to God that they did escape and get to the United States. The church opened its doors to them and is allowing waves of Ukrainian refugees to spend the nights in their sanctuary.

The overwhelming thought I experienced from my encounters with the refugees and this ministry is the lesson of what the Bible teaches about hospitality: welcoming strangers and treating them well with the love of God. Hospitality is a virtue that is both commanded and commended throughout Scripture. The Word of God commands us, saying, “When a foreigner sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The foreigner who dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:33-34, MEV).

For me, this seemed like a homecoming, because not only have I been to the Ukraine twice and welcomed by Ukrainians to conduct evangelistic crusades, engage in relational evangelism, and engage in interviews about the military chaplaincy, but also because this time I was on the welcoming end of Ukrainians coming to my country.

I was so blessed to hear this story, quite by chance—or more accurately, by providence—a few months after I retired from the United States Army as a chaplain. I was in Branson, Missouri, where I had been invited to sing at the Branson Gospel Music Convention during the week of July 14-17, 2009.

I arrived on Sunday, July 12, at the airport in Springfield, Missouri, rented a car, and began driving south to Branson. All along the way, I kept seeing pictures of Bill Medley on billboards. He was performing for the entire summer at the Moon River Theater in Branson, filling in for Andy Williams who was on vacation. Andy owned the theater, but Bill was the only entertainer whom Andy let fill in for him.

Hours later I arrived in Branson and checked into my hotel room at the Hilton at the convention center. I found out that day that soundtracks had to be on CD, not tape. I immediately phoned recording studios and made reservations to have mine transferred to a CD the next morning. So, Monday morning about 9:00 I drove through downtown Branson on the main street to the other side of town and into the countryside to the recording studio, had both songs transferred from tape to CD, and then headed back to the convention center.

Left to right: Bill Medley, McKenna Medley (daughter), Jim Linzey, Darren Medley (lead singer of Paul Revere and the Raiders), and Paul Revere at the Moon River Theatre (July 16, 2009).

When I got to the corner of the main street to begin my trek through all the traffic, I noticed an IHOP on the corner and thought, “This is my opportunity to easily get to the restroom.” So, I pulled into the parking lot, opened the door to IHOP, and walked in, and there, first booth on the right sat Bill Medley. His back was toward me, but I could see the side of his face. I thought, “This can’t be happening.” I walked down the aisle and went right by him and kept going. I thought, “When I leave, I’ll walk back the same way, then I can see his face to make sure that it’s Bill,” even though I knew it was him.

When I came out of the restroom, I was determined to greet him. I walked down the same aisle, and about eight feet from his booth our eyes met. There was no escaping! So, I boldly walked to the side of his table, crouched down at eye level, and asked, “Are you Bill Medley?”

“Yes,” he said.

“You and I have someone in common,” I said.

“Who?” he asked.

“Jack Colman.” Bill’s heart melted as an expression of love came over his face. “I know he was your vocal coach. He was mine, too,” I said, “and Jack used to tell me all about you.”

Bill was visibly stirred by memories, and then he shared wonderful stories about the spirituality of Jack and Jack’s wife, Sarah Jepson Coleman, who had co-written Portraits of Vision with Tommy Barnett. I was well acquainted with Sarah as well. When I was a student at Fuller Theological Seminary, where Sarah’s brother, Dr. Al Jepson, taught, I house sat for Jack and Sarah, and I sure enjoyed the tray of peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s chocolate kisses that she left for me.

Then I said to Bill, “You and I have someone else in common.”

“Who?” he asked.

“John Wimber,” I replied.

Again, Bill’s face melted with love as he spoke of John and Carol Wimber with great compassion, and shared how John was his and Bobby Hatfield’s producer and performed with them in concert on the keyboard.

After I told Bill that I studied Signs and Wonders under John at Fuller Theological Seminary and was on John’s large ministry team at the Anaheim Vineyard, Bill said, “Do you know how John came to know God?”

“No,” I answered.

“One day, John asked me, ‘What can you tell me about God?’ and I humorously replied, ‘You mean, Ray Charles?’

“Then John pointed to the sky and said, ‘No, the Great One!’”

Bill then witnessed to John about the Lord. While John did not receive Christ immediately, this prompted him to continue thinking about God until he received Him.

We can lead someone to the water, as Bill in this sense led John to God, but it does not mean that person will receive and drink of the water at that time.

I was in utter amazement that after hearing about Bill from Jack and Sarah decades earlier, and studying and ministering under John, here I was, crouched beside Bill at his table at IHOP learning how my former pastor and mentor came to Christ.

I told Bill that I was in town to perform at the Branson Gospel Music Convention that week, and he asked me if I would like to come to his concert at the Moon River Theater. I replied that I would, and he said, “The tickets are $50.” I replied that I would be happy to come, and he gave me the phone number to his road manager, whom I phoned as soon as I returned to the Hilton. The road manager was also a born again Christian, and we fellowshipped for about an hour on the phone. Then he said, “Your ticket will be waiting for you at the box office window, free of charge.” I profusely thanked him for the blessing.

After my performance at the Branson Gospel Music Convention, I went to Bill’s performance a few nights later. During Bill’s performance, he pointed at me several times and told the audience how he and I both knew some of the same people. He also promoted his Gospel CD that night and sold it at the table after his performance.

I was so blessed to have this encounter with Bill Medley and learn how he was instrumental in leading John Wimber to Jesus.

James F. Linzey studied Signs and Wonders under John Wimber at Fuller Theological Seminary and ministered under John on the Anaheim Vineyard’s Large Ministry Team. He studied voice and performance under Jack Coleman and is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible.