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
Ricky Roberts, The Gift of Tongues Examined (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2003), 132 pages. Roberts intends with this book to defend the practice of speaking in tongues. This in turn necessitates an exposition of its purpose and nature in the apostolic and post-apostolic church. He usually argues for traditional classical Pentecostal views on…
J.P. Moreland, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Reflective, 2021), 274 pages, ISBN 9780310124191. Why is a firm conviction in the ongoing reality, power, and love of God necessary for biblical Christianity? In this book, J. P. Moreland successfully presents principles, arguments, and…
Bible teacher Verna Linzey introduces listeners to the reality of the Holy Spirit today. This teaching series on “The Baptism with the Holy Spirit” explores the biblical and theological foundations of the experience known as the baptism with the Holy Spirit or the reception of the Holy Spirit as confirmed by speaking in tongues. In…
Robert W. Graves, ed., Strangers To Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture (Woodstock, GA: The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship, 2014), 604 pages, ISBN 9780996044509 If you are a person who stays current with regard to books related to the work of the Holy Spirit, the first part of the title of this book may sound familiar to…
The second part of chapter four from Professor Williams’ book, The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today, about the greatest reality of our time. Chapter Four Continued: Purpose, Part 2 Let us now move on to note how the gift of the Holy Spirit enables the performance of mighty works. The witness to Christ…
Part 1 of an excerpt from Peter Ostrander’s book, New Testament Healing. The Holy Spirit and the Ministries of Jesus When Jesus spoke and acted with authority and with God’s power to heal the sick and disabled, he set people free from demonic oppression, then rebuked and stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee….
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