What makes me a Pentecostal

Reflection paper submitted for Pentecostal Theology & History dated June 30, 2009:

What Makes Me a Pentecostal

This is quite an interesting question. Many times I have thought about this question myself. I am just glad that finally I would have a chance to explore and gather my thoughts about this subject through this class. This paper will be a reflection of my personal thoughts and experience about the subject.

My parents got saved in 1989 through a church retreat by an Assembly of God church. And during that retreat, my mom received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. My dad received it also after a few weeks. I grew up knowing that I am not just a Christian, but a Pentecostal Christian. A few years later I also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It was quite an experience. I understood that to be a Pentecostal is to be a person of the Holy Spirit (even that statement brings up more clarifications). So what does it mean to be Pentecostal? Before going any further, I would like to define for myself what a Pentecostal is.

The word comes from the word "Pentecost", which obviously relates to the Pentecost experience in Acts 2 when the disciples received the Holy Spirit shortly after Jesus' ascension. And before Acts 2 Pentecost as we know it, Pentecost was one of the religious festivals among the Jews way, way back in the Torah. But for most discussions, Pentecost relates to the Acts 2 experience. So for something or someone to be described as Pentecostal, one could understand that that something or someone has a commonality with the people or events that had happened in Acts 2 and after.

So what happened in Acts 2? I can sum up three things that happened in Acts 2 and I think has become foundational to Pentecostal tradition and my identity as a believer practicing the Pentecostal tradition:

(1) Baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus had commanded them to "stay in Jerusalem until they have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) and they did. Before the Christ event being "filled with the Spirit" was elusive but to a handful of God's people, that Pentecost day, the Holy Spirit filled every believer in the room. They spoke in other tongues and was interpreted by those who understood them as declarations of praises to God and His good works (Acts 2:11). Many if not all Pentecostal denominations including Assemblies of God and Church of God have baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial physical evidence of speaking in tongues as one of their doctrines if not cardinal doctrines. Personally, in relation to being Pentecostal means I believe, seek, and receive in baptism in the Holy Spirit with initial physical evidence of speaking in tongues. And with receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it enabled the disciples to do certain tasks that otherwise they could not if they did not received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. These, I believe makes also one a Pentecostal:

(2) Display and expression of God’s glory and power. After the baptism experience, the disciples had boldness to proclaim the gospel as Peter (2:14, 10:34), Stephen (7:2) and Paul (13:46) did. The disciples began to display acts of healing (3:6) and miracles. Paul later in his first letter to the Corinthians, defines the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12) though in other letters different lists were given. Therefore, as a Pentecostal, I can be used by God to display and express His glory and power for God's purposes.

(3) Missions. The disciples began to go and proclaim the gospel in places where it has not gone yet. Jesus told them, "You shall receive the Holy Spirit and you shall be my witness to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Jesus revealed to them why they need to wait and receive the Holy Spirit--to become witnesses. But early in the life of the new church, they stayed together and stayed in Jerusalem. But this was not the intention of Jesus. So came persecution and the diaspora began, along with it the gospel message proclaimed to the Gentiles. Paul becomes a Christian, and intentional missionary efforts were made. Today we call it missions and missiology. For me, to be a Pentecostal, is to have a special desire and passion to become a witness for Jesus to people who has not yet owned His lordship in their lives.

I believe that these are what make us Pentecostal. At times I consider myself still nominal and immature while actively pursuing these traits. I have also come to understand that our tradition must be strictly guarded under the revealing light of God's Word which is our final authority. I have come to believe so by observing history and from personal experience. For sometimes in our zeal and eagerness for supernatural experience we may end up falling away from the true faith. And in our wonder and taste of power comes the temptation to abuse and misuse them. I have observed that for some, they have elevated Pentecostalism way higher than Christianity. So more than ever, we as teachers and ministers need to emphasize to the church today that True Christianity is the bigger circle where the lesser circle of Pentecostalism resides. Thus in the practice of its expressions, it should not negate or even downplay the lordship of Christ and our Christian love for another.