Back to the Very Beginning: Part 6

Our theology series (see Parts 1, 2, 3,  4, or 5) has moved from the history of the church in the Bible to the history of the church in England to the divisions in the church and reformation! This month we are looking at a denomination I have attended because it was a church God called me to. That denomination is the Assemblies of God. As I’ve stated before, I’m not endorsing religious viewpoints - one over the other - but teaching you to explore for yourself the origins of your church. For me, the Assemblies of God has one of the most fascinating backgrounds.

In 1906, there was a REVIVAL that broke out in the streets of Los Angeles, California. An African - American man named William Seymour was at the forefront of this movement. He and other people began speaking in tongues on the streets and this continued to grow. Speaking in tongues has been the forefront of the pentecostal movement and the Assemblies of God. It’s also one of the most controversial doctrinal arguments that causes division in the church.

Acts 2: 5 - 13 discusses how a group of people were in the Upper room and they began to speak in other tongues. People were hearing other people speak in their own native tongue and those other people were not of the same background. This is where a division begins among different churches. There are the groups that say speaking in tongues means speaking in a foreign language. Others will say that it only happened in the Bible and not today.

The Assemblies of God grew out of the 1906 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles from an outpouring of people speaking in tongues - like in Bible times. There are historical newspaper articles documenting these occurrences and show that it did happen in modern day. The Assemblies of God furthermore gets into other Scriptures mentioning “speaking in tongues”. 

1 Corinthians 12: 8 - 10 states:

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”

This showcases for the Assemblies of God that speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift - listed with many others gifts, such as healing, prophesying, faith, and wisdom. These gifts, however, are actually denied by quite a few denominations outside of Assemblies of God. There is a religious group called “cessasionists” (which we will focus on next month) that states those spiritual gifts and miracles from the Bible do not exist today because we are not in Biblical times. 

For me, it is important that you understand something. Speaking in tongues is a controversial doctrine at the core of the Assemblies of God - but the most important thing for you to know is that accepting Jesus into your heart and asking Him into your heart is the only way to Heaven. He does not require you to go some extra mile or do some super spiritual gift in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. These debates on spiritual gifts are great, but cannot be ways to earn your way into Heaven or cause you to doubt your salvation.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” - 1 Corinthians 13:1 - 11

God is more concerned with your heart than giving you spiritual gifts or using you for His Kingdom. He wants a relationship with you and to intimately know you. Out of that love should flow an outpouring of knowing who you are, what He has called you to, and what you believe. He didn’t die on a cross for you because He wanted a slave or to force you down a certain path or give you misery. He did it out of a pure love beyond our wildest imagination.

If you go further down the “speaking in tongues” discussion, you will actually find that there are Scriptures outlining how & when this should be done. In 1 Corinthians 14, it says, 

“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?  So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me.  So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. In the Law it is written:

“With other tongues
    and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
    but even then they will not listen to me,
says the Lord.”

Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.”

This gives outlines for what speaking in tongues should look like and context. I’m actually going to let you explore that and conclude with a thought out of the Assemblies of God and history of pentecostalism. That thought is about the idea of God’s power. As you reflect on this major piece of their doctrine, I want you to consider something. What about spiritual gifts? Are they for today?

I am asking you this because we like to put so much emphasis on the power of witchcraft and the devil today. Young adult fantasy fiction is full of this. If we believe the devil has the power to cause us to levitate or even kill people, why can’t we believe that God can give us spiritual gifts? For me, I know I have a gift of incredible faith. I have been told that I can hold steadfast to something that no one else can see. I’ve quit jobs to run this ministry while having virtually no money. I did those things because I believed God could do something great through me and He was my Provider. What does He want to do through you and do you believe He has called you to something greater than yourself?

As always, explore the Bible, these church histories, and decide for yourself what you believe. Next month we will study the group called “cessasionists”. If you have a denomination you would like to know more about, put that in the comments and we can try to do a month on it.