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Pentecost and Speaking In Tongues
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Pentecostal movement, which began about 100 years ago, has grown significantly, with the Toronto Blessing group alone numbering 300,000 people despite only existing for about 12 years. This group, associated with the Harvest Church that purchased Ambassador Auditorium, engages in behaviors such as barking like dogs, clucking like chickens, laughing hysterically, roaring like lions, and staggering as if drunk during services, claiming these as genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit. However, such actions starkly contrast with the biblical understanding of speaking in tongues as seen in the founding of the Church, where tongues referred to known human languages new to the speakers, used to communicate the gospel intelligibly. Speaking in tongues, as a sign for unbelievers, was evident in the early Church, particularly on the day of Pentecost when the gospel was preached to diverse nationalities, each hearing in their native language. This pure form, exemplified in Acts 2, involved miracles of both speaking and hearing, ensuring clear communication of God's message. In contrast, the modern practices of the Toronto Blessing group and other Pentecostal factions often involve incoherent babbling or animalistic sounds, which do not align with the biblical purpose of tongues as a means to convey a divine message or confirm the gospel to skeptics. Historically, tongues served to overcome language barriers and validate the preached message during a time when the complete Scriptures were not yet available. Today, with the Bible accessible in over 1,000 languages, the need for such signs has ceased. The current manifestations of tongues-speaking are seen as a misuse, driven by vanity and ignorance, similar to the abuses corrected by Paul in Corinth, and are considered a manifestation of satanic confusion rather than a work of God's Spirit.
Is Speaking in Tongues the Only Sign?
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingIn Pentecostalism, speaking in 'tongues' is the worshipped sign that God has accepted a person. Yet the miracle of Pentecost was not the speaking gibberish.
Acts (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAdherents to the Pentecostal movement try to mimic some of the superficial surface manifestations of Acts 2 rather than follow the teaching given on that day.
What the Holy Spirit Does (2005)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod's Spirit will never prod us to do anything that is not godly love, and because it a spirit of a sound mind, it will never motivate us to do crazy things.
God Expects a Return on His Investment (Part Three)
Sermon by David F. MaasThe natural gift, talent, or ability we receive at our birth provides the raw material God's Spirit uses to transform physical gifts into spiritual gifts.
What the Holy Spirit Does
Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Holy Spirit always inspires loving, wise, sound-minded actions according to God's will. This helps us discern true guidance from other spirits.
Law and Spirit Together
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughOver-emphasis on law produces rigidity and loophole hunters, while over-emphasis on spirit produces emotional imbalance, permissiveness, and lack of structure.
Touched by the 'Spirit'?
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Bible foretells the rise of a deceptive spirituality at the end time, and today, there is a great interest in 'spiritual' things.
Worship Always
Sermonette by Bill OnisickWorship, not merely a set of behaviors performed in a religious service but a response to what God is, is a state of mind one must maintain 24/7.
Testing the Spirits (Part 1)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe Apostle John exhorts us to test and discern the spirits, judging between the true and the false, using the scripture as the steady standard of truth.
Today's Christianity (Part One): Christianity Goes Global
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerAmericans and Europeans once provided the driving force behind mainstream Christianity, but Asians, Africans, and Latin Americans are now re-energizing it.
Seeking God in the Mundane
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPentecostalism, with its sensationalism, is dangerous to a true believer. God is more interested in quietness and meekness than in bombastic displays of power.
Today's Christianity (Part Three): Southern Christianity's Impact on America
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerThough secularists tried to use immigration policy to sideline Christianity, it backfired. God has used their scheme to accomplish His own purposes.
Today's Christianity (Part Two): Southern Christianity Moves North
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerContrary to the intention to marginalize Christianity through the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, it instead gave rise to a new strain of conservative Christianity.
Should Christians Handle Snakes?
'Ready Answer' by Mike FordMark 16:18 says that Jesus' disciples 'will take up serpents.' Does this mean that Christians should handle snakes as a sign of their faith?
Love's Emotional Dimension
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLove doesn't become 'love' until we act. If we don't do what is right, the right feeling will never be formed; emotions are largely developed by our experiences.