#5: 'CONSERVATIVE CHURCHES ARE FRIGHTENED TO TOUCH CHARISMATIC RENEWAL BECAUSE IT'S AM "ALL-OR-NOTHING" PACKAGE'.

Peter Wagner, professor of church growth at Fuller Seminary has popularized the notion of a 'Third Wave' of charismatic renewal experienced in many churches in the 198Os.

Many historians feel this century has seen the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit since the first century or two. The first wave came... with the Pentecostal movement. The second came around the middle of the century with the charismatic movement. The Third Wave is more recent, having begun around 1980, with the same powerful, supernatural acts of the Holy Spirit which have been confined to Pentecostals and charismatics now being seen in a growing number of evangelical churches.

Wagner goes on to talk about his '120 Fellowship' that meets from 7.30 to 9.15 Sunday mornings. Afterwards, there is prayer for healing from 9.30 to 10.30. Wagner says they operate within the Sunday School structure of Pasadena's Lake Avenue Congregational
Church, work under the authority of the pastors, do not 'worship' together (to avoid becoming a 'church within the church'), and don't use the word 'charismatic'.

We see signs and wonders on a regular basis. Because of this we realize we may be different from some other churches and Sunday school classes, but we do not consider ourselves any better. We don't teach a 'baptism in the Holy Spirit' as a second work of grace (many of us have had experiences of what others might call 'Spirit, baptism' but we simply say it is a filling or anointing of the Spirit which may happen to a person many times). Nor do we permit ourselves to be called 'Spirit-filled Christians' as if others in the church were something less than Spirit-filled. We do our best to avoid the Corinthian error concerning tongues. While we do not forbid tongues, neither do we stress [it]. We treat tongues as just another spiritual gift, but not as a badge of spirituality. Many pray in tongues, but we do not encourage public tongues in our class. (9)

In an earlier interview Wagner said,

Worldwide, there is a remarkably close relationship between the growth of churches today and the healing ministry, particularly, but not exclusively, in new areas where the gospel has just penetrated, where the devil has had complete reign for centuries or millennia. When the gospel first penetrates a region, if we don't go in with an understanding of and use of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, we just don't make much headway... There are many power encounters, like that between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, with outward demonstrations that the power of God is stronger than that of the gods and spirits the people have been worshipping.

Again, Wagner describes himself as neither a charismatic nor a Pentecostal ('I'm a Congregationalist). His conclusion: 'I see the third wave of the eighties as an opening of the straight-line evangelicals and other Christians to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. (10)

Many mainline churches are now incorporating a 'soft-side' charismatic renewing force into their worship/service, sponsoring healing services, for example, or praying for healing and deliverance in their normal worship times. Thousands are attending John Wimber's 'Signs and Wonders' courses in many parts of the world.

#6. : 'THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE TERM "BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT".'

'Baptism in the Spirit', in the Pentecostal and charismatic traditions, is an effusion of God's Spirit upon a Christian with power for praise, witness and service. It is an experience 'which initiates a decisively new sense of the powerful presence and working of God in one's life, [and] usually involves one or more charismatic gifts.'(11) Pentecostals normally view it as a 'second work of grace'. Charismatics have come to understand it as a deepening of the faith grounded in the new life received in Christ. For both the experience is usually preceded by an increased hunger and thirst after God, a desire to be a more effective witness, and a total yielding to Christ so that he can be the Lord of one's life. There is often persistent, expectant prayer, and the occasion for the infilling of the Spirit is often the 'laying on of hands'. Each of these groups would see it as an experience of brokenness or joy - or (preferably) both. Some charismatics prefer the terms 'renewed/released in the Spirit. There is one baptism, they say (1 Cor. 12:13). When we become Christians we receive in principle all that God has for us (Eph. 1:3), but this needs to be fully appropriated, then or later, or several times later...

When a person becomes a Christian (and that can happen in many different ways), he or she never realizes all that has happened. A fuller understanding of 'justification', for example, may come much later. But it happened earlier. So we mustn't put dogmatic strait-jackets on this experience. Conversion can be dramatic (if the person was running hard from God beforehand, for example) or quite matter-of-fact.

So with the Holy Spirit. Luke and Paul write about the work of the Spirit from different perspectives. For Luke the Spirit gives believers power for witness in the world - and that can be repeatable. Paul talks about the Spirit incorporating us into the Body of Christ - that's once-for-all. Paul's concerned about the initiating function of the Spirit; Luke his overwhelming activity. Luke uses the terms 'baptized' and 'filled' interchangeably. Paul uses other expressions - 'regenerating' ?sealing', 'sanctifying' etc. Luke is descriptive, Paul didactic. Luke talks mainly about an outward manifestation; Paul an inward one.

Words can have different meanings in different contexts. Paul has perhaps five separate meanings for 'flesh'. The Bible has many ways to describe the meaning of the death of Christ. 'Baptism' is used in the Scriptures as a flexible metaphor, not merely as a technical term. I heard Canadian theologian Clark Pinnock say: 'So long as we recognize conversion as truly a baptism in the Spirit, there is no reason why we cannot use 'baptism' to refer to subsequent fillings of the Spirit as well. This later experience or experiences, should not be tied in with a tight 'second blessing' schema, but should be seen as an actualization of what we have already received in the initial charismatic experience which is conversion.' I happen to like that.