Upper Room Experience

1. Upper Room Experience Metro Tabernacle Presenter: Yee Tham Wan 6th July, 2008

2. PENTECOSTALISM TODAY • Years ago: “the last vomit of Satan” • Recently: “3rd Force of Christianity” • NOW: • Our experience at the Azusa Street Centenary • Est. 600 million Pentecostal-Charismatics; 1 in every 10 persons on earth today!! • But, who are the Pentecostals??

3. Diversity in Modern “Pentecostalism” • Historical Diversity • Classical Pentecostals (North American) • Charismatics & “Renewal” Movements • Post-denominational (“Apostolic) Groups • Theological Diversity • Subsequence/Actualization Theologies • “Four-fold”/”Five-fold” • Keswickian & Baptistic / Wesleyan & Holiness • Geographical/Cultural Diversity • Latino Pentecostals • African Indigenous Churches • Chinese House Churches • Other Indigenous Movements • Korean Pentecostals

4. Defining Pentecostalism • Historically Defined:as a historical movement • Theologically Defined:as a belief structure • Hermeneutically Defined:as a Biblical norm • Eccelesiastically Defined:as a Christian Church/Sect/Denomination • Culturally Defined:as a worldview • Liturgically Defined:as a worship form • Vocationally Defined:as a prophetic voice • GLOSSOLALIA:the distinctive issue • An Integrative Approach:“world view” & “spirituality

5. Elements of History • IDEAS • INDIVIDUALS • INSTITUTIONS

6. Philosophies of Church History: Suggestions from Bill Menzies: 4 ways to relate present church with the apostolic church • Roman Catholic View • Reformed View • Restorationist View • Pentecostal View

7. Roman Catholic View • Continuity and Development TODAY’S CHURCH APOSTOLIC CHURCH Church Age is the Millenium

8. Reformed View • Discontinuity and Degeneration APOSTOLIC CHURCH TODAY’S CHURCH Partial Recovery (16th C Reformation)

9. Restorationist View • E.g. Churches of Christ & Mormons APOSTOLIC CHURCH TODAY’S CHURCH Apostasy Restoration

10. Pentecostal View • Continuity despite Degeneration APOSTOLIC CHURCH Continuity TODAY’S CHURCH Revivals Full Recovery Degeneration

11. Overview of Church History • 30-95 Apostolic Age • 95-590 Ancient Church (The Fathers) • 590-1500 Medieval Age • 1500-1650 Reformation Era • 1650-1800 Enlightenment • 1800-1990 Modern Church • 1990- “Post-Modern” Period

12. Some Pentecostal Antecedents • Montanism – 2nd C • Albigensians (Southern France) • Waldensians (Northern Italy) • English Quakers • Irvingites (Catholic Apostolic Church) • Fundamentalism • Holiness & “Higher Life” Movements There were at least 20 “Pentecostal-type” revivals between the periods of the NT church and the modern church. But, all of them died down after a while . . .

13. How/Why Revivals Die Out • Natural Cycle (Institutionalisation) • Heresy & Fanaticism (Humanisation) • Put out by Establishment • Self-fulfilling prophecies through isolation • ???? Why has the Modern Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement lasted so long ???

14. Recent Antecedents to the Modern Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement • (Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy) • Welsh Revival • Korean (Pyongyang) Revival • Indian (Panditha Ramabai) Revival • Methodism and Holiness Movement • Keswick Convention and “Higher Life” Movement • Irvingites (1830)

15. The Modern Pentecostal Movement • The Topeka, Kansas Revival – The Foundation for Modern Pentecostal Awareness (1901) • The Azusa Street, L.A. Revival – The Spread of Pentecostalism (1906) • Charismatic Renewal Movement (1960) • Catholic Charismatic Movement (1967) • Recent Pockets of Pentecostal/Charismatic Revivals; e.g. Toronto, Pensacola, etc. • Globalization of the Modern Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement

16. Pre-Pentecostals Evan Roberts, leader of the Welsh Revival Edward Irving, founder of the “Irvingites” Panditha Ramabai of India. A Pentecostal outpouring took place in the girls’ home she led. Contemporary scholars are now more inclined to see the possibility of a global Pentecostalism.

17. Topeka Picture Gallery Charles Fox Parham gave doctrinal foundation for Pentecostalism Alexander Dowie, founder of Zion Healing City, had been one of those who influenced Charles Parham. Agnes Ozman is remembered as the first person in modern recorded history to speak in tongues.

18. Azusa Picture Gallery Azusa was a revival that crossed the “color line.” William Seymour, leader of the Azusa Revival

19. Terminology • Orthodox (Eastern Church) • Catholic (Western Church) • Protestants • Fundamentals • Modernists/Liberals • Evangelicals • Pentecostals • Charismatics • Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement

20. Figures of Speech to Describe Pentecostal History • “Roots” (e.g. Hollenweger, Synan) • Wesleyan/Holiness & Keswickian/Baptistic • Roman Catholic • Black African • “Waves” (e.g. Wagner, Barrat, Pawson) • 1st wave: Classical Pentecostals (1900) • 2nd wave: Charismatic Renewal (1960) • 3rd wave: Evangelicals (1980) • 4th wave: Independent mega-churches?? • “Streams” (e.g. Hocken) • To culminate with entry of Messianic Christianity

21. Hollenweger’s Roots

22. Early AG History • 1914-1927 Formative Stage • 1927-1941 Simplistic Growth • 1941-1953 Analytical Development • 1953-1970’s Established Mainstream • 1970’s-present . . .

23. DISTINCTIVES OF PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGY • “Cardinal” Doctrines • Four-fold • Five-fold • Baptism in the Holy Spirit: • Separability • Subsequence • Evidential Tongues

24. Azusa Street: “Five-Fold” First Work – Justification is that act of God’s free grace by which we receive remission of sins . . . Second Work – Sanctification is the second work of grace and the last work (emphasis mine) of grace. Sanctification is that act of God’s free grace by which He makes us holy . . . Too many have confused the grace of Sanctification with the enduement of Power, or the Baptism of the Holy Ghost; . . . The Holy Spirit Baptism is a gift of power upon the sanctified life . . . Healing – We must believe that God is able to heal.

25. MEDIATING “Normal” “Possible” e.g. C&MA “Seek not, forbid not” “Normative” Most evangelicals e.g. Billy Graham “Impossible” NEGATIVE POSITIVE Actualization: 1. Sacramental(RCC) 2. Evangelicals (accommodate conversion-initiation) e.g. Arnold Bittlinger (RCC) and Michael Harper (Anglican) Reformed Augustine Calvin B. B. Warfield Lutheran Stolee (still remembers the extremes of left wing of Reformation e.g. Munster) Dispensationalists Logical conclusion Classical Pentecostals & Charismatics Episcopalian – Dennis Bennet Presbyterian – Rodman Williams Baptist – Howard Ervin PENTECOSTAL/CHARISMATIC POSITIONS

26. TRADITIONAL “BIBLICAL” EXPLANATION FOR THE PENTECOSTAL EXPERIENCE • Need to demonstrate three things: subsequence, separability and evidential tongues • Based on the 5 recorded Pentecostal outpourings in Acts: • Acts 2 – Day of Pentecost • Acts 8 – Samaritan Revival • Acts 9 – Paul’s Baptism • Acts 10 – Cornelius’ Household • Acts 19 – Ephesian Elders

27. Pertinent Questions to ask • What happened? • When and where did it happen? • Who were those involved? • How did it happen? • Why did it happen? • SO WHAT??

28. Some Notable Features • Holy Spirit • Mentioned in all episodes • Received by believers/disciples • From all representative groups • Impressive physical evidence • Prayer and Laying on of hands • Welcomed by the Apostles • No mention of any opposition to the practice/experience

29. Example of a Classical Pentecostal Doctrinal Statement • This "Statement of Fundamental Truths" contains the 16 doctrines of the Assemblies of God. These are non-negotiable tenets of faith that all Assemblies of God churches adhere to. Four of these, Salvation, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Divine Healing, and the Second Coming of Christ are considered Cardinal Doctrines which are essential to the church's core mission of reaching the world for Christ. Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths

30. 16 Fundamental Truths • The Scriptures Inspired • The One True God • The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ • The Fall of Man • The Salvation of Man • The Ordinances of the Church • The Baptism in the Holy Ghost • The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Ghost – Speaking in tongues • Sanctification • The Church and Its Mission • The Ministry • Divine Healing • The Blessed Hope • The Millennial Reign of Christ • The Final Judgment • The New Heavens and the New Earth

31. Pentecostal “Distinctive”Word and Witness listed in the August 1912 issue eight benefits of tongues, indicating the high premium early Pentecostals place on the instrumentality of tongues in their spirituality: • Tongues are a sign of faith • Tongues are a sign “that the gift of the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the speaker” • Tongues “bears witness to Jesus that he is at the right hand of God the Father. • Tongues “is a benefit to the believer in talking to God” • Tongues “is good . . . because the speaker ‘edifieth himself’” • Tongues will edify the church if it is accompanied by interpretation • Tongues help our spirit worship and pray to God • Tongues “are one of God’s signs whereby he miraculously speaks to unbelievers.”

32. Same Word & Witness article . . . • “Yet, we never sought tongues nor fought tongues, and never tell others to seek tongues, as some falsely claim we do. Seek Jesus Christ to baptize you with the Spirit, and the result will be that you will be ‘filled with the Holy Ghost and begin to speak with tongues,’ for God is no respecter of persons.’”

33. “Spirituality” vs. “Being Spiritual” • “Spirituality” is relatively a new term to many Pentecostal believers who have all the while been more preoccupied with the whole concept of “being spiritual.” • “Being spiritual” involves actions like fasting, praying, speaking in tongues, operating the gifts of the spirit, raising hands while singing or praying and emotional attitudes like joy, sorrow, confidence, being comforted etc.

34. Definitions of Spirituality • Spittler: “a cluster of acts and sentiments that are informed by the beliefs and values that characterize a specific religious community.” • Albrecht: “the lived experience which actualizes a fundamental dimension of the human being, the spiritual dimension, that is the whole of one’s spiritual or religious experience, one’s beliefs, convictions, and patterns of thought, one’s emotions and behavior in respect to what is ultimate, or God.” • Robeck: “the giving of ourselves to God through both our beliefs and emotional attitudes, which ultimately influences our actions and values.”

35. WHY DO WE BEHAVE AS SUCH? • The utmost importance of individual experience • The importance of the spoken (orality) • The high esteem placed on spontaneity • An other-worldly tendency in which the eternal, the “up there” in heaven is more real than the present • The authority of the Bible as the basis of what we should experience. Russell Spittler: “Spirituality, Pentecostal & Charismatic”

36. Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline Three spiritual disciplines: • 1) the inward disciplines including meditation, prayer, fasting and study (pp. 13-66); • 2) the outward disciplines including simplicity, solitude, submission and service (pp. 69-122); and • 3) the corporate disciplines include confession, worship, guidance and celebration (pp. 125-171)

37. “Pentecostal” Crisis spirituality focus on crisis experiences Gal 3:2-3, 5 e.g. Revivals, Baptism in the Holy Spirit “Evangelical” Ascetic spirituality focus on regimented disciplines 1Cor 9:24-27e.g. Quiet Time, Fasting “Crisis” & “Ascetic” Spirituality We need to have both . . .