It was a little white church building my grandfather had built with his own hands. I was 11 working on 12. It was a Sunday night service in an era where Sunday nights were for the faithful few. This particular Sunday we had a guest speaker. I am unable to remember the name of the preacher, but I do remember thinking fondly of him before this point in time. He had served as a camp counselor at church camp. He was fun, engaging, and seemed to really care about us youthful campers.
Being that I grew up in a Pentecostal church, this service ended as most did, with an altar call. As much out of curiosity and some level of peer pressure, probably more than conviction, I walked the 5 pews forward to have hands laid on me by this man of God. Little did I know that I was committing a critical sin in the house of worship. As I came forward, the preacher placed his hand under my mouth. Now even at 12 I had seen a lot in the workings of the Spirit, but this was new. With a slight shoving gesture, he placed his hand under my chin again. Then whispered harshly “spit it out”.
Somewhere in my youthfulness I had forgotten that I was still chewing my doublemint gum. In that same youthfulness, I spit the chewed up gum into the tissue in his hand. Then this supposed man of God whispered something in my ear that I will never forget. “Son, you almost caused the Spirit of God to stop moving.” Church hurt is real, church hurt happens.
Like a double-edged blade of shame my heart was cut wide open. As he prayed for me, my mind chased on how my gum almost stood in the way of God.
It seems silly, yet my story is not uncommon. Well-meaning preachers under the apparent power of God make life altering remarks not knowing the damage they are doing. Others make those same remarks knowing the punch they are making to the soul placed in their care. I have seen power plays. I have seen manipulation. I have seen false tongues, fake gold dust, and all the nonsense that movies have portrayed as Pentecostalism. I have had friends chase the signs and friends run far away from the crazy. So you are probably asking yourself “Jeff, how can you still ascribe to this movement?”
Let me tell you another story. As a sophomore in college, after a slight diversion into some ungodly behavior, I rekindled my romance with Jesus. In that time, I got connected to a college campus ministry called Chi Alpha, sponsored by Assemblies of God. It was in a typical Thursday night worship service, in the front corner of an elementary school auditorium kneeling on the second step. A tender young adult heart in full search of what Jesus would have prayed desperately to hear from heaven. Out of that desperate heart cry came a moment when my words became insufficient and my tongue spoke a language that was not my own.
My mind quickly questioned the experience, while my soul was at complete peace with what was happening. Somewhere in the process, my days of youth in that Pentecostal church recalled what was happening. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. It was a moment that forever changed my life and my relationship with the Lord. It is biblically true and naturally unexplainable all at the same time.
I am Pentecostal for this one simple reason: the Bible outlines this event which aligns to the experience I had that can only be explained as the power of God. The Spirit baptism empowers me as a believer to live out this faith as a witness and a disciple of Jesus Christ. Shame and hurt and other individuals abuse could have become a barrier to my own belief. And in truth, it did at some points. Yet, in my deep desire to experience Jesus in his fullness of my life, I was baptized in the Spirit. The Bible lists in the book of Acts several occurrences of this event. Paul writes to the church in Corinth about it. Historical documentation from the revivals of the early 20th century evidence this. Worldwide Pentecostals, those baptized in the Spirit, are the fastest growing group of Christians.
I am Pentecostal because of what the Lord has done in me, even in spite of what a man did to me. It is a gift from God and I am proud to be Pentecostal. It is not something that I think makes more more a believer or more Christian, but it is something available to those who ask and seek. It is still real and available today.
