Another argument for cessationism that fails

The other day, I saw the following posted on Facebook by the producers of the Cessationist movie:

In Matthew 24:1-3a it says, “Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen…?”

When the Gifts of the Spirit are Abused and Used for Show

Let me start out by making it clear that I believe all the charismata are still distributed by the Holy Spirit as He wills. I'm not only a Pentecostal by lineage (fourth generation Assemblies of God on both sides of the family), but by experience as well, having experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. I am an ordained A/G minister, and obtained my MA in Theological Studies from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.

All that said, I realize that some in the Pentecostal/Charismatic sector of Christianity may not like this article, feeling that it plays into the hands of the cessationists, possibly giving them more ammunition to use against those of us with a continuationist pneumatology. But I feel that one of the reasons cessationists have been able to launch such large-scale attacks against Pentecostal/Charismatic beliefs is because we have failed to "police our own" and curb the excesses (many times possibly out of fear of lending aid to the cessationist position). 

Have Tongues Ceased?

In the past few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion on social media concerning the announcement and promotion of a conference to be hosted by John MacArthur's Grace Community Church in October 2024. The title of the conference is Cessationist, and is associated with a documentary film of the same name that debuted in September 2023 at the G3 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The announcement of the upcoming conference has made waves not only in the United States, but among many of my Facebook friends in Latin America.

The topic became part of a discussion in a Facebook group I am a member of (where the primary topic is the doctrine of soteriology, and debates between Calvinists, and Arminians and other non-Calvinists, such as Provisionists). One commentor made the claim that 

tongue speakers have been tested by linguists and their so-called tongues were not languages but gibberish. Second many former Charismatics have admitted that modern tongues can be of the devil. Also it's a learned behavior and or it's an emotional experience. What's really telling is no charismatic or Pentecostal can ever tell me what language they are supposedly speaking. It's nothing more than gibberish. It's not biblical tongues!! Tongues and all sign gifts have ceased!

I asked the commenter if he had a citation for these studies by linguists, and he said he did have sources, and had cited them in a paper in his seminary studies. I asked for a copy of the paper, which he sent to me. In this blog post, I will address the arguments he made for the cessation of tongues, and point out how his arguments fail to make his case.

Homothuma-what? -- Homothuma-¿qué?

During February and March I was reading The Holy Spirit: A Pentecostal Perspective by Dr. Anthony Palma for a class at the Arkansas District School of Ministry (AR-SOM). Right now I'm reading Dr. Stanley Horton's commentary on Acts for this month's class. A word that keeps appearing in both books and grabed my attention is homothumadon, the Greek word meaning "with one purpose." I thought it would make a cool name for a church or other ministry; it would certainly make people stop and ask questions about what it means.

But the more I think about homothumadon, the more important I see it as being.

In the church of Jesus Christ, we're all different. We come from different cultural backgrounds. We have different life experiences that form our character. We have different talents and gifts. We like different styles of music, and have different styles of worshipping God (from quiet contemplation to jumping and shouting).

But if we want to see a move of God in our midst, we must have one purpose.
It's not about seeking our own benefit, but the good of others.

It's not "Look how big our church is." It is "Look how many people still need to encounter the love of God in Christ?"

It's not "How many people see what I do for God?" It is "How can I help build up others?"

Ministry means "serving." Specifically, serving God by serving others, not self-serving. I can't do ministry with a personal agenda. I can only have one agenda -- our Lord's -- that all should come to repentance.

It's not about what I can get out of it. It's about what I can give to others from what God has given me. God doesn't give us spiritual gifts for our personal benefit, but for the building up of the church, the body of Christ.

Homothumadon. With one purpose: to lift up Jesus Christ so He may draw all men to Himself.

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Durante Febrero y Marzo estaba leyendo The Holy Spirit: A Pentecostal Perspective por Dr. Anthony Palma para una clase en la Escula del Ministerio del Districto de Arkansas de las Asambleas de Dios (AR-SOM). Ahora estoy leyendo el comentario del Dr. Stanley Horton para la clase de este mes. Una palabra que recurre en ambos libros y me llamó la atención es homothumadon, la palabra griega que significa "con un propósito." Pensaba que sería un nombre padre para una iglesia u otro ministerio; por lo menos haría que la gente parara y preguntara ¿qué significa?

Pero cuanto más pienso en homothumadon, más importancia veo en ella.

En la iglesia de Cristo Jesûs, todos somos diferentes. Venimos de distintos transfondos culturales. Hemos vivido diferentes experiencias que formaron nuestro carácter. Tenemos diferentes dones y talentos. Nos gustan distintas clases de mûsica, y tenemos diferentes estilos de adorar a Dios (desde contemplación silenciosa hasta saltar y gritar).

Pero si queremos ver un mover de Dios en medio nuestro, debemos tener un propósito.

No se trata de buscar nuestro propio beneficio, sino el bien de los demás.

No se trata de "Miren que grande es nuestra iglesia." Sí se trata de "¿Cuántas personas todavía necesitan encontrarse con el emor de Dios en Jesucristo?"

No se trata de "¿Cuántas personas ven lo que hago yo para Dios? Sí se trata de "¿Cómo puedo edificar a otros?

Ministerio significa "servir." Especificamente, sirviendo a Dios a través de servir a otros, no por servirnos a nosotros mismos. No puedo ministrar con una agenda personal. Sólo puedo tener una agenda -- la de nuestro Señor -- que todos lleguen al arrepentimiento.

No se trata de lo que yo puedo recibir. Se trata de lo que yo pueda dar a otros de lo que Dios ya me ha dado. Dios no nos da dones espirituales para nuestro propio beneficio, sino para la edificación de la iglesia, el cuerpo de Cristo.

Homothumadon. Con un propósito: levantar a Cristo Jesûs para que Él puede atraer a todos a sí mismo.