In just about every service in Pentecostal churches, there are what the brethren claim to be the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in forms of people constantly speaking in tongues, people running around, people shaking (often aggressively), people jumping around, and people fainting to the ground when they are prayed for.  It makes me wonder if they are really feeling the Holy Spirit or if they are simply acting on their emotions. My question is: aside from speaking in tongues, are these type of manifestations of the Holy Spirit biblical? And if they are not biblical, are these people committing a sin for saying that it is the work of the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Overly Spirited?

Dear Overly Spirited,

The Pentecostal church believes that the Holy Spirit works by aggressively taking over people’s bodies and minds… this isn’t how He worked in the past, and it definitely isn’t how He works today.  1 Cor 14:40 says that the church should do all things decently and in order... not chaotically with people howling and jumping around madly.  It also says that the real prophets that spoke through the Holy Spirit had the ability to control when and with what demeanor they spoke.  They were never out of control – their spirits were always subject to dignified restraint (1 Cor 14:32).  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit stopped giving the church miraculous abilities (gifts of healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc.) after the Bible was completed.  Read “Gifts That Stop Giving” and “What The Holy Spirit Does” for specific details on this subject.

What the Pentecostal church is doing isn’t biblical, and anything that can’t be found in your Bible is sinful (Rev 22:18-19).  They are teaching the doctrines of demons instead of the Scriptures (1 Tim 4:1-2).  Since these behaviors aren’t from God, they are from the devil, and the Pentecostal church is lying to people.

I want to know what spirit most charismatic preachers operate by since they claim to operate in the prophetic ministry.  Some people have said that some of the things they said about them came to pass.  What must I know?  I know a preacher who says he can line up fifty people and give them prophecies.  What is really happening??

Sincerely,
Testing The Spirits

Dear Testing The Spirits,

Charismatic preachers are false teachers that take advantage of the vulnerable and play verbal tricks to come across as prophets.  Many people believe that fortune tellers are able to tell their future… but that doesn’t mean they actually can.  It is all a game of smoke and mirrors meant to deceive.

The charismatic tent meetings that started the charismatic movement (the big tent meetings where people fall over, start randomly speaking gibberish, and supposedly are healed) are infamous for being rigged.  Many journalists have investigated these tent meetings and found that they are specifically designed to work people into a frenzy.  During that frenzy, the evangelists will tell people they are healed, give them a vague fortune cookie prophecy, and the adrenaline of the moment gives some the momentary feeling of being healed and the action of the meeting leaves people thinking they have heard a real prophecy.  There are documented cases of patients going to these meetings and being told that they had been cured of their cancer only to have the doctors diagnose them as terminally ill days later.  Other “healed” people are deceivers planted within the audience that pretend to be sick and throw their crutches away to add to the charade.

The charismatic churches create a highly charged atmosphere that sucks in those vulnerable to false teaching and they are consequently deceived.  They are seeking a cure, purpose to their life, or a religious experience and the false teachers know what to say to grab their attention (2 Tim 4:3).  The faith healers are false teachers, and they will be judged by God for their wicked deceptions (2 Pet 2:1-2).  A teacher is more strictly judged (Jas 3:1), and therefore, these preachers will be held accountable for their lies.  It is our duty to try and undo their deception by bringing the truth to those who have been deceived.

I saw a vision when I gave my life to Jesus that I was preaching to millions of souls on a stage and crusades.  I praise the Lord who used me to bring at least sixty souls.  When will my whole vision come to pass?

Sincerely,
Visionary

Dear Visionary,

The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible – there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions.  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).

We are sure that your dreams mean something, but they don’t mean anything supernatural or prophetic.  What you had was not a vision.  Prophets have visions, and there are no more prophets since we have the perfect and complete Word of God (1 Cor 13:8-10).  The human mind is a complex and wondrous thing (Ps 139:14).  It is perfectly normal for our minds to make mental connections as we pray, study, sleep, etc.  Those mental images aren’t visions; they are just your own thoughts as your mind meditates upon what you have said, read, or heard.

We recommend you read “I Dreamed A Dream” for more information.

I was at church Sunday night, and I "fell out", and while I was lying there, I saw flashes of bright white lights, and my body was trembling.  What does this mean?

Sincerely,
Knocked Flat

Dear Knocked Flat,

It means one of two things:

1. You need to see a doctor.  Something medically is wrong and needs to be addressed.
2. You have been taught that it is part of religious service to have strange visions, bodily reactions (such as convulsions, etc.), and direct supernatural “zaps” from heaven.  This is common in the Holy Roller movement, as well as in many Charismatic and Pentecostal churches.  The Bible never teaches this.  Many people are conditioned to believe they are having “religious experiences” because that is normal in the churches they attend.  This simply doesn’t match the Bible pattern.  People are pleasing to God when they follow His commandments (Jhn 14:15) and live by faith in His Word (Rom 10:17).  Do not be fooled by false pretenses of religion.  The Bible never discusses the “religious experiences” seen in many of today’s churches.

I grew up in a Oneness Pentecostal church, and I was taught that every baptism of the Holy Ghost was accompanied by speaking in tongues.  This created a lot of psychological trauma because I never spoke in tongues, at least beyond the threshold of doubt in my mind; others who had prayed with me that I would receive the Holy Ghost claimed that I did, but this only confused me further.

How is it that one knows he has spoken in tongues under the control of the Holy Spirit, as opposed to merely babbling in a highly-charged emotional state?  I witnessed a lot of "speaking in tongues", especially when converts supposedly received the Holy Spirit, but I never could discern anything beyond babbling from their lips and that they were obviously joyful.

Sincerely,
Not Speaking The Same Language

Dear Not Speaking The Same Language,

You are not alone in your frustration and suffering over this issue.  The Pentecostal teaching that speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation and that you aren’t truly faithful unless you do it is a false teaching.  The Bible simply doesn’t support it.  You might find it interesting to read a fellow reader’s question and sorrow over not speaking in tongues (“Stage Fright”)… many people are devastated because they can’t play along with the charade of the Pentecostal church.

Every time someone spoke in tongues in the New Testament, it was a REAL language that people could understand (Acts 2:7-11).  The “hidden” or “secret” languages that the Pentecostal church tries to get people to believe are total rubbish. The whole purpose of speaking in tongues was to allow the gospel to be spread rapidly.  The gift of speaking in tongues was only useful if it allowed someone to teach another person God’s prophetic Word (1 Cor 14:6-9).

Miraculous gifts were given to the first century church because they did not have the complete Bible as we do.  Miracles were a confirmation that those preaching were sent by God (Mk 16:20); miracles were how God bore witness that these men were His servants (Heb 2:2-4).  These miracles were necessary at that time, but now that the perfect Word of God has been completed, they are no longer needed (1 Cor 13:8-10).  We have all the prophecies of God written down (2 Pet 1:13-15), all the divine knowledge is in God’s Word, and the Bible is translated into every language on the planet.  Speaking in tongues simply isn’t necessary anymore, and it was NEVER necessary for salvation.  If you would like to know what the Bible does say is necessary for salvation, read our article “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”.