Real Holy Ghost?
 

I have a DVD which I purchased from the Pentecostal Publishing House a while back. It contains the Pentecostal Herald from December, 1945 (first issue, but with a few pages missing) through December of 2004. They are pdf (portable document format) files. It's been interesting looking at some of those old issues. I used to get the Herald at Church. They were available at both the UPC and ALJC churches where I went. Then a few years ago I subscribed to it. Maybe this is an age thing (I'll be seventy in a few days) but it seems like these older issues had better articles than the more recent issues. It seemed like each issue had a couple of good sermons or teachings and now they just have "articles."

This is not anything new but goes back quite a few years to the time when folks from different denominations were receiving an experience that they called "the Holy Ghost Baptism" or "the release of the Spirit" or "receiving their prayer language" or "the Baptism in the Holy Spirit." I remember looking down my self-righteous nose at these reports and thinking, "This can't be genuine because they didn't come to us to receive this experience." I guess at that time I thought we had an exclusive franchise on the Spirit of God. Later, my attitude changed.

This article is just presented for information and maybe for some discussion.

This is from page 20 of the January 1962 Pentecostal Herald.

EPISCOPALIANS RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST

God has promised that in the last days He would pour out of His Spirit upon all flesh. Stirring reports are coming in to us of how large numbers in nominal churches are receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Recently an Episcopalian minster named Bennet, pastor of St. Mark's Church of the Holy Spirit in Van Nuys, California, was scheduled to speak at a convention in Moody Memorial Church. As he could not be present, Mrs. Gene Stone, a member of his church, addressed the convention. This young woman is not a minister. In a pleasing manner, interjecting praises to the Lord, she told of how the Lord was doing a new thing in our day. (It is new to them, of course.)

Mrs. Stone told of an Anglican priest in Canada receiving the Holy Ghost. (Episcopalians in Canada are called Anglicans.) She also stated that 1300 Episcopalian priests and lay people in the Los Angeles area had received the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues. The experience is changing their lives. They have no time now for dances an cocktail parties. They spend their lives witnessing for the Lord.

Mrs. Stone was invited to lunch with seven Episcopalians. While sitting at the table, a message was given in tongues, and interpreted. The waitress, a Baptist, trembling with coffee cups in her hand said, "That's what I want: I've always wanted something more." She received the Holy Ghost right there in the restaurant.

Later at a motel the manager, a woman, knocked at Mrs. Stone's door, saying, "May I speak with you?" But she seemed speechless. Soon Mrs. Stone asked, "Did you want to speak about the Holy Ghost?" The woman answered, "Yes." Soon she was speaking with other tongues.

All this proves that we indeed are living in the last days.

Peter said that this was fulfilled at Pentecost. Was he wrong? Or are these still the last days, nearly 2000 years later?

I am wondering if we are past the days of attributing situations like this to the deception or dilusion of the debbil?

I related a story similar to this (mainstream folks receiving the Holy Ghost), to a minister a few years ago, and you know what he said to me?

He said, "Well the devbil can speak in tongues too..." his look was as though he meant that no one outside the revelation of Jesus Name Baptism COULD have this experience.

I sincerely hope that Apostolica isn't that small minded anymore.

Carp look at what that produced in the 60's? The Catholics kept going to Mass and confessing to the priest-saying the Rosary. The Charismatic movement today was born in that period. Some do doubt had bonifided experiences but looking at them now nearly 40 years later the Spirit if they did indeed recieve it their experience didn't do much for them.

The question is not whether the Holy Ghost was real, but whether they followed on to know the baptizer Himself.

Elder Ballesterio went to a Notre Dame Catholic "Holy Ghost" meeting they were having and got there a little late, however evidently there had been a message in tongues and interpetation for someone left notes concerning it and Mary was speaking to the group through the gifts?

Jim,
Can you do a search on the disc for my dad John Eckstadt? It would be interesting to see what comes up.

I think in the 1970's he did an article.

I know his name would appear when he got his UPC liscense in 1962 or 63.

Thanks,

Nathan

Then what can be said about the spirit leading folks into all truth?...certainly it can't be a lottery can it? Also, can it then be said that folks who resist the leadership OF the spirit essentially means they didn't receive the true spirit in the firstplace? This is exactly what leads folks to answer that non-apostolic folks receiving the holy ghost is really a deception...I remember telling another minister one time about a friend in a manistream church who professed the Holy Ghost, who was totally healed of diabetes. His response? "The debol can heal too..."

Yes, these are still the last days.

Where did Peter say the prophecy of Joel was fullfilled or completed and done with at Pentecost? That sounds strange considering Acts 8 and Acts 10.

Both Pentecost and Now would be considered the last days because the New Covenant is that last covenant that is given to fallen man.