Please your comment as you have been told has been hateful so don't tell me you love me when you suggest I have a devil or receiving from the Holy Spirit something that is of the devil. You are a liar. Not only in this post but many others on the topic you have said many times those who speak in tongues are fake pagan and of the devil. You meant those things when you said them.
Just because you are a mod, doesn't mean you can break every forum rule to be kind to others in the forum, or more important, to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to forgive others, not 7 times, but 7 x 77 times. You are supposed to show leadership in this forum, not hatred. You are also escalating! You are getting more and more angry - which is a sin, according to Gal. 5:19-21.
"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,
fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
I did not read Aidan calling you a "Devil" because you speak in tongues, but I might have missed it. Still, he speaks in general terms, and he checks out the bible, (in context) as I do. You can do whatever you want if it is appropriate in your church, but that does not make it Biblical. Tongues was dead from the end of the first century AD, till the beginning of the 20th century. If it is so true that tongues are biblical, then why did tongues die out? Are tongues really for today, or is this just another fad or band wagon, where people delude themselves they are closer to God because they speak in tongues? Because everyone else is!
I am sure you have read my story, and concluding that after 15 years in Pentecostal churches that tongues was no longer for today. Partly that was the cacophony, the other part was the shallowness of the doctrine of what was being taught. Someone earlier said something about evangelicals, really Reformed, need to teach doctrine to Pentecostals. I totally agree with that. One of the reasons I concluded that tongues was wrong, was because I read the Bible from cover to cover every year. So, when I went to church, I was not hearing preaching that covered much more than Acts 2, and associated verses. When I moved to evangelical churches, I suddenly heard the whole Bible and all doctrine being taught.
Having a one time experience with the Holy Spirit, is simply not what the Bible teaches about sanctification. It is a progression, the Holy Spirit leads us, and we follow those instructions, and grow closer to God in knowledge and love. (And remember, in the NT, the Bible was not even written in Acts, and tongues were given for people who had no way of learning about God!)
"Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2
"Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
In Romans 12:2, the key word is
μεταμορφοῦσθε, or metamorphousthe, which is the present, imperative passive. it means "to be transformed in your innermost nature" It is the permissive passive and the theological passive meaning "Let yourselves be transformed by God" In other words, we are commanded to let God change us - we are commanded to cooperate with God.
In 2 Cor. 3:18, the key word is
μεταμορφούμεθα or metamorphoumetha, which is present indicative passive, and means "to transform, to change the inward reality to something else.
Notice that both words in bold in these two passages are from the same root word,
μεταμορφόω, from which we get our English word "metamorphosis" which also means to transform, going from one form to another. That is simply not accomplished in one day, by the so-called "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" (the Bible never uses the noun "baptism" with the words "of the Holy Spirit." Rather the verb form of "baptizing" is what is always used.) The Pentecostal churches I attended never taught that. It was all about a one time, when supposedly you spoke in tongues, and you get a greater portion of the Spirit. But by saying it is a one time thing, it literally destroys the ideas that we have the Holy Spirit from the moment we are saved, and that same Spirit leads, guides, encourages, and is our advocate in transforming who we are. Romans 12:2 also points out that we must "renew our minds" which means reading the Bible, and learning to think the thoughts and the ways that God has given for us.
That is why Pentecostals seem to be shallow, at least to me. I don't see a mechanism for real growth, without emphasizing the important disciplines like Bible reading, prayer, meditation on the Word of God, fellowship, mentorship, etc. Those are the things that renew us, and transform us into the image of God. That is what the Bible commands, when Paul is talking to us, not when Luke is writing down his observations, in Acts. So basically, I do not think the theology of this "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is solid, and it actually turns people away from the real way to be closer to God, and grow in the Christian faith. And that is transformation!
You may think I am just supporting Aidan because we agree on theology. In fact, we disagree completely about women in ministry. We argued extensively in a thread, and he gave me a run for my money! Yet, not once did either of us call the other one a name, or even insult one another. We kept it a Bible Discussion, and shared Bible verses, in context. The problem with all the verses people love to quote as supporting the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" is that they are out of context. They may be within a passage, but the context of who these verses were written to - Theophilus - and the NT church. It never says it is talking to the church 2000 years in the future, but rather, Luke says "about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen" Acts 1:1-2. In other words, it is a history lesson, with no instructions even to do the things mentioned in the book, but more to keep a record for his friend, who was not there, like the book of Luke. There is no mention of a church in far away countries and 2 millennia of years in the future.
Finally, I would really appreciate it, CS1, if you would stop using your position as a mod, to berate people, and call them names. Even if you think they called you names, first, when they were just generalizing. Learn to forgive, and act like a mature Christian, rather than a mean, hostile person in this forum. Be an example to the new Christians, and those of us who have been Christians most of our adult lives. The verses after calling out what the sins are in Galatians 5, are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. You would do well to memorize the following passage, and try to practice it.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Gal. 5:22-23