Are You Pentecostal or Holiness?
Leviticus 20:7-8
7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. 8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you.
I Peter 1:15-16
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Every year, many in the Christian Church celebrate the seventh week after Resurrection Sunday (most notably known as Easter) as "Pentecost" Sunday. Many refer to this day as the birth date of the modern day church or the beginning of the Dispensation Period. That being so, the Lord placed on my heart to remind His people of His original intent and plan – God called us to be holy, not Pentecostal!
Let's first consider how man has commandeered the English language. We have altered the meaning of several words to work for our advantage (or so we think). When a married person has relations outside of their marriage, the Bible calls this adultery. Now we call it an affair. The homosexual community refer to themselves as gay (a term I refuse to use). The word gay used to mean happy or light-hearted, fun-loving. We have done the same thing with the word Pentecost.
The word Pentecost in the Bible originally referred to a feast celebrated by the Jews in the Old Testament. The "Shavout" occurred 49 days after the Passover. Tradition held that this was the day God gave Moses the Law or the Ten Commandments. If you read in the Acts of the Apostles, the scripture says, "…and when the day of Pentecost was fully come…" The Bible further states that there were people from all over the region in the city of Jerusalem. The Word of God specifically mentions: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. These people were in town to observe the Shavout, not the coming of the Holy Spirit!
In the late 19th century there was an awesome revival that occurred in Los Angeles, California – it became known as the Azusa Street Revival. The many miraculous occurrences included not only the baptism of the Holy Ghost (with evidence of speaking in tongues or Glossolalia), but also there was a coming together of people of all races. Yes, the Spirit of God tore down racial barriers that were plaguing our nation! As recorded in the Bible, when the disciples preached, the Holy Ghost gave interpretation such that all present heard the message in their own native language! God is in the business of bringing people together.
One of the complaints of Azusa Street was the mixing of races. William Seymour (who was black) was in a leadership position and several of the congregants were Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic.
Some may say I am splitting hairs, but consider this. Elder Charles Harrison, the founder of the Church Of God In Christ, Inc., attended the Azusa Street Revival and experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost in 1906. He began preaching and emphasizing not tongue speaking, for this was merely one of the signs, but the lifestyle of holiness. In 1907, Elder Mason officially organized the Church Of God In Christ, Inc. and for the first seven years the denomination's composition was nearly 50 percent Caucasian and 50 percent Black American. In 1914, however, nearly all of the Caucasian members left to formulate another major denomination. Many have wondered how our nation’s racial relations might have differed had the Church not divided along racial lines.
Today when you hear the term "Pentecostal" you think of hand clapping, foot stomping and tongue talking. However, God never called us to be Pentecostal, He called us to be holy! Remember, originally Pentecost was a day to celebrate God giving Moses the Law on Mount Sinai. It was a specific day, 49 days after the Passover. I contend, that if we commit ourselves to living holy, the Holy Spirit can come upon us and dwell in us at any time. Please do not misinterpret what I am saying: I believe in the gift of tongues and we hear it often in our worship services. However, I long for the day when there is less emphasis placed on tongue speaking, and more emphasis put on living holy. I would love to see more emphasis placed on people coming together regardless of race and ethnicity, and walls being torn down.
Maybe if more of us were holy, we wouldn't advocate the construction of walls. Maybe if more of us were holy, there would be less contention between law enforcement and young men of color. Maybe if more of us were holy, Sunday morning would no longer be the most segregated day of the week!
In the words of our Lord, I pray more of us would identify ourselves as holy, and fewer Pentecostals!
I bless you in the name of the Lord!
Eddie B Pruitte, Jr.
Pastor and Founder, Holiness Tabernacle COGIC