Category: Holy Spirit (Page 1 of 2)

What is the meaning of speaking in tongues?

January 17, 2022 / Prof Jan Hattingh / 1 Comment

A more comprehensive article looks at the question: Is baptism in the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in tongues? And a second question that accompanies the first: What is the meaning of speaking in tongues? The following is a brief conclusion of the article.

Die artikel is ook beskikbaar in Afrikaans.

Conclusion: Where does the “speaking in tongues” fit, or what is the meaning of speaking in tongues with regard to the baptism in the Holy Spirit:

Speaking in tongues is not a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is, as has already been said, more than that. Speaking in tongues is the spontaneous and accompanying response of the believer to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is the physical expression of the “overflow”, of the “streams of living water”. A continuous flow of the presence of the Creator God in action in the believer during and after the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is the believer’s spontaneous surrender to and the concrete and observable working of the Spirit of God in his life. This experience and process is described in the Bible as talking to God about “mysteries”: the truth and experience of God’s indescribable omnipotence and intense close love, which is beyond human comprehension or understanding. A participation of the believer through and with the Spirit who takes him on a journey from slave to child of God, to coheir with Christ. Speaking in tongues is nothing less than a participation in the power and glory of the risen Christ on the throne.

Gaan die doop in die Heilige Gees gepaard met die spreek in tale?

January 17, 2022 / Prof Jan Hattingh / 0 Comments

In ‘n langer artikel word gekyk na die vraag: Gaan die doop in die Heilige Gees gepaard met die spreek in tale? ’n Tweede vraag wat noodwendig is: Wat is die sin van die spreek in tale?
Hier volg ‘n kort opsomming van die artikel.

This article is also available in English.

Opsommend: Kom ons sê weer waar pas “tale praat”, of te wel wat is die sin van spreke in tale ten opsigte van die doping in die Heilige Gees:

Tale praat is nie ’n teken van die doop in die Heilige Gees nie, dit is soos reeds gesê, meer as dit. Tale praat is die spontane, begeleidende reaksie van die gelowige op die doping in die Heilige Gees. Dit is die fisiese uitdrukking van die “oorvloei”, die “oorloop”, die “strome van lewende water”. ‘n Voortdurende vloei van die teenwoordigheid van die Skepper God in aksie in die gelowige tydens en na die ervaring van die doop in die Heilige Gees. Dit is die gelowige se spontane oorgawe aan, sy in die hand plaas van, en die konkrete en waarneembare werking van die Gees van God in sy lewe. Hierdie belewenis en proses word in die Bybel beskryf as praat met God oor sy “verborgenheid”: waarheid en belewenis van God se onbeskryflike almag en intense naby liefde, wat bo menslike begrip of verstand is. ’n Deelname van die gelowige deur en saam met die Gees wat hom op reis neem van slaaf tot kind van God, tot mede-erfgenaam saam met Christus. Spreek in tale is niks minder as ’n deelname aan die krag en heerlikheid van die opgestane Christus op die troon nie.

Revival

January 6, 2021 / Prof Jan Hattingh / 0 Comments

Experiencing a revival has become a yearning in the hearts of ATS’ people. It started growing from deep within us and has become more and more urgent. We are thinking about it and are listening to the whispering of the Holy Spirit to help us understand this yearning. We wonder if revival should not be the dream or desire of the church of Jesus Christ? Is it correct to think this way, or is it just wishful thinking or worse, a way to escape reality?

Doping in die Heilige Gees

May 31, 2020 / Prof Jan Hattingh / 2 Comments

‘n Getuienis:

Ons gesin kom van ’n Gereformeerde agtergrond. Een aand het ons kinders saam met my ma, ’n Pinksterbiduur by ’n Pinkstergemeente bygewoon. Na die preek het die pastoor almal wat graag die doping in die Heilige Gees wou ontvang, vorentoe genooi. Die geleentheid was vir ons vreemd en ons het daarom nie vorentoe gegaan nie.

Revival among children during the early days of Pentecostalism in South Africa

May 29, 2020 / The ATS Team / 3 Comments

Herewith a translation (lees die oorspronklike in Afrikaans) of the description of the revival that occurred in South Africa during the early days of Pentecost (Al bruis die Jordaan, 1969. J.C. de Ferrieres – Tant Sannie):

Sonskynhoekie chur — Sonskynhoekie children’s service

Essay on the Lord’s Prayer

April 29, 2020 / Prof Jan Hattingh / 0 Comments

Abstract: Our whole life is a prayer which consists of a praise to God, a hallelujah, an amen, an echo on the Lord’s Prayer. It embodies the kingdom of God advancing forcefully and us vigorously laying hold of God’s kingdom. It represents our calling. Paul’s statement on the ministry of the Spirit was spot on: “But thanks to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” (2 Cor 2:14). We should never settle for less, for Jesus’ death was too costly.

1. Introduction

The Gospels convey a lot of information about Jesus’ prayer life. He prayed through the night, rose up early in the morning to pray, went alone to the mountain side to pray and went to lonely spots to pray. The writer of Hebrews commented on Jesus’ prayer life as follows: “He offered prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, …”. (Heb 5:7). He talked to his Father in the dark moments of his life on earth and made great decisions after long periods of prayer.

Herlewing onder kinders in die vroeë dae van Pinkster in Suid-Afrika

February 20, 2018 / The ATS Team / 5 Comments

Hier is vir u ‘n beskrywing van die herlewing wat onder kinders in die vroeë dae van Pinkster in Suid Afrika plaasgevind het (Al bruis die Jordaan, 1969. J.C. de Ferrieres – Tant Sannie). (You can also read this essay in English.)

Sonskynhoekie diens

“In 1940 het die Uitvoerende Raad van my kerk die eerste nasionale Paaskonferensie op ‘n plaas in Emmarentia (nou ‘n voorstad van Johannesburg) gehou. Ek is gevra om verantwoordelikheid te neem vir die dienste wat twee keer per dag vir die kinders gehou sou word. Hierdie dienste is gehou terwyl die ouers die konferensie dienste in ‘n aparte tent wat sitplek vir 4,000 volwassenes gebied het, bygewoon het.

A discourse on the work of the Holy Spirit

May 1, 2017 / Prof Kobus de Smidt / 1 Comment

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?

I think many Christians do not know who the Holy Spirit is. Often He is described as the unknown God. But the Bible’s view of the Holy Spirit is that He is the unseen but real person, presence, power and activity of God.

In the Synoptic Gospels the Holy Spirit was active at the birth of Jesus and his anointment by God during his baptism (Mt 3:16, Mk 1:8, Lk 3:16). The Synoptics also articulate that Jesus is the source of the work of the Holy Spirit for he …baptises in the Holy Spirit and with fire… (Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16). In the Gospel of John the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete (or Comforter, Counsellor, Helper, the Spirit of truth; Jh 15:26). In Acts (2:4, 38) the baptism with the Spirit was an act of God who empowered the disciples and early Church and was accompanied by both unusual visible and audible phenomena. Paul articulates the Holy Spirit as the divine energy or dynamic of the new life whose Head is the living Christ (1 Rm 15:13; Eph 5:18; 1 Th 1:5). Paul helped to personalise men’s thinking about the conception of the Spirit. In Revelation the Holy Spirit is called Seven Spirits or the Seven Eyes of God (Rv 1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6). The number seven is a symbolic indication of the plenitude of the Holy Spirit. The Seven Eyes of God are symbolic of the Spirit as the eyes of God. He sees the entire cosmos. Nothing escapes him. He is the Spirit of perception (the Deus praesens). He is also identified with the eyes of every individual believer (5:6). Through the Spirit, John is able to perceive the need in the seven congregations.

“A man with an experience is not at the mercy of an argument.”

The Law of God and the Fruit of the Spirit

April 1, 2017 / Prof Francois Möller / 1 Comment

Prof Francois Möller gave the following presentation at Auckland Park Theological Seminary during the one-day seminar on the Holy Spirit on the 18th of October 2016.

INTRODUCTION

The heading: The Law of God and the Fruit of the Spirit might seem to be an unusual combination, because when the Law is discussed, it is usually done opposed to grace and not in connection with the Fruit of the Spirit.

However, the connection between the Law of God and the Fruit of the Spirit is actually something very real in the Bible. But before discussing this connection, the meaning of the concepts “Law of God” and “the Fruit of the Spirit” should be clarified.

As far as the Law of God is concerned, also called the torah of God in the Old Testament and later translated in the New Testament with nomos, we refer to the will of God. For the Jews torah was seen as the direction in which God’s finger points. In other words, torah is an expression of the will of God for man. Therefore, it stands to reason that the Law of God can never be seen as something that has fallen away or having been abolished. The will of God cannot be dealt with like that!

Spirit world overlooked

March 13, 2017 / Dr Agrippa Khathide / 0 Comments

The subject of the spirit world is awfully overlooked in Christian theology. What contributed to this theological omission was largely due to the Enlightenment presuppositions which essentially denied the existence of the spirit world. This caused early missionaries to simply fail to see a natural consequence of the primal worldview which allows for the interrelationship between the natural world and that of spirits and gods or simply between the material and the spiritual worlds. This secular or non super-naturalistic worldview tends to exclude such a relationship, so it questions the whole concept or phenomenon of spirit possession. Witchcraft and sorcery are explained and analysed in psychological, medical and non-religious terms.

Pentecostals in Africa