Pentecost to Pentecostals signifies, particularly, the powerful descent of the Spirit upon the first disciples, enabling them to speak in other tongues. Pentecost, for Pentecostalism, means first of all and essentially Acts 2:1-4: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
What is Pentecost
Thus Pentecost according to Pentecostals, we may even say the doctrine of the Holy Spirit according to Pentecostals, is essentially the experience of the Holy Spirit, and the experience of the Holy Spirit in a special way: specifically, the post-conversion filling of the Holy Spirit, as evidenced initially by speaking in other tongues, through fulfilling conditions of absolute obedience and faith (Bruner 56-57).
The baptism of the Spirit is subsequent to conversion. Why must this be? The baptism in the Holy Spirit is evidenced by speaking in tongues. How can this occur? The doctrine of the conditions for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the sustained Pentecostal effort to answer both these questions; to answer why the spiritual baptism cannot usually accompany initial faith, detailing the conditions that believers usually failed to meet at that time, and to announce how the spiritual baptism can be brought to the crisis event where tongues will occur. It is regularly suggested under the doctrine of conditions that certain fundamental steps must be taken in order for the believer to be a suitable recipient of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not automatically “fill” men, unless they meet certain definite conditions and definitely seek to be filled. It is also important to note that not only must...