Charismatic Christianity

Being open to the Holy Spirit
 is a vital part of being a Christian

I used to identify simply as an Evangelical Christian, but these days I am adding Charismatic to that description.  What does it mean to be Charismatic?

The Charismatic Movement goes back to Easter 1960 when an Episcopal priest related his Pentecostal experience to his congregation.  From there the movement exploded and is now a worldwide phenomenon. 

Charismatics believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for today as well.  This comes from the Bible:

"A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have." (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

There was a time when I believed that these gifts had ceased - mainly because I never saw them in the Churches I grew up in.  But I realised that this was the common experience of Christians in the first century. When I came back to Church after reconciling my faith and sexuality, I attended a Church which did believe the gifts were active today.  There I was able to meet people who had experienced the Holy Spirit directly.

In time I experienced this as well.

So, how are Charismatics different to Pentecostals?  The main difference is denomination.  Pentecostal Churches trace their history to the early 20th century whereas the Charismatic Renewal saw Charismatics remaining in their own Churches.  So a Charismatic Christian may be a Baptist, a Methodist, Roman Catholic, or an MCCer.  We share similar beliefs on the Holy Spirit, but retain our Christian traditions.  

Now that Easter is passed, we come to Pentecost in a few weeks.  Why not take time out to seek the Holy Spirit in your life?

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