Pentecostalism

What if there is more to the Spirit-filled life that we might inadvertently be missing because of our distinct, Pentecostal history focused on the spectacular?

What if there is more to the Spirit-filled life that we might inadvertently be missing because of our distinct, Pentecostal history focused on the spectacular? Amos Yong helps us see what we might be missing. Some years ago, Yong asked me to be the editor of his book The Kerygmatic Spirit: Apostolic Preaching in the 21st Century, a collection of his sermons and theory of preaching. I loved the idea because I have a passion for preaching and knew this book would make his theology more accessible to more people—sermons are communicated so that all types of people can understand. Yong is the professor of theology and mission at Fuller Seminary in California and is the author or editor of over 60 books and more than 275 scholarly articles.[1] Yong offers at least five key ways for a more thorough understanding and practice of the Spirit within the Pentecostal community that we might often miss. The following is my engagement with Yong’s views with the aim of practical application for the Pentecostal community.

First, Yong shows how Pentecostals can often relegate the experience of the Holy Spirit to their personal, individual experiences to the detriment of the public dimension of this experience in his sermon, “In the Days of Caesar” (based on Luke 1, 2 and 3). Now, most of us might be willing to acknowledge the public dimension of the Spirit as it relates to sharing the gospel of Jesus—certainly an incredible part of the experience of the Spirit. Yong, however, points out the political dimension of the Spirit’s work in the church, for we know Christ’s promise is for the Holy Spirit to take us into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Amos explains that the “ends of the earth” are ones, in Luke’s story, who are already controlled and circumscribed by Caesar. The empowerment of the Spirit is designed to take the people of God from the desert and from the mangers of that world to its ends. In order to do what? To represent the subversive lordship of Jesus, amidst the empires and rulers, and the powers and the principalities of this world.”[2] As Christians empowered by the Spirit, God is calling us to represent His subversive lordship in our nation. How might the way we live be countercultural given that the Spirit has empowered us to represent Christ’s lordship? How that looks in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Halifax, Fredericton and Charlottetown versus small towns like Canmore, Fernie, Tofino, Perth, Lunenburg or Baie-Saint-Paul will all be different. But we must be honest about who our “lords” are so that we know how we might best submit to the Lord Jesus in a way that best represents His kingdom.

A second way Yong helps Pentecostals gain a more holistic understanding of the work of the Spirit is how the Spirit reveals Christianity as a religion of migrants and immigrants in his sermon “The Lukan Commission,” based on Acts 1:6-8.[3] Consider the promise of the Holy Spirit coming down on all types of people, which would relate to diverse cultural groups in this outpouring. And as the church sought to minister to the diverse groups of people coming to Christ, leadership also had to be diverse. The Judean leaders were anointed by the Spirit but were limited in their capabilities language- and culture-wise. Hence the value of people like Philip, Nicanor, Timon and Parmenas, who were Greek-speaking leaders, all filled with the Spirit. They were all migrants and immigrants who could resonate with the hopes and longings of the immigrant and migrant community in Jerusalem.

As we think about the Canadian landscape, we can’t help but notice the parallels in our nation. People have immigrated from so many regions of the world—China, the Philippines, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana, Portugal, Puerto Rico and more! Like the early church, let’s continue to invite the Spirit to move on diverse people groups in our context. But we must also be willing to be led by those of diverse cultural groups in order for our Fellowship to serve a diverse nation. This isn’t about mere tokenism, where we try to find someone from another cultural group to fill a quota. This is about affirming those who are different than us and gifted by the Spirit to teach us and lead us.

A third theme Yong addresses is how we understand the Spirit’s work in light of people with disabilities. In his sermon, “Saved from Shame and Stigma,” Yong dives into the famous story of Zacchaeus who climbs a tree to see Jesus. Yong focuses on Scripture describing Zacchaeus as “short,” using the Greek word mikros, indicating Zacchaeus was possibly a dwarf. And because of his stature, he would likely experience a range of abilities, disabilities, stereotypes and stigmas. Why is pointing out Zacchaeus’s height and possible limitations as someone with disabilities important for Pentecostals?

Quite often, when Pentecostals encounter someone who may have a disability, the initial reaction is to pray for their healing. One of the gifts of the Spirit is healing, so why not begin with this gift for those some may deem atypical? First, rather than being helpless and in need of someone else’s help, Zacchaeus represents those who may have a challenge but are willing to exert themselves for Jesus. Zacchaeus runs ahead to Jesus, even if people might be watching and even laughing at him. Second, unlike others Jesus healed in the Gospels, Jesus embraces Zacchaeus and leaves him in his marked, physical condition of being short. He didn’t add height to Zacchaeus, but he called him, received him, and pronounced salvation on his home and life.[4] Finally, rather than thinking about how people like Zacchaeus might be saved or “whole” as we see fit, maybe we need to be “saved” from our prejudices and biases about what is “whole.”

Does this mean we can’t pray for people to be healed? No! I hope we continue to pray for the sick. But for too long, Pentecostals have viewed certain people as needing to be recipients of our care and prayers merely because of the disability they face, when we may need to be the ones to receive care and prayers from disabled people who are uniquely gifted by the Spirit.  

Fourthly, Yong addresses the belief among some Pentecostals that if we just get baptized in the Holy Spirit, we will see great numbers of people turning to Christ just like the disciples experienced on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Some of us heard that the Spirit’s empowerment was the formula for not just great power to witness, but great power for results—lots of numbers. In Yong’s sermon, “Life After a Knockout,” he unpacks Stephen’s story in Acts 7-8 that counters a formulaic way of thinking about the Spirit’s work.

In Acts 7, Stephen preaches about the story of Israel culminating in the death of Christ. Like Peter, Stephen is full of the Spirit, but is eventually stoned for his witness to Jesus. He doesn’t see great numbers of people following Jesus after delivering this sermon, but experiences opposition and is eventually stoned to death. Stephen’s story must be held together with Peter’s story. Since Peter’s story comes shortly after the Day of Pentecost, we can be tempted to assume that Christ’s promise of the Spirit’s empowerment for witness in Acts 1:8 includes great numbers responding to that witness. As a result, Pentecostal leaders can feel inadequate, leading to burnout, thinking they can’t measure up to the expectation of large numbers. But turning to Acts 7 reveals that Christ’s promise of the Spirit’s empowerment for witness does not necessarily mean that the response will be many people turning to Christ—it might lead to suffering. This should not surprise us, since the word for “witness” in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word martures, a word from which “martyr” derives.[5] Stephen was martyred for his witness, and his experience is an important reminder for us as Pentecostals, who can be tempted to overpromise the results of the Spirit’s empowerment. As we minister in the power of the Spirit, God enables bold witness. But we don’t have control over the results.

The last way Yong helps us navigate the experience of the Spirit is in acknowledging the ordinary experiences of the Holy Spirit. In his sermon, “Radical Ruach,” he expounds on some passages in Exodus that touch on the work of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals readily celebrate those spectacular experiences of the Holy Spirit in Exodus, such as when the Spirit parts the waters so that the Israelites can cross the Red Sea (which Yong explains in his sermon). And we’ve almost “programmed” our Pentecostal congregations to expect the Spirit to move in only spectacular fashion, so that if we aren’t experiencing something that feels “spectacular,” we assume the Spirit isn’t moving.

But in Exodus 31 and 35, Bezalel, described as filled with the Spirit for the vocation of a craftsperson, is empowered by the Spirit to build the tabernacle. He is skilled at working with stones, wood and cloth, and teaches others to do the same. This might seem ordinary to the casual observer, but it is important work. Likewise, we need to be reminded that what may feel like ordinary work requires the Spirit. What may seem ordinary in our eyes is spectacular in God’s eyes because of the kingdom purposes He is accomplishing through us. We need to be careful not to write off ministries because they don’t feel “spectacular,” for they may be led by the Spirit.

I could go on about the various other ways Yong helps Pentecostals have a more well-rounded understanding of the Holy Spirit in light of the themes he addresses in The Kerygmatic Spirit, but I will stop here. You can read those sermons yourself (and even listen to them with a link provided in the book). Yes, the Holy Spirit may move in spectacular ways among us. But if we fail to acknowledge the diverse ways the Spirit is moving, we might miss out on the full breadth of God’s good kingdom purposes that He wants accomplished through the Spirit’s empowerment in you and me.

Josh P. S. Samuel, PhD, is the lead pastor at Christian Life Centre in Ajax, Ont. He is the author of The Holy Spirit in Worship Music, Preaching, and the Altar: Renewing Pentecostal Corporate Worship. He is married to Joyce, who provided valuable feedback for this article, and they have two sons and a daughter.  This article appeared in the October/November/December 2026 issue of testimony/Enrich, a quarterly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. © 2026 The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Photos © istockphoto.com.