Tarry for the Spirit

Pastor Hans Voortman

I was raised in a Pentecostal Church. Some of my earliest spiritual memories are as a young boy lying half asleep under dining room tables and couches whilst the adults 'tarried for the Spirit' (Acts 1:4). For hours these prayer meetings would go on as people hungered and sought for more of God. Through the eyes of a young boy it all seemed to go on indeterminably! Yet, as I was often carried off half asleep to the car to make our way home, I can remember the sense of reverent awe that would linger. These were some of my early feelings of spiritual reality, and my life was impacted by the sincerity of faith displayed by those adults and their obvious craving for God. I guess I was no more than seven or eight when we began attending these so called 'tarry meetings' and over the next 10-15 years they became a common part of my Christian experience. These were the 'rough and tumble' years of Pentecostalism, before the Charismatic movement 'legitimised' the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Things weren't always done 'decently and in order.' However people often didn't know any better. Yet the singular memory that remains with me from those times was the insatiable desire these Christians had for 'more, more, more of you Lord!'

Built on the directive of Jesus to his disciples 'tarry ye in Jerusalem until you have received power from on high' (Luke 24:49, KJV), these early Pentecostal believers felt strongly that the outpouring of the Spirit was at God's discretion rather than man's invocation. So one waited to be 'endued with power from on High'. There was a real feeling that the baptism in the Spirit was for those who could 'push through in God' and who could show their spiritual worthiness by their zeal and determination. They felt there was a 'lingering' that was crucial for the infilling of the Holy Spirit - this idea being based on the disciples having 'tarried' for Him in Jerusalem for the ten days leading up to Pentecost (Acts 1:14).

'Upper rooms' and 'prayer closets' became the accepted environment for receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the evidence of the baptism being speaking in tongues. For hours on end people would cry out in urgent fervency for 'power from on high'. Accompanied often by four or five eager supporters who pressed in around them, there was a tenacity to their faith. However, as much as there were admirable aspects to these 'tarry meetings', there were also some serious concerns that still cast their shadow across some of our theology and methodology concerning the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Let me highlight some of these positives and negatives, particularly as it impacts our approach to a contemporary experience of Pentecost.

 

POSITIVE ASPECTS OF 'TARRYING'

As I have already suggested, the hunger for God that the 'tarry' expectation created was its most outstanding attribute. People sought after God with an eagerness and intensity that is not often seen in today's microwave generation, who expect instant everything! There are so many things in God that are only gained through perseverance. In fact it's the very nature of faith that says, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me' (Gen. 32:26). The hours many of these believers spent in petitioning God built into them this principle, even if the answer did not come immediately. Jesus said, 'If you have faith, and do not doubt ... whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive' (Mt. 21:21-22). The 'easy believism' of today was neutralised by a doggedness of faith that kept crying out for God. So many of us find it hard to pray in a believing way for ten minutes. How would we have lasted with the early disciples when those ten minutes turned into ten hours and then ten days? 'Tarrying' tested faith, and built a 'stayer' quality.

The concept of 'tarrying for the Spirit' also fostered an atmosphere of spiritual intensity. People not expecting instant answers were encouraged to go on a 'love hunt' for God. They kept seeking to find Him (Mt. 7:7). God seems to respond to that sort of earnestness, as He loves the hunger it represents. With intensity people sought God, and it created an atmosphere that often remained with these folk well beyond their initial infilling of the Spirit. They developed a relationship with God that went beyond the surface and longed for greater depth (2 Cor. 10:17). They weren't satisfied with mediocrity - the cry for more of God became a way of life.

When you have a strong desire for something and it doesn't come automatically, you somehow value it a lot more when you finally get it. Together with the spiritual intensity formed by this 'tarry' expectation came a profound appreciation for what God had given through the baptism in the Spirit. Like the pearl of great price (Mt 13:45-46), when one finally received it there was less of a tendency to neglect the gift. Paul the apostle spoke in tongues frequently (1 Cor. 14:18) and you get the sense that the gift of tongues was crucial to his spiritual life. When you've waited in prayer earnestly for days, as the disciples had at Pentecost, and finally you are 'endued with power from on high', you are less likely to treat the gift lightly. The early Christians had sought long and hard and now they cherished the gift given. The baptism in the Spirit was not seen as an optional extra, but as Paul implied to the Ephesian believers, it was necessary for all Christians (Acts 19:1-7). They spoke in tongues regularly and didn't neglect the gifts of the Spirit by lack of usage. The early Church functioned regularly in the power of the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:4-5). Similarly, the environment of 'tarrying' today creates in many a deeper appreciation for what they've been given, and a commitment to utilise the gifts of the Spirit regularly.

Perhaps a final value in the 'tarry' environment was that it caused many Christians to examine themselves thoroughly. In a desire to remove any blockages of sin or unconsecrated lifestyles, there was a real pursuit of holiness. They didn't want to leave anything that could stop them receiving God's best. I'm sure a lot of soul purging went on in the 'upper room' prior to Pentecost. Across those days in preparatory prayer (Acts 1:14), a holy people was being fashioned, worthy of housing the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:17; 2 Cor. 4:7). Aspects of early Pentecostalism were similarly marked with a cry for holiness. The 'tarrying' environment fostered an introspection of spirit that encouraged a purging of anything that was ungodly. As Paul said, 'I have counted everything as loss, so that I might have Christ' (Phil. 3:8) and, 'put to death the misdeeds of the body' (Rom. 8:13).

 

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF 'TARRYING'

The pursuit of holiness also had its down side. Many Christians became tempted, by their own works, to feel they could 'deserve' the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The atmosphere of soul-purging became one of Christian asceticism whereby righteous deeds gained favour with God. The longer one hungered in the 'upper room', the greater was the righteousness displayed before God, and so the better the chance of being deemed worthy to be 'baptised in the Holy Spirit.' As Paul reminds us though, 'It is by grace you have been saved, ... and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no one can boast' (Eph. 2:8). Grace is free, unmerited favour. In that sense, you can receive from God in a moment. As Peter on the day of Pentecost stressed, the gift of the Holy Spirit was '... for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call' (Acts 2:39). It was not for an elite few who had reached a certain standard of holiness.

Even though the experience of Pentecost was one of 'tarrying', there were instances where the Holy Spirit fell the moment faith was released. For example at the house of Cornelius it is reported that 'while Peter was still speaking ... the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message' (Acts 10:44). There are obvious benefits, as already discussed, in tarrying, but if it compromises grace and our appreciation of it, then it's dangerous. Many people having 'tarried' long and hard, and having still not been baptised in the Holy Spirit, conclude that they are not good enough, or that they do not have enough faith, or that God may not want to give the baptism. And so they give up. Others strive all the more, and their striving becomes an obstacle to receiving. In the end, faith is a simple trusting act, and God's grace is undeserved. The baptism in the Spirit is after all a gift. You don't have to do anything but ask to receive - '... and you SHALL receive the gift of the Holy Spirit' (Acts 2:38). In fact the more you try, the harder it becomes to receive.

One other concern of the 'tarry' environment had little to do with the concept of tarrying, but was caused by the zealous prayer warriors who often 'supported' the person desiring to be filled. With various formulae and techniques to 'get the tongue moving', these folk often created incredible psychological pressure through their misguided zeal. I've witnessed many a situation where the poor 'candidate' was swamped under the weight of hands layed on him, and even should the person have spoken in tongues, no one could have heard it for the level of shouting going on!

Thankfully, with clearer understanding and better teaching on our 'rights' as Sons and Daughters of God, much of this negative aspect of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit has gone. With helpful teaching on a person's right to receive - that baptism in the Spirit is God's gift for everyone - and some useful pointers on what to, and what not to expect, I've found that in a gentle and affirming way most people can receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit very easily.

 

CONCLUSION

I miss the earnest seeking nowadays that those earlier tarry meetings exemplified. I lament the 'optional extra' mentality that has seized so many. The Holy Spirit is vital to everyone's life (Rom. 8:26) and with the earnestness of seeking Him comes a depth of appreciation that keeps Him as the active partner in our lives (John 16:13).

Yet I'm grateful so many more now receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit without complication, rather than leaving dissatisfied with all sorts of hangups concerning their unworthiness. Sometimes though, an experience easily gained can also be easily lost. The challenge for all of us is not only to 'live by the Spirit' but to learn to 'keep in step with the Spirit' (Gal 5:25).

My early memories of tarry meetings remain strong. The deep desire to touch God more deeply still draws me on. I'm thankful for my Pentecostal roots. I feel an empathy with those early believers and their upper room experience. I can imagine the fervour that gripped their hearts as they waited for Pentecost. My prayer is that a similar hunger and zeal will again cause many to 'tarry ... until they are endued with power from on high.' After all it was this more than anything else that was to be the hallmark of His return: for 'in the last days ... I will pour out my Spirit on all people' (Acts 2:17).