Mark Driscoll is challenging John MacArthur to a face to face debate on the person of The Holy Spirit.
In perhaps what could be considered a promotional game of “book wars,” or simply a dispute over theological differences: Megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll has invited Grace For You ministry leader and pastor John MacArthur to the upcoming Resurgence event via an open letter.
Both MacArthur’s Strange Fire 3-day conference held last week in Sun Valley, Calif., and Driscoll’s Resurgence conference in Seattle planned for Nov. 5-6, center around the themes of the two pastors new books — MacArthur’s Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit With Counterfeit Worship.
Driscoll’s has a call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?
With your Strange Fire conference and book you are, insofar as I can tell, pressing for a conversation among God’s people about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
I would agree with you that error and excess are often perpetrated, tragically, in the name of the Holy Spirit. This grieves him deeply.
At the same time, like many, I also think that, since the majority of Christians worldwide are not cessationists (believing that some gifts of the Spirit have ceased), it is unreasonable and unhelpful to broad brush faithful brothers and sisters in Christ along with those who may not be faithful or may not even be brothers and sisters in Christ.
Source: Christian Post
My comment:
Its a long time since we had a debate on the works of the Holy Spirit on this site.
I agree and I disagree with John Mac Arthur.
I agree that there is a lot of counterfeit stuff in Charismatic Pentecostal Churches. False miracles and wonders are manifested, and we hear and see noisy stuff that is not from the Holy Ghost.
But this does not affect my life, since I do not have to participate in these events. Nor have to accept such persons as a part of my team.
Satan is surely a copycat. We saw this when Moses tried to convince the Egyptian Pharaoh, by doing true signs and wonders. The Egyptian king summoned his pagan magicians, and they copied the miracles.
Would the solution have been to ban both Moses and the magicians, from performing miracles?
When did God stop using His children performing miracles, and what should be the purpose of stopping?
The problem with the theology of John MacArthur, is that the Bible do not give answers to all questions. Like how to walk left or right, when you have come to a cross road in your life with Jesus?
Now, it is good to be in a Church where the Holy Spirit still operates, and where there are true prophets of God of Israel in function. They will be used by the Lord to confirm which direction your should take, confirming what Jesus the Messiah already have put in your heart.
John 14:15-16
‘If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth.
The personal gift of Healing is still active. The personal gift of discernment is still active. The Holy Spirit is supposed to be with us forever.
When did the Spirit of truth change His mind?
If the gift of discernment has ceased, and was inactive: How would the Church be able to discern when deception creeps into the fellowship of Believers?
I feel lucky that I knowing my gifts of the Holy Spirit. And no man rejecting this, will ever be able to take away my joy in serving the Lord, using these gifts.
So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
You can be sure, that if this gift of the Holy Spirit is not activated in the fellowship of believers, Satan will have his way. Hock or by crock, the flock will be lead astray, no longer doing the will of the Father.
If you are in a Church or a fellowship where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not permitted to be activated, you might be in a place where sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is being done. Someone, probably a pastor has replaced the Holy Spirit, as the spiritual medium between God and man. This is a serious issue, since sin against the Holy Spirit is not pardonable, but an eternal sin.
Likewise to stay put in a fellowship where unclean spirits are presented as the Holy Spirit, is equally wicked. Large sectors of the Charismatic Pentecostals will not escape judgment, not others who blaspheme God the Holy Spirit.
So seek for a Church or a fellowship where the Holy Spirit are present, honored and His gifts activated into all brothers and sisters, helped and guided by a broad New Testament leadership.
Written by Ivar
ivarfjeld.com 
l joined a Pentecostal Church around the beginning of 1980 and for the FIRST TIME in my life l heard the FULL GOSPEL of Salvation including being taught about the Holy Spirit, l saw genuine miracles take place, genuine blind people being healed, l saw with my own eyes a man so crippled with a withered hand and leg that his family had to bring him to the front of the congregation, His hand resembled dead withered brown wood. As Apostle Reg Evans prayed for him to receive healing l saw that very hand and arm come back to life as YESHUA”S healing power moved through this man’s body, l saw his crippled leg straighten as he began to move it, l saw life and flesh being restored to this man’s limbs and by the following Monday this same now completely whole man was witnessing to the Portuguese community in Durban SA, This was the first of many genuine miracles that l have seen in my life. When l prayed for my own healing after spilling boiling water on my leg, l and my family watched in wonder as the massive blister literally closed and healing took place virtually instantaneously. People including myself received deliverance. l then received healing and deliverance for 2 killer and incurable diseases.
The sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the speaking in other tongues, it it the only sign that a person has received the Holy Spirit baptism.
l received this baptism in Sept 1974 when we attended an evangelical outreach, {We all did]. As we were singing and praising the LORD we heard the sound of a massive mighty wind, like a sound of a steam engine, AND IT WAS A VERY CALM SPRING DAY here in S Africa. The next moment this wind swept through the church and as it moved over row after row of people MOST of us broke out in new tongues or stammering of lips. THAT WAS MY INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, which l had NEVER heard of before because the Anglican Church that l was attending HAD NEVER TAUGHT IT NOR EVEN MENTIONED IT in all the years that l had been going to that church.
l was taught by Apostle Evans and Prophet Bob Gemmel to ALWAYS check everything that we had been taught with the scriptures, which l still do today and through prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
YES there are many fakes and when we see videos of people barking like dogs and behaving like monkeys, that is definitely not from YHVH for the true Holy Spirit is gentle and guiding and the Holy Spirit anointing is very powerful and it glorifies GOD but barking and behaving like monkeys and shrieking and screaming is not from YHVH as YHVH, the Holy Spirit is order.
Sadly it is these fakes that have brought great disillusion to many people and yet again many are led astray because they do not read and check the word of YHVH, they do not seek the face of YHVH through YESHUA. AND MOST IMPORTANT so many Pastors DO NOT TEACH THE COMPLETE WORD OF YHVH NOR DO THEY ENCOURAGE THEIR MEMBERS TO TRULY READ AND STUDY THE WORD OF YHVH
You wrote the following:-
The sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the speaking in other tongues, it it the only sign that a person has received the Holy Spirit baptism.
I emphasise ‘it is the only sign that a person has received the Holy Spirit baptism’.
Do the scriptures reallys say that speaking in tongues is the ONLY SIGN that a person has received the Holy Spirit?
Galations 5 verses 22 and 23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Where the above verses say the ‘fruit of the spirit’ it is telling us that the ‘evidence’ that the Spirit is present in a person is when these qualities are present.
Notice that the gift of speaking in tongues is not a sign and also the ability to heal.
As Ivar pointed out, the Egyptian magicians were able to copy Moses and also scripture tells us that in these times false teachers will also be able to perform signs and wonders.
I too attended charismatic fellowships where the only sign of the Holy Spirit was taught to be speaking in tongues. But the apostle Paul taught something about speaking in tongues in church.
Bible believers will follow his teaching on the matter.
1 corr 14 verses 28 and 28
27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.
28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.
When I read how he advises people to behave and when I witnessed countless people babbling away while no-one was able to interpret I left and never went back.
Speaking in tongues is not the only gift of the Holy Spirit and if tongues are being spoken and no-one interprets then it is highly likely none of them have been baptised in the Holy Spirit.
MacArthur teaches the false gospel of lordship salvation and wrongly teaches a person can take the mark of the beast and later get saved, but the Bible says nobody can take the mark of the beast and later get saved.
That is right Jes! MacArthur, Jimmy DeYoung both agree that we can repent from taking the mark of the beast. I heard it on WorldViewWeekend- Brandon Howse’s program. What a lie! Not only that MacArthur is a 5 point Calvinist. “T”- stands for Total Depravity. “U” Stands for unconditional election. “L” stands for limited atonement. “I” stands for irresistible grace. “P” stands for perseverance of the saints. Calvinism has come back IN A BIG WAY. How does MacArthur think he is saved? He was chosen by God. How does he know? Calvin told him, where did Calvin get it? Augustine a Roman Catholic. We are saved by “faith” in the finished work of Jesus, who shed His blood for you and me. Ephesians 2:8&9 says, “For by grace (unmerited favor) you YOU SAVED through FAITH; and not that of yourselves: it is the GIFT OF GOD: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Jesus is the gift. We believe it and we are saved. The true Gospel is this, written by Paul himself by the Holy Spirit of God. “Moreover brethren , I DECLARE UNTO YOU THE GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and where you stand; By which also YOU ARE SAVED if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; AND THAT HE WAS BURIED, AND THAT HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 The “T” in total depravity takes away our free will to believe the gospel. The claim that we are unable to believe unless God chooses us. Then
God dams the rest to hell. What ever happened to “whosoever will come”? Why do we preach the gospel to the unsaved if God already choose who would be saved and who would be damned to hell? Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for people. We have a choice where we will spend eternity. What Love is this? is a book written by Dave Hunt and awesome book on Calvinism. There is a smaller book called T.U.L.I.P. and the Bible, also by Dave Hunt. Paul also wrote: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man peach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. Galatians1:8&9 Sounds plain to me!
So,mr.Ivar, you’re showing to be in agreement with the pentecostal doctrine about healing and other like such. Well,it can’t be otherwise for if you’re a norwegian you can’t escape the pentecostalism ideology and beliefs.
If satan is counterfeiting the gifts of God, then that means that there’s an authentic. We have had false prophets twist scripture practically since the church was birthed. I ask the question, should we then get rid of the bible? Of course not. We must expose all that is false by teaching and preaching God’s truth. The bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. These weapons given to us are spiritual. Praying in the spirit is a powerful weapon given to the church to destroy the works of darkness.