Over forty years ago i was introduced to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in a very charismatic "Jesus Freak" environment during what is usually called the Jesus People Movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's. By charismatic i mean those who believe in and practice the gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in such places as 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. For the next twenty-five years I participated in charismatic churches, and did not know anything else. I even experienced the so-called "Toronto Blessing" of the mid '90's. During most of that time i was Biblically illiterate although I was in churches that ministered the gospel and the Word of God.
Beginning in the early 90's God caused me to begin to devour His Word. Eventually I joined a church who believed in cessationism. ( The gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased somewhere around the time of the completion of the New Testament.) Although I found this unpersuasive at least i was exposed to the teaching. When I left the traditional church structure in 2000, one of my most fervent hopes was that somehow the charismatic and evangelical wings ( or the expressives and the cerebrals) could come together in unity. Fourteen years later I have lost hope of this.
The principal reason is the thinking or "theology" of most people in the charismatic movement. ( There may be a few exceptions) Charismatics speak incessantly of being "led" by the Spirit or language to that effect. Unfortunately what i have seen repeatedly is that this is simply code for doing whatever they personally wish to do, and claiming that the Spirit has told them to do so. In those circles this assertion is unanswerable and anyone who suggests obeying the Word of God is practicing "legalism" or has a "religious spirit." The truth is that the Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself. He does not say one thing in the Bible and something different to you or me.
This is why we have instructions to judge prophecies ( 1 Cor. 14:29), to "test all things; hold fast to what is good, ( 1 Thess 5:21), and "test the spirits." ( 1 John 4:1) How do we do this? By looking at the objective, eternal, Holy Spirit authored Word of God. ( 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 6:63, Hebrews 4:12.)
So while I do not believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased, i no longer call myself a charismatic.
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neo-Pentecostalism is a sad, short chapter for the history books. We are often encouraging one another to be "led" by God [Romans 8:14], may it never be for human impulses that we seek.
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