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the Bible is very clear that love is the true evidence that the Holy Spirit has come into one's life. You know the scriptures that back this up. It is the first fruit mentioned. We can speak in tongues, prophesy, give words of knowledge, have faith, feed the poor, etc. but if there is no love, we profit nothing. So, love IS the evidence of the Holy Spirit.

Re: I'm not sure about initial evidence, but.....

Eddie,In my experience I find that the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit can and do manifest themselves in the the lives of individuals simultaneously. It is clear that the sanctifying aspect of salvation, understood either in the Second Definite or Finish Work view, releases the Fruit of the Spirit in the believer's life. However, the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit does satisfied the need of the believer to seek (grow) into an empowered (Baptized) relationship with the Holy Spirit, including the manifestation of the Gifts of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit does not render the Gifts of the Spirit void or unnecessary. What we see today in the confines of liturgical worship, expressed in the high church mass or the mega church mapped services, is there is no place (or openness) to allow the Gifts to be manifested. The Gifts my nature can not be planned within an hour and fifteen minutes where every element is scripted and must be concluded with its apportioned time frame. The result, in high church and contemporary church alike, is that there is no manifestation of the Gifts because they are too disrupted and often are counter to the pre-planned worship experience. As an outside observer, I take note that you are proud of Lee U. and you're heritage in the Church of God. Yet the mother of both institutions is the Pentecostal Movement. From an historic prospective, to marginalize the manifestation of the Gifts of the Spirit is to disinherit the institutions from their birth right. Instead of being Church of God, Cleveland, TN it might as well be Church of God, Anderson, IN. The natural progression away from Pentecostalism ends somewhere near where we began, Baptist or Methodism. Without Pentecostalism, Lee is just another Christian University and those who forged the institution in the fire of Pentecost are judged as being wrong.

I don't think LOVE is THE evidence of the Baptism of the Spirit - although someone without love would be an evidence - of not having anything.Gifts of the Spirit are the evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.However, if the Holy Spirit indwells - eventually all of the fruit are produced.No scripture for the following - just an observance: it seems God has given some of the fruit of the spirit to every man - but not all of the fruit. Just as everyone seems to have been given some talents - even before salvation

The love of God inhabits every born - again person at regeneration.The Holy Spirit of Adoption accomplishes this.The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is subsequent to regeneration.The initial physical evidence of that experience is speaking in other languages as the Holy Spirit gives the utterance.The Reader's Digest version. Charles A. HutchinsSenior Pastor SPWCCongregational Church of Godwww.spwc.church

...to suggest or imply that operations of the gifts only occur spontaneously, haphazardly, or at random. I would argue that the gifts of the spirit should be and can be manifested in tbe planning of a service - as a divine preparation, not just as a divine interpruption of the service.itself.

...of both as evidences of Holy Spirit baptism. It's called being truly pentecostal and embracing the evidences, gifts, and fruit of the Spirit in the Spirit filled believer's life.

The verse did not say:

We could greatly shorten the Bible. Maybe chapters 12 and 14 have been invalided by this one verse in chapter 13. And than there are the verses on hell and judgement that can be deleted.