In my younger years I had a problem with waiting around for people to appear and things to happen. That was, until I spent a lot of time in the mountains of Borneo and the provinces of the Philippines, where waiting is not just likely but certain, whether it’s for an overdue bus or a person who fails to turn up at the agreed time. “Punctuality is respect for other people’s time” proclaims a sign on Manila’s busy EDSA Boulevard, but I doubt that many of those who read it practice it.
Until the 1970s and the start of what came to be called the Charismatic Renewal, “tarrying” meetings were common in Pentecostal churches. Pentecostals were rejected, but Charismatics were members of recognized denominations and that made them acceptable. Did that offend us? Not really. We were pretty much used to being looked down on, and cherished the gifts that distinguished us from mainstream churches.
What makes a church Pentecostal is that its members have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. In the old days “tarrying” meetings were held so that those seeking to be filled could “tarry” (linger) in prayer until Jesus baptized them in the Holy Spirit. (The term is based on Jesus’ words, “Tarry in Jerusalem until you receive power from on high.”) Sadly, many such churches are now Pentecostal in name only. A church mission in Manila described itself as Spirit-filled, but became so only when the Lord Jesus baptized forty-two of its staff and members in the Spirit when we laid hands on them. The power of the Spirit transformed the mission church! The staff and members didn’t need to wait because they were willing and ready to receive it — and they were and did!
In the old days Pentecostals believed that those who sought the Gift had to “tarry” in prayer until they were holy enough for God to fill them. It was widely thought that believers had to attain a more spiritual state before that could happen, so new Christians did whatever they could to become holy enough to receive the Spirit. Later it was realized that the “Pentecost” of Acts chapter 2 was a calendar event unique to the Jews, which was why Jesus instructed his disciples to wait for it. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come…” .Well, we know what happened when it did! So, stop waiting and start receiving!