Sons and Daughters

Pentecostals use Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17-21 in a way that is deceptive. Joel was written in prophecy to Israel  and fulfilled in Acts 2 and the years following.

The sons and daughters are Jewish and the Jewish proselytes added to them in the land.

It was for those in present servitude, it was for those working in behalf of God whether saved or unsaved. A person could be a servant of God without knowing a lot about Christ, yet.The apostles were servants even before Christian baptism and the house of Cornelius were servants before Peter was sent to them to preach the Gospel. They feared God and gave alms.

Being a servant does not prove saved, Christ spoke of wicked servants and good servants. They were servants under the Jewish dispensation and therefore hadn't completed Christian commands like baptism.

Since Joel was written to the Jewish nation and its proselytes, there is nothing stating the prophecy and tongues were for all generations.

Hear this, you elders;

    give ear, all inhabitants of the land!

Has such a thing happened in your days,

    or in the days of your fathers?

The things following were not typical and had not happened in previous generations.

It isn't limiting the Spirit to people in the land, but this prophecy is dealing with their heritage. You can't make many definitive statement from the prophecy alone. It does not say they had to be baptized into Christ yet and does not say they are Christian servants.

So, there is nothing in Joel 2:28 promoting these gifts for all generations. There is nothing in Joel that lists speaking in tongues as a gift. Tongues are tied to this prophecy in Acts 2.

That means the prophecy is general information without supplying everything we will later know. It was future in Joel's day and being fulfilled during the Apostles time.

28 [e] “And it shall come to pass afterward,

    that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

    your old men shall dream dreams,

    and your young men shall see visions.

29 Even on the male and female servants

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Notice it doesn't mention tongues, so not all information is included. The Spirit will be poured out on all flesh which can mean all nations or all sexes or all throughout the land or throughout the world, those who are saved under the Jewish dispensation and saved or unsaved in the Christian , it includes those who are Jewish servants but not necessarily saved or Christian yet.

This matches Catholic and Calvinist theology where the Spirit must empower people to understand, so the Spirit falling on people before being enlightened isn't an unusual theology. It is main stream until you speak of salvation through believers baptism.  yet we know the Apostles understood before the Spirit fell in Acts 2. He had already opened their minds to understand as seen in the replacement of Judas.

The Apostles were servants but not baptized in Christ yet when Christ breathed on them and gave them understanding. They were not baptized yet when the Spirit was poured out in Acts 2. This doesn't disprove baptism for remission of sins. Cornelius was a servant but not baptized into Christ yet. All receiving the direct outpouring were in the land and were god fearing Jews or proselytes.

Those who received the Holy Spirit's gifts through the laying of hands were outside the land. The Samaritans and John's disciples in Ephesus. The case of Phillip in Acts 5-8 is in the land, but through the Apostles. The 7 deacons were to take care of Grecians so it isn't sure they were Jewish, they may have been proselytes or of mixed race.

Since the Holy Spirit was given both ways, directly and through laying of hands, we have to admit the church in general did not receive the gifts directly. We also have to admit the Apostles are gone, and since not all received the Spirit's gifts directly in the early church we can't say that is the general method the Church would receive gifts today. Pentecostals typically held out that all the body could receive the baptism by direct outpouring.

It seems the Pentecostals were deceiving people. Their argument could be rejected on its face. There was never a promise to all Christians of gifts like tongues through direct outpouring. Most was through the laying of the Apostles hands.

The possibility of a direct outpouring simply feeds their fraud.