I generally like talking to those who will talk Bible with me, but I have had several distressing exchanges with people "wrapped up" in the charismatic movement. My intent is first to lay some groundwork reflecting my experience with the charismatic movement, then to express concern for how it has affected the Church of Christ/Christian Church Movement.
      The first inference many of the charismatic movement may make is "you do not know what God's will is, since you do not have the miraculous gifts."  Reciting the Bible to them does no good. Unless they see a sign, something physical, in their eyes you don't know anything. The second inference is, "baptism is in the Holy Spirit and with miraculous gifts. Without it you are not a Christian." Never-mind what the Bible says about being "buried with Him through baptism" Rom.6:4; or "see, here is water, what hinders me from being baptized," Acts 8:36. These people over-spiritualize these texts, missing the clear meaning of the text, baptism by immersion in water.  Holy Spirit baptism is only mentioned twice in the New Testament, once administered to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, (Acts 2:1-4) and once to the Gentiles in (Acts 10:44). But these people will infer that Holy Spirit baptism happened at each conversion. Many of them will tell you that there are apostles now, thus the ability to pass on the miraculous gifts. They disregard the selection prerequisites of apostles; "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to the day when He was taken up from us, one f these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Acts 1:21-22. When we see those listed as Apostles in the New Testament we need to come back to this passage to see how they became Apostles.      Some ask, "What of the miracles being done now? Surely you don't deny that they are from the Holy Spirit, do you?" In response I have taken them to Acts 8:4-24, especially noting that Simon the sorcerer astonished the city "with his powers." "The Apostles came down, to Samaria, and laid hands on them that they might receive the miraculous gifts." Philip could perform the signs but he could not impart the gifts. Simon the sorcerer was doing something that seemed to be miraculous enough to astonish the people. But now he was astonished with the greater miracles Philip and the Apostles were doing. The actual miracles that Philip and the Apostles performed were from God and were much better. The "miracles" these charismatic and Pentecostal people talk about are the same ones that Simon the sorcerer did, not Simon Peter.
    If the Apostolic miracles were being done now, we could not keep it quiet.  Except for the two New Testament accounts of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were the only ones who could impart the gifts. There is no record of this gift being handed down. Philip could not impart the gifts and Simon the Sorcerer was rebuked for trying to buy the gift of imparting these miracles.
      In my conversations with charismatics, I find that they depend on the things they can see and hear