What the World Sees as Apostolic
 

I was speaking to a religious person today and the topic came up about what the difference is between apostolic and pentecostal. I asked her what she though apostolic meant and she ran down this list....

1. Dresses
2. Uncut Hair
3. No make-up
4. No television

She equates apostolics with legalism. She doesn't equate an apostolic as being a spirit filled believer who operates in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost.

She reinforces what a vast majority of people think about apostolics. There are some who are intellectually dishonest and would want to question the intelligence of this person, but she is a college graduate, has owned a business, and is a very active member of her church.

Can anyone explain again what legalism has to do with the '' apostle's doctrine''? The world isn't buying it one bit.

See my response in the thread for 2 methods of evaluating holiness in Apostolic Conservative Churches for more on this subject!

She represents the whole world?

Apostolic has three main meaings. One is Apostolic succession via the RCC
another is a group that believes in the gifts and offices of Apostles are still for us today

And the last, which is Oneness Pentecostals, are those that believe in strictly adhering to the teachings and practices of the Apostles when it comes to doctrines of salvation and the godhead. Others within that group might add standards of dress to it.

There may be other definitions that I am not aware of

Thank God!

Smart lady.

She saw separation from the world.

The Taliban and Amish are "separated" in a similar fashion .... this is not what Jesus said would tell the world that we are his disciples ....

She was able to recognize separation from the world.

Praise the Lord someone has let their light shine!



Matt 5:16

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
KJV

Good works = long skirts .... Man!!!!... the Word can be so cryptic sometimes.

2 Cor 4:3-4
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
KJV

:killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme :killinme

More twisting of scripture ... one would have to now accept that your man-made standards are THE GOSPEL ....

its become more and more clear that a segment of the Apostolic community ... led by men of the cloth ... do not know what the Gospel really is .....

I know this was from a movie and that love in that movie didn't mean the kind of love God wants us to have BUT:

What the World needs now is LOVE, Sweet Love - no, not just for some but for every, every, everyone.

:musicnotes THE WORLD NEEDS TO SEE LOVE IN ACTION - not long dresses, long sleeves, and a list of rules a mile long! :musicnotes

I'm doubt she saw it as being "separate" from the world. She didn't mention things trues christians exhibit. Love, peace, gentleness, goodness, meeknes...ect....

Before I was in church I was completely turned off to those hypocrites!! Didn't know any guys that attended.. only the girls stood out! They were always so evil, cussing and stuff. haha.:heeheehee

Don't be trash'in us Amish and lump'in us with the Taliban...

You're not real Amish..

My Avatar does not lie!

some here are "urban amish" ...look that up...

My first language is German (PA Dutch) I spent the first 16 years of my life in a buggy behind a horse. I dream in Amish. What esle do you want?

you didn't look it up...

Cool~ We live next to the Amish and I must say I really enjoy their singing. They welcome everyone to the sing along. The Bible teaching another deal it's done in German, so I be lost. They speak Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves.

1. urban amish

n. Someone who has none of the technological devices that have become a part of our daily lives, such as television, microwave, gaming platform or home computer.

would some ultra cons be pseudo-urban amish?

Close but no Cigar. I have yet to see them shun microwaves...

television... only need one to qualify as pseudo.. or quasi... your choice!!

The Bible calls us to be separated, not isolated.

A clarification seems to be in order. The lady I work with does not equate clothesline doctrine with apostolics. She sees apostolics as the standard bearer of a dress code.

Would you call scriptural separation a condition of the spiritual (inward) man or the physical (outward) body/man?

Come on.

The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I don't know any Apostolic preacher who doesn't know that.

I wonder what people in the "world" saw as the Tabernacle?

Badger skins dyes red.

The gold was on the inside.

The prophet said of the Messiah, "He hath no form nor comeliness, and when ye shall see him, there is no beauty that ye should desire him."

Now, holiness is beautiful to me. I could give you just as many anecdotes of people who speak admiringly of our ladies and their standards. But neither my anecdotes nor yours really matter.

Following the principles of the Scripture is what matters, regardless of what the world and its unregenerate children think.

The natural man doesn't comprehend spiritual things. He isn't able to.

You start trying to establish doctrine and practice based on what the world finds appealing, and you will become totally apostate faster than you can say "mini-skirt."

:killinme

I have to admit, my whole life when I have tried to explain the relatively obscure religion that I was raised in, I do not see a glimmer of recognition until I say, "you know, the one where the women only wear dresses, don't cut their hair, and don't wear make-up or jewelry"... at that time they usually go, "Oh, now I know the one you are talking about, I think one of those ladies works down the hall from me"...

If they HAVE heard of Pentecostals, they think you are Assembly of God.

I'm sure this means something but I'm not sure what... (actually I am but can't decide which path to take. lol)... I'm sure that those who only hang out with other Pentecostals will believe I am lying or be shocked to know that the majority of people do not even know what a Pentecostal is, let alone a Oneness Pentecostal.

I am distressed to think that anyone would immediately think of how a person looked outwardly when their attention is called to the people of God...the Apostolic faith.

Jesus did not tell us to let the world see how long your dress is or how naked is your ring finger. He did not tell to let the world see the women's long hair or even truly Godly modesty, though it is integral to being a christian.

The thing that Jesus wanted the world to see in us is a light as a city set upon a hill by our GOOD WORKS.

Let your light shine before men that they might see you GOOD WORKS and glorify your father which is in heaven. It is a life of WORKS moved by the heat of love and the light of the cross that will lift up Jesus giving glory to our heavenly father.

If we are so deceived by our latter day Apostolic doctrine as to think that our GOOD WORKS is our manner of adornment, we are then deceived by our own doctrine. Yet, I've lived long enough to see it.

Daily, I strive to do some GOOD WORK. That is letting my light shine though there is nothing about my outward adornment that would distinguish me from any other silver haired man in a business suit. In doing a GOOD WORK yesterday brought joy to my heart though it was not a great monumental work of reknown. It was something rather small, but quite significant. It made a difference. It was a GOOD work.

Daily we can seek to serve the Lord in our GOOD works, letting our light shine before men without trying to impress the world with our ostentatious outward adornment. Our ultra-conservative adornment very often glorifies no one except the one so adorned among others of like mind. This is "herd" or what is mass deception.

Let us reposition our emphasis upon the intent of the scriptures in giving glory to God by our good works rather than what has become Apostolic PRIDE. Daily we can do something for Jesus in very insignificant ways that may not be so earthshaking but it draws a heavenly smile anyway, as the light berfore men shines out.

I heard a Prophet of the Lord sing as he strumed his guitar and tears flowing down his face, the light shining upon him...

I wonder have I done my best for Jesus?
How many are the souls that I've lifted?
How many are the chains that I've broken too?
I wonder have I done my best for Jesus
He has done his very, very best for me

Oh my! I see the Apostolic Church (as we know it) so far adrift and seems to be drifting further and further away upon a sea of no return...without chart, compass, sail or rudder...just drifting.

CS,

OP used a verse about the gospel being hid in context to a conversation about the extrabiblical doctrine of dress standards ... perhaps your indignation and vexation should be directed at him ...

I'm sure your reminder of what the Gospel is ... will serve OP well.

Oh I know what the Gospel is.

I have lived the Gospel and preached the Gospel all of my life,but having dealt with them for a life time, I also know how spiritually blinded people think.

Perhaps you should then be more responsible when hurling scripture javelins. :laffatu :largehalo

HI Danny isn't it a wonderful Saturday?

The sky is blue.

The birds in the backyard are singing.

And not a bad attitude any where near my place.

Now you have a great weekend.

God is Good.

:D

Excellent thought, CS!!

And that is exactly what too many "Apostolics" do today-- they let the criticism of the world (which we know is mostly born out of ignorance and/or rebellion) bring into question if "we" are really right about this separation thing.

Just because some educated, religious woman doesn't understand what Apostolic means, personally and scripturally, and just because she has come up with a definition based (most likely) on her refusal to ever adhere to such separation doesn't mean we are wrong. Ya' ever think SHE is wrong?


Disclaimer: I'm referring strictly to outward standards, as this is what the lady focused on. She is inwardly still not holy, so why would I (we) expect her to have anything but a skewed perception of what Apostolic is?