This was an email to a friend. Just thought I'd share my thoughts...
My parents bounced between churches for various reasons. The main reason was cultic dictators who called themselves shepherds. Before my brothers and I were born, my father treated my sisters and mother roughly because the apostolic preachers (plural) told him to. The pastors told him when to move into a new house, buy a new car, etc. Well, at least they tried to. The preachers my father, mother and sisters sat under preached sermons against TV and brought down the spirit. If you did not jump pews, scream, or run isles; you were promptly dealt with. I’m telling you, it was a cult. It drove my uncle and his family to horrible ends. They completely left the apostolic church, and turned on God.
Come to find out that preachers who harped on TV and short sleeves were falling into adultery and pornography addictions. YES! My father, mother and sisters sat under these men. Just as us three boys were born, my family was leaving these types of churches. I cannot tell you the horror stories that I’ve heard about from so many people. It’s sickening. When I think of what those retards did to my parents and sisters, directly or indirectly, I want to wring their necks. Yeah, that is what I think is the root of my bitterness. When I here stories about kids having sex at these blow-out Pentecostal state youth meetings and camps, I want to grab up that boy or girl and shake the ........ out of them. Are they fools?! This isn’t a game! But now I know that it is not always their fault because they have been misled. It is a fallacy in our denomination, and it needs fix’n.
Something has kept my family strong over these years. Over all these years we have remained strong while others have fallen. We have been attacked for it by Satan via the apostolic church. I’m telling you, it is something I count as phenomenal.
My sister, Sarah, did just as you did. She left at seventeen, and her retreat was horrible. But you know what we got from it? She came back and brought her newly acquired husband, Shawn. I think Sarah was running from a denomination, not God. I don’t intend to abdicate my faith. There is nothing for me out there. I can see this from witnessing many others stories. The desire is just not within me.
Even though I may have prayed through because of fear, I can’t help but think that God in all of His mercy had compassion on my sincere, though misled heart. I’m thankful for that, but now it is time for me to stop accepting this and seek God for a difference. I can’t watch other people get crapped on anymore. I’m praying that God would turn my bitterness into a fierce passion.
As for your tattoos, I’ve already said my peace about standards. There is only one scripture in the Old Testament that reviles tattoos, and it is not used in its proper context. Christians, not just Pentecostals, have twisted that scripture into a mess. If you want to live by one part of the Old Law, you have to live by it all. Trust me, I’ve read all those laws, and there is a lot. So, if anybody wants to harp you about standards, even the ones that seem right to you, they better watch their butts. They are in dangerous territory. The Scripture reads, for they will know by your love for one another. It didn’t say jack-squat about how weird we look. This is just another aspect that the Pentecostals need to understand in its entirety.
In context to your lost family, all I can say is that they are products of the denomination. No, not every Pentecostal church is wrong, but we have a deep misunderstanding. For instance, I gave you to read
1 Corinthians 14. If your daughter-in-law came into your church and everyone was dancing and shouting and tongue talking, she would say what everyone says. “You people are a bunch of emotional nut jobs.” It’s funny how Paul new what he was talking about. Now, Ms. Debbie, what if you all were truly under the influence of the Holy Ghost and were interpreting those tongues or prophesying? God would tell her the very secrets of her heart through people she would not even know. She would then fall on her face and say, “God is truly among you!”
This cannot happen if there is only one prophet in the church. This cannot happen if there are only tongues and no interpretation. I will go as far to say that this cannot happen as a result of one of “those” kinds of services. You know what I mean. Those services where the preacher does not even preach because “God” is moving so mightily, and women are screaming and people are falling out in tongues and crazed worship.
After reading Paul’s words I understand that tongues are a controllable gift, and should not be abused. After reading Paul’s words I understand that when the Holy Ghost is poured into you for the first time, you will speak in tongues, but after that God has another gift for you. We are to seek after gifts that aide our brothers and sisters. After reading Paul’s words I understand that God is not the author of confusion. Yes, the Pentecostal church is confusion. The Corinthians thought that every time they met and experienced the Holy Ghost, tongues had to be present. Pentecostals believe that with the Holy Ghost come tongues. When the bible states to not quench the Spirit, it is not talking about tongues and the AWESOME Holy Ghost experience. Quenching the spirit is when you neglect to encourage the church with your gift, OR your gift is choked out because of a certain tradition that says every congregation has to have a control shepherd over them.
Preachers are just men. I am anointed just as much as a preacher is. The only difference is that my gift is choked down because this man has a “call.” I wonder why there are no other prophets in church or no healers. There are, but when their gifts are not allowed to move, the spirit is quenched. When we have mighty moves of God and the Holy Ghost is poured out, why do people still leave that church with cancer? Why do marriages still crumble the next day? Why does the preacher’s daughter rebel against her father and mother? Because it is not the Holy Ghost being poured out. That Holy Ghost has been quenched by the selfish emotions of pumped humans. Everyone wants that Acts experience for themselves, but nobody wants to move on after that. They just want to see revival after revival after revival. They are sucking the life from each other. Read Acts chapter 8 and tell me what our salvation is. On second thought, I’ll just tell you. JESUS CHRIST! IT IS NOT THE HOLY GHOST WITH TONGUES! The Holy Ghost is for the already saved. Think I may be bordering blasphemy? Look at the fruits of this “blow-out” service. Yes, when those services happen, I get emotional. I cry and lift my hands too. But if it does not follow the scripture; if the church is not edified, we have completely missed what God has for us.
Everyone speaks of revival and a Holy Ghost experience like in Acts. How can you be more ignorant and blind? The day of Pentecost is past. The Azusa Street Revival is past. Get over it. Everyone says I need a blessing today. One day God is going to loose the chains from my feet, and I’ll dance in tongues. My response is, as long as it is in private, that’s cool, because that is between you and God. When you get to church, your butt is there for the edification of everyone else. What’s gonna happen when the preacher steps off the pulpit and allows all the other gifts to be used? What is gonna happen when we get over this emotional type of worship and get our heads into it? People will be healed, people will be saved. The preacher will not have the life drained from him by the starving congregation who refuse to feed themselves. When this happens during a church service, there will not be wailing and blabbers. There will not be hyped worship. There will not be emotional chaos. There will not be these traditional mighty moves of God. HOWEVER, we will ALL be strengthened for the task at hand.
What is that task? That task is to seek and save those that are lost, and to edify and encourage the church. That task is not to make it to next Sunday for a Holy Ghost out pouring and pew warming or carpet burning. Want to speak in tongues without interpretation? Do it at home? That is for you and God. It helps me and the others in no way. I don’t care how spiritual you are. Hooray for you. Give me some meat to chew on. Want to dance and shout? Do it at home. See how holy you are outside of that building where emotions go uncontrolled. I use the word “you” in a general sense. I am not aiming this at you Ms. Debbie. How can we say amen if we can’t understand you? Yet many do say amen and dance and shout, and it is said and done in ignorance. That ignorance comes from not searching out the word of God. That ignorance comes from using the bible only to prove tongues, standards, and oneness.
So what about the day of Pentecost? Everyone was speaking in tongues at the same time. What about that? If I have to answer somebody that question, I’m gonna backhand them. Those tongues served a purpose, and that purpose was not for self gratification or salvation. Tell me? Who were the tongues for? Who got the most from the tongues: The ones speaking in tongues or the ones who were saved because of the tongues? I shouldn’t even have to explain that, but there it is. Again, I am not aiming this at you Ms. Debbie. LOL!
So, Ms. Debbie, when you leave a church service feeling like ........ because a pumped, young buck evangelist just had your lunch, that is not of God. When you leave church not encouraged. I MEAN ENCOURAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS NOT OF GOD!
LOL! I kind of lost it there. Well, I’m through with my banter. I hope you have been encouraged. LOL!
Seriously,
God Bless
Linear Mode
