One day I sat down and thought about how I was raised in the Apostolic doctrine.
I wondered, If I was by myself on an island with nothing but a bible and with no preconceived ideas about God that had been taught to me, would I believe the same things that I believe today? If my father had been a Baptist or Methodist preacher, wouldn't my beliefs be different?
I began studying in a new light, and I came to the conclusion that not everything that was taught to me is necessarily biblically correct.
I have been indoctrinated too extremely to comprehend God other than Oneness. I've witnessed too many baptisms in Jesus name to feel comfortable with baptisms any other way! I've experienced the Holy Ghost baptism and seen God heal and change lives to believe any other way.
That doesn't make you ex-Pentecostal - just ex-indoctrinated.
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Master of Science in Applied Disgruntled Religious Theorist Wrangling
PhD in Petulant Tantrum Quelling
Dean of the School of Hard Knocks
I don't question Acts 2:38. I was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost that evening.
But I haven't really attended church in years....I'd like to start again. The Apostolic church I went to believed in confessing all sins to the Pastor. It seemed really legalstic....maybe I'm wrong. I ended up feeling damned and didn't so much as read the bible for quite a few years.
I've been studying a lot the last few years but still have many questions. The Godhead is a tough one...deep down I feel I'm Oneness. But It's a big Idea to try to comprehend. I'm still not living the Life I should be.
I don't question Acts 2:38. I was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost that evening.
But I haven't really attended church in years....I'd like to start again. The Apostolic church I went to believed in confessing all sins to the Pastor. It seemed really legalstic....maybe I'm wrong. I ended up feeling damned and didn't so much as read the bible for quite a few years.
I've been studying a lot the last few years but still have many questions. The Godhead is a tough one...deep down I feel I'm Oneness. But It's a big Idea to try to comprehend. I'm still not living the Life I should be.
Don't feel to bad, most everyone here isn't either
I don't question Acts 2:38. I was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost that evening.
But I haven't really attended church in years....I'd like to start again. The Apostolic church I went to believed in confessing all sins to the Pastor. It seemed really legalstic....maybe I'm wrong. I ended up feeling damned and didn't so much as read the bible for quite a few years.
I've been studying a lot the last few years but still have many questions. The Godhead is a tough one...deep down I feel I'm Oneness. But It's a big Idea to try to comprehend. I'm still not living the Life I should be.
I had a cousin who taught like that and then the next thing you know his wife and daughter were counseling the young couples on their sex lives. Talk about causing problems. He had a large group get very offended and leave. Not that I blame them. I would have left before that started cause the only person I'm going to confess to is God almighty cause he is the only one that can forgive me.
I don't question Acts 2:38. I was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost that evening.
But I haven't really attended church in years....I'd like to start again. The Apostolic church I went to believed in confessing all sins to the Pastor. It seemed really legalstic....maybe I'm wrong. I ended up feeling damned and didn't so much as read the bible for quite a few years.
I've been studying a lot the last few years but still have many questions. The Godhead is a tough one...deep down I feel I'm Oneness. But It's a big Idea to try to comprehend. I'm still not living the Life I should be.
Shawn, just start where you are........it's all about a relationship with Jesus and I guarantee you he's just waiting on you.
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Master of Science in Applied Disgruntled Religious Theorist Wrangling
PhD in Petulant Tantrum Quelling
Dean of the School of Hard Knocks
I remember my downward slide beginning (or was it the first light going off?) when I overheard my then pastor tell someone else "and they show someone wearing shorts going in the rapture!" -talking about an end time movie being played at the church where someone wearing shorts was... well, you know.
The ludicrousness of someone making a salvation statement about someone who wasn't following the dress code of that church stood out.
The second big light to go off in my head came after hearing a number of men debate "oneness" issues and their understanding of it. Even if I knew what I knew before, I didn't after listening to these guys! They made it virtually impossible to understand oneness, and yet claimed at the same time that if you didn't understand it like they did, that you were lost.
And the last major big light to go off was comparing the fruits of other Christians to those who I knew to be Pentecostals (UPC) at the time. The bible says you will know them by their fruits. What are the fruits? Love, compassion, long suffering, etc. I was seeing little old catholic nuns showing FAR more fruits then many starch-shirt, stiff collared, pentecostal poof wearing, TV gaze averting, UPCers.
Then I started seeing alllllllll the versus speaking of grace, mercy, faith, and love that I knew were there, but never spent any time on since everything was always steamrolled right to Acts 2:38.
I remember my downward slide beginning (or was it the first light going off?) when I overheard my then pastor tell someone else "and they show someone wearing shorts going in the rapture!" -talking about an end time movie being played at the church where someone wearing shorts was... well, you know.
The ludicrousness of someone making a salvation statement about someone who wasn't following the dress code of that church stood out.
The second big light to go off in my head came after hearing a number of men debate "oneness" issues and their understanding of it. Even if I knew what I knew before, I didn't after listening to these guys! They made it virtually impossible to understand oneness, and yet claimed at the same time that if you didn't understand it like they did, that you were lost.
And the last major big light to go off was comparing the fruits of other Christians to those who I knew to be Pentecostals (UPC) at the time. The bible says you will know them by their fruits. What are the fruits? Love, compassion, long suffering, etc. I was seeing little old catholic nuns showing FAR more fruits then many starch-shirt, stiff collared, pentecostal poof wearing, TV gaze averting, UPCers.
Then I started seeing alllllllll the versus speaking of grace, mercy, faith, and love that I knew were there, but never spent any time on since everything was always steamrolled right to Acts 2:38.
Randy ya hit the nail on the head here. So many that are seeing things in a clearer light these days. started off much like you.
So much inconsistency in our core doctrines. Idealogys that are proped up with scripture that a first grader can see through.
when we claim to be so 100% right and we come up short on doctrine, it makes you question what else are we arong on?
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God has lavished his love upon me.
I don't question Acts 2:38. I was baptized in Jesus name and received the Holy Ghost that evening.
But I haven't really attended church in years....I'd like to start again. The Apostolic church I went to believed in confessing all sins to the Pastor. It seemed really legalstic....maybe I'm wrong. I ended up feeling damned and didn't so much as read the bible for quite a few years.
I've been studying a lot the last few years but still have many questions. The Godhead is a tough one...deep down I feel I'm Oneness. But It's a big Idea to try to comprehend. I'm still not living the Life I should be.
First thing I'd suggest is to start looking for an Apostolic church to fellowship with. Be prayerful, and go to a few if you feel you have to, and let God lead to to one you feel comfortable in.
__________________ http://endtimeobserver.blogspot.com
Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever.
If you're going to dismiss tongues as being the initial evidence of the initial infilling of the Holy Ghost, you would do better to be convinced of it because of what is written in the word of God and not because of what you see in church.
What I saw was well-intentioned people standing around a Christian believer, everyone speaking in tongues at the same time, some touching his chest, his forehead- once even the throat area-- all in their zeal to get this guy to speak in tongues.
I have seen this happen many, many times-- though just once where someone was actually touching the guy's throat.
What I saw was a Preacher in the middle of his sermon speaking in tongues into the mic, without any attempt to step away from the mic.
I have seen this many, many times.
Sister So and So speaks in tongues and says the exact same syllables every time she speaks-- or every time I hear her speak. And I hear her speak many, many times.
People who can just speak in tongues out of the blue so to speak.
For just about all of my adult life I have seen incidents like those listed above, many times at various UPCI and WOTCC churches I have attended. I didn't think it was Biblically sound when I saw these things happen, and it caused me to doubt the authenticity of what was happening as it happened, some of the time. But then I would be afraid for having such thoughts in the first place so I'd rebuke the thoughts and concentrate on the name of Jesus, while praying for God's will to be done-- when the above events happened in a church setting.
Some times, I was the guy caught up in the clamor with every one else, praying for that soul to receive the Holy Ghost. But I have never, that I can think of, spoken in tongues into a mic while ministering in any way. I don't think I say the same thing every time I speak in tongues, but the last time I did speak I think I quenched the Spirit by trying to think about what I was saying. I don't speak in tongues just out of the blue, like in a conversation with someone.
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"The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character."
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