Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

I just received my Ministry Today mag and read an article by George Bana stating that according to his research, 1/3 of the population of the US is Pentecostal/Charismatic. That is 80 million adults and depending how it is defined, the figures come to 30-37%. Barna states that these people are more likely to LIVE out their faith, believe the Bible, be evangelistic and state that their lives have been drastically transformed.


That being the case, is the outpouring of the HG that has so long been "prophesied" in Oneness circles actually taking place?

Oh, wait....it can't be, because these people outside the Oneness movement don't get the REAL HG! How silly of me to even suggest such a thing. :D

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

You devil you!:biggrin:

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Profession and Confession are far different from possession. Great that so many claim a experience, to bad the number of disciples have fallen greatly.

We need to recapture the call to go and make disciples not gather crowds or have people have have mass experiences.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

One hundred and twenty changed the known world these millions have changed little or nothing.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

I would tend to argue that one changed the known world...and 120 initially followed. :)

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

You've nailed it!

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Im glad there are supposed to be so many of us. It sure is not true around the Somerset Ky. area. Of the great number of people I have worked with here in my occupation only a very tiny number are Pentecostal/Charismatic.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Acts 2:17
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: "

:)

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

You said it, detach the Pentecost from your label and it would all be more accurate..

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

I believe that when God said He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh that He meant ALL flesh. That would include Catholics and Protestants; young, middle aged and old; married, divorced, single; Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, independent; rich and poor and those in between et.al.

Back in the nineteen sixties when folks started receiving the Holy Ghost Baptism with gifts of the Spirit being manifested, I (and many others) looked down my self-righteous nose at them. How could they be receiving the HGB? They didn't come to us, and God knows we have an exclusive franchise on His Spirit. Besides, these people don't even look like (cookie cutter) Christians.

Thank God that He has so much more love, compassion, and wisdom than I do. Thank God He has opened up my mind and my heart.

"If you believe that Jesus is the Christ --that he is God's Son and your Savior-- then you are a child of God. And all who love the Father love his children too." 1 John 5:1 TLB


See subsequent post for an article on this.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

This is from a booklet called "The Charismatic Movement, Renewal or Confusion?" which I received from Pastor James Lee Beall quite a while ago ( in the 1960's or maybe in the early 1970's). He was pastor of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, MI. This church was considered "Latter Rain," "Oneness Pentecostal," or "Apostolic Pentecostal" depending on your viewpoint. In this portion he describes his attitude toward "Charismatics," and tells of being invited to participate in one of their meetings.

Jim Ellis

---------------
Religious Superiority

It is relatively simple to sit back and criticize every and all religious groups. If you want something to offend you, it will be easily found.

When the Lord God first began to pour the Holy Spirit upon segments of the organized church --the Catholics, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, etc., I sat back to criticize. Believe me, I found plenty that I did not consider right or proper.

How superior I felt as I sat in my detached ivory tower pointing out the wrongs committed by others! There is no feeling quite like that which comes with religious superiority. It is like the eye saying to the hand, "I have no need of you."

...It is my personal opinion that the charismatic renewal has brought segments of the religious world to needed areas of maturity. For the first time in years and years, men and women of different persuasions are able to sit down and talk without cutting one another to pieces. We have ceased being afraid of one another.

My First Charismatic Conference.

Some years back I was invited to one of the major U.S. cities to take part in a city-wide charismatic conference. This was the first for me and I wasn't sure that I wanted to go.

I gave the matter some thought and prayer. Inwardly I knew it was the right step for me. I accepted the invitations and left for the meetings.

What I saw in the initial services made me a little uneasy. Hundreds of people were in attendance with clergymen of all backgrounds.

During the course of this dinner-meeting,the religious community was invited to stand and identify themselves. To my surprise, the Roman Catholics --priests and nuns-- were in the majority.

I could not believe they were really interested in knowing about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and what God was doing spiritually all over the world. I had come to believe that Roman Catholics and Episcopalians were such dyed-in-the-wool sacramentalists that personal spiritual experiences were of little or no interest to them. In that meeting, I began to get the sneaky hunch that I might have been wrong.

The day after the initial dinner-meeting we conducted our services in one of the local church buildings. My responsibility was to speak morning and evening.

Following my teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit that evening I invited those who were interested to stand and express their interest in this way. About half of that audience responded.

The church sanctuary was completely filled so I asked those seated in the right front section to move toward the rear if they were not interested in further instruction and prayer for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Finally, we got everyone settled again.

There in the first rows were Roman Catholic priests and nuns, along with other ministers and workers from various churches. I didn't know exactly what I ought to do.

The reason for my quandry was that I knew the Lord had no intention of filling these people with the Holy Spirit. They belonged to the wrong churches and I was not even sure of their salvation. There was no other step to be taken except that of instruction. This I did with the intention of eventually leading them to prayer.

In my prayer I led these seekers to repeat after me. My prayer would be a request for the forgiveness of sins and the confession that we were fully aware that there was one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. I was going to make Protestants out of all these Catholics if I possibly could. After all, this was the only way they could receive something from the Lord.

Mixed Reactions

While I was praying with my eyes closed, my prayer was interrupted. Someone was singing and praising God in another language. In a few minutes, others joined in.

When I opened my eyes to see who it was who was being filled with the Holy Spirit, i was amazed to find the majority of them were obviously Roman Catholics. My reactions were mixed. I was happy for them, while at the same time puzzled. How could this happen? What did it all mean?

The next day the entire scene broke in on me again. All I could say was, "God did it!" I did not lay my hands on them. No one gave them words to say nor did we initiate anything.

God evidently did not care if they were protestants or Catholics and He did not keep the Spirit from them because they wore clerical clothes. The Lord God looked down into the hearts and saw the hunger there. Not a hunger for things, or experiences, or gifts --just a deep and singular hunger and thirst for Him. He mets the hungry and satisfies their mouth with good things. Make no mistake about this.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

This is a beautiful story of God's Grace and Mercy toward all of us. We need great Grace because we are so judgmental at times. When God said he will pour out his spirit on all flesh I believe He meant ALL! If Roman Catholic and the like are not incompassed into the 'ALL' then I do not know who is. I looked up that word 'All' in the greek for that verse you know what it means? It means "ALL." Funny that 'All' means 'ALL'! My point is that we tend to over look that or see it as 'All the walk through our doors' or 'All in our organization.' I am ashamed of how I used to be. Like you, Jim, I looked down my nose at them and thought they had a fake HG or something. But then I took time to watch and learn and the 'fake' they had made them happy and holy. I thought there is something wrong and God spoke and told me I was the wrong one. I had to change my outlook cause of God's conviction!

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Maybe not....but it has certainly changed THEM! :D

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Now THAT will preach!!!! Well said!!

I was blind, but now I see... (that's my story too) :D

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

MOW, I think that is the same song and dance that alot on here have experienced. As you know it is an eye-opening thing. Not only is it challenging, but it makes you feel so small and horrible to see the errors of your way so to speak.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

This is a quote from an interview with J.I. Packer in the March 23, 2008 Pentecostal Evangel which came in today’s mail. J.I. Packer is a theologian and is 81 years old. He is semi-retired and still teaches a couple of courses at Regent College in Vancouver British Columbia. He has been a professor there since 1979. Before that he taught for 27 years in England. He is the author of more than two dozen books, the most famous one is Knowing God which has sold 3 million copies.

He was asked several questions in the interview but I thought the last one was especially interesting to those of us who are familiar with Pentecostalism and the Holy Ghost Baptism.

Question: Why is Pentecostalism growing around the world?

Answer: The Pentecostal emphasis on life in the Spirit, which became a big thing at the turn of the 20th century, was absolutely right. It was an emphasis that hadn’t been fully grasped by other evangelicals for a long time. The up-front quest for fellowship with God that grabbed the whole of the heart and therefore had emotional overtones and the openness to a recurrence of some of the signs of the Kingdom was right. In the early 20th century evangelicals didn’t accept Pentecostals, and Pentecostals found themselves tempted to say, “We’re the only fully fashioned Christians in the world today.” Only during the last 50 years has real partnership and mutual respect become reality.

It’s simply a marvelous work of God that when the Pentecostal version of the gospel has been preached all around the world for the past half-century there has been a tremendous harvest. It’s a wonderful work in our time, which we can set against the decline of Christianity in North America and Western Europe. Most notably in Africa and Asia, Christianity has been roaring ahead through the Pentecostal version of the Christian message and life in the Spirit. I celebrate it and thank God for it. There have been older evangelicals who have set themselves against distinctive Pentecostal emphasis as if there’s something wrong with it. I have not lined up with those folk and indeed have argued that their attitude is mistaken.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

The US population is now over 300 million. so according to Barna's numbers, there are over 100 million pentecostals/charismatics in America. To me, these numbers are questionable, to say the least.

Many times, these types of numbers represent the total number of people who are members of churches that are "pentecostal/charismatic/"full gospel" . But many of the people in these churches and denominations have not personally received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

For example, as has been noted on this forum previously, only about 20% of Assemblies of God new-converts are now receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost (http://ag.org/top/news/news_article_...rticleID=9271&). I suspect the percentages are similar in many other "pentecostal/charismatic" churches and denominations that dont preach Acts 2:38 salvation.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Is American Christianity Turning Charismatic?

January 7, 2008

(Ventura, CA) - Pentecostal or charismatic Christianity is viewed by some Americans as an emotional, theologically suspect form of the Christian faith. It is widely thought to be a very vocal and visible, but numerically small slice of the grand religious pie in the United States. Two new surveys from The Barna Group, however, indicate that things are changing dramatically in the religious landscape. Those surveys - one among a national sample of adults and the other among a national sample of Protestant pastors - show that the number of churches and adherents to Pentecostal perspectives and practices has grown significantly in the past two decades.

Growing Numbers of People

A decade ago, three out of ten adults claimed to be charismatic or Pentecostal Christians. Today, 36 percent of Americans accept that designation. That corresponds to approximately 80 million adults. (For the Barna survey, this included people who said they were a charismatic or Pentecostal Christian, that they had been "filled with the Holy Spirit" and who said they believe that "the charismatic gifts, such as tongues and healing, are still valid and active today.")

Charismatics are found throughout the fabric of American Christianity. Although just 8% of the population is evangelical, half of evangelical adults (49 percent) fit the charismatic definition. A slight majority of all born again Christians (51 percent) is charismatic. Nearly half of all adults who attend a Protestant church (46 percent) are charismatic.

Charismatic Churches

One out of every four Protestant churches in the United States (23 percent) is a charismatic congregation. While some of the most common charismatic denominations are well-known - such as the Assemblies of God, Foursquare or Churches of God in Christ - non-denominational churches emerged as one of the most common charismatic "denominations." Four out of every ten non-denominational churches are charismatic.

The profile of the typical charismatic congregation is nearly identical to that of evangelical, fundamentalist and mainline Protestant churches. Four out of five (80 percent) have a full-time, paid pastor in charge of the ministry. The senior pastor is, on average, 52 years old - the same as in other Protestant churches. And the weekly adult attendance is equivalent to that of other Protestant bodies (82 adults at Pentecostal gatherings compared to 85 adults among all Protestant churches).

Myths Exposed

The Barna study found that several widespread assumptions about charismatic churches are inaccurate.

# Many people believe that charismatic Christianity is almost exclusively a Protestant phenomenon. However, the research showed that one-third of all U.S. Catholics (36 percent) fit the charismatic classification. Framed differently, almost one-quarter of all charismatics in the U.S. (22 percent) are Catholic.

# Charismatic churches are generally thought to belong to a rather strictly defined group of denominations. The growth of Pentecostalism, however, has crossed denominational boundaries in recent years. For instance, 7 percent of Southern Baptist churches and 6 percent of mainline churches are charismatic, according to their Senior Pastors.

# One widespread view is that charismatic Christianity is found mostly in small, relatively unsophisticated congregations. The research suggests something different. Charismatic congregations are about the same size as those of non-charismatic Protestant churches. Most surprisingly, charismatic ministries are more likely than other Protestant churches to use five of the seven technological applications evaluated. Those included the use of large-screen projection systems, showing movie clips in worship services or congregational events, using blogs, and web-based social networking by the church.

# In the past, many have observed that the female pastors were more likely to be welcomed into the Pentecostal community. However, 9 percent of both charismatic and non-charismatic Protestant churches are currently led by a female Senior Pastor.

# It is assumed faith trends in America are dictated by white churches, which represent about 77 percent of the nation's Protestant congregations. However, only 16 percent of the country's white Protestant congregations are Pentecostal, compared to 65 percent of the Protestant churches dominated by African-Americans.

Differences Discovered

The surveys did reveal several significant differences between charismatic and non-charismatic congregations. While the average congregational attendance at each type of church is similar, the non-charismatic churches tend to have larger annual operating budgets: $149,000 compared to slightly more than $136,000 budgeted by the Pentecostal ministries.

In like manner, the compensation of each group's Senior Pastors differs. Those who lead non-charismatic churches receive an average total compensation package of about $47,000 annually. In contrast, charismatic pastors receive a package worth about $42,000.

Pastoral education is another major distinction. A large majority of the Senior Pastors of non-charismatic churches (70 percent) have graduated from a seminary. Not quite half of the charismatic pastors (49 percent) have a seminary degree.

Reflections on the Research

The movement toward charismatic Christianity coincides with several cultural shifts, according to author George Barna, who directed the research projects.

"The charismatic orientation is most popular among the non-white population - which is, of course, the sector of the population that is growing most rapidly. Also, the freedom of emotional and spiritual expression typical of charismatic assemblies parallels the cultural trend toward personal expression, accepting diverse emotions and allowing people to interpret their experiences in ways that make sense to them," Barna explained. "It is not surprising that the Pentecostal community in America has been growing - nor do we expect it to stop making headway."

"We are moving toward a future in which the charismatic-fundamentalist split will be an historical footnote rather than a dividing line within the body of believers. Young Christians, in particular, have little energy for the arguments that have traditionally separated charismatics and non-charismatics. Increasing numbers of people are recognizing that there are more significant arenas in which to invest their resources."

About the Research

This report is based upon a nationwide telephone survey conducted by The Barna Group in December 2007 among a random sample of 1005 adults, age 18 and older. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables. The report also contains information from a nationwide telephone survey conducted among a random sample 1220 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample of pastors is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Being classified as a charismatic or Pentecostal was based on survey respondents saying that they "consider yourself to be a Pentecostal or charismatic Christian, meaning you have been filled by the Holy Spirit and believe that the charismatic gifts, such as tongues and healing, are valid and active today."

"Mainline Protestant" churches were those associated with the American Baptist, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, United Methodist, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Presbyterian Church in the USA denominations.

"Evangelicals" are people who meet the born again criteria (described below) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."

"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents are not asked to describe themselves as "born again."


© The Barna Group, Ltd, 2008.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Barna's poll technique was valid, he polled individuals and not churches. However I have NO doubt that many on this particular forum would have a different understanding of the words "charismatic" or "pentecostal"


The truth is (even according to Barna) in the US the growth is only about 20% total over the past 10 years. Much can be attributed to non-white increase in membership(only 16% of the country's white Protestant congregations are Pentecostal, compared to 65% of the Protestant churches dominated by African-Americans.) Therefore the numbers are skewed to a degree because of the great influx of Hispanics which tend to lean toward the pentecostal churches. This population is of course growing at a MUCH faster rate than the population at large for example, and would contribute to an overall increase by means of immigration as opposed to conversion.

The criteria Barna used are-do you believe you are filled with HG (and don't most Christians believe they are spirit filled when they are saved?)and it is POSSIBLE for gifts of spirit to operate in this day(not did you personally experience them). By using his definition 36% of all catholics polled deemed themselves charismatic.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Thanks Sam for the reprint, I was trying to keep them from having to wade through the whole thing and just break down the summary.

But its good to have the whole article to refer to!

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

You may believe Barna's technique was valid. Frankly, I don't agree that it was. But whether you do or not, the fact is, if his survey gives people the impression that "1/3 of the US is pentecostal or charismatic" as the title of this thread reads, then the conclusions his poll leads people to is woefully inaccurate.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

OK, let's say it IS flawed. (which I don't think it is) Let's cut the number in 1/2 and you still come up with 50 million which is a HUGE number and still worthy of note. :D

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Barna published his methodology. The technique IS valid.

If you read the post I was actually agreeing with you. Interpreting results is where the false conclusions come to play. AND as I pointed out MOST on this forum would strongly disagree with his definitions of "Charismatic" and "Pentecostal"

(As an aside are you always this hard on people trying to agree with you?)



:toofunny

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

??
I don't see how you thought I was being "hard" on you. Lets not be so thin-skinned, brother.

Indeed, I did see where you were agreeing with me on certain points.

However, I just
1...disagreed with the contention that his methodology was valid (primarily because I think the criteria/questions he employed don't go to the traditional definition of what "pentecostal/charismatic" has long meant), and
2... went on to further state that the bigger issue is not his methodology but the conclusions his poll will lead many to (i.e. "100 million Pentecostals/Charismatics").

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

My own unscientific study is like this. There are about 120 staff on the shift I work at any given time. I have had occasion to meet many of them in five years. I have either directly witnessed to or at least brought the Lord up in conversation with many (not all) of them.

Over those five years it breaks down like this to the best of my memory. I have met one Trinitarian Pentecostal from Assemblies of God. One Apostolic sister now backslid. One Charismatic sister (dynamic witness) and one Non denominational Pentecostal who leans toward Oneness. One guy who claims the Holy Ghost from his days in the Jesus Movement who told me he has not been active in serving Christ for some time.

Counting me that makes six Pentecostal/Charismatics out of well over 120 people that claim this label in five years. That comes out to ABOUT 5 per cent over the five year period.

At present the guy from the Jesus movement, if he is now serving God is the only one left beside me as a few of the others have left. I have not had occasion to speak to him of late. It is possible I am the only Pentecostal now on my shift. One out of at least 120 people.

However when I ask people if they know Jesus the vast majority say they either are or were a Baptist but they nearly all say they are not where they should be with Jesus.

Tons of Baptists. Almost no Pentecostals at all.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

For one, George Barna is not a new kid on the block when it comes to surveys. He is well versed in statistics and polls. He follows the same principles other pollsters do when conducting surveys. I am sure he knows what questions to ask and how to ask them. I am not saying he's perfect, but he does know what he is doing.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Just so we can be on the same page with terminology...

You suggested he polled and counted entire churches. He actually did random samplings of individuals and as such his methodology was correct and valid within +/- 3 points on a 95% confidence scale. That was his statistical methodology.

He also explained how his terms were defined when the questions were asked, so his conclusion of 80 million Pentecostal/Charismatics was valid.

HOWEVER, his definition of Pentecostal and Charismatic would GREATLY differ from the definitions utilized by the majority of the posters in this forum..

Just as the terms conservative and liberal carry very different meanings in a secular political discussion than they would on this forum.

So he was right according to the parameters of the poll.

You are also 100% right in stating from the world view of most posters here the VAST majority of those claiming to be Pentecostal or Charismatic should have been excluded.

:-)

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

I guess to be fair, it took the 120 almost 300 years before you could say that they had "changed the known world."

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

When Mercy's River (River of Life) reached our family:

My great grandmother was a charter member of the Methodist Church for 48 yrs.
Her daughter, my paternal grandmother was a member for 21 yrs and her son, our
late father, was going to be a Methodist because of family tradition.

Back track to the year 1926. The family doctor came to the Blakey household and
had told my grandfather, "Tom, Lizzie's dying! See the blue on her feet and legs. My
dad, who was eight years old at the time, heard those words. His beloved Methodist
mother who lay dying, breathed a prayer, "Lord, if you would see fit, let me live to
raise my three children". My dad, the oldest was 8 yrs. old, the middle child, a son,
was 5 and the baby, a girl, was 2 1/2 yrs. old.

Grandma breathed the prayer and lasped into a coma from the typhoid fever that
threatened to take her life. She awoke the next afternoon, her fever had broke and
she was hungry, asking for food. God had heard this young Methodist mother and her
eight yr. old son's prayer.

Fast forward six years when an old white haired preacher came to their small town,
preaching on the street corner and started a revival behind the line of stores on main
street. He was preaching a message they had never heard before and Grandma, who
had read her Bible as a good Methodist, went home to search the scriptures to prove
that preacher wrong. And if she could have, she would have, because she had the
tenacity to do so. But she found in the scriptures what her Methodist pastor had never
addressed. Long story short, she and our father who by now was 14 yrs., were both
baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of their sins and received the Holy Ghost,
evidenced by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Grandma's family at first thought she had lost her mind, but in the years that followed,
many of them also received this glorious experience. It has been received by the 5th
generation. ready to go into the 6th when we become great grandparents. None on the
way as only one grandson is married (4 yrs.) But Grandma lived to see our oldest grand-
son (24 yrs.) born. Fifth generation from the time the good doctor said she was dying.

Many of our family have received this glorious experience and received Power to be-
come sons and daughters of the Almighty! There were many friends and neighbors who
did not choose to believe the message of Pentecost back then. It was their choice. We
each have a choice to believe or not believe.

Through the years it seems that the ones who could tell you how awful this thing
others had received was, were the ones who had not received it. That reminds me
of those who can tell you all about children when they've never had any. Or that can
tell you about those things they have only heard about. whether it be positive or
negative. Hey, it's the living, brothers and sisters. It's the living. If we haven't lived
it why don't we wait until we have, so we will know what we are talking about.

When we are born again, we are a baby. Just as we have to grow in the natural,
we have to grow in the spiritual. And you have to be "nurtured and trained" and
learn to feed your own self and learn many things before you are able to teach
others. Paul taught that men should first be able to take care of their own house
before they could take care of the things of God.

How wants a president who has just graduated from college with no experience.
Who wants a doctor to do surgery on you who has just completed med school.
And who wants to place their soul into the hands of a man who has just graduated
from Bible School. We need more schools of Knee-logy and godly training
up in the way one should go.

In the Bible Paul was teaching the younger to look to the elder. Those who had
some experience and knowledge from the years. Especially those of the faithful,
The household of faith.

Some words from a senior sister who has been down the road of life a few miles.

Blessings,

Falla39

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Well said, as usual. Great story!!! :D

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Fella39, very good post!! :amen

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

God bless you, Sis Falla, for the good word. Polls and statistics, I suppose, are good and useful tools, but they speak nothing of the inner workings of the heart that has been with the Lord. Polls speak of what people claim- what "family they belone to in the grand scheme of things. But those who walk with the Lord are marked by the good they do in this world. Jesus proved Who He was on earth by the good He did for others and by the Life He lived, and gave up for the fallen human race. The disciples, ignorant and unlearned, had the proof they had been with Jesus. May we not trust polls and statistics to validate our spirituality- may we trust the One who never fails!

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Thank you, Brothers, Man of Word, Lost and Found, and OneAccord:

In the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established!!

Blessings,

Falla39

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Excellent post Falla39.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Thank you, Sister,

It has been said that the "saving of a soul is the miracle of the moment,

but the making of a saint is the work of a lifetime".

Blessings,

Falla39

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Truth.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Not exactly.

Within less than a generation after Pentecost, in Acts 17:6, we see the unbelievers in Thessalonica speaking about the believers in Christ saying: "These that have turned the world upside down have come here also".

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Falla 39,
I just now (Sunday afternoon) read your story of how your family came into the Apostolic message. How inspiring!!!! Thank you.

Re: Barna states that 1/3 of US is Pent./Charis.
 

Thank you, Bro. Sam, for your response. I am SO thankful for my

heritage. I do not take it for granted. As a result of what began

back in those days, my husband and I, who both received the Holy

Ghost in 1958, (1/2 century ago) are able to attend church each week

with the majority of our adult children and their families. Being together

in the house of God means so much. One son and his family goes to

an apostolic church a few miles away but we see them often. God is

so good.

Blessings,

Falla39