Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Apostolic Pentecostal Churches.

Outlandish Starched and ironed Hair styles filled with jewelry, feathers and trinkets.

Expensive Named Brand Purses and Heels.

Dresses and Skirts in the latest fashions.

Vanity Vanity Vanity, Where are the meek, Where are the Lowly and shamefaced women professing godliness?

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

oooops

Musta went to a conference!

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I seldom ever dress up for church. Jeans and a clean shirt. But then again, I am not on the platform or teach.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

:heeheehee

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Shamefaced? hmm.

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I've seen those kinds of outfits myself. I don't know that I've seen the starched and ironed hair before, that must be a new one.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I remember the good ol days, before pentecost was like this.

I agree that it is like a fashion show now...sad.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Nothing new. It's always been a fashion show in my lifetime. Maybe the early Pentecostals were pretty humble, but in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s it was always an ostentatious display of gaudy fashion and extravagance veiled under the guise of humility and modesty. OP has its own style and the rich flaunt it, and those who try to keep up appearances work hard at it. I know of people who used to go on shopping trips to NYC for their conference outfits. That was going on in the 90s. Nothing new.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I'm referring to the hairstyles that's rolled on hot sticks and sprayed with lacquer until you couldn't take it down before a week without a pick and crowbar.
What happened to the God Called prayer warrior preachers who God spoke to while driving down the road and came to our church and told the preacher that God sent me here to preach a revival. Now we schedule Evangelists to come and preach a three day revival?

Pastors are gone from the churches on a big game hunting trips, taking cruises with other Pastors and wives, trips to Hawaii, Jamaica, France and much more that keeps them away from the flock, while sheep are drifting away, the churches are going no where, and the pastor doesn't see what the problem could be, Certainly it has nothing to do with His. What happened to the Old Paths?

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Ahh... the laquered hairdos, oh yes, I've seen plenty of those, lol!

You are asking some good questions Miss S!

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

So what has gotten you all riled up? I have a feeling some specific thing pushed your button and caused you to start this thread. I don't recall this being a topic you have posted on before but then I could be forgetting at my age.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

We seek God as an answer to the cares of this world, a way to cope. But God is not in our pursuit of happiness, and does not value the things of this world. We get the churches we settle for--but the Church is doing great! The Holy Spirit does not need our organizations. Change is painful, but us changing seems to be the point; we're on, what, our fifth dispensation now?

So it is surely best to not fall into the trap of "yesterday was better than today," even if it is tempting. If it seems that God has taken a step back from you, take a step toward Him. Right?

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Sounds like we attended the same church.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Miss Scarlet I have also seen a lot of the things you've described lately in some of our churches. Women trying to outdo one another it seems, with the latest fashions, assessories, hairdo's. The more expensive the better for a few. There is a certain attitude of pride in some that really disgusts me. It does not take much discernment to tell the humble from the proud.

Some people won't come to church because they feel they can't dress well enough.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

MawMaw,
You're spot on! We really felt impressed a few years ago to dress pretty simple. We want to make sure that any visitors will feel comfortable. Most people in our church dress pretty simple too.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Talk about your own pastor. My pastor visits family out of state when he goes on vacation because he can't afford big game hunting trips or or excursions to France.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Is it a reaponsible thing to do... Letting anyone preach that shows up and says "God told me to preach a revival here."

And God forbid people take some time out to enjoy life... Really.

My father pastored a couple churches from the late 50s until the early 2000s. He always scheduled evangelists. I've never heard of someone allowing an evangelist they don't know come from off the streets, out of nowhere, and preach a series of services.

I attended a service where, at the end of the service, a man went up to the front and asked to sing a song. He said he was a singer and had an album or two and God wanted him to bless the church with a song.

He was tur-ble, as Charles Barkley would say. I mean it was awful. The pastor ended up ending the song early and stopping the man. But he claimed God told him to do it.

There's a good reason churches should schedule evangelists. Who in their right mind would want to open the pulpit to anyone just because they claimed God told them to preach there?

Exactly. I've known a couple pastors who spent more time fishing and golfing than preparing messages and praying, but there's nothing wrong with a pastor taking his family on vacation. In fact, they need to else the family suffers.

The pastor's first responsibility is to his family, not the church or ministry. His primary ministry is being the priest of his home. His wife needs time with him away from church matters. His children need to spend time with their father.

It's petty and wrong to complain about pastors going on vacation. They're not your slave, to be at your every beck and call.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

i think the point of "big game hunting trips, Jamaica" etc was a bit different than that though. And not to put too fine a point on this, but "slave" would be closer to the Scriptural definition of pastor than "Big game hunter." You do make a good point though, possibly--i'll have to go read up on what the Bible says about vacations :lol

Shazy, Paul said he was a slave to Christ, not the church. There's a difference. Pastors are not a saints personal Butler to be at their every whiny beck and call. The Bible never describes a pastor as a slave to the people.

At some point, a saint needs to be able to serve God a week, month, year, etc without having to run to the Pastor for more milk and pablum. At some point a saint needs to grow up and eat the meat of the word on their own.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

i won't disagree, but i do think that is a different point/thread. This thread would not apply to the many humble pastors out there, but the few noisier ones, no doubt.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

You must not have heard Bro. and Sister Freeman preach or read any of her or her Mom Sister Carrie Eastridges books talking about old time Pentecost. God directed and pastors heard the call. I loved every time she spoke or they preached and read everyone of her books.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I have been in church over twenty years, I do not need a Pastor feeding milk and burpng me. My pastor makes every decision in our church and I don't think it's right. The Bible does not say he is to run all the church business, but we should elect seven men of honest report to take care of the business of the church. I can not see this being the will of God.The pastors wife takes care of all the business of the church which we as tithers know nothing about anything.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Sis. Scarlett, welcome to Eldership:thumbsup

Then why are you complaining when they take a vacation?

What matters most is...is the Pastor spending time in prayer each day and before each service? Is there an anointing in the messages which are being preached? Is he a Godly man and example?

Stop worrying about clothes, hairstyles, vacations and other things.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

And then there's the annual youth conventions, that for the last 15 yrs, the boys look like soft handed, limp wristed, sissified pretty dressed, pretty haired girly boys, and girls that wear fancy hair, and stictite clothes like plastic wrap...

mercy



Hey daddy's, we need some manly young men in "Pentecost"!



:)

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

They are the ones that backslide...

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Gag!

We need our boys to join the local football teams!

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

:rolleyes

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Tennis?

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:lol still competitive, but at least less pugilistic

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

pretty sure the impossible male and female stereotypes are what make...those kinds of people.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Many of those young pretty boys need some of what they learn at Lighthouse Ranch for boys, working hard, living off their own food, home grown gardens, raising chickens & farm animals, driving fence posts, fixing barbed wire fence, splitting wood, things that put callouses on :thumbsup, getting dirty helping each other learn from each other, being self reliant, learning to earn, and being appreciative afterward.

Good stuff for young men. :thumbsup

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I remember hearing Sister Freeman talk about God sending Sister Eastridge to minister AMONG the literal lepers. I remember Sister Freeman speaking, praying.

I know about God directing people and the people hearing the call. I've seen it where people are spot on about exactly what to do, what to say, who to speak to in certain situations and it was the literal direction of God that guided the people I've personally witnessed and/or heard about.

These were people of prayer and consecration. I knew some people of prayer and consecration.

Hearing Sister Freeman speaking in my mind right now triggers a strong emotional response in me-- but it is a link to something in my mind that I KNOW to be much more stronger, much more real than emotions.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

God CAN direct an Evangelist to a church with a word. The Pastor should hear that word first and then he can decide if the Lord meant the word from the Evangelist to be just for the Pastor, for the Pastor and the flock, or if the Evangelist is mistaken or simply in error.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

I think all young men should serve in the Armed Forces too-- at least two years.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

you cannot "serve" two masters, JD.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Ok, you know what I mean.

Re: Pride and Vanity has taken over
 

Do i? They call it the dept of defense; you see any 'defending' going on?