Welcome Fellow Christians - Steve Pixler 8/17/14

[good samaritan]

All I know is that I am who I am. If I feel to get louder I will, and if I choose to walk off the platform I will. My goal is to minister to the people. I personally feel that it is the anointing that I feel while I am preaching and feel it has been effective. My grandmother when I was a child would dance all over the church even when no else would. I remember her telling me when I was a boy not to quench the Spirit.
My grandma wasn't a theologian, but she was sincere and lived a consecrated life. I know that people like that have shaped who I am today. If I felt like whispering would help reach someone that is lost I would. Many have complimented Pixlar on his message of tolerance, but many seem to be intolerant of the way others may preach.
People today would rather have dim lighting, mood lights, a preacher sitting from a bar stool in blue jeans and you say that screamers our performance based. I'll be honest every person is performance based to a degree. I enjoyed Pixlar's sermon and he didn't scream, but I would do a poor job trying to preach like him. We all are entitled to our opinions, but I think both sides need to open minded. There is going to be people I may reach at my little church that your church may not and their will be those that you may reach that I can not. We all must do our best to be biblically accurate in following God and one day we will find out whether or not God likes southern gospel or contemporary praise and worship.
P.S. EB I wasn't meaning styles of music that is lewd, but I do mean that as long as it gives praise to God than I can care less about the melody or the tempo.

CC I also would let you know that a large number of our church congregation are not 2nd generation Pentecostals and have little church background and we seem to be growing. with the unchurched so I believe being ourselves is the only way to be loud or not.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by good samaritan

P.S. EB I wasn't meaning styles of music that is lewd, but I do mean that as long as it gives praise to God than I can care less about the melody or the tempo.

OK, let's go with that thought.

Then as long as the Thrash Metal is a cover of "I'll fly away" or "Over In The Glory Land" the sound means nothing? If the band Slipknot converted but kept their music the same but just changed the lyrics, you would still view it as worship?

[good samaritan]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

OK, let's go with that thought.

Then as long as the Thrash Metal is a cover of "I'll fly away" or "Over In The Glory Land" the sound means nothing? If the band Slipknot converted but kept their music the same but just changed the lyrics, you would still view it as worship?

I don't know who slipknot even is but if it glorifies God I think that we should make a place somewhere (maybe not necessarily Sunday worship). I don't think coloring your hair green, having piercing all over your body, growling in a microphone, and beating your guitar on the floor counts as praising God. I am sure there is some music you Or I may not like, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't glorify God.

Everything would be subject to approval, but I am conservatively open minded.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by good samaritan

I don't know who slipknot even is but if it glorifies God I think that we should make a place somewhere (maybe not necessarily Sunday worship). I don't think coloring your hair green, having piercing all over your body, growling in a microphone, and beating your guitar on the floor counts as praising God. I am sure there is some music you Or I may not like, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't glorify God.

Everything would be subject to approval, but I am conservatively open minded.

Growling in a microphone? I think you know what Slipknot sounds like, but more than win a argument you wouldn't condone listening to Death Metal or Thrash do a cover of "His Name is Wonderful. "

Music can either make a person sick to their stomach, or jump into a mosh pit and kick someone (or get kicked) in the face. Music does matter, that's why there are good singers, good musicians, and great awesome singers, and beautifully talented musicians. Yet, on the flip side of that there is utter garbage to just plain bad. I remember Elder Nathaniel Urshan being interviewed by Brother Mooney, and saying that the Apostolics were known for their music, and that is the truth. We have some wonderfully awesome singers. But can anyone say George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher belting out "Lift Up Holy Hands" would have the same effect on a congregation as Sister Mickey Mangun singing the same song?

Anyone who has heard the group Cannibal Corpse and its lead singer would give a rousing NO!

In the constant struggle to fit into the culture to become more user friendly to the sinner would-be neophyte, the Pentecostal movement is always trying to reinvent the wheel.

Brother Pixler said in one of his sermons that he didn't want people to think they came to a different planet when they entered into the church?

Well, bad news boys and girls if you follow the Bible standards against homosexuality, lying, sexual immorality, indecent language, hating those who hate you, then you are on a different planet as far as this culture is concerned. Yet, when they accept the conversion they have to conform to that planet.

The Eastern Orthodox Church in all its different ethnic groups from Greek to Russian hasn't changed the way it conducts its worship or liturgy. The Western Roman and Eastern Roman churches make up the lion share of Christians recorded in the world coming in at 49%. Pentecost is a mere blip on the radar. I personally know young married couples who after having their epiphany lead their families into Western Roman and Eastern Roman churches. Not because of the music, not because of the sermons, and not because the preacher putting modern street slang into the mouth of Jesus and His apostles. It is because they're looking for what their minds view as the sacred, the holy, the set apart from the madding world from which they live. The new and improved Pentecost isn't looking for the sacred, it is looking for Wal-Mart Jesus, an easy turnkey operation, which the pastor can come out on the platform looking like he got shot out of a canon, so the would be neophyte will feel like he is on his home planet.