Pitfalls in Solely Relying on Acts for doctrine?

[TRFrance]

Originally Posted by keith4him

In rereading this, this seems to give the reasons why the AOG is at a dry place regarding their membership receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believe the last percentage was around 35% claim to be tongue talkers or have experience Tongues at all.

If it were indeed 35%, that would be considered a massive improvement, brother.

The Last published statistic I saw put the number at 20% of their new converts have had the experience .

"In a recent news article on the A/G website, culled from a message he preached in the headquarters chapel, he notes that only 25% of new converts follow through to water baptism, and only 20% experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Further, only about 4% actually make it to the Sunday morning worship service."

http://blogrodent.wordpress.com/2006...ng-disciplers/
http://rss.ag.org/articles/detail.cf..._Source=search
http://ag.org/top/about/Statistical_Report_2004.pdf

[Pastor Keith]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

If it were indeed 35%, that would be considered a massive improvement, brother.

The Last published statistic I saw put the number at 20% of their new converts have had the experience .

"In a recent news article on the A/G website, culled from a message he preached in the headquarters chapel, he notes that only 25% of new converts follow through to water baptism, and only 20% experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Further, only about 4% actually make it to the Sunday morning worship service."

http://blogrodent.wordpress.com/2006...ng-disciplers/
http://rss.ag.org/articles/detail.cf..._Source=search
http://ag.org/top/about/Statistical_Report_2004.pdf

I wanted to tend toward a liberal accounting, I couldn't remember the exact # but surely is not good.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by keith4him

In rereading this, this seems to give the reasons why the AOG is at a dry place regarding their membership receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believe the last percentage was around 35% claim to be tongue talkers or have experience Tongues at all.

That percentage may be the same as the early church.

Over 500 people believed that Jesus rose from the dead and these folks were called "brethren" by Paul when he wrote about it 35 years later in 1 Corinthians 15:6. So, it looks like after Jesus' resurrection, the early church had over 500 members. However, only about 120 of these received the Holy Ghost Baptism at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. So that equals 24 percent or less.

[Sam]

How many of the folks who "speak in tongues" in Pentecostal churches actually speak in a "language" and how many have had their chins wiggled and how many have been shaken so their words come out garbled, and how many have been told to keep repeating certain words or sounds until they get their tongue tangled up and gibberish comes out? How honest are we in facing this? There was a recent post about Bro. Joe Duke and how many received the Holy Ghost Baptism in his ministry but some who were there were honest enough to admit he had folks repeat "nonsense syllables" until they came out jumbled enough to be called "tongues."

[iceniez]

Originally Posted by Sam

How many of the folks who "speak in tongues" in Pentecostal churches actually speak in a "language" and how many have had their chins wiggled and how many have been shaken so their words come out garbled, and how many have been told to keep repeating certain words or sounds until they get their tongue tangled up and gibberish comes out? How honest are we in facing this? There was a recent post about Bro. Joe Duke and how many received the Holy Ghost Baptism in his ministry but some who were there were honest enough to admit he had folks repeat "nonsense syllables" until they came out jumbled enough to be called "tongues."

I know My Wife and I both speak in languages so does my Kids None of us recieved the Holy Ghost in a Church setting We all Recieved at Home.I have seen what you are talking about and am disgusted by it.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by iceniez

I know My Wife and I both speak in languages so does my Kids None of us recieved the Holy Ghost in a Church setting We all Recieved at Home.I have seen what you are talking about and am disgusted by it.

Interesting. Can I ask how it is that you know this?

[TRFrance]

Originally Posted by Sam

That percentage may be the same as the early church.

Over 500 people believed that Jesus rose from the dead and these folks were called "brethren" by Paul when he wrote about it 35 years later in 1 Corinthians 15:6. So, it looks like after Jesus' resurrection, the early church had over 500 members. However, only about 120 of these received the Holy Ghost Baptism at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. So that equals 24 percent or less.

Sam, have you considered that maybe not all 500 of those people were in the upper room with the others on the Day of Pentecost?

[Sam]

Originally Posted by TRFrance

Sam, have you considered that maybe not all 500 of those people were in the upper room with the others on the Day of Pentecost?

There were about 120 associated with the upper room according to Acts 1:13-15

[TRFrance]

Originally Posted by Sam

There were about 120 associated with the upper room according to Acts 1:13-15

Yes, so based on that, the other 380 did not receive it when the initial 120 did.

But we cant come up with a figure that 24% of them received the Holy Ghost, because we dont know if/when the other 380 received it. We know that many thousands received it shortly after the first group did, not just on the day of Pentecost , but afterward also.

[DaveC519]

Hello Dan,

But Fee, following the lead of many Evangelicals, maintains that this line of argumentation rests on a shaky hermeneutical foundation.

This statement intimates the author brought to the table his predilections instead of developing an objective hermeneutic, if indeed he was merely "following the lead of many Evangelicals".