Quote:
Originally Posted by votivesoul
While it may mean the ranks are swelling, it doesn't necessarily mean the AoG is actually growing in terms of fulfilling the Great Commission (i.e. winning the lost).
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Your statement "winning the lost" I would like to address.
"Winning the lost" should be something more than just getting people "filled with the spirit". What happens to someone who has received the HG? What about the discliping? What about the percentage of people who receive the HG, and one year later are still living for the Lord? Where are those percentages?
You see, I really feel that discipling is an area that OP has missed out on. Everyone gets excited, hoops and hollers when X number of people receive the HG. But then... what about the followup? How many of those people are discipled, and taught how to be a disciple of Jesus? In my almost 40 years in the OP, I saw that as a huge problem. People would pray around the altar for hours to get someone "filled", but then drop them like a hotcake later when they began to struggle with how to live for the Lord, while moving on to get the next person "filled". I think it is a tragedy.
It's like taking a baby after being born, and struggling to get the baby to begin to drink milk, and then once he takes a drink of the milk, then it would be like taking the milk from the baby and saying okay, here is the meat. You better start eating this now, and shape up quick, or you're outta here. I know this sounds awful, but this is the attitude I saw many take to people who just received the HS, and then expected them immediately to mature on their own.
How many people who receive the HG in a Sunday morning service, are actually still living for the Lord 6 months to a year later? Some will be (if they have families or support )... but a large percentage won't be.
I think discipling is something that should be given much more attention than it is. I know many churches have followups, classes, and things like that, but it sounds better to talk about the "10 who received the HG this morning", then to say, "Folks, let's praise the Lord for the 1 soul who received the HG last year, who is still here, and living for the Lord."
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