Quote:
Originally Posted by Sherri
Toof, our statement of faith has basically this same phrase in it that you bolded. It doesn't mean that we "don't believe anything"! It means that we see scripturally that we are to baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that's the ONLY way we will do it in our ministry/churches. But that does NOT mean that we think everyone is lost and headed to hell.
Hope that explains it a little better to you!
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Agreed.
I was just talking to a UPC friend the other evening who's a old bible college friend. Hes far more into the UPC than I and is a strong 3 stepper and holds to the UPC Identity distictives. In the end we agreed that its 99% semantics between the libs and cons... people believe, repent, get baptized in Jesus and recieve the fullness of the Spirit. Happens in both types of churches when done properly.
On one hand: I've seen dry conservative churches that preach the message but don't do outreach and they don't have people get the holy spirit no matter how much they beat up the same people every week to invite their friends. I've seen liberal churches who forget they came from the Pentecostal branch of the Christian tree and throw it away to become Willow Creek.. but not as good.
On the other hand I've seen churches like Grace Church of Humble, Spring Tabernacle, and even one UPC church in So. Cal that has gone to jeans and guitar and have folks who aren't yet "cleaned up properly" get involved in ministries as they are learning that have powerful services. Folks get right, get baptized, and get filled with the Spirit. I've also seen conservative churches that are on fire, reach out, and alotta folks get saved because they can attach to that flavor of worship, structure, and approach.
And thats just the white churches for the most part, the black (PAW), mexican & south american (Apostolic Assemblies), jamacian/islander(both UPC and Independent), and inner city metro churches all have their little things different about them too.
Many of the hard core folks on the right haven't spent much time outside their culture... and they can't separate culture from sola scriptura. If they would take the time to fellowship with their PAW, Independent, and Apostolic Assemblies brothers even in the same area they would see at times where each is both more "liberal" and more "conservative" (PAW cuts hair but is very very very much into preacher submission, spiritual covering, and church discipline/respect) (Apostolic Assemblies could care less about TVs usually but they wear head coverings, pastoral submission like crazy, and their ministry is very much control from the bishops down... their politics makes UPC look like childs play).
Now I get it. 
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