Any Penecostals here?

[K.K.]

I used to have a friend who was the most depressed, negative human being alive. We reconnected a month ago and he says that he found god and gave himself to the lord and is now 100% better. He seems happy- moreso than I've ever seen him.

 

After my breakup with my ex 9 months ago, I've become the most bitter, angry, downright hostile person there could ever be. I spend alot of days just wishing my ex would die already and the other days crying for thinking something so horrible.

 

I have never been too much into religion, churches etc. although I do believe in God. In my mind, if I try to be a good person and don't kill anybody then I should get into heaven. I was brought up Baptist. Went to church for 16 years until I was a rebellious teenager and said to hell with that. I've never been baptised but want to be.

 

I accompanied my friend to his church for the past 2 sundays to give it a try. I was really shocked. The people all get up and dance and sing and sway around and shout things out. It was truly weird to me. And embarrassing! Big screen t.v's everywhere and all these elaborate sets. The sermon was weird too because it was mainly just them hyping themselves up on the big screens showing all the 'souls they've saved in ethiopia..india..blah..'A lot of yelling and fist pumping. My friend said they're just excited at the thought of the lord. The church has no denomination on the sign and he couldn't/wouldn't tell me what they were until finally he said they were Penecostal.

 

So I didn't go today. I had a hard day yesterday and something about it just doesn't sit right with me. He keeps telling me that until I lose the hatred in my heart god will ignore me or can't help me. Well my thing is, I thought GOD and the church would take my bitterness and hatred away.

 

So all I know about churches is what I learned in the Baptist church which to be honest was full of hypocrites. Apparently this one is too since my friend told me I need to give up smoking, cursing etc.. to feel god yet I look over last week and he has porn on his screensaver.

 

What is this Penecostal thing? What are they? What do they believe? Why do they have to get up and speak in tongues and dance around all crazy like? It is foreign to me.

 

My intent is not to offend anyone. I just know next to nothing about religion, penecostal or otherwise and am pissed off that apparently my bitter soul can't be saved.

[K.K.]

Nothin huh.

[Butterflying]

If this church and the things going on don't feel comfortable to you, then you should not go there. Obviously, their truth is not "your truth."

 

Personally, I am non-religious. I don't consider myself an Atheist because I think it's ignorant to deny a thing that can neither be proven or disproven.

 

Overall, religions exist for various reasons but mainly to control a mass of people or to inspire hope. If you want or need a religion, it's best to choose one that inspires you, for the betterment of yourself and mankind. It may take some searching, but there are some out there that correspond with what you believe.

 

It doesn't matter what any particular church's denomination is because you'll learn that all churchs are different. Since they are created by people, it's the people (not God) who determine what is acceptable or not in any particular church. The people make the rules.

 

I used to have a major problem with religious people telling me I'm going to hell for not believing what they say. That non-sense is always shattered when I tell them "I don't believe in heaven or hell." Then they are speechless. The scare tactics can't work on me.

[taiko]

The scene from Borat I like to call it. What you saw was part of the greater Pentecostal/Charismatic/Holiness movement but not what happens on Saturday/Sunday of most churches in the greater movement. I am convinced that during the last election when Sarah Palin was nominated there was a bounty put up to find a tape of the Wassila Assemblies of God Church with her rolling on the floor yelling in a prayer language.

 

Unlike more liturgical churches, free worshiping evangelic churches may take a week and just get a report from a missionary or just break into small groups to pray for each. Very few have a set of scriptures assigned that week by their Bishop.

 

Some, but not most Pentecostal churches encourage members to pray in their heavenly tongue or prayer language. All see it as possible that God gives a person the gift which is one distinguishing and most publicly distinguishing of feature of Pentecostals. As many see it as the initial sign of being baptized by the Holy Spirit and other gifts such as prophecy or spiritual healing may follow if God allowed the speaking of tongues. In most cases it would just happen for a few minutes during a 30 minute praise and worship block of time. And the praise leader would actually call for it. You can hear it happen on many live recordings by Gospel music artist.

 

As for porn still being around, while many may testify about a "aha I am saved" moment and total change of life I guess for most it is a series of steps, some stay with it others "backslide" and drop out.

[BetheButterfly]

I used to have a friend who was the most depressed, negative human being alive. We reconnected a month ago and he says that he found god and gave himself to the lord and is now 100% better. He seems happy- moreso than I've ever seen him.

 

I am glad he is happy now. Happiness though is a feeling that comes and goes depending on circumstances.

 

After my breakup with my ex 9 months ago, I've become the most bitter, angry, downright hostile person there could ever be. I spend alot of days just wishing my ex would die already and the other days crying for thinking something so horrible.

I am sorry you are hurting. It does hurt to break up, and it does feel like your heart is being torn out. I know; I've been there.

 

I have never been too much into religion, churches etc. although I do believe in God. In my mind, if I try to be a good person and don't kill anybody then I should get into heaven. I was brought up Baptist. Went to church for 16 years until I was a rebellious teenager and said to hell with that. I've never been baptised but want to be.

I was brought up Baptist too.

I accompanied my friend to his church for the past 2 sundays to give it a try. I was really shocked. The people all get up and dance and sing and sway around and shout things out. It was truly weird to me. And embarrassing! Big screen t.v's everywhere and all these elaborate sets. The sermon was weird too because it was mainly just them hyping themselves up on the big screens showing all the 'souls they've saved in ethiopia..india..blah..'A lot of yelling and fist pumping. My friend said they're just excited at the thought of the lord. The church has no denomination on the sign and he couldn't/wouldn't tell me what they were until finally he said they were Penecostal.

I've gone to a Pentecostal church before, but the experience scared me. For some people though, they seem to respond well to that denomination (group of people who believe in God a certain way) I did not.

So I didn't go today. I had a hard day yesterday and something about it just doesn't sit right with me.

That's fine. Pentecostal definitely is not for everybody.

 

He keeps telling me that until I lose the hatred in my heart god will ignore me or can't help me.

That is untrue. God meets you where you are. Just seek Him and open your heart up to Him. Be honest with Him. He knows you better than you know yourself, and He loves you more than you love yourself.

Well my thing is, I thought GOD and the church would take my bitterness and hatred away.

God can. Church can't. God isn't a building. God isn't a denomination. God isn't a religion. God is Spirit who created the universe and who loves you more than any mere mortal can. God is not limited to time, gravity, a body. God is all knowing, all present, all powerful. God is loving and just and gives and takes away. Humans compared to God are like grasshoppers compared to people, yet God made and loves humankind and wants the best for us. He rejoices when people come to Him. I love Luke 15, because it shows how much God is for us. He isn't our enemy. He is on our side and is routing for us. He LOVES us.

 

Luke 15 (NIV) - I boldened some.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

 

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

 

The Parable of the Lost Coin

 

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

The Parable of the Lost Son

 

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

 

If you ask Him to take your bitterness and hatred away, He will, but He requires you to do your part. God didn't make people to just say "Make me this or that" and POOF! It magically happens, no. It takes giving your thoughts to God and asking continually for help and acting on it.

 

Start praying for your ex, that God will bless your ex. When you curse and wish your ex to die, ask God for forgiveness and bless you ex again, and ask God for healing, and then take steps to be healed. It's like a physical wound. If you had a bullet wound, it makes no sense to go to the doctor and ask for him to fix you up, yet at the same time, slash yourself with a knife.

 

So all I know about churches is what I learned in the Baptist church which to be honest was full of hypocrites.

There are sad to say lots of hypocrites. Being a hypocrite is actually very easy. In the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus had very harsh words to say to hypocrites.

 

Apparently this one is too since my friend told me I need to give up smoking, cursing etc.. to feel god yet I look over last week and he has porn on his screensaver.

That is sad.

 

Once you love God, you will want to obey God because you love Him. Hopefully your friend will give up porn out of love for God. God loves purity and God made sex to be in the safe and beautiful form of marriage.

 

What is this Penecostal thing? What are they? What do they believe? Why do they have to get up and speak in tongues and dance around all crazy like? It is foreign to me.

Pentecostal mixes Acts 1-2 with other things. The apostles of Jesus however, as far as one researches, did not dance around crazy, and the tongues they spoke at Pentecost were actual human languages.

 

My intent is not to offend anyone. I just know next to nothing about religion, penecostal or otherwise and am pissed off that apparently my bitter soul can't be saved.

Your soul can most definitely be saved. You do not have to become Pentecostal to be saved, or Baptist, or any other group. Denominations don't save. God does.

Edited August 22, 2011 by BetheButterfly

[taiko]

 

Pentecostal mixes Acts 1-2 with other things. The apostles of Jesus however, as far as one researches, did not dance around crazy, and the tongues they spoke at Pentecost were actual human languages.

 

.

The "Borat" revival tent scene of people rolling along the floor screaming is not the Acts moment, it is when the elder releases the church for a 1 Corinthians 14:2 moment. It tends to be evangelist and missionaries who come back to Charismatic Catholic and Pentecostal churches who report people suddenly specking in a known language.

[K.K.]

Thank you all for your replies. BeTheButterfly, I appreciate the details like that, thanks for taking the time to do that and for your empathy.

 

I think I'm going to continue going to this church if for nothing more than to see my friend on Sundays since I never get to see him much. I think tho, that it probably isn't the right fit for me. Like I said, I'm not much on churches anyway and this one just floors me. But I owe it to him to give it a chance.

 

I figure if it starts to really interfere with my own beliefs, I'll just stop.

 

See... I don't believe in all these rules. I just think one needs to love God and try to treat people with kindness. I could never give up my cursing or smoking. Sad but true. I'm not a very religious person anyway. I think it's a personal thing one has with God. And nobody will know the real truth until their final hour.

[Barrsitter]

You say you are not into your friend's church. That's cool. Why not pick up the Bible and start reading in the Book of John? Let God speak to your heart as you read. He will direct you and lead you to Himself and to the right church.

 

Be well.

[quankanne]

He keeps telling me that until I lose the hatred in my heart God will ignore me or can't help me. Um, no, it's not how that relationship works, and yeah, he's got a skewed idea of what goes on between your heart and God's ... even the Bible talks about how heaven rejoices over the found, single, lost sheep even though the other 99 are safe and sound. Every soul is precious, period.

 

not Pentecostal but a cradle Catholic, and my relationship with Him is a very private thing, so it becomes uncomfortable to me to see people get loud and showy. And we've got a charismatic community in the Church, so I've experienced their version of worship, it's just not my cup of tea. But, if it helps them to be closer to God, more power to them, as long as none are hurt by their actions.

 

as for giving up your sinful ways, the whole idea of that divine relationship with the Big Guy is to become pure in spirit, so if those acts are throwing up roadblocks, then yeah, it's time to get rid of them. Fortunately, the Catholic Church preaches moderation in all things, because she knows that we have our passions and likes. She just doesn't want them to become vices that hurt us instead of add depth to our life, so to speak.

 

if the only way for you to connect with your friend is to sit in a place of worship that makes you uncomfortable to a point where you sense something is not right (for whatever reason), you might want to rethink church attendence and try to meet up in another setting. God isn't going to smite you for not going to X service, I imagine he's just thrilled you're interested in being in a relationship with Him

[Floridaman]

Thank you all for your replies. BeTheButterfly, I appreciate the details like that, thanks for taking the time to do that and for your empathy.

 

I think I'm going to continue going to this church if for nothing more than to see my friend on Sundays since I never get to see him much.

I think tho, that it probably isn't the right fit for me.

 

Like I said, I'm not much on churches anyway and this one just floors me. But I owe it to him to give it a chance.

 

I figure if it starts to really interfere with my own beliefs, I'll just stop.

 

See... I don't believe in all these rules. I just think one needs to love God and try to treat people with kindness. I could never give up my cursing or smoking. Sad but true. I'm not a very religious person anyway. I think it's a personal thing one has with God. And nobody will know the real truth until their final hour.

Like BeTheButterfly, I attended Baptist services in college. But became uncomfortable and moved on to other denominations like Lutheran and Methodist. Dated a Catholic and we married in her church. We now attend a "non-denominational" church that's a part of a nationwide non-denomination movement.

 

A woman I dated in my late 20s, she was involved in a church that did the "speaking in tongues." Never felt comfortable at that church and she sensed it.

 

You've gotten some good advice here. Go with churches that you feel comfortable with.

[Floridaman]

He keeps telling me that until I lose the hatred in my heart God will ignore me or can't help me.

 

Um, no, it's not how that relationship works, and yeah, he's got a skewed idea of what goes on between your heart and God's ... even the Bible talks about how heaven rejoices over the found, single, lost sheep even though the other 99 are safe and sound. Every soul is precious, period.

 

not Pentecostal but a cradle Catholic, and my relationship with Him is a very private thing, so it becomes uncomfortable to me to see people get loud and showy. And we've got a charismatic community in the Church, so I've experienced their version of worship, it's just not my cup of tea. But, if it helps them to be closer to God, more power to them, as long as none are hurt by their actions.

 

as for giving up your sinful ways, the whole idea of that divine relationship with the Big Guy is to become pure in spirit, so if those acts are throwing up roadblocks, then yeah, it's time to get rid of them. Fortunately, the Catholic Church preaches moderation in all things, because she knows that we have our passions and likes. She just doesn't want them to become vices that hurt us instead of add depth to our life, so to speak.

 

if the only way for you to connect with your friend is to sit in a place of worship that makes you uncomfortable to a point where you sense something is not right (for whatever reason), you might want to rethink church attendence and try to meet up in another setting. God isn't going to smite you for not going to X service, I imagine he's just thrilled you're interested in being in a relationship with Him

Well-stated, Quank.