I have grown up in Charismatic/Pentecostal churches all of my life. It is all I have ever known. I have visited Baptist churches and have many pastor friends that are not Charismatic. I do not reject the teachings of the Bible when it comes to being filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and I am not against the “moving of the Spirit” in a worship service. However, the older I get and the more Word I instill in my life, the more i realize that Charismatic/Pentecostal people have substituted experiences and emotion for the Word of God. People like me that have grown up in churches where the goal is to not have the sermon preached and everyone shout and fall out under the power or have extended times of worship are lacking an understanding of the Word. We are even lacking in a hunger for God’s Word.
We really need to get back to establishing a solid foundation built on His Word and continue to equipped for the work of the ministry. Why have Charismatic circles limited the power of God to operating only in church services? Very few of Jesus’ miracles or signs and wonders of the apostles happened in a church setting. Where did we make a wrong turn in our thinking? The Pentecostal church of today believes that it is one of the free-est groups in the world but yet we probably contain God to our church services more than any other belief. Now Paul did talk about tongues in church in 1 Cor. 14. He said that we need to have an interpreter present to benefit the whole assembly otherwise, they need to pray to themselves because it is for self-edification. The Bible clearly says that two or at the most three should give out a tongue and if there is no interpreter, they should keep silent. Paul also said that all of you can prophesy! That term there means to speak words of edification and I believe we need to see more of that happening in the church today.
When we don’t read and understand God’s Word, we tend to make up our own rules and those rules are based off of my experiences, what makes sense to me and what feels good. We try to then rationalize God and find a scripture to validate our experience. Now that is backwards from what the Bible teaches. EVERYTHING that you experience and encounter should come as a result of the Word. Period. Jesus even said in Mark 16:15 to go and preach the Word, and then…the signs will follow them that believe. We like the signs first and then try to get the Word on it and it is backwards. Even Peter when he declared the prophesy of Joel being fulfilled by the tongues coming upon them, on the day of Pentecost was quoting that this is the Word that we have heard coming to pass! We tend to want to feel and then validate our feeling or emotion but God wants to give us His Word first. He gives us His Word first because Rom.10:17 says that that is where faith comes from and how can I believe God for anything unless I have faith, how can I have faith if I dont have the Word? The Bible also tells us that we need to judge everything by the light of the Word of God. Frankly, a lot of Charismatic traditions and experiences are not in the Word and we need to be able to rightly divide and discern what is from God and what is not.
We must always be willing to give up what we believe for the truth. Emotions and experiences are good and God gave them to us but He never meant for them to be a substitute for His Word. He honors His Word above His name and the Bible talks about How great His name is! His Word is extremely important and we cannot live from experience to experience and hope God changes us and makes us into who He wants us to be..no…it is His Word that shapes us and molds us and makes us into who He wants us to be. In 2 Timothy Paul says that this Word is profitable for correction and reproof and doctrine…This is it!
I believe that God wants to move among His people in great ways in and out of church services when the music is just right and the emotions are high. I believe that God wants us to take the things He has promised us into all of the world and not just our church services. I want the signs to be following me because I believe on His Word. Hebrews 5:14 talks about us being able to discern what is from God and what is not. It says “by reason of use” have exercised to be able to discern both good and evil. He is talking about Spiritually mature people here…We need to be able to discern what is of God and what is of the flesh.
God desires to move among His people but He desires for us to grow into spiritual maturity and get the Word inside of us. How loud someone prays and vibrant someone worships does not determine their spiritual maturity. Hey, even how long they have been saved or how many times they have read the Bible does not determine their spiritual maturity. So what does? How much does a person seek to understand, apply and share the Word of God…the fruit speaks for itself.
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LOVE this. So, so True.
Derik, Nice job. I think you have hit it on the head. So many times, we want to jump and shout, and it’s needed, but that should not take over the whole service. Our pastor, Bro Hill in Pine Bluff, would allow for the exuberant worship, but he always made it a point to leave us with a Word from the Lord, so that those that weren’t really ‘letting loose’ could have something to hang on to. I enjoy the move of the Spirit, but I don’t dance and cut loose like a lot of Pentecostals do.
Love you man. It’s good to see what you have become and are still growing into. Keep loving God!
Aunt Beth
So true, Pastor Derik! Preach and teach what the WORD of God says; not what my emotions are wanting! Great words of wisdom!