So maybe we should ask Pentecostal churches if anybody had a supernatural encounter with the "Holy Spirit" BUT still do not believe in Jesus Christ?
I read somewhere about the after affects of the revival at Azusa as they did draw in alot of people from the bars. After the manifestations of the "Spirit" had gone away, it was reported that these life changing converts went back to the bars.
In these recent times, I saw a televised testimony of a person that used to get high on drugs, but now he gets high on the Lord. What are the chances that after these supernatural encounters went away, he went back to drugs?
So I do wonder how many that are Pentecostals by church membership but are "still" not believers in Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that because they went back to drugs & booze that they are not saved, but I do wonder what people are being "converted to" and that there may be a chance that they still do not believe in Jesus Christ at all yet?
Why single out just the Pentecostals on this?
I know several in different Protestant denominations, and even Lutherans and Catholics, who say they Believe in Jesus and live a lifestyle that is completely counter to what one would expect, once they have truly repented.
Baptists and other protestant denominations proclaim eternal security, yet each Sunday thousands of them, across the country flock, to the invitation call, to "re-dedicate" their lives back to Jesus and go right back to living in the world.
Stop painting with a narrow brush, that somehow this is just a Pentecostal issue. Churches of every denomination have non believers filling the pews. In Fact many protestant and even some Lutheran churches refuse to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified, and risen again. They won't preach that without the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sin, they teach God and his love and thousands sit on pews each Sunday morning, believing they have salvation, but have been lied to, because of timidity from the pulpit and the refusal to preach the word.
We are told to be born again and is just not the forgiveness of sins....and then whoop D Do! I can go right back to living any way I want to.........God's love for you will carry you straight to the gates of Hell. The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Repentance is not forgiveness they are 2 very, very different things. Yet thousands are told that Jesus forgives you and that' all they need. Wrong, the person must repent and be born again. Born again is total and complete regeneration of the old man and a new man is created.
Until you truly repent and surrender your life and let Jesus become Lord over your life, nothing changes.
Stop making this out to be only be a Pentecostal issue....I find it very interesting that out of all denominations today, The Pentecostal/Full Gospel/Spirit Filled Denominations are the only ones that seem to have church Sunday AM/PM and have a mid week service. I live near one of the greatest Bible towns in the World( Tulsa OK) and you are hard pressed to find a Sunday Evening service being held for Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalian's, Presbyterian's, Church of Christ, etc.
Why do people walk away? Because many that go into any kind of church today, looking for true love and acceptance, do not see any difference between the world and true agape love and church people truly walking as Jesus did.
Besides its kinda hard to save the lost and disciple them when the church doors are only open on Sunday morning, and the First Church of the Frigidaire had to be out and to lunch by 11am-Noon and are spoon fed lots of skim milk and diet cookies of theology and not the meat of the word.
Its very hard for the world to believe in the stories of Jesus when thousands state yeah that was good for him and the Jews/Gentiles and the Apostles, but those things ceased when the Bible came along.
You have yees but you refuse to see and ears but refuse to hear.