The_Hiwayman, here's an update on the people who post against Pentecostal and/or Charismatic churches.
Stillwaters, zone, angela, & sarah all came out of bad Pentecostal & Charismatic churches. They don't bother much with the other denominations, just these. I use this formulas to get folks to understand why they do it:
Former Pentecostals + posting bad threads on Pentecostals = axegrinders.
When people post such things on a regular basis like it's the only thing they know about, it's usually because it's the only thing they know about. When this is all their threads & posts degrade, ridicule, & condemn, it's because from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. It's in their heart. Anger, bitterness, confusion, & all that negativity........ the abundance of the heart.
They may believe they are delivered from that terrible church, but they're not. Those feelings still drive them to condemn what hurt them. These thing are still eating them up, That's why they're so driven.
If it's not that, then it has to be a disinformation campaign to destroy faith in the heart of these believers they are attacking.
Which do you think? If you see another, please enlighten me.
Stephen63,
I see it as you describe it
I think hurt and offense is probably the main culprit. I find that many that started in Full Gospel and then drift away have legit claims of flesh working instead of the Spirit. As we both know, there have been some serious abuses in our circles and I condemn all of them. I agree with both of your explanations.
I do believe many simply do not believe that the Gifts and the 5 fold is needed for today and that is on them. I think what wears me out the most on threads like this is it always turns into the debate on tongues and nothing more. That is wihtout question the most hotly debated subject regarding the FULL Gospel, those who state God does not speak to man, in a small still voice even today, need a heart transplant.
I have been on the mission fields many times working as a minister with US missionaries and what is very interesting to see is that ALL protestant denominations, including Baptists, that work in the mission fields all believe in the FULL GOSPEL, I have met many Baptist, Southern Baptist, Methodist and even Lutheran missionaries all praying in tongues and operating in the gifts.
We had a Southern Baptist brother and his wife visit us on the field once and they both also believed in cessation, they spent 12 days with us and by day 3 that wonderful transformation took place...They had to leave their church/denomination when they got back and are career field missionaries today, because they cannot minister in the US.
If you ask them today about it all, they now understand what Acts 1.8 and Luke 24.49 really means and you could not convince them otherwise.
The thing all these naysayers miss when they play games with folks like us is this, we never claim it is in our power, it is the power of the Holy Ghost and Jesus working in us and in all truth, that is what really scares them.
You know as I do that Jesus said that the unpardonable sin is blaspheming the Holy Ghost, that is a really sad place to be in.
They have eyes but do not see and ears and do not hear....
Good stuff brother.