Pentecostalism's sketchy origins

No different than to any of us. I expected a special imputation as your thought....and didn't see one.

Please understand that the Galatians 2 incident occurred long after God summoned Peter to Cornelius (thereby confirming the inclusion of gentiles into the redemption so promised in Abraham).

Probably eight years afterward in fact.

No, but Peter undoubtedly understood perfectly well that the Gentiles were included in the gracous redemptive purposes of God. The matter at hand was one of being backslidden......not of Peter being ignorant or oblivious of the redemption of the Gentiles.

Acts chapter 10 (Peter meeting with Cornelius).....apx 39AD.
Galatians 2:11 (Peter arrives in Antioch)......apx 48AD.
Galatians 2:14 (Judaizers influence Peter).....apx 48AD.
Acts chapter 15 Council of Jerusalem........apx 48AD.

The problem was that the Judaizers were having their ill effects on even Peter himself.

Peter SHOULD HAVE understood perfectly well, but apparently he didn't for he had happily been sharing meals with the Gentiles but when people came from James he drew back from the Gentiles. Thereby setting up the whole division of Jew/Gentiles again. This was a massive contention in the young church. Even though the matter was settled at the Jerusalem conference still John Mark [Simon Peter's nephew] parted with Paul and later Barnabas also.

But the revelation of the mystery which Paul had was that the church was to be established in the nations, among the heathen. That was something well beyond the pale for the Jews. The church for them must remain focussed at Jerusalem.

They believed Paul, they accepted him ... but they never quite understood him. As Peter admits "many things [Paul] writes are things hard to be understood."

Well the reason Peter withdrew from the Gentiles was because those coming from James taught that the Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the law.

Paul was not having any of it.

The Pentecostalists

"Backslidden" may not be the fairest term when applied to Peter. Had you been a strict Torah-observant Jew who had been taught to keep his distance from "defiling" Gentiles because of what happened in the time of Ezra-Nehemiah, you would have had a very hard time accepting the fact that the Gentile "dogs" were suddenly being offered salvation. Do you recall what Jesus said to the Syrophoenician woman?

God had to use some strong persuasion to send Peter to the home of Cornelius. And even though Peter witnessed firsthand that God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to all those Gentiles, and even though Peter had them all baptized, he would still have had some reservations. So when the Judaizers managed to persuade Peter to keep his distance from the Gentile believers, he went along with their nonsense. That Paul had to rebuke him for inconsistency meant that Peter was still getting used to the idea of Gentiles within the Church. The revelation of the "mystery" of the Church (Jew and Gentile in one Body) was given to Paul, not to Peter. Peter was from Galilee while Paul was from Tarsus. That too had an impact on their views of Gentiles.

While this really has nothing to do with Pentecostalism, their doctrine of being baptized "in the Spirit" also creates two-tiered Christianity. Those filled with the Spirit speak in tongues, and those not filled with the Spirit do not. So who is better?

Pentecostalists are not a cult. We are entirely orthodox and evangelical. What we do is apply those good evangelical doctrines concerning salvation also to our PHYSICAL well being. Healing and godly prosperity.

We believe in FULL salvation for the total man. Body, mind and spirit or body soul and spirit.

If it were not for the Pentecostal/Charismatic revival Evangelicalism would have been history a long time ago.

When they talk about falling numbers they mean traditional evangelicals, the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches continue to multiply.

In China there are now MORE christians than America and Pentecostalism is all they know. Africa and even India is opening her doors.

Praise the Lord.

You're nothing if not consistent. You never waver in your delusions.

I'd stop short of saying Pentecostalism is a full-on cult, but it fails the smell test for sound doctrine.

There are 2 narratives you can follow in the book of Acts, there is the narrative of the apostles or there is the narrative of those who scoffed.

Like I said, you're entrenched in your false ideas. I know better than to try and talk you out of them.

No legitimate Christian scoffs at the gifts of the Spirit so noted in the NT. However what passes today in Pentecostalism as gifts of the Spirit is another matter altogether.

I am all for a revival of the gifts of the Spirit. Unfortunately as an acute observer I have yet to see it come to pass. Because the gifts of the spirit are indisputable, intentionally so.

says the reprobate-------
Jesus was clear His own would do greater works than He, whereas most would hold to an outward form denying the power.
Thank you Evmur, for being a genuine Christian.

Many of us are seeing them and experiencing them every day, and in every way.

My question too...

With all due respect, and I think you know I do respect you (not that it may matter to you) just because you haven't personally seen something doesn't mean it hasn't or isn't happening.

Pentecostals come in many verities . From the cult of the snake handlers to the privet prayer closet types. Like every other group of people some are for real some not.

Totally agree. Still waiting and watching here.....

The way I see it, Pentecostals today are long on salesmanship........and short on product.

Please provide some cell phone videos of these innumerable acts of speaking in tongues. I need to conduct a forensic examination.

Thank you.