It’s Official: I’m Not A Pentecostal
I have to apologize in advance for those I may offend by posting the following. This is just my point of view on my faith…take it or leave it. But definitely, please read it.
I am a Christian. I attend the Church of God of Prophecy, which is a decidedly Pentecostal church throughout the world, and my Christian beliefs tend to border on the Pentecostal/Baptist side of things.
However, as of today I’m going to stop calling myself a Pentecostal. This is for two main reasons.
1. I am a Christian, as stated above. In the Bible, you didn’t have Baptists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Pentecostals, etc. Anyone who believed and called on the name of the Lord was saved and I believe the same applies today. I am a Christian along with anyone else who decides to follow and seek after God with all their heart. No further label needs to be applied.
2. I disagree with a major tenet of Pentecostalism as it exists today: the phenomenon known as “being slain in the Spirit.” The next few paragraphs will expound on this, based on what I’ve read in the Bible.
Those of us that attend Pentecostal churches know how being “slain in the Spirit” goes. If not, read this entry in Wikipedia — I don’t have time to type it all out.
As one who has participated in services where myself and others have been “slain in the Spirit,” I’ve felt increasingly uncomfortable when seeing it happen. Do I believe in the Holy Spirit? Definitely. Do I believe in speaking in tongues? Yes. Done it myself. Do I believe in being slain in the Spirit? Until today I didn’t know until I really extensively researched the topic.
First off before I list my reasons of Biblical evidence I have found to support my position, I want to make a disclaimer that I am not trying to put God in a box…I’m simply trying to match the practice of my Pentecostal brothers and sisters to the Word. So let’s compare from here.
Falling forward or backward?
In many instances of seeing people “slain,” they fall backwards, not forward. Every instance of Scripture I’ve seen in which people were touched of the Lord, they fell forward in reverence and respect. Even the Philistine god Dagon, when in the same room of the Ark of the Covenant, was broken in half and fallen forward before the Ark. In Daniel 4:10-11, the prophet Daniel relates how he fell forward as he received a prophecy from God himself. Bowing or lying prostrate before someone in Biblical times was a huge sign of respect and humility.
In contrast to that, those who fell backwards usually weren’t doing so with a good reason. I Samuel 4:18 says Eli fell backward and died after hearing his sons died. Isaiah 28:13 says that those that don’t hear God’s word will stumble backward and be broken. Many other instances in the Word point to the fact that falling backward is a sign of physical and spiritual regression.
What Are The Fruits of the Spirit?
In Galatians 5 it is clearly stated that one of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control. If that is the case then why do we have people who are supposedly touched by God’s spirit, playing leap-frog, smacking each other, screaming and pushing each other backwards? It makes no sense. Self-control means to be of a sound mind, something that 2 Timothy 1:7 says God has given us. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says God is not the author of confusion, and many times these “Holy Ghost parties” as I call them bring mass amounts of confusion and utter chaos in our churches.
The Spirit empowers us, not renders us powerless or immobile.
Jesus Himself touched people physically throughout the time of His ministry, and I didn’t read of a single one of them falling over and flopping like a fish out of water. Instead they glorified God and ran to tell others of what was done.
Jesus, after He left this earth, commissioned the Holy Spirit, to give us comfort and power to witness, be bolder in our spiritual lives, receive healing and simply further empower us as Christians. He never said He was going to send a Spirit that would touch us in such a way that we would be unable to physically respond to it, or worse yet, respond in a way over which we supposedly have no control.
We are commanded to try the spirits.
1 John 4:1 plainly instructs us to test the spirits that are manifested and see if they are of God. The major litmus test for this is to line up what is happening against the Scripture. The Spirit and the Word agree, and God the Word is not going to contradict God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
So many people are so eager for a touch from the Lord that they’re willing to accept anything, even if it’s something downright heretical. Many people anticipate such a great move of the Lord that they’re willing to do whatever it takes — even if it’s not of God — to move others into feeling the same thing. This is right in line with the false prophecy and teaching the Bible warns us all about.
If we’re not willing to try the spirits for ourselves and believe whatever whoever is behind the pulpit tells us without researching it further, we’re all in bad shape.
—-
This is all just a small smattering of things I am uncovering in the Bible that, to me, clearly go against what modern-day Pentecostals believe to be a mighty move of the Lord in what they term as being “slain in the Spirit.”
I have come to a conclusion that being slain in the Spirit is unbiblical, but I’m not ready to discount the practice as a whole, or place judgments on anyone who does it. I’m saying that I don’t agree with it, and it doesn’t line up with my interpretation of Scripture. If it does with yours, then I honestly hope God blesses you through it.
Personally, I am not an active tongue-speaker. I would rather pray for someone in plain English and rely on the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide them. And yes, if someone who I am praying for tries to flop down to the floor, I’ll give them a bear hug and keep them on their feet.
I’m not saying this to discredit anything God has truly done or can do, because He can do anything he wants. I just don’t think the Lord operates out of the confines He Himself has set in His holy word.
That being said, I refuse to align myself with a belief system that goes against my personal and spiritual convictions after reading God’s Word and praying for understanding.
I am not a Pentecostal; I am a Christian.
13 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jason
Well, all I can say is that the Bible says each person must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. If this is what you honestly feel from the Lord, then go with it. I can agree though that I have been to several camps where “Holy Ghost Parties” took place, and when I refused to participate, people become beligerent or downright angry. Now that doesn’t seem too Godly to me. But on the other hand I have been to such events and received blessings from the Lord. As long as people are focusing on God and not going with the flesh (and who hasn’t?) then you definitely see specific blessings that you are able to identify.
-Jas
May 22nd, 2007
Erin
This is very interesting.
May 22nd, 2007
Chris
Jason, good points.
I will not discount the slain in the Spirit phenomenon for other people…however it doesn’t hold up to a litmus test of having any sort of precedent in the Bible.
People say God is moving in a new way, but I don’t see Him changing beyond what is outlined in His Word.
May 22nd, 2007
Sybil
Well, well. well. Here we go again. For myself I believe it to be real. I am not speaking of people getting into self, but rather the Holy Spirit falling on people. It has happened to me and no-one had to push me, but I didn’t fall backward or forward but rather I liken it to butter melting. It seemed slow and I just dissolved, not going backward or forward but just settling down in a heap.
I have also prayed for people and watched this happen to them. I have prayed for individuals who were possessed by demons and they practically flew back, was it me? No, but the power of the Spirit, especially when I had barely touched them.
The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost, and we know that when Christ prayed for people the Holy Spirit did not manifest Himself the way He did after Pentecost, for it wasn’t His time yet.
I don’t usually tell people that I am pentecostal but a Christian, and when prompted about which denomination, I simply say “Spirit-filled”. To many people the label “pentecostal” has a stigma attached to it, but you know what; so does saying you are a Christian. In this day and age we have to explain that we are “born-again” Christians because even the world recognizes the difference between saying you are one and truly being one.
You know bud, you mentioned temperance, but to me you are taking that out of the contextual meaning of the scripture. Yes, it means self-controlled,(not given to much wine, or having wrath) but you see when the Spirit moves upon us, we aren’t in control…He is! That doesn’t give us license to get into self, but when the Holy Spirit and fire hits you, you can’t help but respond, if it means falling backward or forward it doesn’t matter, I just want to be open to receiving whatever the Spirit has for me.
May 24th, 2007
Jason
Good point mom. As far as being slain in the Spirit, once I gave over to the Lord and let Him do as He pleased, then I fell (oh yes, on my back-lol). No it wasn’t a devil thing since I didn’t fall forward, and I had no control. Yes the Spirit is subject to the user, but when we let Him take control, amazing things happen.
By the way, I saw Benny Hinn straight up punch people over in that video you posted! I laughed and so did my roommate. We freaking lost it as we watched. Good times…. good times….
-Airborne!
May 24th, 2007
Chris
You stopped posting with that Essayons tagline and now you’re using Airborne.
Smooth.
May 24th, 2007
Sybil
Because he is airborne! duh
May 25th, 2007
Chris
Yeah but I don’t sign my posts like this.
-Broadcasting!
May 25th, 2007
Sybil
No you don’t perhaps you should, but one thing you should do is stop making negative comments about your brother, I’m sure you don’t want to do that anymore now do you?!
May 25th, 2007
Chris
Agreed. I apologize.
Back to the topic at hand.
May 25th, 2007
Michael Perozzo
Gotta agree with ya, Chris. I’ve been in too many “church” services where the Holy Spirit is severely abused. Almost used as an excuse for people to give into personal emotions. As far as “slain in the Spirit” goes, I can say I’ve only seen it used appropriately once or twice. 99 times out of 10 (yes, ten) it’s grossly abused. Hence, I took the position to not make room for it in any service I had a part in.
Temperance carries with it not only the self-control of our bodies, but the control of our emotions as well. The Holy Spirit does not control us like a force. He is not a mystical being or power. He is not a tool to be manipulated by man. The Holy Spirit is a person. He talks, walks and guides. He comforts and directs. He does not control, frighten or provide an excuse for us to act on emotion. I’ve been around far too many folks who almost believe this: He who acts out the most is the most “filled”. It’s absurd. There is nothing in scripture that even suggests that the Holy Spirit takes over our bodies or minds in any way. Only that he provides strength, comfort and knowledge.
When I finally realized that the Holy Spirit was a person, just like Jesus Christ and God the Father, it all came together. He’s not the 3rd wheel of the Godhead.
The Holy Spirit is a powerful ally when you really know Him. The gifts he gives are powerful tools when used appropriately. The fruits a relationship with Him bear are priceless when we let them shine through.
Remember the armor of God. His Word is our weapon - we should rely on that more.
May 25th, 2007
Chris
Good thought about the Spirit being a Person, Michael. The Holy Spirit is basically Jesus’ replacement here on earth after He ascended unto heaven.
So one question I ask is that if all the physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the Bible involved something that empowered people, such as Elijah outrunning King Ahab’s chariots and the prisoners being set free in Acts…how come we have people nowadays that are touched by that same power and instead of being physically empowered, are rendered immobile for an undeterminate period of time???
And why do most people I know who have been “slain” get up and when they relate what God did for them, they give some generic answer such as “I got renewed in my spirit,” or “God took me deeper.”
Not trying to cast any doubt on the practice, like I said if it works for others and someone has truly been blessed by it, then who am I to knock it. I just have many questions and right now I can’t bring myself to believe being slain in the Spirit matches up with the Word.
May 25th, 2007
Sybil
Hmmm, your dad and I were talking about a few previous posts and think it is sad how people err not knowing the truth. Perhaps dad will post some of his thoughts on this matter, bringing more clarity to a much misunderstood subject. To try to control or box in the Spirit, is a very grave thing indeed.
May 27th, 2007
Reply to “It’s Official: I’m Not A Pentecostal”