Two streams in Fellowships

[janet2006]

Hello

I have recently come out of a 'pentecostal' church which was the old testament model, one man up front, everyone sitting in the pew listening, no growth, no real life taking place and no desire to listen or exchange biblical viewsas to Christianity as experienced in the Acts. I felt I had no option but to come out from among them as they had a form of Godliness but no power. I felt it was useless to church hop as most of them are in this false stream as I see it and very few church forms bringing forth life. I have only ever experienced this 'true life in the spirit' in small groups or house church wher each individual has had a true new birth experience and an infilling of the Holy Spirit and where the Holy SPirit has been free to move, heal, teach, deliver- why do so few believers have this experience and lack the reality of life in the spirit?

Nice to meet you all

Janet

 

[plum]

quick question... what "old testament" model do you speak of? there were no pentecostal churches in Israel sorry i was confused. I get your point though

Nice to meet you too! We all go through changes and growth when G-d shows us things about Himself or His ways that challenge what we do or think. It's great that you obviously are seeking that true life in the Spirit! I hope you can inspire those around you to join in with you!

 

[FLANDIDLYANDERS]

I figured that was pretty clear - OT being Priests and Spirit-of-God-as-non-relational-power-source.... is that what you were getting at? As well as male-dominated, law-dominated and "holiness" driven?

 

[mythrainbow]

I have found much of the same thing. I thought for a while I was just finding things wrong with church so I wouldn't have to go. But now I see so overwhelmingly that the majority aren't allowing the flow of the Holy Spirit, myself included. Yet I know what it's like to be in a group where the Holy spirit is constantly at work, and christians continually lift up each other, and help each other's cause, and learn/grow in Christ. We were truly united. Then I moved on, back into the world and couldn't find that unity again. I've finally found a small study where I feel unity, maybe not as strong as before but I fell it will grow. What kills me is before I felt this unity everyday, here I only feel this unity here at the forums and once a week at the home study. I pray that I and all those here could find that unity with other christians where ever we are, and that if need be we would change ourselves to achieve that (cringe) yeah that's a personal weak spot for me.Peace dudes!

 

[AllTalkNoAction]

I have recently come out of a 'pentecostal' church which was the old testament model, one man up front, everyone sitting in the pew listening, no growth, no real life . . .

Pentecost was the birth of the church and evangelism rather than how to run a meeting of the church.

Having all received the INFILLING of God's Spirit with the new prayer language they were all fully equipped with God's attributes (1 Cor. 1v4-7). Therefore there needs to be limitation and order when all meet, if more than one person speaks at once there is confusion.

1 Corinthians 12 & 14 details what God wants fo meetings of His church.

Janet, God wants you to stick to those instructions, they will provide the growth for all members you (and God want). If you can't find a church like that where you are you should consider travelling, or if possible moving to where one is "seek first the kingdom of God and all these things (jobs, family etc) will be added to you". I did and never looked back.

 

[Johnnz]

Jesus promised us life, His life. Whatever best helps me to participate in following Jesus in a real and satisfying way is what I want. The house church met that need, but I have many good friends who are comitted and wonderful Christians who are content to be part of a church. It's His life we celebrate and experience. We can find that in a variety of settings. Bless God for the freedom to chose.

John
NZ

 

[raineywife]

I feel the same way. I attend a 2500 seat apostolic pentacostal church. It is the same thing all the time. The only move of the Spirit is when the music plays and everyone starts dancing & shouting . I know God's Spirit is more than what happens here. I know that if we had smaller groups of fellowship, we could feel the Spirit move more freely.

 

[heffalump_hunter]

I came out of the Pentecostal church also. I too found the services to be well .... they were okay but the church was big, you had to be part of a group or you were an outsider and no one talked much about the service, what the message meant to them or about God even.

Maybe they were all still sleepy?

 

[lismore]

Jesus is our great high priest and we are all members of a royal priesthood.

We dont need to resurrect Levitical style priests do we?

I have often seen in the pentecostal church leaders in the levitical style. We are all one body, Jesus is the head. We cant have two heads can we?

The two headed church is going nowhere. One head wants to go right the other left, the poor body!

 

[TheAJKMan]

as they had a form of Godliness but no power.

why do so few believers have this experience and lack the reality of life in the spirit?

Let me try and give my 2cents on this one, I have found that many believers are either too lazy, or too scared to do any thinking, growing or even doing of their own. They take what someone else says is the truth out of simple laziness to get get off their behinds and do it themselves.

TheAJKMan

 

[Rick Otto]

I see your 2 cents & raise ya two:

It always seems to happen when power & responsibilities get centralized. On the other hand, doing everything by committee can paralyzing as well.

I tend to form a "Citizen's Action Comittee Of One"!

 

[TheAJKMan]

I see your 2 cents & raise ya two:

It always seems to happen when power & responsibilities get centralized. On the other hand, doing everything by committee can paralyzing as well.

I tend to form a "Citizen's Action Comittee Of One"!

And I'll raise you another 2cents ;P The problem I fear lies in the heart of man, many let their position/power go to the heads and they end up off the beaten path leading others into error.

Love the committe of one thing, must start using that more myself ;P

TheAJKMan

 

[lismore]

And I'll raise you another 2cents ;P The problem I fear lies in the heart of man, many let their position/power go to the heads and they end up off the beaten path leading others into error.

Love the committe of one thing, must start using that more myself ;P

TheAJKMan

Titles can grow a life of their own. I think the test is if you love the position of doing something more than you love God and your brethern then this position has become a snare.

 

[FLANDIDLYANDERS]

Unfortunately we have very few human working examples of distributed leadership... all we seem to have is... the pyramid. Especially in churches of all thingswhich by their very nature are supposed to be highly distributed (priesthood of all, and so on).

All leadership roles - like any structure - have a limited time-span... usually a very short one. And unless we learn to live this, our leaders will become exhausted, lazy or egocentric. And their followers sterile and incapable of thought or creativity.

Communism really is the only close model to Church, and we don't really have many successful versions of that in history either!!!!!

Back to the mold spore then...

 

[GeorgeE]

What people need are not people they need real fellowship with their heavenly Father. We have heard so much from mother (church realm) what we really need to hear from is Father who is Spirit. I have found no fellowship and believe very much this is where God has placed me. His Church is with in me I and I need to go no where. The word “holy” means to be separate and God is separating His sheep (mature; their not lambs) from His goats (immature) for the word goat in the Greek here was kid or baby goat) .

What I search for is God’s anointing in people, be it you, or a special ministry. When a man of God makes God’s Word become a banquet feast I am usually there stuffing my face (spiritually speaking).

I keep telling people about God’s mysteries (Greek, sacred secrets) There are so many morsels of meat that God is providing but when I look at most christian people the are like Joseph in Egypt; he is living in a famine.

But these people are heretic; or false teachers etc. That what religious people will tell you. Did you ever notice that Jesus loved the beggars and prostitutes, but the Pharisees and Sadducee he was always doing battle with.

Try
Ray Prinzing
J Preston Eby
Gary Sigler
Maybe you hear some mysteries, and good news.

 

[AllTalkNoAction]

.. .
What I search for is God’s anointing in people, . . .

The apostles waited for God's sign of speaking in tongues before judging that anyone had received the anointing of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10v44-48, 19v1-6.

Have you received the same George ?

 

[GeorgeE]

The apostles waited for God's sign of speaking in tongues before judging that anyone had received the anointing of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10v44-48, 19v1-6.

Have you received the same George ?

In 1971 on the USS Midway CVA 41 in my bunk in the Gulf of Tonkin.

 

[AllTalkNoAction]

Excellent, that was the beginning of your walk "in christ", that was you being "born again". Before that time you may have believed as far as you could understand, but then you *received*, you called upon God to *do* what he needed to do, give you a New Heart, signbified by a new tongue.

 

[Rick Otto]

I think the disciples were already "born again" as evidenced by their already faithfull walk. As I remember, it was power of the Holy Spirit they waited for, not salvation.

 

[TheAJKMan]

Rick, I agree. Unless I'm much mistaken, it is an errounious teaching that associates baptism in the HS with salvation. It is a sign to the unbelievers and for church edification etc. Baptism is not equal to salvation. Christ told His disciples to go and wait for the HS to come upon them(forget exact words used), and they did. When they spoke in other "topngues, it was unbeknownst to them the tongues of men they spoke in, for we can see that the crowd was making comments that these "simple" men were speaking languages they shouldn't have been able to.

TheAJKMan