Why are you Pentecostal/Charismatic?

[Canadian75]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Pentecostal/Charismatic are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are.

Peace.

 

[riverpastor]

I was raised a Southern Baptist until I encountered the Holy Spirit in a remarkable way back in November 1988. I was drawn to a fullness in God that had been missing from my dry, spiritual life. I wanted to know God more intimately. God set me up! I roomied with a couple of Charismatics and got hungry for the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" that they always talked about. One day I asked for prayer to receive this infilling and as they and their pastor laid hands on me, I was overcome with the Presence of God and after several minutes of prayer, I began speaking in other tongues as portrayed through such events throughout the New Testament church as found in the book of Acts.

I left the Southern Baptist denomination (rather, they dropped my "letter" of membership) and have never joined a "denomination" since then.

 

[swifteagle]

I was raised Episcopal ~ later in life I became "born again" in an Evangelical Free Church (sorta like a Baptist church). Going to the EV Free Church was very hard since I was used to a very liturgical church. Anyway, I survived. My cousin who was a spirit-filled believer kept on me to attend her church. I had heard about "holy rollers". I had even attended a Pentecostal church when I spent the night at a friend's house in Jr. High. What a nightmare! People speaking in other languages! Clapping, loud, noisy. Some woman even got up and screamed, "pray for the Hearst girl", referring to the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, (USA). Then the lady fell in the aisle! Woa! That was too much for me!

Well, my cousin finally won out and I attended her church. It was very uncomfortable but I stuck with it and stayed there for 15 years! The church was charismatic and non-denominational.

Now, to your question...The moving of the HOLY SPIRIT!!! Yes, that's it. The power of God through the moving of the Holy Spirit ~ The gifts of the Spirit. The embracing of Kingdom realities for here and now, not just in heaven for later! Pressing violently into the Kingdom and bringing heaven to earth. Seeing the sick healed and being a conduit for miracles!!!! And splashing in the River!!

swifteagle ><>>

 

[Svt4Him]

I was RC, then Dutch Reformed, then I left church all together. When I met God, it changed my life so much and became so real that I stayed with the denomination that was used by God in that process.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I'm going to be different again!
I didn't have a Christian background at all when I got converted in an Assembly of God church in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. I stayed with different Pentecostal groups until some things that happened deeply hurt and disillusioned me. (You can read details of this in my article My Christian Life 40 Years On in my website. I'll give you the link when my posts have reached 100).

I left the Pentecostal church and joined up with an Anglican church. I decided that I was not going to have anything more to do with Pentecostal things. I wanted to continue walking with Jesus and reading the Word of God though. But God had other ideas! He was waiting for me! The youth group at the Anglican church was full of Anglican Charismatics!! They loved and accepted me in a way I had not experienced before. And, I couldn't stop speaking in tongues! Well, I didn't want to either.

After a number of years in the Anglican and Baptist area, I put my roots down in a traditional evangelical Presbyterian church. We had Alpha courses there, and I offered myself as a resouce person for people who did not understand Pentecostal ideas.

Then God gave me a hunger for Pentecostal fellowship again. This lead to me fellowshipping with a monthly all-Saturday Prophetic seminar run by a Pentecostal friend whom I had known for many years. I trust him and his ministry. And what do you know! The Holy Spirit fell on me in the first meeting I attended! I felt completely at home.

I believe that God still wants me to continue as an elder of my Presbyterian church, and have that as my spiritual home, but I look forward to and enjoy the fellowship of my Pentecostal brethren. I am getting the best of both worlds!

 

[Strong in Him]

Well I'm not a Pentecostal, and I didn't realise charismatic was a denomination. I am a charismatic because I believe in the Holy Spirit and the gifts he gives. I have not spoken in tongues, but heard several who have, ditto prophecy.

The church of my childhood was an anglican one - low evangelical. When I married, my husband already belonged to an evangelical anglican church, so we continued. A few years ago I joined a Methodist church, for practical, not theological, reasons. I don't know how our particular elderly Methodist congregation would react if someone spoke in tongues in a service, but that doesn't mean that I don't believe it couldn't happen.

 

[Jesusong]

I was raised Roman Catholic. My older brother was in the Marine Corp and was saved. He started going to a charismatic church in Yuma AZ. At that time there was a charismatic prayer group meeting in my parish on Wednesday nights (St. Michaels in Lowell, MA), and my brother encouraged my mother to attend. Because I play guitar, my mom would have me go once in a while to play during their worship time. At that time, I didn't want anything to do with God (I was 16). About 3 years later, my mom met a pentecostal evangelist who was going to start a pioneer church in our city, and my mom volunteered me to play the music. The week after the first service, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior (Feb 1979). So I was going to that church on sunday nights, and the obligatory Sunday mass Sunday morning, and my mom's charismatic prayer meeting on Wed nights, and pentecostal coffee houses on Fridsy & Saturday nights. So, when I was saved, I started in pentecost. It was quite a shocker to find out later that some Christians didn't accept the spiritual gifts. To me, it was the norm, and I couldn't understand why?

I eventually left the Catholic Church over Biblical teachings, and joined the Lowell Assembly of God Church (1982), and have been there ever since.

 

[Amongst the Flock]

The Pentecostal church loves the Holy Spirit and encourages the flock to develop and intimate relationship with him. He is here for everyone and I pray to him and talk to him just as much as I talk to Jesus and the Father. I have been to other churches that I know love all three parts of the Trinity but when I start talking about having a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit people just look at you. I also know alot of people from other churches that know all about the Holy Spirit and apply his fellowship to there walk. My point was the majority doesn't seem to acknowledge his divinity as much s they should and how much more they would grow if they developed an intimate relationship with him. The Holy Spirit is here with us on earth and can fellowship with all of us at the same time and intercedes for all of us to Jesus.

Now that I know him, it is the best thing ever and he talks to me all day long. I can ask him what I should or should not do. I get a strong annointing above my head and a heavy presence means no and a small presence means yes. I fellowship with him all day long and he takes all the glory for the works that come through this vessel and he gets all the glory for my growth in my race that I am running in Jesus name.

ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO THE PERFECTION OF THE HOLY TRINITY.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination.

Peace.

Nobody else would have me...

 

[Addict4JC]

I was pretty much raised with my mom believing in a Charismatic background.

I didn't really fully understand faith and salvation, other than Jesus saves, until I moved back to WV from NC. It was then I began to seek God more passionately, reading my Bible, going to churches that helped me grow (some even tore me down), and all that good stuff.

So finally I got around to just picking up behind her and going with the Godly flow.

I attend different churches, but I really like AoG...

 

[Shekatt]

As i child i never went to church much, but i did have a neighbor who invited me to her church once in awhile (Baptist). Later on in life i ended up staying with aunt awhile and she took us all to a pentacostal church. Several years later when me and my husband married he had been raised as a Bible Baptist. So, natutrally we started attending a local Baptist church. That was the turning point in our lives, we started learning more and more about the Bible and we gained a greater relationship with God. But we had always felt something was "missing" or that we had not grown enough in the word.

Well, about 6 years of attanding that specifc church my husband met a man that he worked with that was pentacostal. He asked us if we had ever heard of the 9 gifts. To which we responded no. He gave us all the scriptures on the 9 gifts and told us to really study the book of Acts. And we did. We then realized that the church we were attending did not preach everything "by the Bible", because leaving things out of the word of God was not right.

We then started going to a local pentacostal about 2-3 years ago. We now have an understanding of the Holy Spirit, and how we are to apply the gifts. Since joining this church we have grown more spiritually and have a greater realtionship with God than ever in our lives. We now have a pastor that is not afraid to preach EVERYTHING that is in the Bible!

Shekatt

 

[Grl4Christ987]

I was raised Roman Catholic for the first 9 years of my life and then went to a Baptist church and am finally where I belong, in a Pentecostal/Charismatic church. I guess me becoming Spirit-filled was by accident since my friend invited me to my present church. So glad I said yes.

 

[BarbB]

Raised Presbyterian, saved as a spirit-filled Episcopalian and searched for and found Church of God. I was looking for a more spirit-filled vibrant worship. I ended up getting everything!

 

[shakingthedustoffmyfeet]

I love the manifestations of God's power and love. I just love it when His Spirit shows up when we worship!

 

[NacDan]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Pentecostal/Charismatic are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are.

Peace.

I had a CHOICE? Why did I come kicking and screaming?

Danny

 

[NacDan]

...
After a number of years in the Anglican and Baptist area, I put my roots down in a traditional evangelical Presbyterian church. We had Alpha courses there, and I offered myself as a resouce person for people who did not understand Pentecostal ideas. ...

I'm curious how a "traditional evangelical Presbyterian church" (or Baptist, or any other denomination that is cessationist) does Alpha. The whole purpose of the weekend away (usually week 7) is for "baptism of the Holy Spirit".

Just a rabbit trail...

Danny

 

[Angel*Eyes]

I started off by attending baptist churches. Some people invited me to a spirit-filled non-denominational church and I got the feeling that I had finally found the church home that I was searching for ( one of my family members even had a dream about the church before we even saw the place). I love my church since now I know that I can actually know God intimately rather than just know about Him through scripture.

 

[KingdomScribe]

I'm going to be different again! [ks here -- What! You're going to be "different" again! Not you!]
I didn't have a Christian background at all when I got converted in an Assembly of God church in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. I stayed with different Pentecostal groups until some things that happened deeply hurt and disillusioned me. (You can read details of this in my article My Christian Life 40 Years On in my website. I'll give you the link when my posts have reached 100).

Hey! I'll give it right now! I do have over 100 posts!

http://personal-communication.net.nz/home/My_Christian_Page/index.html

Bless you, Oscar!

KingdomScribe

P.S. Say -- Do you New Zealanders claim to be "down unders" like your island buddies across the way -- or is that a terrible thing to call you? ks

 

[KingdomScribe]

Hey, Canadian75 --

I wasn't raised in Pentacostal or Charismatic church! I got a kick out of Riverpastor's post because I was raised as a Baptist from the age of 4 when my mom started going to church. I got baptized when I was 5 and wound up in a number of little Baptist churches as they went through 3 or 4 church splits! (Very encouraging...)

But at least they opened the Bible and taught from it every time the church doors opened!!! That's a wonderful heritage.

But then, as a senior in high school, I received the Baptism of the Spirit (didn't speak in tongues right then but did shortly afterward.) The Baptist church "reluctantly" informed us we couldn;t keep worshipping with them unless we dropped all the satanic stuff (you know -- tongues, belief in healing, etc.)

Canadian75 -- here's an important tip for today: Someone above in this thread mentioned that "charismatic" isn't a "denomination", and I wanted to say that's not just quibbling over details.

Back in the '70s, when the Charismatic Movement was happening (and not even "named" yet -- Logos Magazine is where the name got coined) the Movement crossed all denominational lines.

This revolutionized the Church overall. Up till then, everybody was pretty "stuck" in their denominations, but when the Charismatic Move exploded all over the place, we saw Baptists and Anglicans and RCCs and Presbyterians speaking in tongues -- we saw them getting welcomed in some churches and kicked out in others. We saw the greatest shift in people in and out of denominations than we'd ever seen.

The Charismatic Movement was truly cross denominational.

And even though the Move of God has continued to mature and develop, there is no single denomination which has "got" the "best grip" on the Move of God today.

You could walk today into a Baptist or Anglican or AofG or RCC or Presbyterian church today -- and you could either find a wonderful Move of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the people or you could find nothing.

It's not what "denomination" you want to look for nowdays...you want to look for that church in your community where there is love, freedom in the Spirit, Love for the people, a sharing of lives and a love for the Living Word of God... (Get it? "love, love, love, love...")

Above all -- find a safe church... a congregation which doesn't quarrel with each other, where its people don't judge and condem others... a congregation in which you can be openly in need of help and where the people in humilty reach out to encourage, comfort and build you up!

Look for the Living Body of Jesus Christ -- and don't settle for any religious substitutes!!!

Amen! Bless you!



KingdomScribe

P.S. And if you live in northern California near Willow Creek...come to OUR congregation!!! ks

P.P.S. OH! I forgot your OP! I was a Baptist, became Spirit-filled and never have joined a denomination... ks

 

[enoch son]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Pentecostal/Charismatic are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are.

Peace.

Because I was not disobedient but obedient to Jesus command in Acts 1;4-5