There seems to be alot of people on the board from Pentecostal backgrounds, I'm curious where everyone came from.

[Edited on 15-1-2005 by Irishcat922]

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Sean Jones
Covenant Presbyterian Church OPC
Fort Worth Texas

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth.
2Timothy 2:15

Kind of tricky poll Sean. My Parents were sort of in between Pentecostal and non-denom Charismatic.

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Ian Brown
Attending Messiah's Covenant Community Church.
Student at Hunter College CUNY

I started out Baptist, jumped to AOG, then to Non-denom., then Presbyterian-cessationist. I thought it would be interesting to see how varied everyones backgrounds were. One positive note is there alot of pentecostals searching for truth.

I was non-denominational charismatic at first and then switched to AOG.

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Joseph Ringling
Father to Joey, Jenna, and Timothy
Janesville, WI

Ivoted non denom cause thats where we were moslty but we did spend alot of time at Renton AOG.

blade

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Nathan Olaf Brandal

"Man is nothing: he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him to will and to do his good pleasure"
GEORGE WHITEFIELD TO JOHN WESLEY

My Blog

I was just on the periphery of some non-denominational Charismatic groups that I got exposed to in college (Maranatha Campus Ministries was one). There was "Pit Preacher" (so-called because there is a place for public speaking/preaching on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) who tried telling me that I wasn't really converted until I experienced the "second blessing" and spoke in tongues.

I also remember being at a Charismatic church one Lord's Day the day before Edgar Whisenant's predicted September 1988 Rapture (that was a lively service!).

Mostly I remember how much confusion and doubt was sown in my heart by Charismatic teachers. What folly and foolishness!

This part of the reason why when I embraced the Reformed Faith and sola scriptura it was like a 'second conversion.'

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Andrew

Oh, Man! I bet that was a festive moment!

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Anthony Beadles
Christ The King Presbyterian
Clearwater, Florida

Oh Yeah, I almost forgot to tell my background.

I was brought up baptist (when young.) Then when I started going to church later in life, I started out at a Calvary Chapel. I was there for a tad over 3 years. When I left there, I think I tried about 15 or more churches. (This was before I really knew what Biblical Theology was, had never heard of the reformed faith or historic Christianity, and the only time I had ever hear John Calvin's name was in a bad sense.)

Now, I've been reformed for about 5 years. My wife and I struggle quite a bit at the church we are at now (see below in signature.) It is dispensational, but modeled after MacArthur's church. My wife has recently started to learn about the reformed faith and is now seeing alot of things that are taught in the dispensational "system", but not in the Word of God. We do not know exactly where we will end up. I'm hoping somewhere within the PCA.

I truly am a Presyterian at heart.

Pentecostal/holiness/apostolic, for the most part...

My journey as follows:
Non-denom, pentecostal ->
United Pentecostal(apostolic) Church ->
Calvary Chapel ->
Presently, OPC (Glory be to God!)

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Steve Tijerina
<a href="http://www.nccopc.org/" target="_new" style="text-decoration: underline;color:blue;">New Covenant Community Church (OPC)</a>
New Lennox, IL

[i]Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(Hebrews 12:1-3 ESV)

Not to be confused with a "second blessing"

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The man who is disposed to think of his sin as a great calamity, rather than as a heinous crime, is not likely either to reverence God or to respect His law. - John Kennedy, 1873
Meg
Blog
Member, Intown Presbyterian Church,PCA, Portland, OR

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

a) Church of God Weslynian (Grew up in it)

b) Charismatic 3rd wave (Hinn, Copeland, Larry Lea)

c) Non Denom. Dispie "Community Fellowship"

d) PCA

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Adam - Pennsylvania - Baptist

http://www.myspace.com/aleavelle

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/p...5655012&ref=nf

This was my experience as well.

We've spoken about this before and while it excites me, it also frightens me. What if that was when we were converted? I hope not as I know many who are where I once as and seem destined to remain there.

No snakehandlers yet!:bigsmile: Come on, you can tell us we won't laugh, much.

[Edited on 15-1-2005 by Irishcat922]

I know Jake Roberts, would that count?

I was raised A/G my whole life. I was big into trying to "receive the baptism" and speak in tongues (since the A/G says that gift is the exclusive sign of the baptism) during my early teenage years, at church services and youth conventions. I could never get it to "come naturally," but always knew that I had to "force" it and think up the random sounds myself. People just kept telling me to "press in more," and I was thinking, "What is that supposed to mean? So many youth here who don't seem to take much of an interest in God outside of services are apparently 'pressing in,' but I'm just missing something, even though I try to make Him a part of all my life?"

Then, at a youth convention, I decided to ask God to give me the baptism once more, and then I told Him I would leave it in His hands from that point on. I told Him I was done wondering what I could be doing wrong, and that if I hadn't received it yet, it must be because it was not yet His will for me at the time. So from then on I didn't worry myself over it, and just trusted in God to bring me the baptism whenever He willed. Guess what? I'm still waiting (j/k!!!). Near that time I also repudiated my belief in tongues as the exclusive baptism evidence, since, while I was still a staunch charismatic, I could find no evidence of that whatsoever in the Scriptures, which seemed to present tongues as no different from any of the other revelatory gifts.

Then, one day, I was reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, and he referenced an interesting quotation by John Piper. So I went out and bought one of Piper's books (on joy in God), and liked what I read. Then, after becoming acquainted with Piper's writings, I then discovered he was a Calvinist, at which point I didn't know what to think. That was what started my study of the Reformed faith, which has only progressed since. I too thank God that He has freed me from the uncertainty and hyper-subjectivity of the Pentecostal movement.

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Chris


A passion to know and reflect Christ by living and demonstrating the truth and richness of the historic Reformed faith

Visit My Website Here

Christopher Blum
Member of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Northern Kentucky (PCA) in Burlington, KY

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Did your Parents leave the AOG with you Chris? My mother left and joined a CRC church after I left the Charismatic church.

Handle THIS!

I remember reading that book! I had just gotten saved about a year before and the young adults in my "cell group" were given it to read. As a carnal guy trying to get from from a promiscuous lifestyle, I thought it was a bit unrealistic.

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Chuck Stoltz
Intercessory Missionary
International House of Prayer
Kansas City, Missouri

[i]"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised." (Song of Solomon 7:6-7)[/i]

I bought that book awhile back (got it cheap at goodwill) for when my daughter gets a little older. I thought I'd give it to her to read if it was good. I haven't read it yet. Was it worth getting for her to read?

I was raised Fundamental Baptist. For awhile (teenage years), I wasn't anything. Then, Reformed. I've never been in the charismatic movement. My great grandparents however, were AOG.

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Dan
OPC
Pennsylvania

“Christ’s sacrifice is absolutely infinitely sufficient and utterly secures the salvation of anyone for whom it was made. To deny that would be to deny the gospel.” --- John Gerstner

I grew up AOG, of the more conservative brand. But in my teen years, the church I was in was heavily influenced by the Vineyard type stuff. Thankfully, I was pulled out and reformed before I got too deep.

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Patrick
MDiv, RTS Jackson
Pastor, Grace Presbyterian Church (OPC), Lisbon, NY

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.
"Let us not please ourselves that we have deep understandings, but let us shew our understandings by our practice." Richard Sibbes

No way - most of the differences I discuss with them in A/G theology versus Reformed theology are foreign concepts, as they likewise were to me until just a couple years ago...from Calvinistic soteriology to Covenant Theology to cessationism to confessionalism. My mom is starting to understand where I'm coming from in some of the issues, and even see the merit in them. My dad doesn't agree with - or understand, really - any of it, from TULIP to cessationism to RPW, all because they are an attack on "freedom" in one way or another. My younger brother, Mark, hasn't really got to a point where he studies doctrinal issues at all, and I pray that I will be able to discuss things with him.

As a rule of thumb, I would say that my experience strongly leads me to believe that most lay people in the A/G have never really studied any theology or church history beyond that of Dispensational, Arminian Pentecostalism. It is a truly sad thing. Do the rest of you here who grew up A/G have the same impression?

I think the part of the book represented by the title can be easily caricaturized and misunderstood, and while I agree that not everything the book says, including perhaps even a couple main points, is realistic and for everyone, but the book nonetheless has some very good principles.

As I said above, I don't think the title is a very good name for the actual book, but it can be very beneficial and is sound. Actually, I would recommend his sequel. Boy Meets Girl, above his first, as it is even more principally consistent, and I think it contains Harris' best work. He even acknowledges in the introduction to that book that the terminology is really inconsequential (e.g. dating/courtship), and says that the main point of the first book was, "If you're not ready for marriage, wait on romance," which I think is good and sound advice.

Thanks. I picked that one up too. I'll get around to reading them eventually. My oldest girl is nine so hopefully I have a little while yet before we get into those issues.

Quote:

"As a rule of thumb, I would say that my experience strongly leads me to believe that most lay people in the A/G have never really studied any theology or church history beyond that of Dispensational, Arminian Pentecostalism. It is a truly sad thing. Do the rest of you here who grew up A/G have the same impression?"

Exactly!
And I think it goes right along with the whole distrust of learning and anti-intellectualism that marks every charismatic church I've ever attended. You'd think that the Church didn't exist before Azusa Street. It is also, in my opinion, why the charismatic church is mostly irrelevant to our society at large. As Francis Schaeffer said..."(they) claim to know the answer but they don't even know what the questions are."
I swear that there is this latent idea of the idiot savant type of model for the Christian who is miraculously infused with supernatural knowledge without the hard work of scholarship. They wouldn't let someone with this little knowledge work on their plumbing but I guess it's ok to be a physician of souls.

The strength, however, is that most people really hold to the Scriptures as being the Word of God which is more than I can say for many denominations.

I attended CCNA (CHristian Church of N. America), AOG, and various non-denom churches.

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Christopher
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Ecclesiastes (12:13)
Church Affiliation: Faith Presbyterian OPC

I started out in a AoG/Foursquare church...tongues, prophecy, you name it. I could talk jibberish with the best of 'em. Any other AoGs get taught how to catch people when they are "slain in the spirit", or how to dance with large brite colored flags..while singing "when the spirit of the Lord comes upon me I will dance like David danced"?

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Matthew Morales (Husband to Rachel)
Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Santa Rosa, CA)

"...But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:2b (ESV)

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face"-William Cowper

Shortly after I got saved I saw that bizarre phenomenon at a Foursquare I was church-hopping at, and heard a sermon on not getting upset with people who do that, or people who don't. The pastor used Romans 14 as his text.

Absolutely. And the anti-biblical, anti-rational thinkng is so ingrained. It is truly a miracle for us to come out of it, praise be to God. After leaving, I was accused by one of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because I questioned the validity of those modern"gifts" and the so called "revivals." I was called self-righteous and narrow-minded because I refuse to acknowledge any credibility to arminian/charasmatic doctrines or "interpretations." I "put God in a box." I was even criticized for placing the written Word as supreme and alone reliable for guidance and revelation instead of the "voice of the Spirit." It's so frustrating because you want to help them so much, but you can't. Only God can....

Too everything you just said. I can't remember how many times I heard "you can't put God in a box man because he'll just kick the sides down." They justify their anything goes because the Spirit is the one that's moving attitude by saying things like that.