SHOULD A BAPTIST CHURCH EMBRACE PENTECOSTALISM?

PB Ministries ^ | 20-Oct-2010 | Laurence A Justice

[Cronos]

Right now there are churches in almost every country which call themselves Baptists on the sign out front who, nevertheless, arc not Baptists, but in reality are Pentecostal churches.

....Pentecostalism is the belief that the miraculous gifts or signs which the Lord gave to the Apostles and others in the early churches have not ceased, but are still available and are still being exercised by today’s Christians. Pentecostalism claims that God still gives these miraculous gifts to men today. Lists of these gifts can be found in Mark 16:17-18 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-11.

..God’s extraordinary gifts are called this in contrast to those He ordinarily gives in all ages. They are ordinarily not given, but rather were given on extraordinary occasions. These extraordinary gifts were supernatural gifts that enabled their possessors to perform supernatural deeds. Usually when Pentecostals today speak of the gifts or the charismata, they are speaking of these extraordinary gifts, that is, healing, miracles, tongues, direct revelations from God, casting out demons. Pentecostalism teaches that these miraculous gifts, these charismata, are still available to Christians today

[Quix]

I agree.

[johngrace]

"It will also explain the reaction of some to the debate on certain christian subjects. Some I believe really believe this stuff especially when they quote from this cessationast ilk( like John Macarthur or James White both anti charismatic and catholic)."

I meant both anti -catholic and anti-charismatic.

[johngrace]

Thanks . I think its a paranoia of the super natural. Instead of following God with the spiritual gifts. They just shut down all gifts. As you and I know this is a tragedy. What better way to be equipped then by the nudging of the Holy Spirit with the Gifts.

When I encountered a occultist who was in the car with me in the back seat reading the Tarot card. I put the blood of Christ over it then a car coming off the ramp towards ours then straighting out as I spoke the blood of Christ with a loosening and binding pray over the car. All was prompted from the Holy Spirit. If you remember this encounter I stated on previous post. We know from experience.

[the_conscience]

“I had no idea that people doubted that God could act today as He did in days of old”

That’s an inaccurate characterization of Cessationism.

More accurately- Cessationists believe that it is a “good and necessary inference” from Scripture.

It’s not much different than our Dispensational FRiends believing that God is acting today according to a different plan than earlier epochs.

[Quix]

ABSOLUTELY INDEED.

[johngrace]

Also remember God tells us to test the spirits 1john 4. This means the supernatural with the natural. When I once saw this woman occultist could not say the creed or pronounce that Jesus( Divinity) became man. This was a true experience that lines up with the word. We can and do experience many supernatural events whether we know it or not.

[Quix]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The Cross is the fulcrum of all history and all reality.

Believing that God is still relating to man exactly as He did before The Cross is UnBiblical and silly and insulting to Christ and The Cross.

There’s nothing even hinted in Scripture to support Cessationism and a LOT to deny it’s Biblical reality.

[Quix]

Anyone or anything which does not believe that Christ came in the flesh . . . is to be rejected, rebuked, sent packing.

[the_conscience]

I'm not interested in delving into the details of Cessationism- others might.

You're right- Christ is the fulcrum of all history and reality. The entire OT period pointed toward Him and we look back on what he accomplished. It's always been about faith in Christ.

[Quix]

OK.

It’s not a favorite topic of mine, either.

I do try to keep my shredder ready when it comes up, however.

[johngrace]

10-4 Good Brother!

[boatbums]

1 Corinthians 13:8-10

8 Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end.9 The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect.10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end.

[Cronos]

I'm not trying to be nice to you -- it's just that there are some things that are clear facts and to play around with them or worse to take some examples and pretend ALL are like them (What is passing as a legitimate manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the speaking of tongues can quite easily be faked, ) is just logically and intellectually wrong, forget about it's spiritual error.

How can some posters say "Oh, Hindus have spirit filled sessions with their monkey god" and seem to compare it to Pentecostalism is wrong -- it's the same argument used against Christianity as a whole

[Cronos]

He essentially rolled up the sidewalk and went home leaving us more or less at satan’s mercy without Holy Spirit’s power.

Yes, and this is the same crowd who believes that we all (including Moses!) are just robots with no free will to choose or say no to God.

To be a cesasionist is to say "Ok, there's a God, but He's not bothered with us, so do whatever you like." which is NOT a Christian God and more importantly, how can a God who is so actively involved as we read in scriptures, just pack up and leave?

[Quix]

Well put posts, thanks.

[the_conscience]

boatbums,

thank you for sharing those verses with me. I assume you believe it teaches Cessationism. If this is true, would you share with me in what way it teaches that these gifts have ended?