WITNESSING TO OUR BRETHREN IN PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: Other sheep I have,which are not of this FOLD:THEM also I MUST bring,and they shall hear my voice,and THERE shall be ONE FOLD and ONE SHEPHERDJohn 10:16 .....Go ye therefore and teach......Mathew 28:19.The mandate is clear!The instruction compulsory!The INTENT?ONE FOLD ;ONE SHEPHERD!!Brethren witnessing is a mandate!A christian who does not witness is like the dead sea!Dead!Knowledge of the truth aside,Zeal aside,enthusiasm aside,....an SDA christian MUST know HOW to witness to WHO!A catholic is different from a Jehovahs Witnesses Christian in their perception of the Bible doctrine.Therefore,this calls for TACT!No matter how correct iam in the truth I present,if my approach to someone is not tactful,I will be ineffective!God is working closely with us!Prayer,Study and preparation are paramount and so is right approach! In this discourse,I thought of sharing some imformation on how to approach PENTECOSTAL brethren!To do that,we must see where they come from and see why they differ with us!Pentecostalism is worldwide protestant. or evangelical that originated in America in 19th centuary!Their name is derived from the feast of Pentecost.(Acts 2)They are also known as Charismatic Movement(from the word Charismata--(greek for gifts or grace).THEIR MAIN DISTINCTIVE DOCTRINE:Baptism of the Holy Spirit!This means that in order to reach them,we need to agree with them on the points that are TRUTHFUL and Biblical.Because it is here where their next tenet(SPEAKING IN TONGUE) transitions from.So we have so far THE Holy Spirit and Speaking in Tongue!They have a special preference for the third Person of the Godhead,the HOLY Spirit,and their preaching that emphasises the gospel power.Their Liturgy is dynamic which includes;Emotional preaching,Danceful singing,loud praying,and speaking in tongues!Their worship is always boisterious!HOW DID THESE DOCTRINES FORM?In a meeting that began on December 31,1900,and continued till January 1 of 1901,Miss Agnes 0zman began to speak in TONGUESCharles Parham,a Methodist minister at BEthel College,in Topeka,Kansas(US),began to view speaking in tongues (glossolalia) as EVIDENCEof true baptism in the spirit!In 1901,January 1,W.J.Seymour, a student of Parham,affirmed that anyone who does not speak in tongues is not baptised by the Holy Spirit!Some did not accept his take on this.This led to him being pushed out and on April 9,1906,The first pentecostal effusion came.Seymour moved to 312 Azusa Street,where meetings continued for three years with speaking in tongues,singing in tongues,and prophecying.In general,the Azusa street Mission is regarded as the birth place of pentecostal movemeynt!Most of their beliefs are biblical.But the few that are unbiblical, are enough to confuse them.This is where we need to come in after Jesus,the prospect convert should be made to understand what PENTECOSTAL is!What true biblical speaking in tongues entails!Why the holy spirit is not an ITbut HE!Why once saved always saved is a misrepresentation of the Bible on predestination!To gently move them to 1 corrinth 12 regarding spiritual gifts!Lead them to define Charimatic.That its not about outward frenzy but that it is Charismata---greek(Grace).Oh brethren,LETS WITNESS!watch this space for more!Including Jehovahs Witnesess along with their denial of Jesus as God Be Blessed!Further study on this:IBID ,Anderson,pp 232. Pentecostal and Charismatic ChristianityEncyclopedia of Religion,vol 11.Mircea Eliade,ed (Newyork:Macmillan pub,co.1987)pp.230.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:01:33 +0000
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