Confused

[johntech999]

Please forgive me if these issues have already been posted before.
I have been a Christian for some 8 years now after doing an Alpha course at my local Pentecostal Church. I have since left the Pentecostal Church and have been going to a Baptist Church. At the Pentecostal Church people speaking in tongues and prophesying was a normal occurrence as well as laying on hand for healing etc. At the Baptist Church I'm told that this DOESN'T happen today. I'm also told that drinking alcohol is wrong (I know drunkenness is) where as in my old church having a glass of wine with a meal or the odd pint was OK . I'm told there are no grey areas but things are looking somewhat cloudy. Are the Godly people from my old church wrong and was the speaking in tongues just made up? Are the prophecies spoken just as bad as the Spiritualist Churches fortune tellers? I'm not looking for personal opinions, just what is right. I really need some help here
Thanks
J

 

[Guest]

Please forgive me if these issues have already been posted before.
I have been a Christian for some 8 years now after doing an Alpha course at my local Pentecostal Church. I have since left the Pentecostal Church and have been going to a Baptist Church. At the Pentecostal Church people speaking in tongues and prophesying was a normal occurrence as well as laying on hand for healing etc. At the Baptist Church I'm told that this DOESN'T happen today. I'm also told that drinking alcohol is wrong (I know drunkenness is) where as in my old church having a glass of wine with a meal or the odd pint was OK . I'm told there are no grey areas but things are looking somewhat cloudy. Are the Godly people from my old church wrong and was the speaking in tongues just made up? Are the prophecies spoken just as bad as the Spiritualist Churches fortune tellers? I'm not looking for personal opinions, just what is right. I really need some help here
Thanks
J

Search the Scriptures - seek the Holy Spirit's instruction and teaching.

Different denominations place different emphasis on how to live out the Christian faith. Sometimes it is not a matter of 'right and wrong', but of personal conviction.

For example, I believe that the Scriptures teach a biblical pacifism. However, I am not going to say someone in the military is wrong or has sinned.

 

[Dan Edwin]

Please forgive me if these issues have already been posted before.
I have been a Christian for some 8 years now after doing an Alpha course at my local Pentecostal Church. I have since left the Pentecostal Church and have been going to a Baptist Church. At the Pentecostal Church people speaking in tongues and prophesying was a normal occurrence as well as laying on hand for healing etc. At the Baptist Church I'm told that this DOESN'T happen today. I'm also told that drinking alcohol is wrong (I know drunkenness is) where as in my old church having a glass of wine with a meal or the odd pint was OK . I'm told there are no grey areas but things are looking somewhat cloudy. Are the Godly people from my old church wrong and was the speaking in tongues just made up? Are the prophecies spoken just as bad as the Spiritualist Churches fortune tellers? I'm not looking for personal opinions, just what is right. I really need some help here
Thanks
J

Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (Colossians 2:16)
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:17)
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (Colossians 2:18)
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (Colossians 2:19)
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Colossians 2:20)
(Touch not; taste not; handle not; (Colossians 2:21)
Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (Colossians 2:22)
Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. (Colossians 2:23)

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:13)
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)
Born again as children of God, we learn to walk with the Spirit as we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ to become a "son" or "daughter" of God.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:13)
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:14)
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: (Ephesians 4:15)

Keep an open mind (for with God all things are possible), but use common sense. By staying in fellowship with the Spirit, we learn to discern right from wrong (truth and error), and to make decisions, especially when the margin is narrow. Don't be loose-minded in accepting whatever comes your way, but neither live as in a straight-jacket like a close-minded self-righteous legalist.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

Take care, and God bless

 

[biblecatholic]

Please forgive me if these issues have already been posted before.
I have been a Christian for some 8 years now after doing an Alpha course at my local Pentecostal Church. I have since left the Pentecostal Church and have been going to a Baptist Church. At the Pentecostal Church people speaking in tongues and prophesying was a normal occurrence as well as laying on hand for healing etc. At the Baptist Church I'm told that this DOESN'T happen today. I'm also told that drinking alcohol is wrong (I know drunkenness is) where as in my old church having a glass of wine with a meal or the odd pint was OK . I'm told there are no grey areas but things are looking somewhat cloudy. Are the Godly people from my old church wrong and was the speaking in tongues just made up? Are the prophecies spoken just as bad as the Spiritualist Churches fortune tellers? I'm not looking for personal opinions, just what is right. I really need some help here
Thanks
J

We know from the scriptures that alcohol is not bad Jesus drank wine(not grape juice as some would suggest), getting drunk is bad. and we know that the all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are around today. I would suggest reading Alex Jones book: No Price Too High: Former Pentecostal Minister and His flock convert to catholicism. It's an amazing story about his problems with every bible church teaching something different, wich lead him to look to see what christians believed in the begginning, he found out they were catholic with the same beliefs catholics still have... I had to put a plug in..but no matter where you go I pray you find the truth and a good community of believers
Blessings

 

[Toms777]

Please forgive me if these issues have already been posted before.
I have been a Christian for some 8 years now after doing an Alpha course at my local Pentecostal Church. I have since left the Pentecostal Church and have been going to a Baptist Church. At the Pentecostal Church people speaking in tongues and prophesying was a normal occurrence as well as laying on hand for healing etc. At the Baptist Church I'm told that this DOESN'T happen today. I'm also told that drinking alcohol is wrong (I know drunkenness is) where as in my old church having a glass of wine with a meal or the odd pint was OK . I'm told there are no grey areas but things are looking somewhat cloudy. Are the Godly people from my old church wrong and was the speaking in tongues just made up? Are the prophecies spoken just as bad as the Spiritualist Churches fortune tellers? I'm not looking for personal opinions, just what is right. I really need some help here
Thanks
J

You have raised a number of variant issues, each of which could be a completely active discussion thread all by itself. There are reasons why some of these differences appear. Let me address tongues for a moment. I know Baptists who believe in tongues but who reject what goes on in most pentecostal churches (I can speak about this knowledgeably having been a leader in a Pentecostal church and having attended Baptist churches for a number of years).

When you hear tongues in a Pentecostal church, do they follow the principles and tests that Paul gave to the church in Corinth?

1 Cor 14:27-32
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
NKJV

Have you ever seen a case in which multiple interpretations are given to the same message in tongues? How can that be? Only one can be right. Does the pastor ever step in to ensure that there is not a wrong spirit speaking forth in the service? This is where some of the more dangerous teachings and false prophecies originate (and yes, I am aware of many)

Have you ever been in a Pentecostal church where you are told to learn tongues by simply speaking whatever gibberish comes to mind and let it flow? How could that be tongues when tongues is supposed to be a gift of the Holy Spirit, not something that we learn through trial and error.

Now lest anyone accuse me of putting down Pentecostal churches - I am not. There are many excellent pentecostal churches that practice what scripture teaches on these points, and I suspect that you would find many pentecostal churches and baptist church that would agree on the gift of tongues as given in scripture. Where Baptist churches often turn away from pentecostal churches is in the excesses. The Alpha course, BTW, come out of one of the hyper-pentecostal churches. (Check out my website on the matter here:

http://www.geocities.com/smithtj.geo/laughter.html

As for drinking alcohol, many churches have taken a stand against it simply because of the damage that it has done in the lives of many people. I know that one church that I attended served wine for communion, but provided grape juice as an alternate. Eventually they did away with the wine because they did not want to be a stumbling block to those who may struggle with alcoholism.

 

[Christian Commando]

ok, lets see now-

"oinos"- Greek word means grape juice or wine.

The above is the word mostly used thru out Scripture where the word "wine" is used. But, lets stay in context to God alright.

God declares all kinds of Scriptures speaking against use of alcohol- (don't give anyone alcohol to make them drunk, don't look upon alcohol when its red, etc,etc.) Plus He gives us all kinds of examples for not drinking alcohol- Population during Noah's time, then Noah himself after the flood. David, plus many more.

Now, some say, "well, Jesus turned water into wine and He drank it Himself too". Hmmm, is that right? Consider this then-

Since God declares He can neither be tempted nor touched by sin, and Jesus Christ was to be "God in the Flesh" and our ultimate pure, undefiled "Sacrifice" for our sins, why would Jesus then, turn water into an alcoholic beverage, which He speaks of as being tainted, spoiled? This is no different than when Jesus speaks against "leavened bread" for the "Feast".

Religions are satanically influenced, man concieved to keep God's "Church" divided in doctrine. Each one, even sub divided sects of religions teach slightly different from others to stay clearly seperate from each other.

Yet, Satan failed, as God provided incredible variety for a Church or group of believers to have God amongst them, leading them, as so many need feeding as God nows they need. This fulfills the ability to fit any of God's children's needs.

But now, if were to combine the teachings of all Christian religions together into one big doctrine, you would find all Truths of God taught. but clearly not by any one of them or several, alone.

I've known denominations to not believe in the "Gifts" of God given His Children by the Holy Spirit- tongues, preaching, teaching, discrnment, prophecying, etc. God never shows in His Word, where any of this was to end at the apostlic age. For that matter, while few if any are classified as Apostles now, some Ministers could be, as Paul declares, he was Gifted with mostly all the Gifts of God by the Holy Spirit.

Man does not recognize alot of points in God's Word these days, because over the centuries, theres been so much division, maligning, arguing etc over beliefs taught, that many have dispelled believing in some completely.

I pray this helps!!

God Bless!!