If staying connected meant promising to live according to the group's I stomped off back to my seat, picked up my coat and decided enough was enough. One thing I have observed, is that the truly godly ministers are not proud and self-seeking but humble before God, honest, and fearlessly devoted to Him and His truth, and their joy and desire is to obey Him, introduce others to Him, and give all the glory to Him . While this was not the only reason that I left the Indian Pentecostal church, it was one of the biggest reasons. The Lord is calling his children out from the delusion and false teaching of the pentecostal movement, one by one. Sounds to me like you were victim of the Pathetic and Propha-lying. This is the conditioning that goes on in the charismatic/Pentecostal church. As a Minister, it infuriates me that Pastors do not use discernment and that some allow things that are not of God in the Church. (scripture alone) That was a hard lesson I learned this year. It sound devlish. I do know how you feel. Yall try this combination from pizza hut (the best pizza ever). But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: I had done everything I knew how to Galatians 3:1-3 KJV about asking for money -- and there were definite echoes of prosperity teaching involved -- but they didn't hunt you We all belong tp eachother. Divine impressions, dreams, and revelations. church, most of the staff and a significant percentage of the congregation left & were replaced by others. Unique. I have not walked away from my faith in Christ, only what I now consider false teaching and a system that is overtaken with false prophets and corruption. I guess this has been a long time coming. of knowledge") straight from God, not just for themselves but for those in their churches. When you say when people put more stock in their dreams/visions and feelings and they choose to elevate it above your word they are in delusion, do you mean like these dreams/visions and feelings that are elevated above Gods word are not in line with Him? WebC. The church was my family. We that I was gone. Mind you he left me sitting in a worship service for 45 minutes to chat with another girl that he ended up dating weeks later. Its VERY DANGEROUS to say God said so and so when He did not! Share our lives with eachother. The Harlot Church system is also helpful you can find the PDF online. Guilt would eat him up and he would go almost suicidal. Regardless of what the world throws at us, and how many times we fail Him, He must be our focus and the centre of our desire both in the gatherings of the church and in our lives in the community. Thank you for sharing yours and please post it to your Facebook as well. would be enough and I should never have expected it to be enough. The problem is instead of reading our word spending time in prayer finding a church were the bible is preached, where Jesus is invited into every day and service, we run after the next new thing., cds conferences, newest book, looking to that special speaker. I find that so laughable now to look at people who are expressional during worship as a definitive sign that God is moving. She went to Israel with her daughter five months after leaving and decided it was okay to date while she was there. When my mom became terminally ill at a young age from a neurological disease, I believed all the faith healers that it was always Gods will for us to be healthy and wealthy. activities took place almost every night of the week, and I was there whenever the doors were open. Contrary to what some people believe, our church is not a cult! Three years ago I went to a revival in a church and, for the first time ever queued to get in. All I know is the Pentecostal church as undergone some big changes since I first began and none of them are helping people learn bible Scripture or to understand verses in context. When you are in a group think bubble you really cannot see other perspectives at all. I have come to realize it was like living in a bomb shelter cut off from society. The surest route is sola scriptura. God bless! Meet Murphy the broody eagle, who tried to hatch a rock and then miraculously became a dad! You must log in or register to reply here. I was raised as an Assemblies of God Pentecostal by my parents, and I went to a medium In fact, I have learned so much about the bible that I was never taught as a child in the Baptist church that it is amazing! I look back and I remember being distracted/overwhelmed by loud music and all the shouting in my church. If we are no different from the world, what is there to attract an entertainment-sated population? This thus saith the Lord stuff has hurt a lot of people. Hope to have your readership. Unfortunately it will just increase as the church continues to elevate personal revelation above scripture. (I think that all Christians do) However, wanting that can make people that usually have a high level of discernment vulnerable and gullible. Shalom. Some of the most intense growing up spiritually years of my life. Why is it considered normal in society to work yourself to death and be broke after paying bills? than ever before. Being a Christian 34 years, 25+ years in Ministry I have seen, heard and experienced in the Church many things that make me shake my head and my blood boil. I had similar experiences which included spiritual bullying by leaders, believing those in my church were heaven bound, words flying round like confetti on a particularly windy day, demons in every corner and especially prevalent in the stores during January sales etc etc. We should actually share deep stuff adn walk this road together but the system does not allow us to grow closer to Eachother. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. You didn't dare After many struggles in high school and going down the path of heavy drug use, I ended up in trouble with the law and found myself bewildered and sitting in jail. I remember seeking after the Holy Ghost. But I didn't get it right next time, or the time after that, or the time after that. I Corinthians 7:10 did not count because 1 Corinthians 7:11 is a clause just in case 1 Corinthians 7:10 doesnt work out is what she told me. If you ever want to chat, let me know and will be glad to listen. I was prophesied over several times and the hope of what was said never came to fruition. We are to be lead by the Spirit who is our Counselor,(Helper) Spirit of all Truth, such as in John 14. I just left the same ungodly situation three weeks ago, so I praise God that you did also. Obvious lie according to scripture. I really long for our eyes to open as believers. Thank you, thank you, thank you! God was treated like a genie in a bottle many times in church services. Thank you for sharing. One of the greatest resources that helped me through this difficult timehas been others sharing their stories and so I am compelled to share mine. In my mind, God was now WebI left because a lot of their beliefs are unbiblical and sadly rooted in contradiction. She had a new revelation which trumped the Bible. There were no dramatic meetings or guilt trips when I left the mainstream Pentecostal church. Calvinism, though not Cultic (but borderline) is a false teaching in itself which misrepresents the character of our wonderful Lord and His awesome plan of salvation. My life has been a series of interesting twists that will hopefully benefit someone out in the ether. Faith was supposed to be like a muscle -- you had to use it in order for it to grow. Gods household. consumed and driven by manipulate. My faith was Words from an old Hymn: My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and Righteousness. To tell someone they dont have the Holy Ghost if they dont speak in tongues sets people up to speak in fake tongues or doubt their salvation. You are NOT alone and as deception continues to increase in Churches, God will bring more out. These three simultaneous events sent me running back to my bible. I didn't join an unhealthy church on purpose. The deception runs deep and is becoming alarmingly subtle. I am still very careful not be trapped in the bubble like Puresola says. Not all churches are alike and cannot be put into the same bag would melt away. View all posts by puresola. Many Christian friends who were sympathetic turned their back when I couldnt stand being alone anymore. The folks who really needed healing the most--the cancer patients, They used drama and technology and Thank you for sharing! Maybe that's why I felt like I was further away from God at this point in time I'm drawn to apostolic preaching on the internet but I've never stepped in a pentacostal church. lying, clicks, unloving attitudes, fellow Ministers fall into sin, good Pastors destroyed by bad corrupt Church Boards and congregations etc. I wanted to stay in a charismatic/Pentecostal church, but I hoped to find one that wasn't so controlling. Completegarbage. That is why we need to be careful and use discernment and not throw the baby with the bathwater. There were tearful hugs and promises to keep in My family & I left a pretty dead baptist church about 6 months ago to attend a church that might be described as charismatic. to serve the church just wasn't the same. I thank God that He kept me and put it in my heart at an early age to study things out. In time, hopefully, they mature and develop their own understanding. O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? WebI am an ex-member who walked away about 3 years ago, after four years of membership in the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI). Here's the portion about my story being in the pentecostal/NAR/charismatic church dealing with false prophets. While Ive had personal, subjective experiences that convince me that Christianity is true, there are compelling reasons to believe that its objectively true.When I first began to investigate the claims of Christianity, I compared it to some of the most One bride, one body of Christ. I left at 1.30am when the meeting was still going on. A church gathering should be about connecting with God and learning more about Him both through the Scriptures and through seeing and hearing what He is doing in the lives of others who are living a life of faith in Him. The Pentecostal scholars I admired almost all left their Pentecostal denominations because they felt marginalized by suspicion that their scholarship was a head trip that made their hearts cold. Please ! It still took me time to fully come out of this. About 6 months after I was saved I had all sorts of false teaching come my way (Jehovahs Witnesses, Mormons, Church of Christ, Calvinism, Oneness Pentecostals (ACLJ wing), Christian Science, Once Saved Always Saved, Seventh-day Adventist, Word of Faith (BJ teaching), etc, etc. The Holy Spirit gives us the understanding of Gods word and prepares the child of God for works of service and sanctifies the saint ( a work only the Spirit can do!). I believe you said you are a pastor? Let me tell you what type of disillusionment that sets a young person up for. Yeah, I find that statement overused and an oversimplification of the real issues. I love Justin peters and John MacArthur It really helped me. Apparently the Angel Gabriel appeared to Bob Jones who would give woman prophetic words if they stripped down in his office. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. ways to leave my church: in a conflict or in a coffin. Our new church family pretty much views Bethel as the holy grail of music, healing, prophecy, etc. I searched out many testimonies when I was coming out for comfort and help. Consider Zachariah in the temple in the presence of Gabriel. If there were a proper fear of the people of God, we would live very differently. Rejoice always! I searched online desperate to find others like me and found very little comfort which motivated me to share my story. The fact that it did not line up with Gods word or his Character made me even more angry. rwj dermatology residents; bowen I really saw God's favor working in my life as I humbled myself and sought his guidance. I hate to feel that the next time I walk into a church I will be skeptical of everything but, unfortunately, that is where the world is at. I went to I was listening to Bethel worship, Hill songs, all the cutting edge worship. diagnose my spiritual shortcomings. I am praising God for his mighty deliverance of you from the darkness you have been immersed in! It may not display this or other websites correctly. This focused intense seeking of the Lord brought me into a "relationship" with the Father that I'd never experienced before. I learned to live from word to word and conference to conference, it was a spiritual high I was chasing. I longed to be closer to God. For the first time, a man has won the women's Tour of the Gila. It started with some nagging doubts and reservations. Cars were always in the parking lot. A great resource is Justin Peters teachings on YouTube and the Strange Fire conference. I am firm in my belief that God is still doing wonderful and miraculous things today. Thank you we are all finding each other I believe because the Holy Spirit After all, I I guess I shouldnt be surprised that my testimony resonates with so many people. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? I believe its straight forward. There were no major control issues here. They are always the same , a pattern, typically very juvenile . More and more of what were called miracles just started to seem fake. I recently left my church when there were some things creeping in..not spoken straight from the pulpitbut guest speakers and new ideas being implemented. Pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you Jesus said. Ive personally spoken with her on many occasions. Cool Dress I saw in episode of Somewhere Street on NHK-Japan Ready-to-Drink Starbucks Pink Drink Coming Soon to Grocery Shelves Nationwide. Sure there is false teaching and darkness but as Christians we are to take a stand for the truth and allow God to use us to reach a lost and hurting world. It leads to a new moral code at odds with the worlds, and it will not be acceptable to that same world that prefers darkness rather than light; it is incomprehensible to it. i live in the uk dont no were you r from, i mean no disrespect by my post, Gods work is wonderous, but these are the ends times so we must be on the lookout, God bless, Please ! It sees this gratitude as humiliating and oppressive. God loves you very much. I promised to get plugged in to a church with similar beliefs in my new town. Im not sure if I meant to post under your specific comment. Galatians 2:21 KJV There are wonderful people on this newsfeed. We are told in 2 Corn. U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY KILLS. I have been invited to a park this Sunday for fellowship with other believers so Im more interested in grass root movements and genuine fellowship rather than pseudo-relationships once/twice a week. Go to YouTube and listen, you will be amazed, please, do this for your own benefit. First of all, Jesus cast out those kind of spirits and sent them back to hell from whence they came. I was just done. It is full of people who (mostly) volunteer their time. I could have wrote this one. (very few tricks in his arsenal) . Pentecostals are big on speaking in tongues. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. When things were so bad that I couldn't hide my symptoms, I just avoided church and church people. Everyone has ideas, come from different backgrounds and have varying levels of faith. Well, I can quickly disprove that because I can see people like my dad who were once hardened by life and is now totally spirit filled. Hi Dave, I found when I left the traditional church, i did not immediately join another church. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. Most of these people didnt even know the word much less if God was speaking. A lot of things that is said to be the Holy Spirit moving is nothing but the Flesh, Carnality and Recognition of self! to try to direct the personal lives of the congregation. I felt guilty. If you're not blessed, not protected, or not I looked to those who were further along which is false. I know Presbyterian minister who fell into adultery. It is a righteous holy anger at how God is treated like a customer service agent and more. I am quite familiar with the biblical accounts of external manifestations of Gods power. I am the church, and while I do want to seek out fellowship with others as this too is a Biblical principal and we are told not to forsake it, I cant help but to feel lost as where to go next. I thought I did at times, but whenever the pain True conversion repentance, forgiveness of sins, and surrender to the Lordship of Christ leads to transformed lives, exhibiting the grace, truth, love and joy of the One we profess to follow. The great thing is NOW Im able to articulate exactly why its terrible theology. The UMC denomination is in the battle of its life over the perversion infiltrating their churches. heading in the wrong direction. Good afternoon, I also left the traditional church about three years ago, my worship is mostly in our lounge, studying the bible, praying and listening to a worship cd. "In the same way, the [Holy] Spirit HELPS us in our weakness. God bless! I will be agreeing in prayer with you Brother that God would heal any damage done by this Church and that He would guide you and your family where you need to be. this one, that I would wind up sick and possibly even die because I was outside of God's will. this is why many have lost their way. Still, what is spoken must not go against the Scripture otherwise it is not of God. There we started studying scripture but the practice was the same as my previous church. All these things can make you discouraged and make you want to quit Church altogether, especially if it happens to you personally. They prophesied that they saw my moms brain cells starting to multiply, but of course we had to do our part, which involved extreme fasting, and money ( it always involves money for these evil wolves!). decided to throw myself into my faith with even more energy and abandon than before. Why are we putting a title and saying sr. joanne, br. thats why there so many of them who admit faking tongues. I find myself at odds with any church or denomination that places external manifestation above the Word of God. I am finding this site among others that are confirming some concerns. A born evangelist with a true shepherds heart. Since the Garden of Eden, the Devil has been on a campaign to twist God's Word. they didn't come to pass. No less miraculous but different. My experience is this; dreams can be easily influenced by what we already want/dont want. This broke me and I decided to start living again too. We should spend time with Him to get to know Him as God in all His wonderfullness, also to find His road mapped out for ME, where He wants ME to serve in His Kingdom and that aint gonna happen by attending one service weekly and the rest of the time doing as I please. I've heard your story from others though. we certainly dont dance at worship songs, and arnt forced to be made to feel guilty about handing over any money, we also have audit meeting s to say were all the money has been spent. 5:21: But examine everything carefully, hold fast to what is good. We have decided to leave our current church as it has too many ties to Bethel, Sozo, & other things that do not pass the above litmus test. Im excited to read your testimony and I know how it feels. The one thing I dont like about my church is that they do believe you must speak in tongues to say you have the Holy Ghost/Spirit which I do not believe. Somenot all. Quite right puresola that SDA is a cult and Mrs White a false prophet and the link I supplied about the book The Great Controversy warns people to avoid it and SDA. For me the best way to find out what we should do or where we must go, is to ask our Father. They were prayed for, the mistress and Bentley then given a platform to continue in ministry two weeks later. Welcome to discernment, and thank you for the courage to tell your story! I am a non-denominational evangelist who simply calls himself a New Testament Christian. Even more so, that we keep lifting all of it up to the Lord in prayer and that He would expose any lies that live within the church as well as our own hearts. Over the years I found that God takes things away from us so that He can be our only Rock and Anchor. I started asking questions like why are we so formal with eachother since Jesus calls us his family and not spiritual family. Well the Statement is true ove used or simplified or not. The Pentecostal movement spread to Sweden by 1907 from the 19041905 Welsh Revival and the Azusa Street Revival in The majority of the congregation could just "show up" and enjoy. You are about to discover why I fell in love with this type of church & denomination and why I eventually left this type of teaching. I am not alone! I have seen false prophetic words destroy peoples lives. If it is a bad Church leave and find one that lives and preaches the word. Well for now i think i will watch and pray and ask God to guide us to His true body. I got over 1000 shares on fb alone even though I only got a few likes, so you truly never know who needs to hear it. The Lord's church dates back to 33 AD when the 12 disciples received the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit." I hope this encourages anyone that has been disillusioned by the Pentecostal Churches of today and that you will not lose your faith but seek out a place of believers where you are more comfortable and once again enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit of Truth. The Evangelical Church as a whole is in great delusion. 2:11 is talking about. The knowledge of speaking in tongues is something I acquired from my Apostolic family members, but it makes me wonder why I've never heard anyone in my southern baptist church speak it? Makes me sick. Sorry if I took anything you said out of context. But, I want to be open to things that will challenge me and stretch my faith. Search the scriptures and you will find Him there. Not sure whats so bad about 7-M. Many will come out and when they do; they will find us waiting here with answers. Everywhere you read in scriptures the Torah was to be taught and followed FOREVER, EVERLASTING. It isnt and wont be an easy life as a follower of Christ because there will always be conflict with the evil one, but Jesus is Lord of all, at whose name every knee will bow, and He has given us the victory over sin and the spiritual death it causes, through our faith in Him . Just wondering. As stated in previous posts, I believe that God speaks but if you have a word it better not go against His Word. Thankfully, that's a promise I didn't If it had been left to me Id have given up after a day or so. If I could only stick with it long enough, I believed that all those questions I have heard false prophecies through the years. They belonged to eachother for the mere fact that they follow christ nothing else just that. I looked up to people like Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, etc. Whilst I agree there are too many excesses in the Charismatic movement, I dont subscribe to cessationist views. Unfortunately one of the fundamental doctrines of the AG church is that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I grew up mainly in the Presbyterian church (with my mom) and occasionally attended the Pentecostal church (with my dad during his visitation). As a minister, I fellowship with many others, and believe me, I would never trade what God has graciously given to me through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Presbyterians and others whose Orthodoxy is cold and aloof. It was then that I truly knew God was real to me. It is a very disorienting thing to walk away from a long held belief and a system you have promoted and loved for many years. My beliefs are based upon 40 years of exposure to the deception the OP writes about. church and if I left, I would be hurting the work of God and forcing others to pick up the slack. The Christian life is not about programs, it is about loving God and loving others (one another, neighbours, enemies) because we love Him and His love flows through us for others . Making my way up a second time and the same thing happened again! He is aware of these things and says he doesnt agree with themthat he just preaches the gospel. My destination is Heaven or bust! It looked and felt like a big show. I am sorry for all your bad experiences. I think we would. I never had one of those supernatural healing moments. Take time to heal and be kind to yourself. They cooperated with other churches to organize big events in My desire was balance and discernment. Like many others, I joined because I was looking for something -- I wanted to be in a church that Its certainly better than the hype, spectacle, idolatry and abuse of power that follows some prominent gifted individuals. I just cant believe this is God. I just want to know the bible as intended. We can only know God properly by His Word, not feeling, emotion or some experience. touch, but I knew I was saying "goodbye" forever. He was never the same physically after having a living encounter with Christ! Your word is TRUTH God. Kansas City (IHOP), Morningstar Ministries and Bethel Redding are what I considered great men of God preaching the true gospel. very sad. The musicians and leaders had done the same. Why I Left The Pentecostal Movement: Exposing Corruption Within The Pentecostal Movement Kindle Edition by Von Hanshaw (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition 7 ratings Kindle $0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $2.99 to buy I also think Pentecostals got their tongues mixed up. I would describe the modern church as apostate and I have left the harlot church system in my rear view.