Category: United Pentecostal Church | Page 55

Leaving An Unhealthy Church #12: Can I Go To A Church Where I Don’t Agree With Everything?

In searching for a new church after leaving an unhealthy one, people often have questions such as these: Do you think it is OK to attend a church where you don’t agree with everything they believe in? Do you think God will fault us if we go to a church where we disagree with some interpretations of the Bible?

Even in the New Testament, we find that everyone didn’t always see things the very same way. The Bible speaks to the matter in Ephesians 3:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. ….It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (verses 2, 3, & 12, 13- NIV)

One thing you will find, if you haven’t already, is that as you go forward in your walk with God, some beliefs are going to change or become more defined. This is because we are ever learning and growing. In addition, when one leaves an unhealthy church, there are often numerous faulty teachings that will be shed as you start looking into what was taught. So even if you found a new church soon after leaving, you may find that a few months down the road you are no longer in agreement in some areas.

Is it possible to find a church where you are in agreement on every single issue? My guess is probably not. Even while I was in the United Pentecostal Church, I didn’t always agree with the pastor on some issues. The ministers within this group do not see eye to eye on everything, thus there are numerous variations of some teachings.

As believers, we are to grow together in the Lord. To me, as long as a church teaches the essentials and isn’t into some blatant false teaching, then there isn’t anything wrong or potentially harmful with attending, even though you may not be in complete agreement.

Look at it this way. Are you married? Do you and your spouse see eye to eye on every matter? My guess would be no couple does. Should this mean the two of you should not remain together? Certainly not! The same applies to friendships.

There are areas where I personally feel a need to draw a line and this is probably true with most believers. Let me share an example from my own experience. When I moved to another state, I started attending a church that seemed OK. They were tolerant of the beliefs of others. But then there came a time when they began promoting an author who was scheduled to speak at their church. The main pastor proclaimed that he felt this author was a prophet for our time. I believe this author to be in error with things he teaches and believe he is far from a prophet. Making a proclamation that someone is a prophet was no small matter in my eyes after exiting my former church group. In this instance, I felt I had to leave. For someone else, it might not be a problem and they may be able to overlook it.

If you are looking for the perfect church, there is none and never will be. Even the very early Christians had difficulties, disagreements and problems.

For me, what matters are the basics. I wouldn’t have to be in agreement with everything in order to attend a church unless it was in a major area. Look for a church which fulfills the passage I quoted above- that prepares God’s people for works of service and is helping people to grow and mature and come to unity. A church like that will probably be a healthy one and differences in opinions and beliefs will be allowed.

The Character of a Man

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” James D. Miles

I saw this on Facebook. It brought back memories. In my former church, the men were expected to be “manly”… to laugh and be tough if others or themselves were hurt. One of the first indications I had that something was dreadfully wrong with my former pastor was that he sat and laughed while his son poked the eyes out of a live frog, then impaled the still living frog on a stick and continued playing with it. Both were laughing. The thought of it still turns my stomach.

Blood doesn’t bother me. Cruelty does. If he’d killed the frog and disemboweled it, I wouldn’t have been surprised. It was that the frog was still alive while he continued to abuse it that disgusted me.

I think of that situation that night several years ago, see this picture and quote, and think of the men I now know. Men who seem gentle and kind, who don’t see those as weakness or effeminate characteristics, but as strength, and as the fruit of the spirit.

For so many years I listened while my former pastor told me there was something wrong with me. I prayed that “something” would change, that whatever was wrong wouldn’t be anymore. And for years it seemed like I lived in fear that I would end up leaving or being kicked out and do my best to stay. It’s weird to wake up and realize that all the time you prayed for something, you fought the answer to the prayer. It’s strange to realize that I asked God to fix whatever was “wrong with me,” not realizing that the thing that was most wrong was that I would stay in that environment to begin with.

I’m thankful that God answers prayers… even when we don’t know what we’re asking, and even when we don’t want or are scared of the answer we’re given. He does know what’s best for us, He does care for us, and He did answer my prayers.

Howard Goss- The Winds of God

Howard A. Goss was part of the Pentecostal movement since the very early 1900s. He helped to organize the Assemblies of God. He became the General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Church Incorporated, which later merged with another organization to form the United Pentecostal Church. Goss became the first General Superintendent of the UPC in 1945.

In the late 1950s, his wife, Ethel E. Goss, wrote a book with his input on the early years of the Pentecostal movement from 1901 to 1914. It is called The Winds of God.

There are many people involved in Oneness Pentecostal churches who are yet unaware of how things were different in the earlier days of their movement. There wasn’t the same emphasis on outward standards and there were differences in beliefs concerning when a person was saved. Goss himself believed that both Trinitarians and Oneness believers were saved and believed that water baptism was performed after a person was saved.

In regard to outward standards, below is what Mrs. Goss wrote on page 69 (of the revised version) and page 38 (of the original version):

We did not wear uniforms. The lady workers dressed in the current fashions of the day…silks…satins…jewels or whatever they happened to possess. They were very smartly turned out, so that they made an impressive appearance on the streets where a large part of our work was conducted in the early years.

It was not until long after, when former Holiness preachers had become part of us, that strict plainness of dress began to be taught.

Although Entire Sanctification was preached at the beginning of the Movement, it was from a Wesleyan viewpoint, and had in it very little of the later Holiness Movement characteristics. Nothing was ever said about apparel, for everyone was so taken up with the Lord that mode of dress seemingly never occurred to any of us.

Galatians 2:4 came to mind as I posted this quote. While it may not fully fit, to me it does at least in part: “But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.” (NASB) Could it be that a reason why so many today are now overly concerned with the outward is because they may not be “so taken up with the Lord”?

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Locks Of Love Hair Donation

There may be some reading here who have left a church that teaches women are never to cut their hair, and who are thinking of getting their hair cut as they no longer believe the doctrine. You may want to consider donating your cut hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes hairpieces for children. The link below takes you to their hair donation page. They do have some rules as to what they can accept.

https://locksoflove.org/forms/hair-donation-form/

Discussion on David Bernard’s Book: The Oneness of God

Just over an hour in length, in this video former Oneness Pentecostal & valedictorian of the United Pentecostal Church’s Texas Bible College, Mark McNeil discusses The Oneness of God, written by David K. Bernard, UPC General Superintendent.