[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Last night I talked with a long time member of
the Assemblies of God, and they were able to tell
me offhand with conviction that the Baptist
believe that the gift of tongues is "of the devil"
It struck me odd..
I know exactly what you are talking about as I have seen this first hand
myself.
In 1989, I was attending the Job Corps in Port Deposit, MD (across the river
from where Potomac holds their district pow-wow) I was making my first crack
at LTC, then but being in the Job Corps was making it very difficult for me
complete the course. I was in Job Corps to learn Auto Body repair, a skill I
had started on in high school, but had wanted to learn more. I was doing the
LTC on the side, but since the Job Corps is a government run program, it
restricted my involvement in Rangers, no matter how much I protested about
it. I was allowed to have a weekend pass of which I was supposed to attend
church on that if I had needed to (in their eyes) So I pretty much took
advantage of that opportunity. I would go across the river to the town of
Aberdeen of where I met up with a place called the Military Christian Center.
Aberdeen is home to a very large training facility for the Army and I was
allowed to stay at the Christian Center for the weekends provided I help with
the operation of the center and that was perfectly fine w/ me.
Every now and then there would be people from the Army who would come over
and stay at the center and there was this one guy a sergeant first class,
(brother Armentrout was his name) I remember him well. He got upset at me
when he asked me what church did I go to? I told him that I went to an
Assemblies church and boy, I thought that I was cast into the abyss before I
even knew what hit me. I was rebuked, admonished and you name it before I
could even realize what it was that he was upset about. I had no clue as to
why he was so upset about it. I went and talked to the Ctr's director about
it and was told that they "don't associate w/them."
I was dumbfounded, but at that point in my life, the Rangers and the
Assemblies of God and all that were new to me. I didn't let the opposition
stop me from going to the Assemblies because I knew that God was ministering
to me there. My background I guess having been a member of the Presbyterian
Church in America previously, was more likened to what my Southern Baptist
brother would have been more gentler on me for. But all of those "lessons" I
had learned early on, that not all the Christian denominations believe the
same way.
I went to a Southern Baptist school earlier in life, when I was a
Presbyterian and many of my classmates were from the Assemblies of God. (go
figure)
But, I had to quickly recognize that yes, there are many brothers and
sisters that I will not see "eye to eye" with. But I should never discredit
them for their interpretation of what they believe. Who am I to do that? I
don't have that authority vested in me to do that. I have to look at those
brothers and sisters as equals even if there is that thing called a
denominational barrier. I should not try to discredit them for what they
believe because doing that is contrary to what I believe. "The Golden Rule"
I applied that when they didn't, I turned the other cheek when I was about to
get sent to the bottom of the abyss by that brother. God is love. I knew that
way back when and I knew that would be able to go beyond any man made wall
that was put before me.
I had served the Lord as a servant missionary in a foreign country when I was
15 years old. I had to learn what different denominations were about. I knew
what a Catholic was, I got my start as being one, but then I was moved by my
mother to the PCA. I went to Baptist school as a Presbyterian and joined the
Assemblies after I had graduated high school. I have honestly come to the
belief that God isn't concerning Himself with denominations. He is concerning
Himself with the Christians who make up the church as a whole. The
denominational thing in my opinion compared to what the Lord is, is a mute
point. God is going to use us, as His servants regardless of which
denomination we ally with. Love your neighbor as yourself. and "do not try
to take the spec out of your brother's eye before taking the log out of your
own, " I don't look down on fellow believers as if they were somehow less
than equals, that's not love when that happens. I can't honestly say that
their experience with God is all wrong because they do not yet speak in
tongues, that's not right either because God will manifest that in them when
He is ready to.
All in all, the basic core belief across the board is that Jesus died for
our sins and rose on the 3rd day, we all agree on that. I always look for
our common ground between us and try to build on that rather than nitpick on
every little prickly point that would put us apart. The Devil wants us to
waste time nitpicking those prickly points and as for me, there just isn't
the time to indulge in that anymore, God is bigger and Life has to move
beyond that.
As for "Comparison," our Ranger training told us that we should not
compare the boys to other boys. Taking that a step further, I believe that
we should not compare on the denominations also. God has those brothers and
sisters where He wants them until He tells them otherwise. I believe that in
essence is to broaden our scopes to be sensitive, to understand and listen.
We are all different in so many different ways that for us to try to
understand is a daunting and nearly impossible thing to do. We don't have to
do that. God has done that for us already. He understands where we are even
if the A/G or the PCA, or the SBC, or even the Pope does not. (A/G = the
Assemblies of God // PCA=Presbyterian Church in America //SBC= Southern
Baptist Convention // do I really have to explain who the Pope is?)
Like Joseph and his multicolored coat, God was the needle and the Holy
Spirit was the thread that caused it all to come together as one. Please
forgive me for looking above and beyond the standard conventionalism, but
God's omnipotency is above and beyond. IMHO, I believe that comparison may
not be the appropriate thing here but certainly to educate and prepare those
young ones in advance for what they could encounter in their day to day life.
sensitivity, listening and understanding are all words that are ringing out
to me on this topic.
my post here is not meant to offend or step on anyone's toes, it is not
meant to be harmful in anyway, it is meant with love and respect. I only ask
that if this does tweak someone the wrong way that you go pray about it
God Bless,
Iron Mike
