Quote:
Originally Posted by revrandy
Are the Words of This Thread True??
By our Labeling of each other have we transitioned from a Movement into a Denomination..
Thereby destroying ourselves from the Inside out?
It would seem that there are many splinters in the UPC nowadays.. Men who once respected the difference's of the others now isolate fellowship over simple differences.
I am NOT speaking of differences of Grand Proportions but insignificant differences...
We put labels on everything nowadays.. and if we disagree with someone we label them.. as to categorize the Organization..
Don't have him preach.. He wears a Wedding ring...
Don't have him preach.. He preaches against short sleeves..
Paul warned against this in the New Testament.. and we commit it everyday..
Paul said.. some are of Apollos and some of Cephas... and some of Him.. and others say they are of Christ..
I ask you as Paul asked??? IS CHRIST DIVIDED???
Paul said that NO Flesh should be glorified... are we sinning by labeling each other??
He said in Chapter 3 of Corinthians...
3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
I am guilty of labeling co-laborers and for that I am Sorry!!
I do NOt want to be counted as Carnal in this matter... Because it is God that gives the increase...
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Good thoughts, though I doubt it'll get much mileage. It should, though. This is the kind of subject that people need to study and discuss. But, the truth is, for some of the very reasons you stated, I don't think Unity between organizations is possible. I don't think its even desired.
I don't know about us becoming a denomination, but I can agree that we (and I use that in the collective sense) are destroying ourselves from within. It seems we Apostolics have been ostracized from mainstream pentecostalism like some misbehaving kids who just wouldn't play fair. We're on the "naughty bench". We've been separated from the other little boys and girls and, sittin on the naughty bench, we've become bored and are picking at each other. We start calling each other names and soon we're in a free for all over some little something.
We don't have anyone else to interact with. We don't get along with the AOG and the COG kids, so we just play, then fuss with each other. Paul said,
Gal 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. And thats whats happening. I saw a great move of God dry up on the bone because people began to disagree on water baptism. All believed in
Acts 2:38, by varied on the Name. Some said "Jesus", others said "Jesus Christ" while still others said "Lord Jesus Christ". Then the word "rapture" became another bone of contention. The harmony and fellowship that was brought when the Holy Ghost began to move went out the window. With it went the move of God that doubled some churches in size. Now those churches are dead and dying. One need only look to the church at Corinth as an example of what happens to a move of God when people begin squabbling over issues.
I write alot here about UNITY, because I think we, as a movement, have missed the real purpose of Pentecost. We emphasize the "tongues" and we highlight water baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, but we fail to notice what the real miracle of Pentecost was. It was at Pentecost the prayer of Jesus was answered. He prayed that we become one. And the church did become one. The had all things common. They were in one accord.
I don't know that "labelling" one another is killing us as a movement, but I do believe it is crippling us. Its keeping us divided. And as long as we are divided... we'll never stand.
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