Has Pentecost changed?

[navygoat1998]

Originally Posted by seekerman

I agree, it's not limited to oneness pentecostal churches. Growing up, I couldn't attend an AG (or any trinitarian) church so I don't have the experience from the 50s like I do with the oneness pentecostals, but listening to my AG friends today talk, it seems the AG was much different in the past also.

Its true. When we first moved here a friend of my wife told her about this AG that she walked into a few years ago on a Sunday night and this lady said that everybody was swinging from the chandeliers and out of control, well she was Baptized in the Holy Ghost years ago and she still turned around a left. I don't understand that.

We were looking for a church and we went to a service and after we left I told my wife they need to erase the word Pentecostal from the name.

We go to an AG church that is just that very Pentecostal. I am blessed because all the AG churches we have been part of are very Spirit filled and very Pentecostal, but they are not all like that and it makes me sad.

[Hoovie]

Please give the top few reasons things are differ now than in the 50's...

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by seekerman

I was there.....I'm ancient.

And you also went back again?

[Praxeas]

Pentecost is different from when I started going in the late 80s

They were less song and music oriented. There was more time spent during the "worship" service just with the hands raised worshiping God between songs.

The preaching was better, less "Quote a verse then tell stories" but more "Quote several verses and elaborate on the verse and maybe some stories"

And evangelists actually preached messages. Today evangelists nearly all come to church, crack jokes, tell stories and finally works the visitors up to coming forward to speak in tongues. No joke. I've been in services where the evangelist never opened his bible.

We had a missionary come through and preach for an hour or so and never opened the bible.

[Jason B]

Is the spiritual health of a church to be based on how demonstrative they are?

The problem isn't "manifestations" it is a lack of time, yea, desire for prayer and the Word. There's not the same hunger and thirst for righteousness as at times in the past. People are too full and entertained to really be hungry spiritually. They might have to get off Facebook for a day.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Jason Badejo

Is the spiritual health of a church to be based on how demonstrative they are?

The problem isn't "manifestations" it is a lack of time, yea, desire for prayer and the Word. There's not the same hunger and thirst for righteousness as at times in the past. People are too full and entertained to really be hungry spiritually. They might have to get off Facebook for a day.

And lo, thou shalt surely leadeth the way

[seekerman]

Originally Posted by Hoovie

Please give the top few reasons things are differ now than in the 50's...

There is a marked difference between the move of the Spirit when I went to church in the 50s to when I visit an OP church today. Today, it seems there's a lot of mimicking of the move of the Spirit, worship seems forced not free as compared to the past. A wave of the Spirit would just move through the church in which I was raised, almost tangible and visible, a holiness if you will. Today, the preacher is more of a cheerleader telling the people what to do. Jump! Run! Shout! That wasn't the case in the past.

The music back then was purer, not as orchestrated, more spontaneous. Yes, brother so-and-so didn't have a great voice, his timing was off but when he sang it would bring the Spirit down. Sister so-and-so would sing the same song time off key time after time, but it wasn't the entertainment of the singing, it was the moving of the Spirit which followed. Today singing is taught, organized, planned and most of the time little more than secular entertainment. In the past, when the church was in worship and the 'bad' singers would begin singing ..."there is pow-er, pow-er, wonderful working power, in the blood...of the Lamb"....it may not have been pretty but the Spirit moved and worked in the people.

The church in which I was raised was small, most of the time less than 100 people. But there song service included anyone who wished to stand together on the rostrum and sing, men on one side, women on the other. People participated more in worship, a more intimate part of the church. That changed though, now it's a stay in your pew while the 'professionals' sing and entertain you type of service.

Revivals back then would last for weeks sometimes with the power of God moving each and every night. There was an excitement, an expectation, a knowing that the service each night would be a real Spirit filled, shouting, Holy Ghost moving service. I've been in revivals which lasted literally for months, not just weeks. It was amazing to see the workings of God in those services. Healings. Deliverences.

Yes, so much difference between then and now. But, as someone pointed out, it's not limited to oneness pentecostalism, it's throughout the Church. I don't know if we can reclaim the purity of Pentecostalism. I most of the time doubt it.

[commonsense]

I'm also "ancient" and totally agree that services in the 50's were different.

More annointing. Less mimicking of professional singers etc. In the 50's services were Spirit led.
Today it seems to be a performance! Nothing against practice but as we strive for perfection we often leave God out of the equation.

I don't want to go back 60 years but ......services, singing,specials, preaching
it was a different world______in church or politically.

[Praxeas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGS4LFNf5Dg

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by seekerman

There is a marked difference between the move of the Spirit when I went to church in the 50s to when I visit an OP church today. Today, it seems there's a lot of mimicking of the move of the Spirit, worship seems forced not free as compared to the past. A wave of the Spirit would just move through the church in which I was raised, almost tangible and visible, a holiness if you will. Today, the preacher is more of a cheerleader telling the people what to do. Jump! Run! Shout! That wasn't the case in the past.

The music back then was purer, not as orchestrated, more spontaneous. Yes, brother so-and-so didn't have a great voice, his timing was off but when he sang it would bring the Spirit down. Sister so-and-so would sing the same song time off key time after time, but it wasn't the entertainment of the singing, it was the moving of the Spirit which followed. Today singing is taught, organized, planned and most of the time little more than secular entertainment. In the past, when the church was in worship and the 'bad' singers would begin singing ..."there is pow-er, pow-er, wonderful working power, in the blood...of the Lamb"....it may not have been pretty but the Spirit moved and worked in the people.

The church in which I was raised was small, most of the time less than 100 people. But there song service included anyone who wished to stand together on the rostrum and sing, men on one side, women on the other. People participated more in worship, a more intimate part of the church. That changed though, now it's a stay in your pew while the 'professionals' sing and entertain you type of service.

Revivals back then would last for weeks sometimes with the power of God moving each and every night. There was an excitement, an expectation, a knowing that the service each night would be a real Spirit filled, shouting, Holy Ghost moving service. I've been in revivals which lasted literally for months, not just weeks. It was amazing to see the workings of God in those services. Healings. Deliverences.

Yes, so much difference between then and now. But, as someone pointed out, it's not limited to oneness pentecostalism, it's throughout the Church. I don't know if we can reclaim the purity of Pentecostalism. I most of the time doubt it.

Do you think it is because that church has become worldly as some believe? Has TV, sports, movies etc.... hindered revival like some claim?