I have read all of your comments & I must say that all of you have valid points, but some misunderstandings. Some of you have been hurt in the past by someone in an A/G church & for this I am sorry. But before you make a total judgment against the A/G, I think there needs to be some clearing of the air.
To If the shoe fits, Sorry for any misunderstanding. The Bible says when you receive Christ, the Spirit live in you period. Baptism has nothing to do with salvation. Some A/G churches are wilder & some milder. Find a church that you feel comfortable in, A/G or not.
To Gone Away, Valid point! Parlor tricks are a mockery of God's mercy. It is an embarrassment to the ministry & the A/G scrutinizes their ministers closely. However, a few do slip through the cracks & it puts a bad taste in the mouths of anyone who doesn't know any better. The book of Matthew states that some of those that perform miracles in the name of Christ (ministers)won't make it to heaven because they themselves did not have the right relationship with Christ.
To Ignatious, Please forgive us. If it was not stated, you should NEVER have been asked to give OR made to feel guilty to give. You were a guest! You were homeless! You would be welcomed to sit at my table in my home & eat as much as you would like. We don't do canned stew, I wouldn't expect you to either. The offering should be given with a JOYFUL HEART according to your ABILLITY.
To Helmut, Jesus said he would return . . . When? Who knows. Paul, during his last days on earth said, He would return. The verbiage Paul used was in the tense that it was present...at anytime. But Paul went on to his glory. I try to live each day as if it were my last because I too could die before the rapture of the church. Scripture states that the REASON Jesus delays is because of His mercy for the lost. The church could hasten His coming if we would just do our job...tell the lost about Christ. The CHURCH never saved anyone...Jesus does however. It sounds like you should keep the relationship close with your pastor. He can help you tolerate & understand those that are annoying. :o)
To Sfalconer, Less than 1% of our pastors or churches fall into this category. As far as turning our backs on those that made some bad choices & sinned, we need to clear the air. Both of these men had moral failures. Both were required to go through counseling & spend 2 years with a minister that they would be held accountable. Swaggert chose not to because of his TV ministry. He felt that 2 months of counseling was enough. By the way, he was caught again 6 months later in the same position. Baker was going to go through a restoration process, but was arrested for misappropriation of funds, not his affair. The A/G provides counseling for those who request it, or for those that require it (as in the case of moral failure). We are very strong activists in recognizing the need of counseling for our ministers, however, pride keeps many of them away. We never think twice about putting our car in the shop for a tune-up, but think we are weak if we see a councilor.
To Donovan, Good job son! A Baptist missionary friend of mine gave me a Baptist statistic, that 40% of their missionaries are Spirit filled. The Korean Presbyterian Church is Pentecostal. Several Catholic churches stateside are experiencing Pentecost, not to mention several Anglican Churches in England. Revival is sweeping the world which I have seen first hand. However, here in the states, we have become very self-centered with a very LIMITED world view...NO MATTER WHAT DENOMINATION YOU ARE.
So, to all who wrote & all who will write, I pray God's blessing & mercy on us ALL!
