Freaky Pentys--Which stands for Freaky Pentecostals
Ben was intently looking down at the maintenance log for the helicopter. Ben was our new mechanic. We had just recently moved to a new state and I began a new job. I found out that Ben was a believer so I wanted to know where he gathered for church meetings.
"Ben", I said. "You go to an Assembly of God, don't you"?
"Yes", Ben replied while never lifting his eyes from his work.
"Do they......um...do they roll around in the isles and bark like dogs"?
Awkward pause.
Ben lifted his eyes then quickly dropped them back to his work and replied, "Do you want them to"?
How many of you have had this conversation? Or a conversation similar to it?
"Are you one of those Calvinists"?
"Are you charismatic"?
"Are you dispensational"?
We love labels.
"You're Presbyterian? I know about you. You are the 'Frozen chosen'. God chose you--and you are going to let me know all the theological reasons why, but you somehow forgot about the Holy Spirit."
"What? You're a Pentecostal? One of those 'Freaky Pentys'. I know about you. Lots of spirit, but no brains."
"You're Baptist? Dead but still walking, huh"?
Why can't we all just get along?
Labels are useful.
I'm a charismatic, baptist, calvinist, non-conformist, inerrantist, non-KJVonlyist, old hymn hating, covenant theologian, alcohol drinking, systematic theologian, young earth creationist with old earth leanings, trinitarian, homeschooling, yankee, who believes Jesus is coming back.
Is there a denomination for that?
Can I get a label?
Other than 'pain in the ass French guy'!
Labels are helpful though.
We are all created differently and God has given each of us different gifts. By using labels it helps identify which sub-camps we belong to. Are you a foot in the body of Christ or a hand? By using labels we can inform each other where we fit.
If you think we should all just get along, you are right. But one way to get along is to tolerate and separate.
Paul and Barnabas had a 'sharp disagreement' and separated.
A forehead and a buttock never, ever come in contact with one another, yet they go on separately doing their jobs as part of the same body. Separated from one another, but walking in perfect unity.
Grey areas
God has left us so many grey areas that we must leave much room for disagreement. Denominations have developed because of grey areas.
Problem is...
Denominations have morphed into institutions. When you institutionalize beliefs--you lock them in. Then, after you lock them in, you franchise them.
Roman Catholics are always dogging the Protestants by asking, "Whose in charge? Where is the unity"? They think it is a slam dunk accusation.
Problem is, when you look at the early church, they were very uncontrolled--but they had unity. They had unity because they remained the body of Christ.
The Roman Catholic church is the ultimate example of institution--yet--how different are our 'churches'? We have institutionalized 'our' grey areas and call it freedom.
It's not freedom. It's institutionalization and it stinks.
Keep the labels
We need to keep the labels--God allows those--but resist institutionalizing them.
Personally, I have changed my labels many times over the years. I can't seem to kick the 'pain in the ass French guy', but that one was given to me!
Since I have been a believer I have been a part of Calvary Chapel, Southern Baptists, Independent Bible Churches, start up churches, Assembly of God, Presbyterian Church in America, Free Presbyterian Church of North America, Independent Fundamental Baptists, Church of God and Free Methodists.
Did I miss any? I think I hit all the majors.
"This guy can't put down roots"!
What have I learned from all these denominations? The main thing I learned is that only about 10-20% of people in each of these places actually agrees with the denomination's full doctrinal statement. A doctrinal statement is the denominational label.
It's what makes a Baptist a Baptist, etc.
In other words, most people attend these institutions, but they don't even believe the label.
I have even know pastors who don't.
And what is worse--they have come to a place where they don't even care anymore. Why bother, they say. I just like the people. I've said it myself.
My conclusion is this: In order to foster greater unity and diversity, we must stop building institutions and plant more churches.
What?
Smaller, more diverse churches, filled with less people who can actually know one another. Each local gathering should be the 10-20% who believe the same. Who wear the label.
The rest should plant another church.
This is good--this is not division--this is wisdom. This is 'foreheads and buttocks'.
Fingernails on the chalkboard
I know to you control freaks out there, I have just done the equivalent of sliding my fingernails down the chalkboard, but you must resist the power achieved by institutionalizing and allow Jesus to build His church.
Push the people out. Push yourself out. Make disciple making disciples.
If you sit in church week after week just 'being fed', you might want to consider how you might get up and start being the 'church'. Remember when Paul talked about 'still needing milk'?
Go out into the world and start being the church.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you".
If Christ died for you and sent you into the world to 'make disciples'--then--who are you discipling?
"And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest".
Ben's church
Oh, and just for the record, I went to Ben's church gathering for a long time.
Great bunch of brothers and sisters. That's where I was first taken into the jails to teach bible studies. I had only been a believer for a few years, but these men discipled me by teaching me how to make disciples.
At Ben's church is where I met Tito. Tito had been ordained in the Assemblies of God for over fifty years.
I told Tito that the official 'label' of the Assemblies of God said that the proof of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is to speak in tongues.
"Tito", I said, "I know that I know that I know, that I have been born again, but I have never spoken in tongues. What do you make of this"?
Tito responded, "The longer you walk with Christ the less denominational you become".
What he meant was that your labels change, but institutions don't.
Tito spoke in tongues.
And no, they didn't roll around in the isles and bark like dogs.
Song:
For A Time Such As This
I have also attended churches of several different denominations. When it comes to their doctrines, somethings are "deal breakers" for me, if I think it contradicts scripture. I remember sitting at my son's karate class with a woman of a denomination severely different from my own, and when we talked about what they believed, she said, "We're just like you, but we worship on Saturday." Others tell me they are non-denominational, but over the years, I have just come to think of non-denominational as another denomination, and a rather large one. And, for each of these denominations there are those one or two questions that other denominations always mention as the deal breakers...those guys baptize babies, those guys sprinkle, those guys have female pastors, those guys believe you can't lose your salvation , those guys support missions through a convention, those guys support missions on the local level only, and for heaven's sake, those guys have electric guitars...etc, etc. While on one hand, I see the importance of gathering together, on the other I look at the churches of Revelation and cringe that the warning Christ gave to them fall on deaf ears today. Sometimes, at whatever church I am sitting in, I see so much worldliness, and I just want to leave because the enormity of the problem seems so big, and I would rather be home with my blanket and my Bible. Didn't mean to hi-jack your thought provoking post... so I will shut up now!
ReplyDeleteYou may hijack my blog any time😆 I know you will always add something worth hearing.
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