Pentecostalism

[Holly3278]

Hi everyone. I have recently gotten involved a little bit with a Pentecostal Church. I have not decided to leave the Catholic Church but I am having doubts about the Catholic Church. The Pentecostal Church just seems to be so Biblical! Can you please show me why the Pentecostal Church is wrong? I know that they do not have a valid Eucharist and that is probably the main reason why I have not left the Catholic Church. Please help!

 

[excaliber]

Hi everyone. I have recently gotten involved a little bit with a Pentecostal Church. I have not decided to leave the Catholic Church but I am having doubts about the Catholic Church. The Pentecostal Church just seems to be so Biblical! Can you please show me why the Pentecostal Church is wrong? I know that they do not have a valid Eucharist and that is probably the main reason why I have not left the Catholic Church. Please help!

Can you be a little more detailed?
What do you think the Catholic Church has wrong that they have correct?

 

[Holly3278]

Can you be a little more detailed?
What do you think the Catholic Church has wrong that they have correct?

I don’t know. Maybe sola scriptura? I just like the fact that their worship is so much more lively. But yet I also realize that they don’t have the Eucharist and that bothers me.

 

[Ross09]

Sola scriptura contradicts itself. Where in the Bible does it say the Bible is the authority? It doesn’t; it says “take it to the Church.” In addition, where did the Bible come from? Catholics determined what was Canon, so the Bible is a Catholic book.
See here: catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0409fea3.asp

The Mass is about reverence and high worship, not entertainment. If you feel drawn to them because their service/gathering is “fun” or emotionally gratifying, you might want to consider studying the Mass. A deeper understanding of why we go through the motions that we do and the meaning/teaching/traditions behind them could help you have a more spiritually moving experience at Mass.
See here: catholic.com/library/Institution_of_the_Mass.asp

God Bless you on your faith journey.

 

[Soutane]

I don’t know. Maybe sola scriptura? I just like the fact that their worship is so much more lively. But yet I also realize that they don’t have the Eucharist and that bothers me.

Sola Scriptura is COMPLETELY unbiblical.The Church(Catholic) founded by God Himself-Jesus Christ came first.The Teaching Authority or Magisterium came second as was ordained by Christ.Holy Tradition came third.Out of all the preceeding came Holy Scripture-all 72 books,validated by the Catholic Church.Church,Magisterium,Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture are all protected against the gates of Hell (which will NEVER prevail)as guaranteed by the Holy Spirit-now THAT’S Biblical.

Sola Scriptura was invented by a man approximately 500 years ago.Be a Christian of CONVICTION-not a Christian of EMOTION.

RUN from these “Pentecostals”,as you are another Catholic “trophy” to them.Such a foolish dalliance is an actual threat to your soul and to your SALVATION.

There is only ONE Church-the Holy Catholic Church but there are thousands and thousands of man-made immitators that have denominated from Her and each other.RUN for the sake of your soul.

 

[OneTrueCathApos]

Hi everyone. I have recently gotten involved a little bit with a Pentecostal Church. I have not decided to leave the Catholic Church but I am having doubts about the Catholic Church. The Pentecostal Church just seems to be so Biblical! Can you please show me why the Pentecostal Church is wrong? I know that they do not have a valid Eucharist and that is probably the main reason why I have not left the Catholic Church. Please help!

Remember, every denomination is man made except for the Catholic church. How you do not want to be in the church Christ established is beyond me.

 

[tampasteve]

As a current Protestant that grew up in the Baptist church but has attended a Methodist church for 10 years along with the occasional Pentecostal, Church of God, etc. church I can say that the Catholic church seems more biblical, IMHO.

If you want a “lively” worship experience get involved in a Charismatic Catholic group/service. From personal experience most Protestant churches are founded around a popular person/minister. When that person is popular and people like what they are teaching the church grows, sometimes fantastically, but if that person falls or when they pass away more often than not the church dies with them. Sad as it is this seems to breed an almost personality cult around the leaders of these churches, whether the pastor means for it to or not. Be careful that you are following and fully understand what that church teaches and believes, not just what the experience shows you. So often both Catholics and Protestants have absolutely no idea what their church really believes.

Honestly look into your heritage and church history, not just what people say. Read parts of the Catechism for what the church really believes, not just what some theologians interpret. Read the church Fathers, read about history of the church from a secular perspective. These are the sources that pointed me to Catholicism. The Church was a continuation of the Jewish faith, indeed the first members were practicing Jews. The Jewish religion is a liturgical religion, just as the Catholic and Orthodox church are. The first church did NOT worship willy nilly like most protestants believe. Read some of the oldest documents (Justin Martyr comes to mind) and they point directly to liturgical worship, which is absent from most (but not all) Protestant denominations, and certainly from the Pentecostals.

Going on feelings alone is never good, in faith or in personal life!

As for Sola Scriptura, as others have pointed out it really is un-biblical itself. As a matter of fact the Bible actually states to the contrary.

Steve

 

[Marsha_Adams]

I don’t know. Maybe sola scriptura? I just like the fact that their worship is so much more lively. But yet I also realize that they don’t have the Eucharist and that bothers me.

Holly:

Find yourself a Catholic Charismatic group. That way you can have “lively” and the “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic” Church too.

 

[CHESTERTONRULES]

Hi everyone. I have recently gotten involved a little bit with a Pentecostal Church. I have not decided to leave the Catholic Church but I am having doubts about the Catholic Church. The Pentecostal Church just seems to be so Biblical! Can you please show me why the Pentecostal Church is wrong? I know that they do not have a valid Eucharist and that is probably the main reason why I have not left the Catholic Church. Please help!

There are many different beliefs among pentecostals. It depends on which denomination you are referring to.

They all reject the authority of the apostles, however. They are claiming to speak for God even though they reject his Church.

They are described here, in Acts 15:

23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that** some went out from us without our authorization **and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.

More bible verses which they will find troubling:

Matthew 18

17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Luke 10
16"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

John 20
21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

1 Timothy 3
15if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

2 Thes 2
15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

Matthew 16

17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

[GraceDK]

Hi everyone. I have recently gotten involved a little bit with a Pentecostal Church. I have not decided to leave the Catholic Church but I am having doubts about the Catholic Church. The Pentecostal Church just seems to be so Biblical! Can you please show me why the Pentecostal Church is wrong? I know that they do not have a valid Eucharist and that is probably the main reason why I have not left the Catholic Church. Please help!

Dear Holly.

I am a convert from Evangelical Christianity into the Catholic Church.
Going to the Pentcostal Church didn’t make me a believer, anymore than it did to visit a Lutheran or Catholic Church… untill the day God’s grace gave me the gift of knowing His Son as my personal Lord and Saviour. That happend out side of any Church, but immediately Christ the Bridegroom called me to become ONE intimately with Him in Holy Communion. (The Real presense is only such in Orthodox and Catholic Services).
Oh that day was blessed among all days… not having grown up with this awesome Grace I can only stand in AWE.

At that point and still now I fell home wherever the Name is praised. God called me and spoiled me even by personal enligtenment in my obstinacy.
I became Catholic because I believe in the Eucharistic presense of Christ which I have found to be more life transforming than all testimonies, all live bands, all shouting preacher… even if I love all these Pentecostal things and all my brethren there…

At one time I too was tempted to leave the Catholic Church. I said: “LORD why have you made me Catholic. Cant you see they are more on fire in the Pentecostal Church down the street than in my own parish church?”.

But in my soul an image formed: I saw my self in front of the Tabernacle. And Jesus said:" Will you leave Me ?" Then I fell on my knees and wept and repented… This happend a few times.
I started begging for enlightenment on honest questions and God answered them all.

He taught me personally - because I was too proud to listen to the Catholic Church authority at the time even though I had freely become Catholic- He confirmed Catholic doctrine about
Mary,
Confession,
and Child baptism, (these were just some)

He particularly at a crucial time led me to Alex Jones who was a Pentecostal pastor who had become Catholic and taken his whole congregation with him into the RCC because of a sincere study in early Church history. I also started studying the earliest documents and found out that the original Church has always been both charismatic and Catholic with all the teaching this involves.
God also taught me the difference between hirarchal gifts (such as priestly ordination) and Charismatic gifts (such as tongues and prophesy), the need and validity of both, and I also found out that there are many Charismatic Catholics out there who have the Christian life that I know is my way too… that’s where I belong. In that spirituality, but within the fold of the whole banquet of Christ’s Body and Blood and all the means of help He has given us.

After that major crisis which was quite long, I now, a few years later have total peace. The storm is over… and I am SOOO Blessed to be Catholic. Halleluja!

I advice you to listen to all the Hillsong and Christian bands you want to… but don’t sell out on the Church. Its so awesomely big and blessed and rich, you need to discover so much in a sincere way before you just up and leave…

And find some charismatic Catholics in your area!

You like worship music?.. here is a worship song by Catholic Matt Maher: youtube.com/watch?v=RtTbSP2N1NY&feature=related
Another one I love is by Sr. Danielle Rose: youtube.com/watch?v=__PQjgi32-4

Yeshua Ha Messhiah.
Stay close to our Lord

Gracie

 

[Hisalone]

I don’t know. Maybe sola scriptura? I just like the fact that their worship is so much more lively. But yet I also realize that they don’t have the Eucharist and that bothers me.

Hi Holley,

I am a Charismatic/Pentacostal.
I do not believe in Sola Scriptura, I do believe that the bible is the ultimate authority. Scripture over tradition vs tradition over scripture.
“Lively” praise and worship can be a good thing, worsipping od with our whole being. We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Praise and worship should bring us into the very tangible presence of God “God inhabits the praises of His saints”.
This presence is very real, it is the real presence of God.
Read 1 Corinthians were Paul said he desires that all should speak in tongues, that al should prophesy that we should desire the best gifts of the Spirit. This has all been lost in the Catholic Church. Pentacostal live the 1st century Christian Church.

 

[Hisalone]

Remember, every denomination is man made except for the Catholic church. How you do not want to be in the church Christ established is beyond me.

Christ established the Christian Curch not the Roman Church.

 

[Hisalone]

There are many different beliefs among pentecostals. It depends on which denomination you are referring to.

They all reject the authority of the apostles, however. They are claiming to speak for God even though they reject his Church.

They are described here, in Acts 15:

23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that** some went out from us without our authorization **and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.

More bible verses which they will find troubling:

Matthew 18

17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Luke 10
16"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

John 20
21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

1 Timothy 3
15if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

2 Thes 2
15So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

Matthew 16

17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Spirit of God is with the Pentacostals.
If God be for us who can be against us.

 

[Mark77]

Christ established the Christian Curch not the Roman Church.

I attended a number of pentecostal services after I had abandoned the Catholic Church. They were interesting and exciting, yet empty and incomplete because they did not contain the fullness of the Truth that you can only find in the Church Jesus founded, the Catholic Church!

Do not fall for the false argument that the Church is invalid or corrupted because it contains sinners.

Jesus chose his Apostles, He trained them and accepted their human flaws. They denied and betrayed Him, but he is still Jesus, eternally the Christ, despite their flaws.

There is only one Church, the Church Jesus founded and passed on to His Apostles to continue on earth, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, until He returns.

While the Roman Catholic Church is made up of human beings who are all sinners, including it’s clergy ( just like the Apostles that Jesus chose), the Truth it teaches is pure, complete and comes from Jesus Christ Himself.

The pentecostal preacher may be exciting, he may love Jesus and he may be teaching a “part” of the Truth, which is Jesus, but he is also teaching many false doctrines and outright lies!

Do they have the Holy Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, as He gave to His Apostles, nearly 2000 years ago? NO!!

"Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ Jn 6:35

“I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jn 6:48-51

"Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” Jn 6:66-70

Pray to Jesus for the Truth and the courage to accept it, no matter how difficult or unpopular it may be.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

Mark

 

[Holly3278]

Remember, every denomination is man made except for the Catholic church. How you do not want to be in the church Christ established is beyond me.

I never said that I do not wish to belong in the Catholic Church. I just said that I was tempted to leave the Catholic Church. There is a difference between being tempted and actually wanting to leave.

That said, thank you everyone for your advice. I know that only the Catholic Church contains the fullness of the Truth. Not to mention that the Catholic Church contains the Eucharist which is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ while the Pentecostal church does not have the Eucharist. That is reason enough for me to not want to leave the Catholic Church.

Also, we must not forget that the Pentecostal church only has one sacrament, that of baptism. They don’t have the sacrament of confession, holy orders, Eucharist, marriage, anointing of the sick, and confirmation. They have imitations of these sacraments (or at least some of them) but they are just that, imitations.

 

[Holly3278]

Christ established the Christian Curch not the Roman Church.

Actually Jesus did establish the “Roman Church” which you are using as another term for the Catholic Church. He did so when he said:

Matthew 16:18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Spirit of God is with the Pentacostals.
If God be for us who can be against us.

First of all, how do you know that the Spirit of God is with the Pentecostals? I am not saying that it isn’t but how do you know that it is?

Second of all, I believe you are taking that verse out of context though I am not sure how.

 

[CHESTERTONRULES]

The Spirit of God is with the Pentacostals.
If God be for us who can be against us.

So you say. I hope you are correct.

This doesn’t mean your are fully following God’s will.

Can you address the scriptures I posted?

 

[narrowpath]

How about this, Holly?

Christ established the catholic Church. The Pentcostal movement flourished during the twentieth century.

Why would you attend any Church other than Christ’s.

 

[Mark77]

God Bless you Holly.

It sounds like you are very strong in your Catholic faith. Perhaps God is calling you to be a witness to others and to explain and defend the Catholic faith to them.

We can always learn from others, often their errors reinforce our beliefs.

I returned to the Catholic Church after investigating and learning the Truth about many of the false charges my protestant brothers made.

I owe a great deal of thanks to Catholics who were strong in their faith, many of whom were former pentecostals or other protestants.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

Mark

 

[Hisalone]

Actually Jesus did establish the “Roman Church” which you are using as another term for the Catholic Church. He did so when he said:

Matthew 16:18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

No Holly I do not believe that the RCC is the assembly Christ established. The RCC is not like the 1st century church.

First of all, how do you know that the Spirit of God is with the Pentecostals? I am not saying that it isn’t but how do you know that it is?

Second of all, I believe you are taking that verse out of context though I am not sure how.

Once you know the Spirit of God you know the Spirit of God. I first became acquanted with Gods Spirit while on retreat to a Trappist Monastary. the same Spirit at that monastary is the same Spirit in the Pentacostal meetings.