Debbie

I find your base assumption that whatever the pentecostals do is devil worship and/or a sneak attack on SDA by the devil troubling. The bible calls upon believers to pray with lifted hands as you yourself quoted, but since its done today by pentecostals its "inviting another spirit". Follow the bible and trust God is great enough to protect you from the evil one.

I would also like for you to explain why the evangelist/pastor is holier than the church member on the floor...

/Thomas

I created a topic that will fit what was said in the last post.

It is called, What is the Purpose of Our Church Programs?

Thomas, I did not say what the Pentecostals do in general was of the devil. I was speaking of the false "speaking in tongues" which is satanic in origin.

As far as Pastors and leaders in our church, they should be more holy, but you are right, many are not. I imagine there are more holy in the congregation.

I still believe that lifting up holy hands is not something we should pursue in our churches simply because of the huge pentecostal "speaking in tongues" connection which is very big in the USA.

I have seen some pray for others and as they pray, one hand is lifted up to God. I see nothing amiss in this type of prayer but personally I do not do it or care for it. When my husband was in India, a Pastors wife, in praying with the people there, lifted up ONE hand to God while the other was either on the persons head or shoulder while she prayed. This seems reverent but it does not appeal to me personally.

In the Pentecostal churches, people lifting up their hands to receive "the spirit" do so during prayer, during the rock ccm and during the time the speaker is talking...

This should not be in our churches.

Dear Debbie,

Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they gladly received the truth, and daily searched the scriptures, whether those things are so".

Debbie wrote: Thomas, I did not say what the Pentecostals do in general was of the devil. I was speaking of the false "speaking in tongues" which is satanic in origin.

Neville here: Thanks for your posting, it is quite informative. However, My question is, where do I start to draw a line on theological confusions found in Pentecostantism? My understanding is and has always been that, Babylon does not only refer to Rome alone, but it also refer to other religious bodies which were once pure. Maybe you'd like to unfold your last posting.


I wish you and everyone in the forum a reviving and happy Sabbath.

Neville Appolus

We are not to go to Babylon to find truth. They have nothing to offer us. We already have the truth of the whole Bible. There may be some things other denominations have in common with us, for instance some believe as we do on the State of the Dead. But that doesn't mean we go to their churches to find truth or to find methods in which to attact people to our church.

Of course there are "sheep in other folds" and God will bless them and bring them to further truth if they are willing and open to His leading.

"Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? Jer. 18:14

"Just as soon as you begin to think you are big men, and that you are so large that you can comprehend and pick out all that is precious in infidel authors, and leave out all that is vile, then you are wise above that which is written....The devil is right by your side, and the evil angels are there. The devil is a great deal smarter than you are, and you cannot see what he is driving at. He will so cunningly interweave his sentiments with the thoughts of these writers, that it will be iimpossible to distinguish the error which they contain." This Day with God, p. 217

In the above quote Mrs. White is speaking of reading infidel authors but the same principle applies to trying to see what we can "pick and choose" out of Babyon to use in our SDA churches today

5T 292, error is never harmless.

Debbie, EGW herself consulted the writings from "Babylonian" authors. You should see what was in her library!

I think your seriously out of context misapplication of one of her "infidel author" quotes is very inappropriate and quite out of place in this discussion. Do you even know who she was actually refering to when she used the phrase "infidel authors"? If you would read the whole of what she says on that topic you should know. To get a real good idea just look up the word "infidel" in the dictionary...

Tom

Tom

The infidel is in the beholders eye...

/Thomas

Thomas,

Apparently so... I wondered why I was being given the evil eye....

Tom

I still wonder why we do not clap for prayers. If we do it for music, wouldn't it make sence to praise a prayer with the pounding of our hands?