The Take-Away - Pentacostalism

Pentacostalism sprang from the same roots as Methodism.  John Wesley sought assurance of salvation and began to focus on EXPERIENCE being placed in addition to Scripture, Tradition, and Reason of the Three-Legged Stool.  Wesley's followers (Methodists) were known for their spiritual passion and for religious experiences that were sometimes deemed to be excessive by more traditional Anglicans.  There came a split; members of the Holiness Movement tended to be more conservative theologically than Methodists with a greater emphasis on personal piety and personal fervor/experience.

Charles Parham sought an experience like that of Acts 2 at Bethel Bible College in 1901.  Many people at that gathering spoke in tongues as they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Pentacostals think of speaking in tongues as normative, which means as available today as it was in the first century.  Pentacostals would say their role in church history involves going back to to the Apostolic Church.

Four Major Emphases
1.  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit - a "second work of grace" in which recipients are completely immersed in the Holy Spirit.  The evidence of this baptism is speaking in tongues (as described in Acts 2).  Pentacostals believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit gives Christians power for living and allows them to be used of God in a special way.
2.  A Personal Relationship with Christ - Pentacostals emphasize the emotional dimensions of their relationship with Christ.
3.  The Second Coming of Christ - Pentacostals live in expectation of Christ's imminent return.  There is a sense among many that the second coming will be within most of our lifetimes.
4.  Modern-Day Miracles and Healing - There seems to be a greater sense of expectation that God is in the "miracle-working business."


What Pentacostals Teach Us
1.  Living daily in the power and direction of the Holy Spirit to experience the fullness of the Christian life.
2.  A willingness to identify and use our spiritual gifts.  "When we use our gifts - God's gifts given to us for his purposes - we find joy in our faith" (109).
3.  Reclaiming healing power.  We can be bold in praying and to expect that God can do wonderful things to heal our bodies.

Summary of chapter = Hamilton encourages us to invite the Holy Spirit to be at work in our lives.  We can be more aware of the Spirit's guidance, power, and work.

Prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me anew.  Guide me.  Use me.  Empower me.  Lead me.  Grant me your gifts that I might be useful to you in serving others.  In Jesus' name.  Amen" (110).

And... for a little chuckle...

--------------
Hamilton, Adam.  Christianity's Family Tree.   Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.

The Take-Away - Baptists

John Smyth

Today's lesson from Christianity's Family Tree was about Baptists.  We were enlightened to the history and development of the Baptist denominations.

Baptists began as radical reformers with a disagreement over baptism.  These reformers rejected infant baptism and believed that individuals cannot be baptized until they can make their own personal decision to do so.  In fact, in 1609 John Smyth (often thought to be the founder of the denomination) re-baptized all adults who had been baptized as infants. 

Baptists also rejected elements of worship such as liturgy and altar tables, feeling they were "too Catholic."

Today there are 40-45 million Baptists in the world, with 33 million of those Baptists living in the United States.  There are many different branches of the denomination - American Baptist, Southern Baptist, Northern Baptist, and Independent Baptist, for example.  There is a large amount of autonomy given to each Baptist church; in fact, perhaps due to their nonconformist background, there is no governing board.  Instead, they can associate with like-minded churches into "conventions" (Southern Baptist Convention, for example).

Baptists believe that God chose every word in the Bible to be a timeless commandment, so this would be why they believe that women should not be pastors or leaders in the church.


Central Beliefs
1. The inspiration and infallibility of Scripture
2. Emphasis on a personal relationship with Christ
3. Salvation through faith alone not by works


What Baptists Can Teach Us
1. Bible Study - With time, Bible reading begins to shape who we are.
2. Missions - Sharing faith with others is important.
3. Simple Salvation Message - There is a great value in claiming the faith for yourself. For example, many people may have grown up in a Christian home or feel that they can achieve Christianity through osmosis. Taking time to accept the path to follow Jesus on your own is important and valuable.


--------------
Hamilton, Adam.  Christianity's Family Tree.   Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007.

Week Eleven - Rhythm

Next week our focus will be on the eleventh film in Rob Bell's Nooma series - "Rhythm."  Marcie will lead us in this casual discussion.

Is how we live connected to something that has been in place since the beginning of time? Maybe Jesus didn't come to start a new religion, but to show us how to live in tune with the life God has always planned for us.

Watch the trailer for the film we'll watch on October 7th:

Remember, we meet in the Fellowship Hall during Sunday School (9:45-10:45).  Everyone is welcome!!